An unusually high number of pedestrians were among those killed in crashes on Otago and Southland's roads last year.
Six pedestrians - three in Waitaki, one in Queenstown, one in Southland and one in Dunedin - died on the South's roads last year.
Alcohol was a factor in four of the six cases.
In total, as at 9am yesterday, 31 people died in road crashes south of the Waitaki River last year, including 19 in Otago.
Southern police district road policing manager Inspector Andrew Burns said the road toll was four higher than in 2009, which was not only a tragedy for all those involved, but also disappointing, considering that by November the total number of road crashes in the police district was down 5% (158 fewer) compared with 2009.
It was a strange year in terms of the number of road deaths occurring in unusual circumstances, he said, including pedestrians lying or walking on the road, vehicles rolling on to people and crashes following fatigue or medical events.
The increase in pedestrian deaths was significant and concerning, as pedestrian behaviour was difficult to police because of the times and places incidents usually happened, often late at night and in poorly lit areas.
Alcohol and speed were again the most common factors in fatal crashes in the South, followed by drivers crossing the centre line and failing to give way.
Police were aware at least two crashes happened after drivers fell asleep, but that number was likely to be higher, as often it was difficult to be sure whether fatigue was a factor.
Tourists were involved in four of the fatal crashes.
Often fatal crashes involved drivers not just exceeding the speed limit, but also travelling too fast for the conditions.
''This can include out-driving the vehicle you are in or your skill in driving that vehicle. This often occurs with motorcyclists who cannot handle the type, size or power of the machines they ride.''
It was also lucky roads in the South were not as busy as those further north, given the number of single-vehicle crashes where vehicles crossed into the wrong lane.
He said 11 officers in two teams worked around the district targeting drink-driving in weekly breath-testing operations, which involved both high-profile checkpoints and the covert targeting of recidivist drink-drivers.
Most front-line police cars in the district had radars fitted or lasers available for speed enforcement.
General duties staff were required to do some traffic work on each shift.
In the highway patrol team 17 staff patrolled the South's road network daily, targeting locations and times identified as high risk for driving, as well as behaviours such as crossing the centre line, and working near stop signs and traffic signals.
Changing attitudes was the one area where the greatest gain could be made, Insp Burns said.
''It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who complain about the level and type of enforcement that is carried out, from people complaining about being stopped and breath-tested, to those who write in about getting an infringement notice for crossing the centre line when they have a photograph included showing the vehicle at least 50% across the centre line.''
The deaths this year highlighted the fact that while police and other road safety authorities were working to manage road crashes, the responsibility for reducing the number of crashes lay with everyone who used the roads.
