Crashes continue on North Island roads

A serious crash closed SH2 just east of the intersection with SH1 at Bombay on New Year's Day. Photo / Supplied

Crashes around North Island roads have kept emergency crews busy overnight and this morning.

In Tahuna, near Morrinsville, fire crews were called just before 7.15am to a crash that left a car upside down in a drain.

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Scott Osmond said no one was trapped in the vehicle, but a person was taken to hospital.

Just after 11pm last night, a vehicle rolled in Pyes Pa Rd, near Tauranga.

One female patient was assessed by ambulance staff and was understood not to have received any serious injuries.

Passengers in a vehicle that ended up down a bank on State Highway 35, near Cape Runaway on the East Coast, also appeared to have escaped serious injury when emergency services arrived on the scene just after 8.30pm last night.

Yesterday, a series of serious crashes in the Eastern Bay of Plenty prompted Whakatane Police sergeant Ray Wylie to issue a reminder to motorists over the holiday period.

"The message is clear education and police enforcement is just one aspect of keeping the roads safe," he said.

"The driver and the decisions they make are also an important part of the picture. Please make the smart decision to be a safe driver, check your speed, your following distance and drive to the conditions."