Police are warning motorists to take particular care on the roads this Easter break and say they'll have a strong presence on the roads to enforce safe driving.
Twelve people died on the roads last Easter.
``Your holiday starts once you leave home and not when you arrive at your destination, so factor this in and take your time to ensure you make it to your destination in one piece,'' Wellington District road policing manager Inspector Peter Baird said.
Motorists needed to ensure they drove to weather conditions and also plan for traffic delays, he said.
``As Easter falls in the middle of school holidays, there are lots of families who will be planning to head away. If you are the driver, please make sure you take a break, share the driving where possible and be patient.''
Police would have a strong presence over the long weekend and would take action when drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 4kmh.
``We don't want anyone to become just another statistic this Easter.''
Canterbury police also said they would also be out in force on all the main state highway holiday routes over Easter weekend -- enforcing speed, alcohol, seat-belts, unsafe passing and other driving offences.
The New Zealand Transport Agency's Auckland branch said state highways, to and from Auckland, would be busy during the holiday break. It advised people to plan their travel to avoid congestion and delays.
NZTA regional director Stephen Town reminded people there could be more traffic on the roads on Easter Monday than usual because it was also Anzac Day with people attending dawn services or civic commemorations in the morning.
The official Easter holiday period begins at 4pm Thursday and runs until 6am Tuesday.
The highest Easter road toll on record was 21 in 1971. The lowest toll of three was recorded in 1998, 2002 and 2003.
Easter weekend prompts police warning to take care
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