Eleven people died on New Zealand roads over Anzac weekend, including four teenage boys in Invercargill on Friday.
Assistant police commissioner Bruce O'Brien told Breakfast the responsibility to be safe on the roads is ultimately that of the drivers.
"Don't drink and drive, put your cellphone away and don't take those unnecessary risks."
He added, "Unfortunately, we're still seeing the same things happening and the causation of crashes which is speed and alcohol, people using their cellphones, distractions, devices, and taking unnecessary risks.
"These are still the same things time and time again, we're seeing playing out in these tragic and preventable events."
Asked about the mission to zero road fatalities by 2050, O'Brien said, "It's a really ambitious target but I believe with the commitment from all the other agencies and police, we can achieve that."
The Deputy PM says everyone has a part to play in achieving the "highly ambitious" target of no deaths on the roads. (Source: Breakfast)
"Between the three of us, MOT [Ministry of Transport], Waka Kotahi and police, we have a real opportunity to work towards that goal of 40% reduction of death and serious injury.
READ MORE: Police name 4 teens killed in horror Invercargill crash
"But we really need our community and the driving public to get in behind this and take those simple messages that we keep saying time and time again," O'Brien said.
He said however he does acknowledge police's performance is not where it should be , "We're fully committed to improve that."
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson also told Breakfast: "What we’ve seen this weekend is a stark reminder of the tragedies that occur on our roads and the families that are changed forever by what happens there."
“It’s the reason why we’ve gone for a really clear target which essentially says this is totally unacceptable and therefore we have to change the way we behave."
He said there is only so much the Government can do.
"Each and every one of us has to stop and think about the way we’re behaving when we’re on the road, be it our speed or be it whether or not we even think about going out driving when we’ve been drinking."
Robertson said there are families waking up this morning having lost a loved one over the weekend.
"That is a tragedy and we all need to reflect on our behaviours and as a Government we’re taking this seriously by putting resources behind getting safer roads, getting more information out to people, supporting our police in doing their job and I hope communities can step up too.”
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