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Drivers are urged to exercise caution after four people were killed in accidents on Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day in Auckland.
Two people were killed after a car crashed into a power pole in south Auckland at 7:30 pm on Christmas Day.
Two more people died in the early hours of Boxing Day when their car collided with a bridge in West Auckland.
In a statement, Inspector Jason Homan said investigations were underway into the causes of both crashes, but that high speeds appeared to be a contributing factor.
READ MORE:
* Two killed after a car struck a bridge in West Auckland on December 26.
* Two people die after a car struck a power pole in South Auckland.
* Auckland Christmas Getaway – When and where the traffic will be worst during the holidays
The police message is: don’t speed, drink or drive, buckle up and put distractions like cell phones aside.
Simon O’Connor / Stuff
Police said high speeds appeared to be a contributing factor to both fatal accidents. (File photo)
Other crashes during the festive period have caused serious injuries.
“Every death along the way means that a person will never go home to his whānau and friends,” Homan said.
“We don’t want any other family to experience so much pain and loss this holiday period.”
People must take responsibility for their behavior on the roads, he said.
He also encouraged passengers to speak up if they did not feel safe.
The death toll on New Zealand’s roads in 2020 as of December 25 is 312, 34 of them in the Auckland region. The road toll for 2019 was 349.
During Labor Day weekend, eight people died, the highest toll for the holidays in nearly a decade.
By contrast, there were zero deaths over Easter weekend when the country was on lockdown, only the second time it was recorded.
The vacation period this year runs from 4 pm on December 24 to 6 am on January 5.
During the summer vacation period last year, there were four deaths and 353 injuries on New Zealand’s roads.
