Police are urging drivers to take care as they return home from their break, after the holiday road toll hit a "sobering" 14 due to crashes last night.
It's just two fewer deaths than last year's toll of 16 - and there are still three days to go, with the period ending at 6am on Wednesday.
Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien said the number is completely unacceptable.
"That's 14 people who leave grieving loved ones behind at what is supposed to be a happy and relaxing time of year," O'Brien said, offering his condolences to the victims' families.
He urged people to use seatbelts, not drive impaired or fatigued, not speed, drive without distractions, and be patient.
"There will be high volumes of traffic on the roads and delays will be inevitable at peak times.
"Please, stay calm - treat the people in the cars around you like they're your own family.
"You could also consider delaying your departure or taking a few extra stops along the way – make the most of summer and get home safely," he said.
It comes after the Automobile Association (AA) this morning said last year's road toll returned to pre-pandemic levels.
They said more needs to be done after provisional figures show 377 people were killed in crashes in 2022, the highest figure since 2018.
Since the AA's statement, the Ministry of Transport's provisional figure has been updated to 378.
"We had a couple of years where we saw fewer deaths because of lockdowns and restrictions on movement through the Covid-19 response, but it seems we're back to where we left off," AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said.
"The Government has started lowering speed limits to reduce speed related harm in some areas, but road maintenance started falling behind years ago – it's all started coming to a head with the spotlight being put on potholes this year.
"Improvements to our roads have also been too slow with the installation of protective upgrades like safety barriers well behind schedule," he said, adding that alcohol testing on our roads has also underdelivered.
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