Road toll for 2004: 435 dead

This crash near Mangatawhiri on State Highway 2 in December was one of 374 fatal smashes last year. Picture / Greg Bowker

The 2004 road toll ended at midnight last night with 435 people killed during the year.

Police national road safety manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald said there were 435 fatalities for 2004, 26 fewer than the previous year.

The road toll for the Christmas and New Year holiday period this morning remained at eight but police were investigating another possibly fatal crash at Geraldine north of Timaru last night.

Mr Fitzgerald said a car had crashed into a river near Geraldine and police were still looking for an occupant. No other details were available.

The road toll for the previous year's Christmas holiday season was eight and there are still four days to go this year.

As recently as 1990 there were 729 road deaths in New Zealand. Since then annual road deaths have dropped by 40 per cent, in spite of a 33 per cent increase in the number of vehicles on the road and a 19 per cent increase in population.

The government has set a target of no more than 300 road deaths and no more than 4,500 hospitalisations per year by 2010.

Preliminary analysis shows that driving too fast for the conditions and drink-driving were the two biggest factors in fatal crashes last year, with excessive speed a factor in 35 per cent and drink-driving contributing to 30 per cent, said Andy Knackstedt of Land Transport New Zealand.

Twenty-three per cent of the vehicle occupants killed last year were not wearing seatbelts.

DEATH ON THE ROADS 2004

Total deaths: 435
Number of fatal crashes: 374

Details of fatalities:
Males: 291
Females: 144

Drivers: 221
Passengers: 134
Motor cycle riders: 33
Motor cycle pillions: 2
Pedestrians: 37
Cyclists: 7
Other: 1

(Source: Land Transport New Zealand)

- HERALD STAFF and NZPA