A notorious stretch of highway, State Highway 51, between Napier and Awatoto, was once again the scene of an accident which left three people injured.
The accident, between a car and a campervan, occurred on Tuesday morning at 10.29 just south of Napier between the cross roads of MarinePde and Awatoto.
A St John ambulance spokeswoman said one person received moderate injuries and was taken to the local medical centre.
Two others with minor injuries were examined on the scene and not transported.
The road was blocked and diversions were in place until 11.22, when the road was cleared.
The accident was the third accident on the stretch of highway since early May.
The campervan involved in the motor vehicle accident on SH51 being towed away. Photo / Paul Taylor
On June 9 a woman was transported to the Hawke's Bay Hospital with minor injuries after veering into a wire rope restrainer at the edge of the seafront drive on SH51 between Napier and Awatoto.
Her accident happened within the stretch of about 2km of wire-rope highway boundary south of Ellison St, and about 500m from a fatal crash on May 7 in which a southbound car veered into the path of a truck.
That was reported to be the third fatality and 46th crash in the 3km between Ellison St and Awatoto Rd since the barriers were installed in 2016, primarily focused on stopping vehicles from hitting the trees at the side of the road.
With landmark Norfolk pines lining either side of the narrow 100km/h stretch, there have been no major structural changes to the road.
When asked about possible improvements NZTA Regional Transport Systems manager Oliver Postings said the Safe Network Programme was a collaborative programme delivering proven safety interventions on highest risk local roads and state highways across New Zealand.
It uses the Safe System approach, with focuses on speed management (setting speed limits that are safe and appropriate for the level of risk on each road), safe roads and roadsides (investing in proven infrastructure improvements on our existing roads and intersections) and safe rail level crossings, on both Ellison St and Awatoto Rd, just off the highway.
"These safety interventions delivered through the programme will help create a road transport system that is forgiving of human mistakes and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads," he said.
"We have already installed wire rope barriers along this stretch of highway, which is a measure that has a strong track record of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
"The barriers along SH51 were installed in front of the trees to protect motorists from roadside hazards."
