Motorists impatient with cyclists should watch out for a ghostly spectre as they drive past the scene of a fatal bike crash.

Police have named the 19-year-old who died when he was thrown out of a car as it plunged 25 metres down a cliff at the Pinewoods Motor Park in Red Beach, north of Auckland, early this morning.

The death of a 15-year-old driver who fled from police this morning was 'completely avoidable', say police. Timoti Mohi was driving a stolen car when he failed to stop for police and drove off at speeds of up to 180km/h.

Campers at a coastal campground north of Auckland are in shock after a teenager was thrown out of a car as it plunged 25 metres down a cliff at the campground early this morning.

Alcohol and speed contributed to more than half the 13 deaths on New Zealand roads over the holiday period.

Superintendent Ted Cox was ticketed after he was clocked driving at 120km/h on Auckland's Southern Motorway, during a crackdown meant to cut the number of road deaths caused by speeding.

The holiday road toll has risen to nine following a crash involving two motorcycles on the Coromandel peninsula this afternoon.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce ignored expert advice to cut the drink-drive limit and save lives after pointed questions from John Key's office suggesting there might be a public backlash, new papers reveal.

A young man speeding at 174 km/h because he was 'late for lunch' is one example of some appalling driving in the holiday break.

The family of a father-of-two hit by a car yesterday are grieving for 'a wonderful family man'.

Police have urged motorists travelling north from Wellington to exercise patience in 'extremely heavy' traffic today. Two people have so far been killed on NZ's roads since the official start of the holiday road toll period.

One of NZ's most experienced road policing officers has resigned, saying the job is taking too great a toll on his health.

The festive season is a time of excess. But as the country’s top traffic officer Paula Rose tells Alan Perrott, there is little cheer in counting its cost.

The Herald on Sunday's Two Drinks Max campaign, championing a lowering of the drink-drive limits and moderation from drivers, doesn't have universal backing. Rachael Ford from the Candor Trust explains her organisation's views.

The driver of a car that collided with a group of cyclists, killing three, has admitted causing their deaths.