Officers around the city for the past few days had been pulling over motorists to check vehicles, driver licences and perform breath tests. They would continue until the weekend, when police would be out in full force on the roads, Senior Sergeant Mel Aitken said.
Drivers will again need to stay less than 4km an hour above the permanent posted speed limit at Labour Weekend, she said.
Acting Southern police district road policing manager Steve Larking said speed was the number 1 factor in road crashes and while it was a key focus for police during the weekend, they would also be pulling over drivers who did not drive to the conditions, were following too closely and to test for drink-driving.
Patrols would be highly visible on the traditional routes from Dunedin and Invercargill to popular holiday spots in Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes region.
He encouraged drivers to be patient and courteous on the roads and plan ahead.
"There will be higher levels of traffic so I urge you to plan your journey well, take your time and allow for adequate rest stops if you are travelling longer distances."
Last year during Labour Weekend, two people were killed on southern roads and another five were seriously injured. Both fatal crashes involved speed and a vehicle crossing the centre line.
Up to the end of September, 16 people had died on southern roads, compared with 23 for the corresponding period last year, while 144 people had been seriously injured, compared with 195 in the corresponding 2010 period.
Even though figures were improving, every death or injury was one too many, Acting Insp Larking said.
The official holiday period starts at 4pm on Friday and finishes at 6am on Tuesday.
