With the forecast for the early part of the weekend looking good, the Bay will be an attractive place to be, says Senior Sergeant Ian Campion.

The Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager is urging everybody to take extreme care on Western Bay roads during the Labour Weekend period.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion hopes everyone will have a memorable weekend and people get to their destinations safely.

He says: 'There is likely to be heavy traffic flows, particularly between 3pm and 9pm on Friday and on Monday from midday to 7pm when people are coming home.

'Really, with the increased traffic flows and the inclement weather forecast for the end of the weekend, drivers need to take extra care, reduce their speeds, respect following distances and be patient.”

The 4km speed tolerance will also be enforced this weekend. People caught doing up to 9km/h over the speed limit can face a $30 fine or 10 demerit points.

'The faster you go the more demerit points you will get and the bigger the fine will be,” adds Ian.

If a person incurs 100 demerit points in two years, they will lose their licence.

'People also need to drive to the conditions,” he says. 'This means that motorists' speeds should be relative to the environment they are in and they should be really patient.

'It's also very important to one, give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination so you aren't rushing, and two, everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seatbelt or is properly restrained in an approved child restraint.

'If you're travelling long distances, make sure you take lots of breaks. Consideration, concentration and planning is needed when planning a trip during holiday periods.

'Truck drivers and drivers of light vehicles, such as caravans, need to take extra care and consideration in periods of heavy traffic volumes. They need to make sure their loads are properly secured and they pull over to allow faster traffic to pass.”

Ian says it's about making the weekend one to remember, not one people want to forget.