Labour Weekend road toll: Five people dead, motorcyclist seriously injured

Sunday, 25 October 2020

Holidaymakers faced long queues on State Highway 8 on Saturday, following a fatal crash near Lake Tekapo.

Police are urging motorists to behave safely on the roads as wild weather and long traffic queues are expected as the long weekend draws to a close on Monday.

The Labour Weekend road toll hit five on Sunday, after a person died when a car rolled north of Gisborne.

In 2019 just one person died on the roads during Labour Weekend.

A motorcyclist was also taken to hospital in a critical condition after a serious crash in northern Hawke’s Bay on Sunday.

Bad weather is due to hit the South Island late on Sunday or Monday morning, making driving conditions treacherous.

On Friday afternoon, traffic was heavy on State Highway 1 near Peka Peka, on Wellington’s Kāpiti Coast. Authorities are urging motorists to plan ahead for the return trip.

* Labour weekend road toll already higher than 2019, just hours in

* Labour weekend traffic: Crashes across the country lead to road closures, delays

On Saturday, the traffic was heavy at Auckland's southern and southwestern motorway interchange but Waka Kotahi is urging drivers to be patient.

“Too many people have already lost their lives or been seriously injured on the roads this weekend,” National road policing manager Acting Superintendent Gini Welch said.

“We’re expecting a significant amount of traffic across the country tomorrow, and we know it can be stressful when there are so many vehicles on the road, especially when you’re in a rush to get to your destination.”

“However, we all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe, and we’re appealing to all motorists to do their bit to ensure everyone gets home safely.”

Motorists faced long queues out of the main cities on Friday evening, and crashes caused delays on Saturday.

Welch urged motorists to watch their speed and following distances, pay attention to the conditions and take a break if feeling tired.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is also urging drivers to plan ahead, be patient on the road and accept some delays are likely on the ride home.

“The roads have been very busy as people take advantage of the first long weekend since June, and we know that traffic heading back into the main centres will be very heavy tomorrow,” said Greg Lazzaro, Waka Kotahi general manager safety, health and environment.

“Congestion and some delays will be unavoidable at peak times, so we’re asking everyone to allow plenty of time for a safe trip home.”

Lazzaro encouraged people to use Waka Kotahi’s online holiday journeys map to plan their journeys home, and its real-time journey planner.

Danger of roads shown in deaths

There have been five Labour Weekend road fatalities so far this year.

The first was a motorcyclist, following a crash on State Highway 2 in Timberlea, Upper Hutt about 5pm on Friday.

Police were investigating the circumstances leading to the crash.

A second person died about 2am on Saturday following a crash near Gisborne.

The early-morning incident occurred on Whatatutu Rd in Te Karaka.

The third death came after a two-car crash on State Highway 8 near Tekap o about 9am on Saturday.

Three other people were also airlifted to hospital with moderate injuries, and the road was blocked for some time.

On Sunday, a motorcyclist suffered critical injuries in the small settlement of Putorino in northern Hawke’s Bay.

The crash occurred around 10.30am on State Highway 2, at the farming settlement north of Napier.

Police confirmed late on Saturday a pedestrian had died following an earlier crash on State Highway 3, Westmere, Whanganui.

The fifth person died after a car rolled on State Highway 35 in Tikitiki near Gisborne.