A person has been killed in a crash at West Melton. NZ Herald file photograph
The long weekend road toll his risen to three after a fatal crash in Canterbury.
One person has died following the serious crash about 9.50pm last night on West Coast Rd, West Melton.
Another person was transported to hospital in a critical condition.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
It is the fourth fatality this weekend and the third death counted on the official road toll.
On Friday night a person died in a crash after a fleeing vehicle incident in Manurewa, South Auckland.
Yesterday a motorcyclist died after colliding with a car at Waitaki.
On Saturday police attended a fatal motorcycle crash on a rural property near Twizel.
Because the death was not on a public road it is not part of the holiday toll.
Late last week police warned motorists to take care on the roads during one of the year's busiest weekends.
As holidaymakers head home today police are urging patience, safety and planning in a bid to prevent any more deaths.
The official holiday period for Queen's Birthday weekend began at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on Tuesday, June 6.
Last year there were two fatal crashes and 118 injury crashes reported.
These crashes resulted in three deaths, 36 serious injuries and 122 minor injuries.
Of the deaths, two were drivers.
Of the crashes, 43 per cent involved single vehicles in which a driver lost control or ran off the road; 15 per cent were intersection collisions and 14 per cent were overtaking and or head-on collisions.
The most common driver factors contributing to crashes were losing control, alcohol, travelling too fast for the conditions, failing to give way and not seeing the other road user.
In 2017 there were four fatal and 97 reported injury crashes resulting in four deaths, 31 serious injuries and 106 minor injuries.
Police national road policing manager Superintendent Steve Greally urged drivers to "stay alert, be patient" and not to rush.
"The lives of you and your passengers are worth more than arriving a few minutes earlier," he said.
Police will be out in force this weekend, taking an "active and visible presence" on the roads - targeting high-risk driving behaviours and focusing on highways and open roads that are popular holiday journey routes.
"More than 160 people have died on our roads this year," said Greally.
"Tragically, many of those deaths could have been prevented if everyone took these four simple and proven road safety actions that prevent serious injury and death on our roads."
He had some simple safety advice for road users.
"Make sure everyone has their seatbelts on; remove distractions and stay focused on driving; don't get behind the wheel if you've been drinking or are tired; and drive at a safe speed for the conditions..
"Put road safety first and make sure you, and everyone else on the road, gets to their destinations safely and unharmed.
"It takes everyone on the road to make it safe.
"Be aware of the increased number of vehicles around you, pay extra attention on open roads and in rural areas, and adjust your speed to the driving conditions."
Police have a 4km speed tolerance in place over the weekend, meaning any driver detected by a safe speed camera exceeding the area's posted speed limit by more than 4km/h will be ticketed.
"Our officers will still have discretion in how they deal with incidents and how they are enforced," said Greally.
"As always, police's focus is on preventing harm on our roads."
Today's briefing is set to spell out what commuters can expect in coming months.