Waikato road toll hits 50

Fifty people have died on Waikato roads this year, compared to 48 last year, defying a national trend. Photo / Stephen Barker

A man died and three people were injured in separate car crashes in the Waikato last night.

The 26-year-old farm worker died when his car hit a bank, rolled and struck a power pole at a rural intersection east of Waharoa about 9.30pm. He was able to get out of his car but died at the scene.

In the other incident, three people were taken to hospital after the car they were in careered into a canal west of Kerepehi.

Emergency services were called to the car in the canal, near the corner of Reservoir Canal Rd and Dagger Rd, about 11.40pm, said Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman.

Mr Tooman said it appeared the driver failed to negotiate a "35km/h sign-posted corner and their vehicle ended up in a canal".

Two women and man managed to get out. The man and one of the women were airlifted to Waikato Hospital with moderate to serious injuries and the other woman was taken to hospital by ambulance, also with moderate injuries."

According to Westpac Rescue Helicopter records the car was travelling at high speed before the crash.

Mr Tooman said it was too early to determine the cause and police are investigating what part alcohol and speed may have played.

Resident Robin Halpin said some drivers treated Reservoir Canal Rd as a "racetrack" because it was long, flat and straight.

Another resident, Lorraine McDuff, said a 19-year-old died when a car crashed into the canal a year earlier.

"They speed down our road something horrific ... [That corner] is where they do all the burnouts. You see the tyre marks from the wheelies that they pull out."

Mr Tooman said the death took the district's road toll to 50, compared to 48 for the same period as last year.

He urged a conservative approach to driving ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year period.

The death has been reported to the Coroner.