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National | Easter

Police out in force this Easter

Last Easter holiday period ended with the worst road toll in three years, with five deaths on our roads.

This year, Police say they will be maintaining a strong presence on the road this Easter, targeting known hot spots and high risk driver behaviour.

Pūhoi tunnels holiday traffic heading North was heavy today, similar to this time last year.

While there were no fatalities on this particular stretch of road from Auckland to Cape Reinga, it was only around Christmas time that we witnessed a devastating accident, where a family of four died in the Waipū district.

People will undoubtedly be watching traffic updates but will be paying more attention to the known hot spots for crashes.

The most common driver-factor contributing to crashes last Easter was due to losing control.

As Ramari Wiki prepares to drive 4 hours north from Auckland to her home in Broadwood, it's those exact drivers she'll be keeping a close on.

Wiki says, “You need to drive slow, because it's really hard having to be careful of those particular drivers, and you also have to watch your own safety.”

While she is only 20 years old, she knows how important road safety is during this time.

“If the drivers are really bad on the road, seriously pull to the side and report their number-plate to authorities,” says Wiki.

Police say regardless of the time if a driver is being stopped, they will also be breath-tested for alcohol.

Speed limits and seat belt checks will also be enforced.

Police say typical holiday destinations such as the Central North Island and the Lakes District down south are where a lot of crashes happen.

But anywhere where there are high volumes of traffic become of higher risk for road accidents.