Cars crash into power poles in Northland, power cut to thousands

A car crashed into a power pole in Waipū late Tuesday. Photo / Supplied

Three cars have hit the power poles in the past 36 hours in Northland, leaving more than a thousand customers without power for up to six hours.

Northpower customer experience manager Rachel Wansbone says they are having a busier than usual summer, especially the past 36 hours, as crews work around the clock to fix the power poles.

In the first incident, a car hit a power pole in McLeod Bay at 5.30am on Tuesday. A total of 749 customers were without power for five hours.

In the second, a driver hit a power pole in Glenbervie just before 7pm on Tuesday. Power was cut to 432 customers and it was restored at 5.30am today.

Traffic that had backed up because of the accident hampered the repair crew's ability to get to the site, meaning the fix took some time.

Wansbone said the pole was badly damaged.

The police confirmed the driver suffered minor injuries from the accident.

Wansbone said Northpower always had a standby crew available for faults so it was not a problem attending a second incident that evening. However, she urged the drivers to drive with caution because one car hitting a power pole could cut electricity to a lot of people in the area.

"We had a crew fixing the power pole in Glenbervie all night on Tuesday and while that crew is stood down, another team was doing the job at Waipū.

"We are prepared for it. But the days are very hot and the crew has to work for five to six hours in their protective heavy gear. Drive carefully and safely.

"Lots of people are impacted when a car takes out a pole like that. And because we have to replace the whole pole, it is not a small job. It usually takes about five to eight hours to replace the pole."

Wansbone said most people were fairly tolerant when a car accident caused a power outage.

"Obviously, the longer the power is out, the more people are frustrated by the outage.

"At this time of the year, many people are in their holiday homes or campgrounds who are also impacted by the power outage."

At least 62 vehicles crashed into power poles in Northland in 2021.

Since 2016, there have been well over 400 reported crashes involving vehicles hitting power poles, street lamps and telecommunication poles in Northland.

In a statement this week, police expressed their disappointment at the number of fatal crashes on the roads this holiday period, many of which could have been avoided.

As of 6am today, 17 people had died in crashes across the country and many more were injured throughout this Christmas and New Year break (4pm December 24, 2021 to 6am January 5, 2022).

These provisional figures are an increase on the 11 deaths for the 2020/21 period.

Five crashes happened in Northland alone between 6.30am and 10.30am on Monday as police prepared for a busy week on the roads with many holidaymakers heading back to Auckland for work after New Year's.

Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien said whānau and friends who lost loved ones in crashes should have been able to enjoy this holiday period with them, not planning their tangi or funeral.

"The impact on whānau, friends and communities cannot be measured when someone is killed in a road crash.

"It's also incredibly frustrating for police to see people losing their lives in completely preventable incidents."

The police will continue to have a visible presence on the roads this summer, taking enforcement action where necessary.

But ultimately it is drivers who have the responsibility to keep themselves, their passengers and other road users safe, said O'Brien.

"We need you to do your part too.

"Watch your speed and following distances, pay attention to the conditions, stop and take a break if you're feeling tired. Don't drink or take drugs and drive, wear a seatbelt, put your phone away and allow plenty of time to get where you are going - especially if you are travelling on roads you don't know."

While the official holiday period was over, there would still be a lot of traffic on the roads around the country over summer, making it even more important for drivers to remain focused and make the right decisions to keep the roads safe for everyone, he said.

"We don't want to see any more families impacted by tragedy this summer and we need all road users to play their part in getting everyone home safely."