Driver inattention is a significant factor in Hawke's Bay crashes, local road police say.
Hawke's Bay road policing Senior Sergeant Fred van Duuren said many people failed to spot other road-users, causing accidents.
"Usually when people have crashes, the first thing they utter is: 'I didn't see them'," Mr van Duuren said.
"If you're in charge of a car, you're in charge of a lethal weapon and it takes all your concentration and attention to drive it."
His comments followed new research into Kiwi drivers, showing at least a third came close to crashing in the past six months.
The AA survey, which involved about 1000 people throughout New Zealand, also revealed 34 per cent of participants had been "surprised by a vehicle that seemed to come out of nowhere".
About 15 per cent also admitted to using cellphones while driving.
AA spokesman Dylan Thomsen said inattention was a major factor in many crashes.
"Distraction and people simply not seeing somebody else on the road contributes to a huge number of crashes," he said. "There are a lot of crashes where people aren't speeding, are sober and just miss seeing something."
Analysis of 2012 pedestrian crashes drew similar results.
"About 30 per cent of the crashes involved a driver not seeing the pedestrian and about 50 per cent of the crashes involved a pedestrian stepping out on to the road without looking or seeing a vehicle," Mr Thomsen said.
New Zealand's road toll stood at 104 deaths for the year to May 31, New Zealand Transport Agency figures showed.
The latest available road toll figures for Hawke's Bay show 21 people died on local roads last year.
Serious road crash injuries for the area stood at 78 for the year.
Mr Thomsen warned Hawke's Bay drivers heading away for the long weekend that they should be extra vigilant, even when familiar with the roads. Research indicated a large amount of crashes occurred within a short distance of people's homes.
"There is the possibility that when you're driving on the roads that you're familiar with, you could be more at risk of switching off."
Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Dave Cliff urged motorists to drive to the conditions during the long weekend.
Five people have already died on New Zealand roads this week as a result of crashes.
Yesterday, a woman was killed near Rotorua when her vehicle was in collision with another.
Further south, a motorcyclist died when his machine collided with a car in Taranaki on Thursday.
A teenager was also killed and another injured when the car in which they were travelling hit a power pole in South Wairarapa. On Wednesday, a person died after a truck and car collided near Kaikoura, and on Tuesday a truck driver was killed and another injured when their vehicles collided in Kerikeri.
Mr Cliff said: "Given that Queen's Birthday is the only holiday during winter, the risks of having a crash due to poor weather ... are significantly higher."
Seven people died in four fatal crashes during Queen's Birthday weekend last year. Another 17 crashes caused serious injuries.
Mr Cliff also reminded motorists a lowered 4km/h speed limit tolerance was in place over the holiday weekend.