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Motorists across Waikato are being urged to drive to the conditions as wet weather makes roads increasingly slippery.
Police say they have attended a number of crashes across the district today, January 3, particularly on rural roads. All incidents reported so far have been minor.
Drivers are being reminded to slow down, take extra care around corners and maintain safe following distances. Police urge anyone who sees dangerous driving or encounters a road emergency to call 111 immediately.
The warning comes as provisional figures released by police on January 1, show 272 people have died on New Zealand roads in 2025, down from 292 in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of declining road deaths.
Police attribute much of the reduction to Operation Open Roads. Director of Road Policing Steve Greally says enforcement remains a key focus.
“Over the last three years, we have seen constant reductions in the number of fatalities on our roads, while we have also nearly tripled the number of alcohol breath tests in that same period,” Greally says.
Police conducted nearly 4.5 million breath tests in the 2024/25 financial year and issued more than half a million speeding infringements.
While the trend is positive, Greally says too many families are still being devastated by road deaths and urges drivers to make safe decisions, especially during the holiday period.
“Put your seatbelt on, keep your speed down, put your cellphone away and make sure you are driving free of fatigue, drugs and alcohol,” he says.
Police plan to expand roadside drug-driver testing nationally between April and June 2026.
