Seventeen people have died on roads around the country over the official Christmas and New Year holiday period.
As the holiday road toll period ended at 6am today, Police confirmed 17 people had been killed.
The provisional figure is a marked jump from last year's toll, when 11 people died on New Zealand roads during the same time.
It comes after confirmation this morning that a 13-year-old girl has died just over a week after a horror crash that put five children in hospital.
Police said the teen died in Waikato Hospital yesterday.
Her death comes just over a week after a horror crash in Matamata last Monday, December 27.
Five children aged 10 to 13 years old suffered serious injuries in the single-vehicle crash. Three of the youngsters were taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Police say they are disappointed by the number of fatal crashes, as many of those accidents could have been avoided.
Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien said ultimately, it was up to drivers to have the responsibility to keep themselves, their passengers and other road users safe.
"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."
O'Brien called on motorists to watch their speed and following distances; pay attention to the road conditions and stop and take a break if you are feeling tired or fatigued.
"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."
The number of people killed on our roads during the Christmas and New Year break is the highest since 2016/17.
This time last year, 11 people died during the holiday period.
The year before that, the road toll stood at four. In 2018/19 nine people were killed and the year before that, 12 people died.
The highest number of deaths on New Zealand's roads during the Christmas and New Year holiday period in recent times was during the 2016/17 season, when 19 people lost their lives on our roads.
Tragedy after tragedy
Yesterday, a person died after a car downed powerlines and caught fire in Waikato in the afternoon.
Emergency crews were called to Dawson Rd, in Taupiri, after reports of a single-vehicle crash at 4pm.
Earlier in the day, a person died in a crash near Nelson Lakes National Park in Tasman. The crash happened on SH65 at Maruia, about 8.30am.
On Sunday, four people were killed on roads around New Zealand; including a pedestrian and a motorcyclist.
A male rider died in a crash on State Highway 12 in Kaihū, Northland, about 12.20am.
A motorcycle passenger suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Whangārei Hospital.
Later that afternoon, a person died in a single-car crash on Arapuni Rd in the Waipā District in Waikato.
Another person was killed in a crash in Gisborne about 4.40pm that same afternoon.
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Waihī Rd in Judea, Tauranga, about 9.40pm that Sunday night.
New Year's Day tragedies
New Year's Day also brought with it tragedy, after two people were killed in incidents in the early hours of the first day of 2022.
Police announced that a teenager had died after being struck by a vehicle in Omaha, north of Auckland.
The incident happened about 4am on Omaha Drive.
Authorities later named the victim was 17-year-old Joshua Hartner, a student at Auckland Grammar School.
About an hour before that incident, emergency services were called to St Aubyn St in New Plymouth after reports that a car had crashed into a parked vehicle.
A person was later confirmed to have died in that crash.
Christmas Eve
The first person killed during the official holiday period was Shaquille Dempsey, of Turangi.
The 24-year-old died in a crash on SH1 in Motutere, south of Taupō. Emergency crews were called to the area at 7.15pm.
Christmas Day
Three people were killed on Christmas Day alone, including a motorcyclist involved in a crash in Gordonton, Waikato.
Emergency crews were called to the area at around 9.20am. However, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
About the same time, emergency services were also heading to State Highway 1 Waihola, Otago, after a crash between a car and a truck. One person died in that collision.
The third Christmas Day fatality was a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle later that night in the Auckland suburb of New Windsor.
The incident happened on Rosamund Ave about 10.15pm.
Boxing Day
On Boxing Day, a truck driver later named as John Osborne was killed when his truck and trailer rolled on SH7 Lewis Pass.
The crash was reported to authorities about 3.30am. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. Osborne, 62, was from Rangiora.
Thursday, December 30
A motorcyclist died on Thursday, December 30, in a crash near Rangipō, in the Taupō district.
The incident happened shortly before 7pm and the rider was pronounced dead at the scene.
A New Zealand Post staffer was killed on the same day in Tawa, Wellington. He was later named as 31-year-old Sam Kelman who was said to be a dedicated member of the company and who loved the game of cricket.
Wednesday, December 29
One person was killed in a crash on SH1 Pukenui on Wednesday, December 29.
Emergency services responded to reports of a crash involving three vehicles. Several other people were injured as a result, and their injuries ranged from moderate to serious.