Eleven people died on the roads over Queen's Birthday Weekend - the worst road toll in 27 years.
They are 11 people whose lives were taken away, leaving behind devastated family and friends. One of the fatal crashes was in the Bay of Plenty.
Police believe ice was a factorin the single-vehicle crash that killed a 51-year-old Rotorua man on State Highway 38 near Kaingaroa Forest on Sunday. Local police had received a number of calls throughout the weekend due to cars losing control on black ice.
However, in the wider context of the national road toll, it's concerning that despite repeated safety warnings from police so many lives are still being lost on our roads.
I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for police and road safety groups who put a tremendous amount of effort into raising awareness.
As this paper has noted before, the difference between life and death on our country's roads is a fickle business and it's easy to become an innocent victim.
There will always be dangers on the road but it's important that pressure continues to be applied to improve driver behaviour.
It's a complicated task and, given last weekend's road toll, I wonder if police will ever win the battle.
The police are doing the best they can to limit the road toll but in it is a shared responsibility - every motorist must play their part in making the roads safer.
One thing is for sure, however, they cannot win the battle on their own.
The police are doing the best they can to limit the road toll but in it is a shared responsibility - every motorist must play their part in making the roads safer.
