Sure, the four killed in the 2019/20 summer was a 20-year low, but the summer holiday periods between 2012 and 2014 also managed a relatively low six deaths.
For those looking for answers to the perennial question of why we die in such appalling numbers in road crashes, perhaps we can rule out one popular whipping boy this year.
International tourists are not the major problem. Due to Covid restrictions, there are simply not enough of them around, while our road deaths continue to mount up.
The roads are clearly not the problem as thousands of other motorists negotiate their way through the same routes every day and night.
As at Thursday afternoon, 319 deaths had been officially recorded on New Zealand roads in 2020, compared with 351 in 2019 and 375 in 2018.
Brake New Zealand director Caroline Perry says any death is a tragedy but this time of year makes it especially hard on families.
"It can be even more devastating over the Christmas period, knowing families have had the news their loved one isn't coming home again," she said.
Further, the loss will mar summer enjoyment for years to come. The sounds and smells of this warm and supposedly joyous season only reviving memories of the time the police came to deliver the devastating news.
The Ministry of Transport estimates the per-crash average "social cost" is $5,071,600 per fatal crash. At a rate approaching one death each day on our roads, it is unconscionable to consider the cost of taking a road journey could be your life.
For goodness sake, fasten your seatbelt, plan ahead, keep your eyes on the road, reduce your speed, drive to the conditions, and do not drive if you're tired, drunk, or on drugs.
