Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has praised doctors, nurses and emergency workers as the real heroes of the Easter weekend.
Speaking briefly to reporters after attending a Good Friday church service in Canberra, Mr Rudd said everyone needed to realise the amazing work done by these people.
"At Easter time let's never forget all the unsung heroes - the doctors, the nurses and emergency service workers who don't get a break and we depend on them this weekend," he said.
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He also called on motorists travelling over the holiday weekend to slow down and be safe on the roads.
"Please, everybody, drive carefully."
First fatality
An elderly woman became the first NSW - and national - road fatality of the Easter holiday long weekend after a collision on the state's south coast.
The 86-year-old was a front-seat passenger in a Toyota Hilux utility which collided with a 2001-model Honda CRV station wagon on Darkes Forest Road at Darkes Forest, Wollongong, about 1pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
The woman and the driver of the utility, an 85-year-old man, both from Darkes Forest, were taken to St George Hospital where the woman later died, police said.
Four other people in the station wagon - the 54-year-old female driver, a 55-year-old male passenger, an infant girl aged 16 months and female toddler almost three years old - escaped injury.
The fatality is the first recorded under Operation Tortoise, a NSW Police Easter road safety campaign.
Police out in force
Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, who heads up the Traffic Services Branch, on Friday warned motorists police will be out in force on NSW roads throughout the long weekend.
"Police will be out there playing their part to keep the roads safe this holiday period," he said in a statement.
"However, it's the responsibility of individual drivers which will determine whether they reach their destination in one piece."
So far this Easter, NSW police have issued 2191 traffic infringement notices, including 1460 for speeding, and conducted 41,500 breath tests, resulting in 28 people being charged with drink driving offences.
Victoria police crack down
In Victoria, 863 drivers have been caught speeding and another 29,000 drivers were breath-tested.
Deputy Commissioner for road policing Ken Lay says Victorians should heed the warning that police are out there and if you are driving too fast, you will be caught.
"Last night a teenage boy was seriously injured and lies in an induced coma because of a speed-related collision," Mr Lay said.
"I urge people who are on the road today to think about that and just remember, slowing down will not kill you, but speeding could."
Other offences detected in the road blitz include 320 drivers caught talking on their mobile phones, 133 seatbelt offences, 70 unlicensed drivers and 57 drink-driving offences.
"We warned everyone earlier in the week that police would be everywhere this weekend, and it is frustrating to see that some people have just not got the message," Mr Lay said.
A heavy vehicle driver transporting concrete slabs recorded a blood alcohol reading of .094 - almost twice the legal amount - when he was pulled over on the South Gippsland Freeway near Doveton on Thursday.
The driver, from Frankston, had several prior convictions for-drink driving and had his licence suspended.
The blitz is one of the state's biggest ever policing operations and involves police from the Operational Response Unit, Air Wing, and State Highway Patrol.
Queensland nabs speeding drivers
In Queensland, almost 3400 drivers were booked - most for speeding - in the 24 hours leading up to the Easter police blitz.
Police performed more than 23,000 random breath tests and charged 88 drivers with being under the influence at the wheel.
Police say in the same period 34 people were injured in 28 traffic accidents.
There were no fatalities.
