A survivor of a crash in the Lindis Pass that claimed two lives, caused by an inexperienced driver, wants to see rental car companies imposing tougher controls on who it hires vehicles to.

Drinking caffeinated drinks like coffee significantly protects against crash risk for long-distance commercial drivers, new research suggests.

There have been problems for Auckland commuters on the southern motorway this morning.

A group of children say they are grateful to their elderly school bus driver who managed to pull over safely after he was hit by a metal pole that flew through the windscreen.

A prominent Hawke's Bay barrister has admitted crashing into a vehicle driven by Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar.

Long-awaited rainfall provided some respite for farmers but created trouble for drivers who were not used to the wet conditions.

A cyclist has been struck and killed by a truck near Taupo.

Firefighters had to pull a chunk of metal wedged into a man's leg in order to remove him from a wrecked campervan north of Auckland yesterday.

An 18-year-old man is in Christchurch Hospital after being hit by a truck in Kaikoura this morning.

The father of a 15-year-old injured in a car accident in the early hours of last Sunday has lashed out at emergency services staff, accusing them of teenage accident fatigue.

A man is in critical condition after his campervan collided with a trailer on a bridge north of Auckland this afternoon. Both lanes remain closed to traffic.

A man is dead and two others have been taken to hospital with minor injuries after a crash in Taupo early this morning.

The driver of a car which collided head-on with a ute on a Tauranga road, killing two teenage sisters, says the crash will stay with him for the rest of his life.

A mother accused of racing with two others moments before her daughters were killed in a crash has admitted she was speeding - but still denies being in a race.

The father of a teen injured in an alcohol-fuelled crash has questioned his son's treatment and says emergency services are suffering "teenage accident fatigue".

A woman at the scene of a major car accident says arguing family members seemed more concerned about who was driving than attending to two dying teen sisters.

A 9-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a car overtaking on the inside of a queue of heavy traffic in South Auckland last night.

A group of teen girls who allegedly caused mayhem at an Auckland cafe before crashing a stolen car in a police pursuit will be spoken to before charges are laid.

The second of four teenage girls injured in a crash during a high-speed police pursuit in Auckland has been discharged from hospital.

A 15-year-old driver reached speeds of 130km/h in a stolen car while fleeing from police in Tauranga overnight.