A teenage P-plater from the New England region has been charged with a high-range drink-driving offence during NSW Police’s King’s Birthday long weekend road safety operation.
Operation King’s Birthday 2026 ran from 12.01am on Friday 5 June until 11.59pm on Monday 8 June, with a high-visibility police presence across the state and double demerits in place for speeding, mobile phone, seatbelt and helmet offences.
Across NSW, police conducted more than 248,000 breath tests and 8,200 drug tests, issuing more than 11,800 traffic infringement notices. Two people died on the state’s roads during the operation and 279 major crashes were reported.
One of the most significant incidents in the New England region occurred about 8.10pm on Sunday, when officers attached to New England Highway Patrol stopped a Holden sedan on Thunderbolts Way near River Road at Rocky River.
Police will allege the driver, a 17-year-old P1 licence holder, returned a positive roadside breath test before being taken to Uralla Police Station, where he allegedly recorded a breath analysis reading of 0.243.
The boy was issued with a Court Attendance Notice for high-range prescribed concentration of alcohol and is due to appear before Armidale Local Court on 20 July 2026. His licence was suspended.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Assistant Commissioner David Driver said police had maintained a strong presence on roads throughout the long weekend.
“The vast majority of motorists did the right thing, but too many still took unnecessary risks on our roads,” Driver said.
“This operation was about visibility, deterrence and ensuring drivers understood the consequences of speeding, drink/drug driving and distraction.
“Every driver stopped for speeding and tested for drugs and alcohol contributes to safer roads.”
The New England area forms part of the Northern Region, which recorded the highest number of speeding infringements across the state’s regions during the operation.
Northern Region police issued 1,013 speeding infringement notices and 1,787 other traffic infringements. Officers conducted 40,462 breath tests, resulting in 92 PCA charges, and carried out 2,004 roadside drug tests, with 215 positive results recorded.
Police also detected 52 mobile phone offences and 28 restraint offences across the region.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley urged motorists to continue making safe choices behind the wheel.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and over the long weekend we saw the majority of motorists make safe, sensible choices that kept themselves and others safe,” Catley said.
“The strong police presence across the road network made a real difference. That visibility helped reinforce safe behaviour and played an important role in making sure people got home safely.
“While the operation has now concluded, the message remains the same – road safety should be front of mind for all drivers every day, and police will continue to enforce the laws to keep people safe.”
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