The cold mornings in the Western Bay of Plenty over the past week are reigniting police calls for motorists to slow down in icy conditions.
Western Bay road policing manager, senior sergeant Ian Campion, says it is pleasing to see there has only been one crash as a result of icy conditions in the past week.

Senior sergeant Ian Campion.

He believes this is not because of improved driver behaviour, but because police and the New Zealand Transport Agency are taking a "pro-active" stand to prevent unnecessary crashes.
Police are reporting ice over the past week on State Highway 36 between Tauranga and Rotorua, but not on the typically notorious State Highway 29.
Ian says police units are being stationed on State Highway 36 and NZTA contractors will lay grit during icy conditions.
"We've been fortunate because this is the first week we've had a number of frosts, which generally exacerbates the problem, but the number of crashes has been low."
He says motorists need to watch for the "visual signs" that indicate icy roads.
White, frosty patches on the roadside will generally mean there is ice on the road, says Ian.
He advises motorists to slow down to a speed between 30km/h and 50km/h if they notice white frost on the roadside.
"The message is the same every year. People need to take extreme care."