Motorists are being warned to expect an increased police presence in the Bay of Plenty this Easter weekend.

Bay of Plenty District acting road policing manager, Inspector Stuart Nightingale says road-users should expect to see an increased Police on our local roads.

'Easter weekend is usually a high risk for the Bay of Plenty with significant traffic flows expected on our State Highways, particularly following a period when many recent holiday plans were affected by bad weather.

'Our frontline staff will be highly visible on the roads and people should expect to see us anywhere, at any time, covering all parts of our roading network.

Inspector Nightingale notes that extra resources will be deployed to state highways across Bay of Plenty, including dedicated road policing teams and our mobile safety camera operators.

'We will be focused on the main behaviours which contribute to death and injury on our roads: driving too fast for the conditions; driving while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or fatigue; driving while distracted – including using a cell phone; and not being properly restrained.

'Following too close, poor over-taking and impeding the flow of traffic contribute towards crashes too, so keep your distance and stay focused and let's ensure an incident-free weekend in the Bay of Plenty.

'Police are keen to see an Easter weekend without any serious crashes on our roads.

'Safer roads are everybody's responsibility, and we're urging motorists to make good choices, because we will be out in numbers.

'If you see poor driving please call 111 and we will respond with urgency.”