The death of the 23-year-old in Tabbimoble, about 80 kilometres north of Grafton, on Monday brought the state's holiday road toll to 10.

Police said the man was driving north on the Pacific Highway, about 1.5 kilometres north of the Iluka Road turn-off, when his Ford Laser and two other vehicles collided just before 10am.

Emergency services were unable to revive the young driver, who died at the scene.

An elderly couple in the second car were flown to hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Two other people in a third car involved in the crash were not injured.

The Pacific Highway was closed in both directions near the Iluka Road turn-off, while police investigated the cause of the crash.

Superintendent Bob Ryan, from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said irresponsible drivers continued to flout the road rules in recent days, including a 55-year-old man who was stopped in Crown Street in Wollongong on Sunday night. The man had been banned from driving until 2035 and was allegedly drunk when police stopped him.

''Drinking and driving is not only dangerous, it is a criminal offence, and no one wants to start 2013 with a criminal record or, even worse, the thought they've injured or killed someone in a traffic crash,'' Superintendent Ryan said.

On Sunday, a 73-year-old Broken Hill woman was charged after being caught behind the wheel of a car. She had never held a driver's licence.

A 26-year-old man was arrested after leading police on a pursuit in Sydney's west. He had earlier been spotted by officers doing burnouts in Newington. He was charged with aggravated burnout and other offences.

Police said the state's holiday road toll was nine fewer than for the same period last year.