Canterbury police say there have been 13 more deaths on the region's roads so far this year, compared to last year.
There were two fatal crashes in Christchurch over the weekend, one of which happened when a van going the wrong way down a central city street collided with a car.
The region's road policing manager, Al Stewart, said the standard of driving in Canterbury was extremely disappointing.
He said police enforcement could only go so far in preventing deaths, and drivers needed to take responsibility for their decision to get behind the wheel.
