29 Oct 2013

Record low Labour Weekend road toll

8:17 am on 29 October 2013

The Labour Weekend road toll is, unofficially, the lowest on record with one fatality during the three days

Early on Monday morning a teenager died in a crash in Bay of Plenty.

Police said a speed tolerance limit of 104 km/h and more patrol cars have made motorists more attentive.

Last year, there were six deaths on the holiday weekend. Before this year the lowest Labour Weekend road toll was in 1977, when two people died.

Road policing manager Superintendent Carey Griffiths told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme on Tuesday that while the low toll was a good result, the death of the teenager was a tragedy.

He said there were still many serious injuries, and the low death rate should not overshadow the long and painful recovery for those people.

Bay of Plenty crash

Police are waiting to interview a teenage driver who fled injured after a crash near Katikati in Bay of Plenty in which a 16-year-old boy died.

They say four teenagers were in the car when the driver lost control on gravel on the rural Hikurangi Road and smashed into the tree about 1.15am on Monday.

Police say the 18-year-old driver ran from the scene, but was later found walking along a state highway with injuries and is in hospital. The two other teenagers received minor injuries.