Flying surfboards, meals on wheels and more: Dangerous drivers out in force this holiday season

Police have called for drivers to pay more attention on the roads after multiple videos emerged of dangerous driving during the holiday period.

In one dashcam video, taken on New Years Eve on the Pacific Highway in northern New South Wales, a family is following behind a car with surfboards stacked on top, when the boards suddenly come loose.

They fly towards the family's car at frightening speeds.

More video emerged this morning of massive panels flying off the roof of a ute, while A Current Affair's own crew car caught the moment a vehicle swerved to avoid a lawn mower that had flown off the back of a truck near Melbourne.

New South Wales Police Highway Patrol Chief Inspector Phillip Brooks said many people did not realise they could be heavily fined for those offences.

"There are very significant penalties right throughout Australia for those who have got unsecured loads, in the hundreds of dollars, and certainly if police can prove that that later caused a serious injury or even a fatal crash, that will end up in a court outcome," he said.

He said this time of year was notorious for accidents, with more people on the roads and drivers becoming impatient.

Other videos show people texting, eating, and putting on makeup behind the wheel.

Road rage can also be a problem, but road safety professor Raphael Grzebieta from the University of NSW offered some advice.

"Avoid any confrontation, you don't know who is behind the wheel," he said.

"Just be very cautious of that person, use your brakes, don't try and accelerate faster to get out of the way, that can be more dangerous."