The New South Wales Police Force began a new road safety operation in October to determine how speed affects crash rates.
Shortly after the three-day program, officials said the number of people who are killed in crashes or suffer car accident injuries around the state is staggeringly high.
Only a few days into the operation, NSW police said nine people had been killed in roadway accidents. One of the incidents, involving a 17-year-old who was killed in a motorcycle accident, was likely the result of excessive speed and the boy not wearing a helmet when riding.
Operation Slow Down started on October 4, and all nine deaths occurred in the first weekend of the program. After the death of the 17-year-old motorcyclist, three others were killed in a car accident when the car in which they were riding lost control and flipped on a road outside Narrabri.
"Nine people have died on our roads in three days, which is way too many, " said acting Traffic and Highway Patrol Operations Commander Mark Cook.
"I find it really concerning that based on our most recent statistics, 3538 people have been caught speeding since Friday, compared to 2864 during the comparable period last year."
Mr Cook added that although the police have given the public several warnings, drivers are still endangering themselves and motorists around them by travelling at excessive speeds.
A full report of car accident injuries
The police force released a detailed document of all the accidents that occurred during the first weekend of the operation, as well as instances of extreme speeding. For example, the
Goulburn Highway Patrol reported a car that was speeding at 173km/h in a 110km/h zone.
Other examples include a driver who was charged with high-range drink driving, which accompanied charges for excessive speed.
It's examples like this that demonstrate how dangerous NSW roads can be. The operation ran the entire weekend, and gave officials good insight into where they need to focus their efforts to keep drivers from speeding.
Although the program has ended, Mr Cook stated that police will continue to be on the lookout for unsafe drivers.
"Police will continue to target dangerous and irresponsible driver behaviour across the State," he concluded.
Those who have suffered car accident injuries in Australia may want to contact a compensation lawyer to determine what legal options are available.