Sharp rise in road toll extremely sad, says AA

At the end of the year, 297 people have lost their lives and families have been left without loved ones. Photo / Duncan Brown

Police say 297 deaths too high and urge caution after first death of 2015.

The number of people who died on New Zealand roads rose sharply last year to 297 - up 43 on 2013.

The provisional figure - which may change due to factors such as coroners' findings or people succumbing to injuries - was the fifth lowest since records began in 1951.

Since 1953, only 2013 (254) and 2011 (284) have produced fewer road deaths.

This year's road toll began just hours into the New Year, when a woman died after her car hit a lighting pole on Auckland's Southern Motorway.

Road policing chief Assistant Commissioner Dave Cliff said it was a tragic way to start the year. "Not only has one person lost their life, other passengers were injured and a number of families will be affected by this one crash."

Last night about 8 o'clock, a 24-year-old man from Kerikeri died after the vehicle he was driving rolled on Papamoa Beach in the Bay of Plenty. Four other people were in the vehicle but escaped injury.

Area police commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said driver behaviour, alcohol and failure to wear a seatbelt were believed to be factors in the crash.

Last night, a person died in a crash on Papamoa Beach in the Bay of Plenty. This is unlikely to be included in the holiday toll - which stood at 11 - because of the location. The official period runs until 6am on Monday.

Last year, seven road users died during the Christmas break, which ended two days earlier on January 3. The deadliest holiday period on record is 1972/73 when 37 people died on the roads.

Mr Cliff said that while the country had come a long way since the worst recorded death toll in 1973 when 843 people were killed, any death was one too many.

"At the end of the year, 297 people have lost their lives and families have been left without loved ones. There is no room for complacency - police want fewer crashes, fatalities and serious injuries."

The year's road toll included two people who died after their car plunged off a West Coast bridge into the Wanganui River on Tuesday. Police recovered the bodies from the wreckage after it was hauled out of the river by crane yesterday morning near Hari Hari, about 50m downstream from the bridge.

Police will not name the victims until formal identification has been completed and next of kin informed.

Mr Cliff said the number of deaths had been reducing over time, however international comparisons showed there was still room to reduce the toll substantially.

"The goal is to have all families ... reaching their destinations together. One of the hardest jobs a police officer will do is to tell a family that one of their members has died as a result of a car crash."

The Automobile Association said 2014's increased toll was "extremely sad and disappointing".

The organisation called for an increased number of median barriers on highways to reduce the annual number of deaths on New Zealand's roads by 2020 to under 200.

"Six months of the year [January, June, July, August, September and December] had record or near-record low numbers of road deaths," said spokesman Dylan Thomsen.

"Unfortunately, the other six months had many more deaths than 2013, which has pushed the annual road toll much higher."

Mr Thomsen said repeat drink-drivers should be made to install devices on their cars that prevented their use if alcohol was detected.

Road deaths

2014: 297*

2013: 254

2012: 308

2011: 284

2010: 375
*provisional figure