Police are targeting their resources on State Highway 29 as winter arrives because in the past five years, 239 crashes have occurred there with the majority between April and September.
Head of the Western Bay of Plenty strategic traffic unit, senior sergeant Ian Campion says SH 29 makes up 15 per cent of the region's highway network, but is the scene of 25 per cent of road fatalities.


This car was one of many to slide off the road during the wet weather in the Bay of Plenty in the last week.

"That's why there's a huge push by police and our road safety partners to try and cut crashes on that stretch of highway," says Ian.
The police response is to bump up resources there and they are doubling their officer presence and increasing the regularity of speed cameras.
Ian hopes these measures will help slow motorists down.
"Police are working really hard so that we don't have any unnecessary deaths on our roads over the winter period and throughout the year. I urge people just to drive carefully and knock that speed off - speed does kill."