Wet roads a factor in Brynderwyn tragedy

Inspector Murray Hodson at the scene of the fatal accident. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Emergency services were stretched thin dealing with at least 20 car crashes across Northland in the last two days caused by the wet weather.

A 72-year-old motorcyclist was killed on the Brynderwyn Hills, State Highway One, when he collided with a car at around 7.30am yesterday. The accident was one of four in the region in the space of an hour.

The man was travelling north on the southern side of the hill when he collided with a Suzuki hatchback travelling south.

Traffic was reduced to one lane while police assessed the scene. The road was cleared at around 10am.

The other three crashes yesterday morning could all be put down to people driving too fast on wet and slippery roads, said Road Policing manager Inspector Murray Hodson.

"Drivers are taking undue risks by not reducing their speed in these conditions," Mr Hodson said.

"The wet conditions makes the road extremely slippery especially on corners. People need to take more care than usual, if that means reducing their speed than that is what must be undertaken," he said.

Police, St John Ambulance staff and the fire service attended three crashes in quick succession following the fatality yesterday morning.

A car rolled on State Highway 11 near Opua at 7.48am and a 20-year-old woman suffered minor injuries.

Half an hour later a car spun off Maungakaramea Rd and down a bank. Another 15 minutes later two cars collided head-on on State Highway 12 at Paparoa. Two people were treated for minor injuries at both scenes.

Yesterday there were at least seven car crashes and on Wednesday police attended 13 crashes across the region.

"Most of the crashes can be attributed to motorists going too fast ... approaching corners too fast, breaking during the corners and losing control," Mr Hodson said.

District operations manager for St John Ambulance, Tony Devanney said staff had been spread thin dealing with the numerous crashes.

"It just means, like police, our resources are stretched."

The motorcyclist's death brings the number of fatalities on Northland roads this year to three.

Bill Bayliss was killed on January 14 on Kapiro Rd while cycling when he collided with a four-wheel drive vehicle.

On February 11 Anne Tomkinson, a tourist from the UK, died at the scene of a head-on crash between a car and the motorcycle on which she was a pillion passenger at the foot of the Karikari Peninsula.

Mr Hodson said the fact that the three road fatalities this year had all been on two wheels is something that he will look into.

"It is just coincidental at this stage," he said.

"Being the summer period you're going to get more motorcycles on the roads."