Horror month for road toll

By SCOTT MacLEOD transport reporter

Road safety officials are pleading for motorists to drive safely during Christmas after a horror week of crashes claimed 16 lives.

And police will blitz the roads during the holiday break in their fight to keep the toll down.

This month's toll got off to a relatively good start with 13 deaths in the first two weeks, but ballooned out in the third week to a total of 29 - one short of the toll for all of last month with more than a week to go.

Land Transport Safety Authority director David Wright said dozens of holidays were marred each Christmas by the suffering and grief caused by crashes.

He urged motorists to be patient, to pay attention to the road and to keep speed down when driving on long trips.

National road safety manager Steve Fitzgerald said police would crack down on anyone caught flouting road laws.

"We've got 183 highway patrol cars, and they'll be out there enforcing speed limits, catching drink-drivers and checking for safety belts," he said.

"If you get pulled up, don't expect any leniency - we won't be listening to excuses this year."

Mr Fitzgerald warned that all fixed speed cameras and laser guns were back in action.

The official holiday period starts at 4 pm on Monday and ends at 6 pm on January 3. During the same period last year 20 people died and 400 were injured in road crashes.