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The holiday road toll stood at three this morning following crashes in the Waikato and south Auckland regions.
The first crash happened at 8pm on Christmas Eve - four hours into the official holiday period - when a car flipped and ended up in a ditch on Gun Club Rd on the outskirts of Pukekohe.
Police said the crash happened at about 8pm and left one person dead.
The second crash happened in the early hours of Christmas Day when a car ran into a ditch on Tainui Rd, 15 kilometres north of Morrinsville.
One person died in the crash and a second sustained serious injuries.
The third death resulted from a three-car crash on State Highway 1B at the intersection of Gordonton and Taylor roads, north east of Hamilton, just after 5.30pm.
The driver of one of the vehicles was taken to Waikato Hospital where they later died.
Senior Sergeant Kent Holdsworth, of Hamilton police, said it was an unfortunate reminder that when travelling over the Christmas and New Year period that people should take extreme care.
Land Transport Agency figures show Boxing Day is the start of the most dangerous part of the holiday period.
Boxing Day deaths in the past have reached as high as 12, up from an average of seven.
The official Christmas-New Year holiday road toll period runs from 4pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on January 5.
Last year's toll was 18 dead and 65 seriously injured from 16 crashes.
- NZPA
