No rise in road toll but no cause to celebrate

Superintendent Paula Rose. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

Alcohol and speed contributed to more than half the 13 deaths on New Zealand roads over the holiday period, which ended this morning.

And while it was one of the lowest road tolls since 1986, police were far from pleased.

Alcohol was suspected in crashes that killed six people over the Christmas/New Year period and excessive speed contributed to seven of the deaths.

Despite the carnage, police have praised motorists who they say slowed down and travelled with care. National road policing manager Superintendent Paula Rose said it was "really positive" to hear from staff that motorists were heeding safety messages.

"It's saddening that 13 people died but heartening that so many road users through the country slowed down and took care these holidays," she said.

"The feedback is that speeds are lower and people have been travelling in a far more calm way, no one is overtaking and everyone is travelling at about the same speed."

Traffic flowed freely around the country yesterday as people made their way home from holiday spots, with no hold-ups reported.

AA spokesman Simon Lambourne said there appeared to be less traffic on the roads, as people may have taken extra time off due to the short week, spreading out the congestion.

Ms Rose said since 1986 there had been only two other holiday periods when the road toll was less than 13 - nine in 2006/07 and 11 in 2004/05.

"We're getting better, but to be blunt, zero is the only number we want to go for. We wouldn't say we're pleased, we've still got 13 people dead.

"Of those, four were in the 15-24 age bracket - that's 36 per cent. And we had a 13-year-old girl. Those are people who are never going to see the prime of their lives."

The official holiday road toll period started at 4pm on Christmas Eve and ran until 6am this morning. Last year, 13 people died during the period.

The first victim for the 2010/11 period was Gayle Jean Anderson, 44, who died in a crash near Dunedin on Christmas Eve. Minutes into Christmas Day, 40-year-old Vineshwar Singh died in a hit-and-run in Pukekohe.

On December 28, Mary-Lee Huata, 17, died after a crash near Wairoa. A 13-year-old boy was driving her home from her mother's after-wedding party.

Sebastian Hirling, 16, was killed about 1.30pm on December 29 after the ute he was sitting in the back of rolled over on to him at Reporoa.

The same day, Te Reimana Mathew Peina, 38, died when his motorbike and a car collided north of Wanganui.

Tanisha Morris, 13, died on New Year's Eve after the car she was in collided with a truck near Napier.

On Saturday, Auckland man Tamataia Pera Maurangi, 35, was killed in a single car crash near Hastings and another man died after being thrown through a windscreen when two cars collided in the Bay of Plenty.

On Sunday, three men lost their lives - Auckland motorcyclist Mark Egbers, 48; Sean Coe, 20, after a New Year's Day crash near Hamilton; and Marlborough man Wayne William Anderson, 52, when he lost control of his vehicle at Canvastown.

Early this morning, a man died when the vehicle he was travelling in crashed at the Market Rd off-ramp on the Auckland motorway.

And a fatal crash occurred on a private road within the Pinewoods Motor Camp, Red Beach, near Orewa, when a campervan rolled down a cliff.

- Additional reporting - nzherald staff