While nationally road trauma is decreasing in the Waikato the toll rises

Between 5pm Friday 28 and 6am Monday 30 May Waikato Police and other emergency services attended 38 vehicle crashes which included two fatalities and several people being seriously injured.District Road Policing Manager, Inspector Leo Tooman said one matter of particular concern for those services is the risks posed by inexperienced drivers and those people not paying attention while behind the wheel."About 1.30am Saturday a 17-year-old Rangiriri man, Shaun Richard NILSON, died when the driver of the vehicle he was a front-seat passenger in lost control on Hamilton's Heaphy Tce."The car, which was driven by a 16-year-old Hamilton youth who was breaching the conditions of his graduated licence, left the road and struck a power-pole and then a tree resulting in Mr NILSON being thrown from the vehicle."Last year drivers breaching conditions of their graduated driver licences caused three double fatality and one triple fatality crashes on Waikato roads and already this year a young driver breaching his licence conditions and under the influence of alcohol was responsible for a triple fatality crash outside Waihi.Mr Tooman said the crash was one of three over the weekend that involved cars hitting power-poles while another three vehicles crashed into ditches or banks."This speaks volumes to us in regards to the risks posed by driver inattention, already seven people have died on Waikato roads this year as a result of drivers losing control while passing or negotiating corners."To highlight the problem you only need to look at two crashes within an hour of each other on Saturday morning that happened in fine weather at opposite ends of the District. In the first a van turned in front of a motorcyclist resulting in serious injury to rider while in the second a Ford Laser turned in front of a southbound Audi on SH3, resulting in serious leg injuries to a 15-year-old girl in the Laser."Emergency services had little time to reflect on Saturday's carnage with several calls to attend crashes on Sunday, including a fatal crash involving two cars on SH39, Hakarimata Rd between Ngaruawahia and Huntly."This crash is still under investigation by the Waikato Serious Crash Unit. However initial indications are a southbound red BMW failed to negotiate a sign-posted 65km/h corner and crossed into the path of a northbound Honda sedan about 2.55pm."The two cars have collided resulting in the death of the sole occupant of the BMW, a 33-year-old Hamilton woman, and serious leg injuries to the male driver of the Honda and serious chest injuries to a male passenger."Mr Tooman said emergency services that attended the fatal crash had only just cleared the scene of a motorcycle crash in which a rider failed to take a bend and collided with a signpost, suffering serious injuries."The volume of trauma is taking its toll on those people required to attend. While Police and some fire and ambulance staff are full-time and it is their job to attend, many others are attended by volunteers who give up their time to serve the community without reward or recognition."Currently the Waikato road toll sits at 24 compared to 24 for the same period last year. Of concern to the District's road policing officers is that the next highest toll is 12, in the Bay of Plenty."We've managed to reduce the number of crashes in the Waikato by about 60," said Mr Tooman. "But what hasn't dropped is the number of fatalities. What this tells us is that the factors contributing to the crash have been far more severe - for instance excessive speed, fatigue, driver inattention or lack of experience."End