‘Buckle up, Buttercup' – that's police's message this Labour Weekend.

With a sharp increase in the number of people killed in crashes as a result of not wearing seatbelts, police are using the long weekend to launch their new campaign which encourages people to wear seatbelts.

Labour Day Weekend's official road toll period officially starts at 4pm today and ends at 6am on Tuesday, October 25. During this period police will be highly visible on the roads and officers will be focusing on high risk driving behaviour using a mixture of enforcement activities.

Assistant commissioner of road policing Dave Cliff says not wearing seatbelts is still a factor in a number of crash deaths.

'Typically, each year around 60 people killed in crashes were not wearing seatbelts. However, last year that number jumped to over 90.

'As of October 12 this year, 71 people have been killed while not wearing a seatbelt, which is a real concern with over two months left in the year.”

By wearing a seatbelt, you increase your chance of surviving a crash by up to 50 percent.

During Labour Day Weekend 2015, five people died and 21 people were seriously injured. As per previous long holiday weekends, speed cameras will be positioned in high risk crash areas and set to enforce a reduced speed threshold of 4km/h over the limit.

Beach vehicle safety is another area of concern for Police.

'Many people don't realise the beaches with vehicle access are legal roads,” says Dave.

'Those beaches have speed limits that need to be kept to for the safety of everyone on the beach. Seatbelts need to be worn at all times, and road safety rules must be followed, for example not driving while impaired, and not using your phone while driving.”

SOME HANDY ROAD SAFETY TIPS:

• Watch your speed
• Allow enough time for your journey and don't rush
• Reduce your speed in adverse conditions
• Be a legend – stop mates and whänau driving drunk
• Make the journey part of your holiday - plan breaks and take your time
• Make sure you and everyone in your car wears a safety belt or has the appropriate restraint
• Drive considerately – the way we drive affects others
• If towing, or driving slowly, regularly pull over to allow other vehicles to pass, as impeding traffic an cause frustration and prompt other drivers to undertake risky overtaking manoeuvres.

To report unsafe or inconsiderate driving behaviour you witness on the roads report it to police by calling *555.