Five more road deaths in 24 hours

A horrific weekend of carnage on New Zealand roads has been followed by five more deaths in less than 24 hours.

Nine people were killed in road crashes at the weekend, the highest weekend toll this year. All the deaths were on North Island roads.

In the past 24 hours five more lives have been claimed, with the South Island faring worst this time.

In the most recent crash a man in his 20s died after his car went through a fence on Peachgrove Rd in Hamilton about 5.30am today.

The vehicle ended up on its roof and the driver was trapped and died at the scene, police said in a statement. The serious crash unit is investigating.

Earlier this morning a truck and car crashed head on on State Highway 1, 3km south of Rakaia in mid Canterbury about 1.20am, killing the driver of the car. The truck driver was not injured.

The highway was closed for several hours while emergency services attended, with diversions in place.

Farther up SH1 two people died in North Canterbury yesterday after a two vehicle crash at 5.17pm, 7km south of Cheviot. Two others were injured in the crash and were flown to hospital.

The road was closed until just after midnight.

The post-weekend road toll began with the death of an elderly man in Upper Hutt, struck by a reversing rubbish truck while walking in the central business district at 8.20am yesterday.

The five deaths followed a horror weekend on the roads in which nine people died at eight separate crashes at Otaki (where three people were killed in two crashes), Otorohanga, Whatawhata on the way to Raglan, Turua south of Thames, Rewiti northwest of Auckland, Hamilton, and at Rodney in the Dome Valley near Warkworth.

- NZPA