The scale of the challenge police and road safety authorities face over Christmas and New Year is best summed up by two contrasting stories.
Police were thrilled at the results of the traditional holiday season drink-driving checkpoint held on State Highway 1, near Ohakea, on Friday afternoon. In all, 2553motorists were stopped, of which none were over the legal alcohol limit for driving. Police have justifiably claimed the result as proof people are finally beginning to take on board road-safety messages.
But then once the holiday season properly kicked off, things went downhill. By Boxing Day, the nationwide road toll stood at seven, including two teenage sisters who died in a crash in Tauranga on Christmas Day.
It's proof that while progress is clearly being made, just the simple act of getting behind the wheel is still inherently risky, and despite the best efforts by responsible drivers and police, there will always be those people whose holiday season will be horribly and irrevocably scarred by losing a loved one in a road smash.
Last week's attack on a 5-year-old girl in a Turangi camping ground is a graphic illustration of the best and worst aspects of human nature.
Clearly, the negative aspect is the attack itself, believed to be sexually motivated.
The girl was assaulted inside a caravan at the Club Habitat Holiday Park. The girl's mother was nearby but away from the caravan at the time, and returned to find a man on top of her daughter.
However, since the incident, New Zealanders have been generous in their support - gifts have been flooding in, and the family sent out a message acknowledging the "hundreds" of messages they had received from the public.
It's great to see at this time of year, when everyone is so busy with their own families, that so many can find the time to think of others in their time of need.
All we need now is for the person responsible for this horrific crime to be captured as soon as possible.
That would make a good, albeit late, Christmas present for all of us.
