Several people wary of State Highway 1 stretch through Atiamuri area

Several people throughout the Waikato try their best to avoid travelling on State Highway 1 in the Atiamuri area following a number of serious crashes.

These crashes have resulted in a range of different injuries and in some cases, death.

Today eight people died in a head-on collision between two vehicles just off SH1 on Ohakuri Rd.

Fiona Mead, a Rotorua resident, is driven by her son along SH1 in Atiamuri once every few weeks when she looks after her grandchildren.

While she trusts the drivers she rides with, she described it as a "bad stretch of road".

A number of right-hand turns were particularly treacherous and you have to be quick because some cars come around corners quickly, she said.

The crash scene where eight people were killed and a boy critically injured. Photo / Ben Fraser

Fellow local, Shontel Van Zyderveld, said she used to use the highway "all the time".

"But since these accidents, I haven't used it once. There has just been so much tragedy on that highway, I'm really not willing to use it at the moment."

Taupō Mayor David Trewavas said the roads in the area were "very good" but continual work was being done to improve them.

"[It's a] busy busy highway, at the tail-end of the holidays. The road would have been chock-a-block," he said.

"The road gets a lot of attention and my humble opinion is the roads are very good there and continual improvement certainly helps.

"The long term plan is to put more passing lanes in and calm things down a bit and make it a bit easier."