Otago’s 2018 road toll lowest recorded

OTAGO’S road toll for 2018 is the lowest recorded — but the news is bittersweet following a fatality near Waihola on New Year’s Eve.

A serious crash north of the township on State Highway 1 on December 31, about 1.30pm, led to one person dying and a man being taken to hospital in moderate condition with leg injuries.

A Southern District Health Board spokeswoman said the man was in a ‘‘very stable’’ condition.

It is unknown when police will release the identity of the person killed.

The crash brought the region’s road toll to 10 for the year, down from the previous record low of 11 in 2009.

The highest toll counted in the region was 43, in 1988.

Despite falling numbers in Otago, New Zealand’s total toll for the year is the highest it has been since 2009, 381 people dying on the road in total last year — and eight dying so far this holiday season, according to recent data from NZTA.

Otago coastal road policing team leader Senior Sergeant Jared Kirk, who began in the role in March, said last week a greater emphasis on deploying staff to the most lethal roads was a major reason for this year’s low toll, together with road safety improvements made by the NZ Transport Agency.

The majority of fatal crashes in his area happened on State Highway 1 north of Dunedin to Oamaru, and south to Balclutha.

Police had ensured staff were deployed to those areas at peak times and had ‘‘subsequently seen a drop off of fatal crashes in these areas’’.

The official holiday period started on Christmas Eve and runs until 6am on Thursday.

RNZ reported yesterday afternoon the latest addition to the annual road toll was a person who died on New Year’s Eve, after a car crash near Martinborough earlier in December.

The first fatality of the holiday season was 17yearold Felix Newton, who died in the early hours of Christmas Day when his ute crashed off a bridge and into the Whanganui River.

There were further deaths on the road on December 27 and on December 28.

The NZ Herald reported on December 29 two people were killed in separate crashes.

A man died after crashing into the O paoa River at the Blenheim Top 10 Holiday Park and a 25yearold motorcyclist was killed in Wellington after he was struck by a car travelling the wrong way on State Highway 1 near Johnsonville.

On New Year’s Eve, two further deaths were recorded by NZTA.

During the 201718 Christmas holiday period there were 11 fatal crashes and 329 reported injury crashes.

Those crashes resulted in 12 deaths, 90 serious injuries and 379 minor injuries.

The deadliest holiday period recorded by NZTA was in 197273, when 37 people died and 826 were injured on the road.