One person died in a crash about 5km south of Milton on State Highway1 early yesterday.
Another person was seriously injured and taken to hospital.
The highway was closed following the 12.45am single-vehicle crash and traffic was detoured through Lakeside Rd.
The detour itself became blocked when a heavy vehicle got stuck in Clarks Rd and trucks were backed up for about 1km by about 9.30am.
Light traffic was allowed to detour the detour via Station and Remote Rds in order to rejoin SH1, south of Milton.
SH1 reopened at 10.20am.
AA Otago chairman Malcolm Budd contacted the Otago Daily Times and said people were "out of control" behind the wheel and had to get back to concentrating when driving.
It was not speed which appeared to be behind the rash of deaths on the road but inattention from drivers and just a disregard for basic road rules.
"I live in Fairfield and there is a stop sign down from where we live, and no-one ever comes to a full stop.
"People just ignore the rules — all the time", he said.
People were still texting or talking on their cellphones and not driving to the conditions.
"Too many people think that it will ‘never happen to me’ — but it will."
Police were doing their best but only had limited resources, he said.
The national road toll had been running at a rate of more than one a day from the start of the year and he hoped it did not continue.
Two people died in a two-vehicle collision in Alma, just south of Oamaru, on Monday.
There were 36 deaths on New Zealand roads last month.
— Staff reporter
