Police disappointed with high holiday road toll
Police and other emergency services throughout New Zealand have attended eight fatal crashes over the holidays so far, where nine people have lost their lives.
And the number doesn't include Queenstown's latest fatal crash on State Highway 6 near Kingston, where Invercargill's Timothy Herrick, 36, died in a collision with a tourist bus.
That crash, which injured a dozen other people, happened on 19 December. The official Christmas / New Year holiday period is from Christmas Eve to 3 January.
Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing says the holiday road toll is incredibly frustrating.
"There’s no excuse for any driver to be endangering their lives and those of others with unsafe behaviours," he says.
"There are many families that have been affected by bad decision making from behind the wheel so far this holiday.
"Drivers need to be clear that if they are driving distracted, or speeding or driving impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may cause a crash and possibly cut someone’s life short."
The next few days are expected to be some of the busiest of the year on Queenstown Lakes roads, as people flood into and out of the district for the New Year celebrations.
SH6 eastbound before New Year's Eve and westbound after will see heavy traffic.
Over the Christmas period last year, 21 lives were lost in road crashes.
"We will continue to have a co-ordinated, highly visible Police presence at high-risk locations including State Highways and rural areas, during peak travel periods right throughout the country.
"If you are caught putting other people’s lives at risk, you can expect to be dealt with and don’t expect a warning."
Greally says road deaths and serious injuries are preventable and everyone needs to do better to stop them.
"We have seen over time that our enforcement action has proven to deter people from driving dangerously, however road safety is something we must all take responsibility for.
"We should all play our part to be safe on our roads, because so far, too many families have received tragic news this holiday period.
"Motorists should expect to see Police anytime and anywhere over this holiday break to make sure that everyone travelling the roads and highways reaches their destination safely.
"We can all work together to avoid unnecessary road trauma.
"We will continue with our record levels of breath testing and we will continue to issue infringements as part of our prevention and enforcement role."
Ministry of Transport will be providing updates on holiday road toll data throughout the break.
