Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions and keep their speed down after several vehicle crashes occurred in Northland in recent days.
One of the crashes, which occurred on State Highway Ten south of Kerikeri, resulted in a woman and two children receiving serious injuries.
Another crash in Dargaville resulted in the death of an elderly man. The 85-year-old died on Friday two days after his car was hit by another vehicle that failed to give way.
Factors in many of the crashes have included speed and fatigue.
Northland Road Policing Manager Inspector Murray Hodson says drivers need to be constantly aware of the conditions they are driving in and adapt their speed accordingly.
"For instance last Friday we had a mixture of four seasons in one day with cold temperatures, warm sunny conditions, overcast conditions and then rain. All this leads to a change in the condition of the road and can affect your vision as you are driving."
"The speed limit is not the target."
Mr Hodson says drivers need to plan their journeys, make sure they take plenty of rest stops on long trips and share the driving if possible.
"Between August and December last year 12 people died on our roads. We don't want to see a repeat of that this year. We want people to be safe as they drive around Northland."
Mr Hodson says police will be actively targeting speeding drivers, particularly those who travel between 11 and 15km/hr over the posted speed limit in order to reduce serious injury and fatal crashes.
"We make no apology for stopping those who are speeding and giving them a ticket. It may just save their life as well as the lives of other motorists."
The crashes since last week have included:
• On Wednesday August 13 a vehicle travelling across an intersection in Dargaville failed to give way and collided with another car driven by an 85-year-old man. The man, Fredrick Charles Poyner, died in hospital on Friday August 15.
• On Friday August 15 a car driving along State Highway 10 south of Kerikeri crossed the centre line and hit another car. A woman and two children aged 6 years and nine months in one car were seriously injured. The male driver of the other car received moderate injuries. Fatigue is believed to be the cause of the crash.
• On Friday August 15 a car veered off the road on State Highway One just south of Kawakawa. The car ended up in the paddock and the female driver received minor injuries. Speed is believed to be the cause of the crash.
• On Friday August 15 a car containing five people hit a bank on State Highway 12 near Aranga. One person received moderate injuries. Speed is believed to be the cause of the crash.
• On Saturday August 16 a car rolled on State Highway One near Oakleigh, south of Whangarei. The female driver received moderate injuries. Speed is believed to be the cause of the crash.
• On Saturday August 16 the driver of a car lost control while driving on State Highway One near Topuni, south of Kaiwaka. The car ended up on its roof partially blocking the southbound lane. The female driver was not injured. Speed and fatigue are believed to be the cause of the crash.
For media inquiries contact Northland Police Communications Manager Sarah Kennett on 09 945 4650 or 021 192 1099.