No deaths had occurred on roads in the South during the holiday road toll period by last night but eight had died elsewhere on New Zealand's roads, while the death of a toddler in Te Kauwhata, Waikato, remained under investigation.
Despite the good run in the Southern district so far, people were still taking unnecessary risks and busy roads prompted 24 driving complaints in Queenstown over the weekend, police said.
Southern district police attended an injury crash yesterday, after a car rolled off Ramrock Rd, near Waikouaiti, into a paddock, resulting in one person being taken to Dunedin Hospital.
Southern road policing team supervisor Sergeant Graeme Evans called on motorists to exercise caution and remain calm during the holiday period.
``Police in the Southern district are generally happy with the driving so far this holiday, although some drivers are continuing to take unnecessary risks,'' he said.
``With the traffic volumes higher than normal, people are getting frustrated and this appears to be influencing some people's driving behaviour.
``Police have received a few complaints concerning some drivers who were undertaking dangerous manoeuvres on the roads and those have been dealt with, thankfully before they resulted in any tragic outcomes.''
The holiday road toll period began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on January 4.
Despite many messages about safe driving, holiday traffic volumes and the necessity to lower speed, some drivers were still not getting it, Sgt Evans said.
``Some drivers are not following the safety advice issued earlier this month, particularly around speed and following distances,'' he said.
``While significant speeds have not been recorded, police have noted a large number of drivers who seem to view 110km per hour as the limit.
``Accidents happen and people make mistakes. If you are involved in a crash, the biggest factor affecting the outcome is speed,'' Sgt Evans said.
The message follows the deaths of two teenagers in Southland earlier this month.
Shanae Michelle Bruce (18) and Jaykob Yaxley (14) died when Miss Bruce's Honda hatchback and a four-wheel-drive vehicle collided on State Highway 98, near Invercargill, on December 16.
A police spokeswoman said the serious crash unit was investigating.
No-one had been charged in relation to the deaths.
The high number of calls relating to poor driving in Queenstown over the weekend prompted police to urge drivers to be mindful of others, to remain patient with additional traffic and allow extra time for journeys.
``Above all, drive considerately and with patience - the way we drive affects others,'' the spokeswoman said.
The roads around Queenstown were busy over the Christmas weekend and a suggested diversion was in place encouraging motorists to take an alternative route to the resort via Arrowtown and Malaghans Rd.
Traffic built up at the usual hot spots, including Shotover St and the intersection of Ballarat and Stanley Sts in Queenstown.
Last year, 12 people died on New Zealand's roads during the holiday period.
