Four people died on Rotorua roads in 2020. Photo / Getty Images
Four people died on Rotorua roads in 2020. Photo / Getty Images
Rotorua's Quinten Gale spent Christmas without his mum - one of 39 families who were without their loved ones as a result of fatal crashes in the Bay of Plenty in 2020.
Four people died on Rotorua roads in 2020. It contributed to the 39 deaths in the Bay ofPlenty region - which included 17 deaths in the Western Bay of Plenty, 12 in Taupō and six in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
It's almost half as many as in 2019, when 75 people died on Bay of Plenty roads - including several crashes that wiped out entire families.
In Rotorua those who died in 2020 were Martine Gale, Timothy Edwardson, Jarvin Ritai and Joseph Panapa.
Martine Gale died in January after being run over by a drink-driver. Photo / Supplied
Gale was a 71-year-old woman who was hit by a drink-driver on Ranolf St near Malfroy on January 23. She died six days later from her injuries.
Edwardson died on State Highway 5 north of Rotorua near Dalbeth Rd after his car hit a bank and tree on May 25 in the early hours of the morning.
Ritai, 28, died when his motorcycle hit a pole on Wikaraka St in Ngongotahā at 11.30am on August 1.
Panapa, 73, died when his car collided with a house being transported on a truck on State Highway 5 near the Lake View Golf Course at 11.20pm on December 9.
For Quinten Gale, losing his mother has not only made him sad, but also angry.
She was walking home from the supermarket about 1pm near the corner of Malfroy Rd and Ranolf St when she was run over by a car being driven by Rotorua acupuncturist Xianju (Aaron) Pan.
Pan is serving 11 months' home detention after pleading guilty to charges of drink-driving causing death and failing to stop.
Xianju (Aaron) Pan is serving home detention after driving drunk and killing pedestrian Martine Gale. Photo / File
Pan had spent the hour and a half before the crash drinking at a local restaurant with friends, celebrating the Chinese New Year.
Pan was not a regular drinker but on this day had taken some medication for vertigo and consumed beer and a Chinese spirit called Baiju, which was similar in nature and strength to whisky.
He chose to drive, despite later being found to be more than four times over the legal blood-alcohol limit. A blood test showed he had 214mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mg.
Quinten Gale misses his mother, Martine Gale, who died in January after being hit by a drink-driver. Photo / Andrew Warner
Quinten Gale said there was something wrong with the law if you could take someone's life and only get home detention.
"You should do all those things - speed, drink-drive because if you get caught you can spend 11 months with your family in the comfort of your home ... The courts are a joke."
Quinten Gale said there was no Christmas for him this year and he just had a couple of drinks with his neighbours at night.
He urged drivers to use their common sense over the holiday period.
"It's not speed or alcohol that kills. You just need to know how to use it."
He said he was nearly killed 10 years ago after a woman rear-ended his car at the same roundabout where his mother was killed, near Ranolf and Malfroy roads.
"Their car was airborne when it hit me and it was travelling so fast part of her vehicle was in the cabin and interior of my vehicle. I was in a solid vehicle and I walked away but again that was just lack of common sense."
Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Brent Crowe said ensuring you completed your journey safely sounded a simple enough task, but in 2020 there were 39 people in the region who didn't make it.
Inspector Brent Crowe. Photo / File
The Bay of Plenty police district is broken down to four regions: Western Bay, Eastern Bay, Rotorua and Taupō.
The Western Bay had the worst rate of deaths, 17 in 2020, followed by 12 in Taupō, six in the Eastern Bay and four in Rotorua.
Crowe said the four who died on Rotorua roads were because of factors including alcohol consumption and speed too great for the conditions.
"Messaging from police has been consistent over the years and is simple. Drive at an appropriate speed, focus on your driving and drive free from the effects of alcohol, drugs or lack of sleep. Always wear a seat belt and ensure children have one appropriate to their age."
He said the warmer weather also meant more motorcyclists, cyclist and pedestrians were out and about, so he asked drivers to be considerate of these people too.
"Given the warmer weather, some motorcyclists may choose to discard some of their protective gear. However, police strongly advise all motorcyclists wear helmets, gloves, boots and robust protective clothing as skin is very hard to replace."
Crowe said the Bay of Plenty region had its share of road works during summer, so people must drop their speeds when directed and drive with extra care around those sites.
"Those that work on these sites rightly have an expectation of going home unharmed. If you witness any unsafe or dangerous driving contact police immediately so we can act to prevent a crash or any harm."
By the numbers
Region: Number of deaths Western Bay: 17 Taupō: 12 Eastern Bay: 6 Rotorua: 4 Bay of Plenty (total): 39
Rotorua's fatalities in 2019
January 21: Martine Gale, pedestrian hit by a drink-driver on Ranolf St. May 25: Timothy Edwardson, car hits bank and tree on SH5 north of Rotorua. August 1: Jarvin Ritai, motorcycle hits pole on Wikaraka St in Ngongotahā. December 9: Joseph Panapa, car hits house being transported on SH5 north of Rotorua.
