The 100km/h speed limit is not a target, so if it's raining slow down. - Jim Hawthornecrash unit investigator A senior police senior crash investigator is urging motorists to take care on Northland's roads, particularly when wet, after three people died in two separate crashes.
The deaths of two female Swedish tourists in a crash on the Brynderwyns on Saturday afternoon were the second and third of the weekend on the region's roads. A Whangarei man died when his car collided with a truck on State Highway 1 near Waipu on Friday evening. He was Robert Perry Watene, aged 21.
The crashes happened about 5km apart on SH1.
The three deaths brought Northland's road toll for 2009 to five, compared with three at the same time last year, and have prompted police concern.
Police serious crash unit investigator Jim Hawthorne attended both accidents and described Friday's as one of the most destructive he had ever seen, with the car bursting into flames and disintegrating after colliding with a truck just toward the northern end of the Waipu bypass.
Mr Hawthorne said the force of the collision was so great that it split the car's V6 engine block in two and took the front axle off the truck. The truck driver was uninjured in the accident.
While Mr Hawthorne was at that crash there were at least three other minor accidents in the Waipu/Ruakaka area caused by people losing control in the wet. Police attended at least a dozen minor accidents on Friday and Saturday attributed to the wet.
In Saturday's accident, Mr Hawthorne said, the tourists were heading south on SH1 when, about about 1.34pm, they were going through a right-hand corner which had a 65km/h advisory speed sign in place.
He said witnesses saw their Nissan Sunny car spin a couple of times before crossing the centreline and into the path of a north-bound Holden Commodore.
The passenger's side of the Nissan hit the front of the Commodore. The female driver and female front seat passenger of the Nissan were killed instantly. Both front seat airbags in the Holden were deployed and the driver and front seat passenger both received minor injuries.
Mr Hawthorne urged motorists to take care on Northland 's roads at all times, but particularly when it was raining after a period of dry weather, to prevent more fatal crashes.
"When it rains after being dry for while is makes the road very greasy as it brings the oil, dirt and other grime to the surface. The road then becomes quite slick until the grime is washed away by the rain," he said.
"People have got to drive to the conditions. The 100km/h speed limit is not a target, so if it's raining slow down."
The names of the two tourists had not been released at edition time.
News of Saturday's crash prompted calls from Swedish newspapers to the Northern Advocate asking for information on the two Swedes and the accident.
Whangarei Sergeant Chris Goodall said police were trying to contact the relatives of the two women through Swedish authorities in Australia.
He said the women had just arrived in the country and were driving a rental car.
3 die in SH1 crashes - Horror weekend on roads
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