8 die in tragic weekend toll
Police beg public to take better care as fatalities mount in Waikato, Northland crashes
Every loss of life is a tragedy, police say, as they beg the public to take better care on the roads. But Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter has cautioned that drivers will always make mistakes and says that’s why the Government’s programme to make roads safer is so important.
Since Saturday eight people have been killed on North Island roads — five in four separate crashes in the Waikato and three in a single-vehicle collision in Northland.
Several people, including a child and a baby, have been badly hurt.
The horror weekend brings the year’s road toll to 49 — three fewer than this time last year.
“Like every death these have been tragic. I really feel for the family and friends of those who have lost loved ones this weekend,” Genter said.
The Government had boosted funding for basic safety measures like side and median barriers, safer passing lanes and median barriers because “road deaths are preventable”.
Progress was being made — January was tied for the lowest number of crashes ever — but “we always knew it would not be in a straight line. There’s so much more we need to do”.
While the causes of this weekend’s crashes are not yet confirmed, Genter said there was a need to focus on all aspects of the system — safer roads, safer speeds, safer cars and safer drivers.
Bad weather will always be an additional risk factor, she said.
“We can’t only focus on driver behaviour because people will always make mistakes. The other countries that have had the biggest reduction in road deaths have really focused on making an environment . . . which is more forgiving.”
Waikato had had a notably high rate of deaths and serious injuries in crashes in recent years, particularly rural roads rather than main highways, Genter said.
The police and regional councils were working closely to make roads in the region safer, as well as increasing traffic police and focusing on impaired drivers.
First a person died in a two-vehicle crash in Tahuna, 18km north of Morrinsville at 10.30am on Saturday.
A man and a woman then lost their lives in a crash on Cambridge Rd, in Leamington, south of Cambridge, about 6pm. A witness told Stuff a baby had survived the crash, which involved a small logging truck and another vehicle.
And on Saturday night a fourth person died when their vehicle crashed into a power pole on State Highway 25 near Pipiroa, 15km southwest of Thames.
At 2.15am on Sunday three people were killed and a child was critically hurt after their car smashed into a tree near Whananaki in Northland.
Finally an eighth person died in Piopio, Waikato, around 12.40pm on Sunday in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Highway 3 and Mangakowhai Rd. One person remains in a serious condition in Waikato Hospital.
Police Acting National Manager of Road Policing, Inspector Gini Welch, said it was too early to be sure of what caused the crashes.
“Every loss of life on our roads is a tragedy and these deaths will have a major impact on individual families and wider communities,” Welch said.
“Police work closely alongside our road safety partners . . . but we need everybody to do their part in keeping our roads safe.”