Three factors in fatal crashes, Waikato police say

File photo / NZ Herald

Speed, alcohol and occupants not wearing seatbelts appear to have been common factors in two fatal crashes near Cambridge overnight, police say.

Waikato road policing manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, said the first crash happened on Roto o Rangi Rd about 8.30pm.

"A 40-year-old man has been partially ejected from a vehicle that failed to negotiate a slight bend and collided with a power-pole before rolling several times back on to the road.

"The man was travelling as a passenger in the car and we don't believe he was wearing a seatbelt, the tragic part of this is had he been restrained we believe the crash to have been survivable."

Mr Tooman said the second crash, on Cambridge's outskirts, at the Low Level Bridge on State Highway 1 around 12.10am this morning, had several similarities.

"A Toyota 4x4 utility has come down the hill on Shakespeare St and failed to negotiate a slight bend," he said.

"The vehicle has struck the barrier on the Low Level Bridge and a 19-year-old man travelling as a passenger in the vehicle has died from injuries sustained in the crash, again, the deceased was not wearing a seatbelt."

The driver sustained minor injuries.

Mr Tooman said it was concerning that three main factors kept repeating themselves on Waikato Roads.

"Those are booze, belts and speed, last year 11 people died on Waikato roads in crashes where they weren't wearing their seatbelts, the tragic thing is its something that just takes seconds to do and if they had done so two families would not be devastated in the build up to Christmas," he said.

"When you add in speed and alcohol to the equation then its a recipe for disaster, we've really taking a hit since the good weather began in November and what we're asking is for drivers to pay attention to the basics."

The Waikato Road Toll is now 48 compared to 37 for the same period last year.

- NZHERALD STAFF