Police have named a 45-year-old mother killed in a crash in Cambridge yesterday as Anna Pidduck.
Ms Pidduck's 9-year-old son sustained critical injuries in the collision between his mother's car and a tar tanker at 8.20am.
Her son was fighting for his life in Starship Hospital, police said.
Ms Pidduck was about to drop her son at a school holiday programme when the crashed happened.
The truck had right of way at an intersection but it was too early to say whether the car had come a halt at a stop sign, said Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman.
Mr Tooman said there was too much road trauma occurring on Waikato roads and drivers needed to take responsibility for themselves.
"This crash happened just hours after another car v truck crash left a woman critically injured ... on SH25 near Pipiroa. "Ms Pidduck's death was the fifth so far this year and we need to look at our attitudes towards driving and ensuring everyone is doing their bit to reduce the risk.''
Meanwhile, two Hamilton drivers were arrested yesterday after they were found to be over the breath-alcohol limit.
The first driver, a man in his 30s, fled in his car before abandoning his vehicle.
He was found shortly afterwards and arrested.
He was charged with excess breath alcohol, failing to stop and reckless driving.
A woman whose car was seen weaving across the road also failed a breath test.
She was stopped and when tested, had a breath alcohol reading of 978mg. She told police she had just left a bar.
The motorists' behaviour showed risks to other road users were not restricted only to Fridays and saturdays, Mr Tooman said.
"To those of us having to pick up the pieces of recent crashes the blasé attitudes shown by drunk drivers to the risks they pose is very disappointing. It's time such drivers grew up and took responsibility for their actions instead of relying on others to pick up the pieces.''
