Police are pleading with drivers to focus on "making it home in one piece" ahead of the holidays, after six people died on the roads in the past weekend alone.
The number of road fatalities for 2023, according to police, is sitting at 318, with 17 of those fatalities occurring in December.
The provisional road toll last year was 352, according to Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport.
Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming said investigations into the weekend’s crashes were ongoing, however many of the crashes police were dealing with were "preventable."
"With tens of thousands of extra cars travelling over the Christmas period, police want to make sure everybody gets to their destination safely," McSkimming said.
He said too many crashes involved motorists choosing to speed, drink and drive, or let their impatience get the better of them, which is causing harm to other road users as well as emergency services personnel.
"We still see people not wearing seatbelts, and the gruesome result when a person is thrown through the windscreen," said Skimming.
His advice was: "Belt up, keep your speed within the limits, and focus on the road in front of you. If you’re having a big night, don’t make the selfish decision to get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking."
Earlier this month, a Bay of Plenty Police checkpoint caught 10 drivers who will face drink-drive prosecution, with one motorist recording a breath alcohol level of 1021 – more than four times the limit.
Sergeant Mark Holmes said the alarming numbers were indicative of what other recent checkpoints in the area found.
"As well as facing prosecution, two drivers had their vehicles immediately impounded while a further three had their licences suspended immediately because their reading was over 650," Holmes said.
He said the offenders would face further suspensions as part of the court process.
Skimming said police would be "highly visible" on roads throughout the holidays, including in marked patrol cars, unmarked vehicles, and checkpoints would be a regular feature across the country.
"Expect to see us at any hour of the day and expect to be breath-tested when we stop you," he said.
As of November 30, police had carried out more than 2.7 million breath tests, written 50,000 tickets for not wearing seatbelts, issued 362,000 speeding tickets, and dealt with 55,000 cell phone offences.
"There’s no excuse for putting lives at risk and we are unapologetic about enforcing the road rules; if it means you get home for Christmas, it’s worth it."
SHARE ME