Youngster's death takes holiday road toll to 16

An 11-year-old boy is the 16th holiday road toll victim and the second to die on the country's roads this year.

He was killed when his bicycle and a car collided at the intersection of George St and Queen St in Riverhead, northwest of Auckland, about 3.30 yesterday afternoon.

Police said the boy had cycled out on to Queen St from George St when the accident happened.

The official Christmas-New Year period for the holiday road toll ends at 8 am today. The road toll for the same period last year was 18 and the year before 24.

The only other reported death for 2001 occurred at 2.30 am on New Year's Day.

Dion Russell Wells, aged 19, of Dunedin, was hit by a car while walking on the outskirts of Wanaka. He died at the scene.

Other victims of road crashes since Sunday have been named.

Mavis Kenny Jack, 81, of Glenfield in North Shore City died about 6 am on Sunday when her car crashed into a culvert on State Highway 2 at Maramarua.

Christchurch man Paddy David Hollis, 51, was fatally injured in a two-car crash at Te Teko Bridge on State Highway 30 in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Seven people were taken to hospital after the collision, about 4.30 pm on Sunday.

On New Year's Eve, Amanda King, daughter of Health Minister Annette King, was the driver of a car involved in a head-on collision near Taupo.

Amanda King, 30, was taken to Taupo Hospital, where she was treated for cuts and bruising and discharged. A passenger in the car, Simon Henify, 31, was taken to Taupo Hospital with head injuries and transferred later to Waikato Hospital. He was reported to be in a stable condition last night.

The sole occupant of the other car, Carsten Kraut, 29, of Lyttelton, was flown to Rotorua Hospital with a broken leg, broken arm and concussion.

He was reported to be in a critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit last night.

Mr Kraut was holidaying in Taupo with his fiancee.

Both vehicles were extensively damaged and State Highway 1 was closed for about an hour. Acting Sergeant Dave Frazer said inquiries into the accident were continuing.

Herald Online feature: Cutting the road toll