Inattention and speed were likely factors in the crash, Cramp said.
The second fatal collision on Wednesday night also occurred after a young male driver, the single occupant of the vehicle, took a moderate bend.
Preliminary investigations revealed the vehicle crossed the centre line on Pipiwai Rd, Matarau, and collided head-on with a ute, which also had a single occupant.
The Serious Crash Unit is also looking at speed as a possible factor in this crash. Whether drugs or alcohol were involved is yet to be determined.
“I think out of all the crashes we’ve had in the last couple of months, it seems the attitude of drivers has changed dramatically and it’s causing deaths,” Cramp said.
“They’re not driving to the conditions and they’re not driving to the road rules. There seems to be an attitude with a lot of our drivers that they can do what they like and they’re invincible but they’re not.”
There was another serious single-vehicle crash on State Highway 10 on yesterday morningnear Pakaraka Junction, in which one person was critically injured. The cause is yet to be determined, but it may have been a medical event, Cramp said.
The two deaths bring Northland’s road toll for the year so far to five.