With five people dead on New Zealand roads since the official Christmas/New Year's holiday period began on Friday, police are urging motorists to drive with a focus on safety.

'While it is too early to determine exactly why these crashes happened, previous experience suggests speed, poor decision making, distractions and no restraints are likely to feature,” says Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien.

'This has been an incredibly tragic start to the holiday period on our roads and a number of families will never be the same.”

Police expect the roads to continue to be busy with people leaving their Christmas day bases and heading off to holiday destinations.

'Please keep calm and be patient on the road, and accept there will be some delays on your journey,” says Assistant Commissioner O'Brien.

'Plan ahead, watch your speed and following distances, pay attention to the conditions, stop and take a break if you're feeling tired, and allow plenty of time to get where you are going- especially if you are travelling on roads you don't know.”

Police will continue to have a visible presence on our roads this summer, taking enforcement action where necessary.

'But we cannot be everywhere and ultimately drivers have the responsibility to keep their passengers, other road users, and themselves safe this holiday period.”

The official Christmas/New Year's holiday period ends at 6am on January 5, 2022.

Before the official holiday period began on Friday, police released a statement on Thursday, December 23, saying 10 people had died on New Zealand roads in the last seven days.

'2021 has been a tough year for everyone due to Covid-19,” says Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien.

'People should be planning for the holiday season, not planning tangi and funerals for loved ones.

'The impact on whānau, friends and communities cannot be measured when someone is killed in a road crash.

"It's also incredibly frustrating for police to see people losing their lives in completely preventable incidents."