Linda Hall: Take care on the roads this holiday

Be patient on the roads this holiday period.

The roads all around the country are heaving with traffic as Kiwis set out on their annual summer holiday.

There have been reports of lines of heavy traffic in the usual spots, out of Auckland and Wellington.

It seems motorists have been quick off the mark to ring police with complaints of bad driving. I sincerely hope they are in a line of traffic which has come to a standstill or they have pulled over before they reach for their phones.

It's so easy to get distracted while driving with a car load of friends or children.

So before you set out on a road trip during the holiday period make sure you have plenty of things to entertain the kids in the back seat, especially when they start asking "are we there yet?"

Heat, traffic and crying children are not a good combination.

People make silly decisions when they get stressed.

When this paper went to press the road toll stood at five, the latest death a 65-year-old Tauranga man who died after riding his motorbike off Rapurapu Rd, Te Poi. Police are investigating the cause.

That's five people who will never return to their loved ones. The ripple effect is enormous.

Plan your trip well in advance and try to avoid busy times. Better to get up earlier than to sit in lines of traffic for hours on end.

I'm always nervous when I'm in a long line of traffic, worried that someone will get frustrated and impatient and pass when they shouldn't.

I've seen it happen far too often and always hold my breath until they roar past and pull in the line again, gaining absolutely nothing.

Be patient and take care out there.