Crash stats please Southern police

Southern police are pleased with driver behaviour over the busy Christmas holiday period, with fewer crashes recorded.

Figures released to the Otago Daily Times show 84 crashes were reported in Otago and Southland over the holiday period, compared with 113 the previous year.

Nationally, there were 15 fatal crashes resulting in 17 deaths during the holiday period.

That included one fatality in the Southern District.

Pengxiao Tao (22), a Chinese student studying in Invercargill, died after the car in which she was a passenger and a camper van collided on Boxing Day at Five Rivers.

''Any fatality on our roads is one too many,'' acting road policing manager Senior Sergeant Geoff Sutherland said.

The Christmas holiday period was a busy time on local roads, with traffic volumes increasing significantly around the southern lakes area, he said.

''It is really pleasing that many drivers showed patience and consideration in their driving behaviour to ensure that their family and friends, and other road users, reach their destination safely.''

He noted that in general drivers were courteous and patient, observing maximum speed limits, driving to the road conditions and not drinking and driving.

Provisional data suggested alcohol, speed or both contributed to 12 of the 17 holiday period fatalities.

The latest fatality occurred in Christchurch about 1.50am yesterday, when a man died after his vehicle crashed into a street lighting pole at the intersection of Mairehau and Beach Rds, about 1.50am.

It followed the death in Waikato Hospital on Sunday of a man thrown from the back of a ute on Boxing Day. He was Ra Ngaru Smith (18), of Raglan.

Last year, when the official holiday period was three days shorter than this year, there were seven road deaths.

Over the period before that, there were six deaths (the lowest Christmas/New Year holiday period road toll) - much fewer than the 19 deaths in the 2011-12 period. The worst was in 1972-73, with 37 deaths.

The official Christmas/New Year holiday period ran from 4pm on December 24 to 6am yesterday, two days longer than a year ago.

-hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz

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