A deadly day on our roads

The carnage continues as the new year’s crash toll already stands at eight.

Two people died and another two were critically injured during a deadly day on New Zealand roads yesterday. The weekend toll included a man who died after the van he was driving left the Arundel Rakaia Gorge Rd, near Staveley in South Canterbury, about 8am.

The man was travelling southbound when his van went off the road, entered an irrigation canal and sank.

Police said his body was found in the van, which was recovered with a crane.

In the central North Island, a cyclist died after a collision with a car on the Taupo Expressway in the early afternoon.

Northbound lanes were closed and diversions were put in place at Centennial Drive and Broadlands Rd after the fatality.

The police serious crash unit is investigating the fatal crashes.

Another two people have lifethreatening injuries after a twovehicle crash on SH2, south of the Bay of Plenty town of Katikati yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services were called just after 4.30pm to the crash between Wright Rd and Aongatete Rd.

SH2 was blocked as emergency services tended to the injured.

Diversions were put in place between Tauranga and Paeroa, before the road was eventually reopened.

In Auckland, southbound traffic on the Southern Motorway was brought to a standstill after a bus caught fire near the Greenlane interchange soon after 10am.

Jaron Phillips from the Fire Service said there were no reports of injuries and passengers had got off the bus safely.

Traffic on the Wellington motorway network was also slowed yesterday after a crash.

A car rolled at the Porirua intersection of SH58 and James Cook Drive, closing one lane of the highway.

The two deaths come after a horror holiday period on New Zealand roads, and take the new year’s toll to eight.

Nineteen people died during the holiday period, which began on December 23 and ended at 6am on January 4.

The toll was the highest in four years, deeply disappointing the police.

Twelve people died on the nation’s roads during the 2015-16 holiday period.

Road deaths in New Zealand have been rising in recent years.

Last year, 327 people died on the roads, which was eight more than in 2015.