The operation, which began at 12am Thursday, was launched in the hope of curbing the state's worsening road toll for 2009.

Senior Constable Colin Sheil of the Lithgow Highway Patrol said ‘if you’re going to drink drive, your chances of getting caught are higher than normal, with police intent on catching out those doing the wrong thing.’

Commander of Traffic Services Branch , Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, said drivers need to be responsible for their own actions when getting behind the wheel.

‘There are no excuses. A car can be a deadly weapon and people who drive when drunk risk the lives of not only themselves but other road-users, Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.

It is an extraordinarily selfish thing to do, you are risking your own safety and that of others.’

During last year’s operation, police conducted 111,423 breath tests with 469 charges laid for drink-driving offences.