Speed and road conditions were probably factors in a fatal Waikato crash last night, police say.
A 22-year-old Te Kuiti man died after his car hit a tree on SH31 between Te Awamutu and Otorohanga around 6.45pm.
It was the fifth death on Waikato's roads in a week.
Crash investigators were still working to establish the cause of the crash, but the road conditions were wet and the car crashed into a tree after the driver failed to take a corner signposted at 55km/h, Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said.
"It appears to be a case of the driver not driving to the conditions and this has been a feature in at least three of the last five fatalities that happened in wet weather," Mr Tooman said.
He said too many drivers were dying after failing to negotiate a bend then over-correcting.
"Then they see a tree, post or pole, become fixated on it and try as they might to avoid it, their vehicles end up colliding with these objects with tragic results."
- NZPA
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