Northland's road horror continues

INVESTIGATION: Police serious crash investigator Warren Bunn at the fatal crash scene at Omanaia. PHOTO / Peter de Graaf

Northland's road toll climbed to 38, more than 10 per cent of the national figure, when a 64-year-old Fijian national, Lalita Devi, died after the car in which she was a passenger crashed on SH14 at Maungatapere on Saturday.

Two other people suffered injuries described as moderate to serious.

That crash followed two fatalities on Friday. A 6-year-old girl died when the car she was travelling in on SH12 near Omanaia, in the South Hokianga, veered on to gravel before rolling and coming to rest in a ditch.

That afternoon a 5-year-old boy was struck and killed by a vehicle as he tried to cross Mill Rd in Whangarei.

As of yesterday the national road toll for the year so far was 375, including seven over the official holiday period. Northland's 38 deaths, more than half of them in the Far North, compares with 27 last year and 22 in 2015.

Northland has a 7 per cent share of the country's roads, and 3.5 per cent of the population.
Senior Sergeant Darren Sullivan (Whangarei) said people needed to take responsibility for their driving behaviour, especially at this time of the year when roads were busy.

"Police can't be everywhere, but there are rules that need to be adhered to. It's all those key areas like abiding by the speed limit, wearing seatbelts, being patient on the road and driving to the conditions. It's a case of drivers not only looking after themselves but after other road users as well."