Inattentive drivers to blame for cluster of crashes

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion of Tauranga Police is urging people to pay attention when driving. Photo/file

Tauranga's top traffic cop has had enough of inattentive drivers causing crashes on wet roads after a cluster of collisions in peak hour traffic yesterday.

Police were called to six crashes within 10 hours overnight, four of which happened within half an hour of each other in poor weather.

Western Bay of Plenty head of road policing Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said there would have been many people affected or delayed because of the crashes.

I know I sound like a broken record but people need to take extreme care out there, particularly under adverse weather conditions.

Senior Sergeant Ian Campion

"From 5pm yesterday through to 7 o'clock this morning we had a total of six crashes. These began with a crash at 5.18pm at the intersection of No 1 Rd and Jellicoe St, Te Puke. At 5.27pm on Hewletts Rd a car and motorcyclist collided. At 5.38pm on Takitimu Drive near Elizabeth St there was a nose to tail crash and at 5.42 pm on State Highway 29 near the Taipari St off ramp another two cars were involved in a nose to tail collision," he said.

"Within the space of half an hour we have four crashes and then at 12.16am, midnight, on Takitimu Drive a vehicle lost control and hit a tree. Than at 7.03am this morning there was a three car collision on SH 2 near Wright Rd, Aongatete," Mr Campion said.

There were no significant injuries in any of the collisions "but all of these crashes were preventable".

Mr Campion said of five of the crashes were the result of driver's inattention.

''It's about concentrating on what you are doing. Three were rear-end crashes, two were intersection crashes," he said.

"I know I sound like a broken record but people need to take extreme care out there, particularly under adverse weather conditions. They need to watch their speed, following distances, etc. They need to pay attention to what they are doing."

Heavy rain fell throughout Tauranga after 5pm yesterday, contributing to a total rainfall of 6.2mms of rain falling before 10pm.