30 crashes in a week on southern roads

Several vehicles ended up off the road after a crash in the Finegand area near Balclutha at the weekend. Photos John Cosgrove

After 30 crashes and several "dangerously high-speed" near-misses in a week, southern police are urging motorists to take care on the region's roads.

As more bad weather looms, police this morning issued a reminder to road users to watch following distances and reduce speed.

"Officers are aware of several recent crashes and near-misses involving drivers travelling at dangerously high-speeds, creating enormous risk to themselves, their passengers and other road users," Acting District Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Ian Temple said.

"This week alone, emergency services have received around 30 calls reporting vehicle collisions across the district, three of which included serious crashes."

He said police were often the first at the scene of a serious crash, and they saw first-hand "the horrendous injuries and harm caused by unsafe driving behaviour".

"We are doing our part to prevent injury and death on our roads, but every single driver needs to play their part as well."

Police advice to keep safe on roads

Slowing down and buckling up
Driving to the conditions
Planning your journey
Keeping a safe following distance
Staying patient on the roads and allowing extra time to get where you are going
Turning your headlights on when visibility is poor
Before you get behind the wheel make sure you are well rested, have eaten and are hydrated.

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