Hopeful start to holiday weekend on roads

Three people were hurt, one critically, in a three-car crash in Hamilton yesterday. Photo / Christine Cornege.

Three people were injured - one critically - in a multi-car crash in Hamilton yesterday.

But the holiday road toll still only stands at zero.

Police were hoping that situation would stay the same for the whole weekend. Last year, 12 people died in nine separate crashes over the Easter break.

Serious crash investigators were at the scene of yesterday's Hamilton crash, outside the Wintec entrance in Avalon Drive, trying to determine the cause of the accident.

An officer said a northbound red Honda and a southbound silver Nissan collided, and a van travelling south tried to avoid the collision but crashed as well.

National road policing manager Superintendent Paula Rose said police were being upfront about their intentions this weekend.

She told the Weekend Herald officers would focus on drivers who crossed the centre line, failure to wear safety belts and drink-driving.

The speed tolerance has again been lowered to 4km/h over the limit rather than the usual 10km/h.

Ms Rose said the road toll could be lower if every driver made the decision to drive safely.

She was hopeful last year's horrific run of crashes would not be repeated.

"That's 12 families who lost their loved ones."

Smooth traffic flows were crucial to keeping the roads crash-free, Ms Rose said.

Police would target not only those driving too fast but also those driving too slowly, to avoid frustrating drivers who reacted with dangerous overtaking.

The Automobile Association's general manager of motoring affairs, Mike Noon, said there was concern that many motorists thought the only people who crashed were those who were speeding or drink-driving.

"Lots of crashes happen when someone is within the speed limit and has not been drinking."

The official Easter holiday period began at 4pm on Thursday and ends at 6am on Tuesday.

Additional reporting: James Ihaka