The high weekend road toll has rightly reignited the conversation about our roads, our driving behaviour, and what can be done to stop preventable deaths.
Ten people died in five crashes at the weekend, near Te Puna, Marton, Christchurch, Warkworth and Clevedon.
Two of those crashes resulted in triple fatalities.
Closer to home, a serious crash involving five Kurow Rugby Club players and one supporter early on Sunday has left the small North Otago town reeling.
Two passengers were sent to hospitals in critical condition; one died yesterday.
It is a traumatic time, and it is important to remember there are people hurting.
Families, friends, colleagues and communities will be dealing with a raft of emotions in the aftermath of such tragedies.
Sympathy, support and understanding are required, and our hearts go out to those affected.
And, although it is human nature to seek reasons for tragedies - and often to lay blame - it is important also to let the various investigations establish the facts.
Care and sensitivity are essential. But so too is responsible dialogue.
As a nation, we must continue to talk about the issues, particularly as the police believe road deaths are mostly ''preventable tragedies''.
If it is within our power to act, surely we can and must to save future heartbreak and loss of life.
There are various factors peculiar to New Zealand that make driving here challenging, including our weather conditions.
Many of our roads lack median barriers, they are often hilly, narrow and winding, single-lane and unsealed.
Those factors alone can make them problematic for foreign drivers, some of whom also struggle to adjust to driving on the left side of the road.
But New Zealand drivers can be guilty of complacency.
Many don't alter their driving to take into account weather or traffic conditions.
Too many are blase about tailgating and overtaking, and quick to become impatient and aggressive.
Too many slower drivers are inconsiderate and fail to pull over in appropriate places to let traffic pass.
And far too many drivers still ignore fundamental safety messages around seat belts, fatigue, inattention and the major crash contributors of alcohol and speed.
The blame is often levelled at police and the Government.
In the aftermath of the weekend's fatalities, there is pressure on the Government to reduce speed limits.
Yet equally, when speed limits are enforced over holiday periods, accusations of police revenue-gathering abound.
It is worth noting much has been - and continues to be - done to make roads safer.
Police and the Government, through its Safer Journeys road safety strategy, have implemented various measures aimed at reducing risks on the road, particularly around young drivers: a zero alcohol limit for under-20s, raising the driving age to 16, and introducing a tougher restricted licence test.
These initiatives have resulted in fewer fatalities in the 15-24 age group.
Other measures have included a ban on cellphone use while driving, changes to give-way rules, the introduction of alcohol interlocks as a sentencing option for the courts and higher penalties for dangerous driving.
There is a push for more median barriers and rumble strips.
And councils have the power to change speed limits in areas under their jurisdiction in problematic areas.
Our road toll is, thankfully, a world away from the horrific 600-700-plus averages of the 1970s to early 1990s - including the highest numbers of 843 deaths in 1973 and 795 in 1987.
The year 2013 was the lowest since 1950, with 254 deaths, but the annual toll usually fluctuates at about 300.
Whatever safety measures are implemented, the simple fact is they can only be successful if they are adhered to.
Drivers, passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians all have a part to play.
Drivers should take responsibility for their actions and attitudes on the road, their passengers, and particularly any children travelling in their vehicles.
Friends and family need to voice concerns if they fear someone is unfit to drive.
Patience, care and consideration are paramount, because a moment's stupidity or inattention can cause a lifetime of grief.
