Three Bay of Plenty women are calling on New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to lower the speed limit of the corner of SH2 near Appleton Rd, Waiotahe near Ōpōtiki, after a crash on October 2. Photo / Supplied
Children were “screaming in terror” after a car crash in the Bay of Plenty, a witness says.
Maree Scammell told the Bay of Plenty Times she lived near the scene of a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Waiotahe, near Ōpōtiki, on October 2 which left six people injured.
Scammell says the stretch of road is notorious for car accidents, and she is calling on New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to lower the speed limit and “change the layout” of the corner of SH2 near Appleton Rd.
“These are real kids screaming ... in terror.
“It’s frustrating that we have so many accidents, and I do understand budgets ... but surely people must count for something.”
NZTA says safety improvements have been under way in the area since 2021, including the installation of road safety barriers, shoulder widening and line marking in “high-risk” areas.
Police said the investigation into what caused last week’s crash was ongoing.
Scammell said she was home when the accident happened and called 111.
“We just heard the impact of the metal. And because we’ve heard it previously, we know exactly what it is.”
Scammell said she had lived there for five-and-a-half years.
“It is repetitive.”
Scammell said on September 29, a car flipped and landed upside-down.
On September 12, Scammell said a van “drove straight into the neighbours’ hedge”.
Two people died in 2019 in the area, she said.
She understood weather and driver error could contribute to an accident, “but the corner must have a place to play in this for it to be so repetitive”.
Scammell said the stretch of road leading up to the “tight” corner had a 100km/h speed limit. There was a 75km/h speed advisory at the corner.
“The shape of the corner, the speed going into the corner and the camber of the road, surely has to be a major impact into what’s happening.”
Neighbour Melany King said she and her partner were watching TV when they heard an “almighty smash”.
Her partner was one of the first on the scene to help, she said.
King supported Scammell’s calls to lower the corner’s speed limit.
“It’s dangerous.”
Another neighbour - who did not want to be named - also supported lowering the speed limit.
Her main concern was for her children’s safety.
The woman said a car flipped upside-down and ended up “in my driveway” on September 29. Her son had just finished riding his motorbike there when it happened.
Her “heart dropped” when she discovered the car.
“What if it was my little son underneath the car?”
An NZTA spokesperson said the agency extended its condolences to those injured in the crash and recognised the impact on neighbours and witnesses.
The spokesperson said safety improvements were under way and would be split into five sections.
A map showed sections 1B and 1C were those closest to Appleton Rd.
NZTA completed road resealing on section 1B. It made “final line markings” and installed signage in December 2023 on section 1C.
Works included shoulder widening and roadside barriers at “high-risk” locations.
The spokesperson said 1.4km of wire rope barriers and 2.7km of W-section barriers (guardrails) were installed. Fresh chip seal was also laid.
Other improvements nearby included widening the road and installing roadside barriers between the SH2/Wainui Rd intersection and SH2/Ōhiwa Beach Rd intersection, and a roundabout was being constructed at the “high-risk” intersection of SH2 and Wainui Rd.
The NZTA website said the stretch of road on SH2 between Wainui Road and Ōpōtiki was a “high-risk rural road” where 14 death or serious injury crashes were recorded between 2018 and 2022.
The spokesperson said NZTA’s approach to speed management had changed and its current focus was on implementing variable speed limits outside schools, as required by the Government.
“We are currently reviewing the requests we have received for further speed reviews.”
The spokesperson said any other proposed speed limit changes needed to align with the Government’s rule “and can only be progressed once funding is available to plan, consult and set a changed speed limit”.
Funding was limited in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
The spokesperson said it would consider speed management as part of its network planning “longer-term”.
Future speed limit reviews would focus on locations required for roading projects and safety.
“Any community requests to review speed limits on state highways ... will be added to our register for future consideration.”
Data from NZTA’s crash analysis system showed seven crashes had occurred between 2022 and 2025 on SH2 near Appleton Rd.
The 2025 data was incomplete, and crashes in September and October were not included.
Of the seven recorded crashes, two resulted in serious injuries, one in minor injuries, and four were non-injury crashes.
Contributing factors included poor observation, handling, or judgment, failing to give way or stop, incorrect lanes or position, vehicle factors, speed, and suspected alcohol and/or drugs.
Caveats included the system only recording crashes that were notified to the police, and a belief that non-fatal crashes were under-reported.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.