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A woman who led police on a chase in the Singleton area before she crashed on Easter Sunday night allegedly had a blood alcohol reading more than four times the legal limit.
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The incident was one of a handful that has marred what police say has been otherwise good behaviour on the region's roads this long weekend.
Police told the Newcastle Herald that officers were patrolling the New England Highway at McDougalls Hill just after 11.30pm on March 31 when they recorded a Kia Sportage travelling 135km/h in a 60km/h zone.
The police vehicle turned and followed the Kia, but the fleeing driver allegedly continued to accelerate and lost the pursuing officers.
Police soon came across rubble on the highway and found the Kia at the bottom of an embankment.
It is believed the vehicle hit wire dividing the lanes and careered off the side of the road.
The driver, a 42-year-old Singleton Heights woman, escaped serious injury, police said on Monday.
She recorded a roadside breath test result of 0.229 and was charged.
The woman will face Singleton local court on June 13.
It came only a few hours after tragedy struck at Lake Macquarie, where a 35-year-old man died and a 30-year-old man was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition after an all-terrain vehicle crashed on Crown Land at Cooranbong.
Lake Macquarie police are investigating the rollover, which took place about 7pm, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Highway patrol Inspector Glenn Swift told the Herald on Monday that 196 people had been booked for speeding across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley on the long weekend as of Sunday night, while 15 drink driving charges were pressed and 29 motorists tested positive for illicit drugs.
Inspector Swift said the region's results were good in comparison to some other spots around the state, but the numbers remained too high for police to be happy.
"The message still isn't getting through if people are drink driving," he said.
"Our message is very clear leading up to this [long weekend] - if you're driving, don't drink."