South coast tourists sparked traffic chaos on roads around Batemans Bay as they began the journey home after their Christmas and New Year's breaks on Friday afternoon.
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The mass exodus from the coast clogged roundabouts and brought dozens of cars virtually to a standstill in the town's centre as drivers headed towards the Princes Highway and Kings Highway.
Holiday traffic is building on major roads up and down the NSW coast.
Motorists travelling on the Princes Highway can expect delays of up to an hour on areas further north including Batemans Bay, Milton, Ulladulla and Berry.
The NSW Transport Management Centre encouraged motorists to allow plenty of time and plan their trip, with heavy traffic predicted near the coast between 10am and 5pm on Friday and Saturday.
Batemans Bay Police Inspector Angela Burnell urged Canberra motorists to slow down take it easy on the roads on their way home.
"We'd encourage people to time their journey with consideration of the holiday traffic.
"It's a very busy time of year on the far south coast and it's up to everyone to drive responsibly and be safe on the roads."
Inspector Burnell said extra police were patrolling the region's roads for speeding and drunk drivers in coming days.
ACT Policing traffic operations station sergeant Rod Anderson said drivers should ensure their car was road-ready before they left by checking tyres, windscreen wipers, lights, indicators and oil and water levels.
"For Canberrans heading to and from the coast, make sure you plan to stop and take a break at the half-way point, rather than pushing through a three-hour trip in one go."
"As well as driving within the speed limit, you should drive to the conditions, always wear a seatbelt and take regular rest breaks to make sure you remain alert."
NSW Police warned drivers against growing complacent as they headed home from their holiday season festivities.
Traffic and highway patrol command Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said many drivers were preparing to return home this weekend to start work next week.
"The 'she'll be right' attitude is so prevalent in the Australian culture but it doesn't belong on the road," Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.
"Complacent drivers are the ones who are placing themselves and their passengers at risk of being in a crash."
He warned motorists that double demerit points were in place for speeding and seatbelt offences until midnight January 4.
