A MAN was stopped for a roadside breath test on Crown Street, Wollongong, just before 10.30pm yesterday.

The 55-year-old man was charged with mid-range PCA and disqualified driving after checks found he’d previously been banned from driving until 2035.

Meanwhile the death of a man in a crash on the state’s north coast has raised NSW’s holiday road toll to 10.

Three cars collided on the Pacific Highway north of the Iluka turnoff just before 10am on Monday. The death takes the state’s holiday road toll to 10 – five fewer than for the same period last year. Four hundred and thirty others have been hurt in 1351 major traffic crashes.

Extra police are patrolling the state’s roads as part of the annual Christmas/New Year traffic enforcement campaign, ‘Operation Safe Arrival’.

On Day 10 of the operation yesterday, police booked 797 speeding motorists and issued 940 infringement notices for other traffic offences. There were 33,861 roadside breath tests conducted, resulting in 37 motorists being charged with drink-driving.

Superintendent Bob Ryan from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command has warned New Year’s Eve revellers not to drink and drive.

“If you’re planning to enjoy a drink or two to celebrate New Year’s Eve then leave your car keys at home and take public transport or a taxi,” Superintendent Ryan said.

“Drinking and driving is not only dangerous it is a criminal offence and no one wants to start 2013 with a criminal record or, even worse, the thought they’ve injured or killed someone in a traffic crash.”