Two fatal Northland crashes caused by drivers failing to take corners

Northland's road toll stands at five after the two fatal crashes this week. Photo / NZME

Two fatal crashes in Whangārei within two-and-a-half hours happened in similar circumstances, police say.

The first two-vehicle collision on One Tree Point Rd was reported to police around 5.40pm on Wednesday.

The vehicles collided after the 25-year-old driver of a vehicle travelling south lost control on a bend, senior constable Jeff Cramp of the Serious Crash Unit said.

“He’s lost control around a moderate corner and gone across the centre line, injuring the female driver of the car and dying at the scene himself.”

A dog that was in the man’s car also died in the crash. The other driver suffered moderate injuries, and the road was closed for several hours as the Serious Crash Unit examined the scene.

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.

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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.