The first six hours of the year is the most dangerous early hours period on New Zealand roads by a distance, an analysis of 25 years of crash data has found.
Data obtained by 1News under the Official Information Act showed midnight-6am on January 1 recorded more crashes than the same time period on any other date.
That was the case across all severity categories, including fatal collisions, serious injury, minor injury and non-injury crashes.
Over the 25-year period, 661 crashes occurred on January 1 between midnight and 6am, double that of the next worst date. Fourteen of these crashes were fatal, 46 resulted in serious injuries, and 155 caused minor injuries.
For total crashes, Waitangi Day ranked second with 329 crashes, followed by July 8 with 305.
When it comes to fatalities, January 1 recorded 14 fatal crashes, more than December 20 which had nine and several dates with eight deaths.
The pattern was consistent across all crash severity categories. Forty-six serious injury crashes occurred on January 1, compared to 30 on March 23 and 28 on September 28.
For minor injury crashes, January 1's 155 was more than double May 20's 73, and March 3 with 72.
Even non-injury crashes peak dramatically on January 1, with 446 incidents, well ahead of July 8 with 234 and February 6 with 231.
New Year’s Eve is one of the country’s biggest drinking events, with celebrations often continuing into the early hours.
'High visibility presence'
Director of road policing Superintendent Steve Greally said staff were committed to making sure everyone has a happy holiday season, "which includes everyone getting to where they are going safely".
"We will have a high visibility presence across New Zealand roads throughout the Christmas and New Year period, and our focus will be on identifying and stopping impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving, and those not wearing seatbelts."
He said roadside drug testing would be taking place across the Wellington District, screening for four drugs: THC (cannabis), methamphetamine (meth), MDMA (ecstasy) and cocaine.
"Police have zero tolerances for excuses, now and at any time of year," Greally said.
"Please – buckle up, put your phone away, keep your speed in check, and if you’re in any way impaired, please don’t get behind the wheel."
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