A young man was killed and another left fighting for life after their ute slammed into a tree near Berry on Saturday.
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The death was one of three fatalities on NSW roads during the first 48 hours of the Queen's Birthday long weekend police operation, prompting a plea from a senior officer for motorists to slow down and stay alert.
The 25-year-old Bomaderry man died following a crash on Gerroa Road about 5.15pm.
Emergency services arrived at the scene, about 3km south of the Beach Road intersection, and found a single-cab ute had hit a tree.
Police said initial reports suggested the man lost control while trying to overtake southbound traffic.
"There's been one vehicle that's attempted to overtake several vehicles and ultimately that car has lost control and ended up colliding heavily with a tree," South Coast police Inspector Dave Cockran said.
The driver was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
His passenger, a 24-year-old man, was flown to St George Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
On Sunday afternoon, his condition had deteriorated to critical, police said.
Late afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said he was in a stable condition.
The 34-year-old male driver of a van, which was in front of the ute prior to the crash, was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital for mandatory testing.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, from the NSW Police Force's Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said a number of motorists had taken unnecessary risks on the road this long weekend.
"Road fatalities have a tragic effect on everyone involved, from the families who must grieve a loved one, to the police who attended the crash, and the communities who have lost one of their own," " Asst Comm Corboy said.
"It's simple: Slow down and stay alert."
Meanwhile, a Unanderra woman was one of 25 people across the state charged with drink driving on day one of the long weekend police blitz, Operation Stay Alert.
The 27-year-old was stopped for a stationary random breath test on Five Islands Road at Unanderra about 8.25pm on Friday.
The woman gave a positive result and a subsequent breath analysis returned a reading of 0.254.
She will be handed a future court attendance notice for high-range PCA. Her licence was confiscated and suspended.
Police said another example of inappropriate driver behaviour was an 18-year-old green P-plater caught travelling at 165km/h on the Hume Highway at Sutton Forest about 10.50pm on Saturday.
The teen, from Hill Top, had his licence suspended on the spot.
He was also issued with an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h and will be without a licence for six months.
Double demerits remain in effect until 11.59pm on Monday.