A horrific 12 hours on the road has seen seven people lose their lives.
Police are urging everyone to take responsibility and make good decisions every time they get behind the wheel.
The most recent fatality occurred in Ngongotahā on Monday, after a motorcyclist collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Dalbeth Road and SH36 at around 11am.
The motorcyclist was taken to hospital but later passed away, says national road policing director Superintendent Steve Greally.
"Yesterday morning, three people were killed in a crash near Geraldine, another two people died following a crash on the Waikato Expressway, and one person died in a crash in Dargaville.
"It's horrific to have so many lives lost in such a short amount of time."
Steve says police are committed to reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by crashes on the roads.
"We will continue to focus on people speeding and continue to pull over drivers who are not focused on what they are doing.
"However, police alone cannot change the number of people dying on our roads and nor can our road safety partners.
"Every road user needs to play their part in getting to where they are going safely.
"I feel for the families and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved ones right now.
"Their lives have been changed forever.
"So let's all play our part in taking better care on the road.
"Please pay attention to the road, if you've been drinking – don't drive, and always wear your seatbelt or helmet if you're a rider."
2 comments
Same old tune
Posted on 18-04-2023 10:27 | By First Responder
Typical police response. We will continue to hand out tickets for speeding. Has the road toll dropped in the last 20 years? No, and it's not going to with the same old police response. What about issuing a request to resit your license within the next 3 months, or you loose it. Could you Imagine how many people would rightly loose their license, and how many would actually improve their driving. After all, a ticket is just another bill. It has zero impact on many. Basically just another tax. Time is more expensive. Imagine getting an infringement that states you have to do a defensive driving course within the next 30 days, ouch, time off work, less holiday pay this year. Unfortunately it's all revenue gathering, not road safety. Nothing will change.
@First Responder
Posted on 19-04-2023 09:48 | By The Professor
Incorrect - the road toll has plummeted over the last 20 years. You can't just look at total deaths and say for example that we had 100 deaths last year and 101 deaths this year so the road toll has got worse, you have to look at how many vehicles are on the roads or how many vehicle journeys are being made compared with previous years. This is all about collecting revenue. If the Police were serious about road safety, they would simply sit at the side of the road, at accident black spots, in marked vehicles, with their lights flashing and that alone will slow drivers down. They don't need to issue fines or set traps.
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