Northland road safety champions are doubling down on pleas for drivers to show much greater caution on the region’s roads throughout the summer holiday period as they gear up for a traditionally busy time.

Northland Road Policing, Northern Rescue Helicopters and Northland Road Safety Trust have again joined forces to encourage conversations around much safer driving habits and choices throughout Te Tai Tokerau this summer – just as they have done throughout 2025.

With 23 road crash deaths already in 2025, the trio say every death is one too many, while highlighting the hidden cost to families of the hundreds of people unnecessarily injured in Northland road crashes – many of them seriously.

Northland Road Policing Manager, Inspector John Fagan, says wearing a seatbelt, driving to the conditions and not being distracted while driving can often be the difference in walking away from a crash, being seriously injured or dying.

“What we attend on a daily basis in Te Tai Tokerau are not road accidents, they are crashes and the majority of them are unavoidable if people made far better choices before and after they get behind the wheel,” says Fagan.

“Sadly, in Northland there is still an entrenched culture among too many people who believe they have the right to drive after drinking but they don’t.

“That is what kills people or leaves them with lifelong injuries and trauma. Sometimes innocent people die through the selfish actions of drunk and drugged drivers. We also need to remember there is no rush to get to our destination. Respecting other road users is crucial at all times,” says Inspector Fagan.

“We want people to call out their mates and whānau to help us stop bad and dangerous driving practices.”

Northern Rescue Helicopter Critical Care Paramedic Sara Eivers has seen the unpleasant and fatal results of road carnage too many times among the 1000+ flights the service completes annually – many of them helping out at road crashes.

“My colleagues and I are here to look out for people in our community - just like all first responders we work with and rely on - but it is devastating to see the consequences of road crashes that don’t need to happen. Ultimately, we take that trauma home to our loved ones and we would rather not,” says Eivers.

The comments come just days after Ashley Johnston, Northland Road Safety Trust’s General Manager, voiced frustration with ongoing driver avoidance of basic road safety in Northland.

Like Fagan and Eivers, the former police officer has been advocating for years for far safer driver etiquette in Northland.

“As a mother, it is just common sense for me to wear a seatbelt and make sure my children are securely fastened with restraints. Sadly, far too many people choose not to and that’s what kills people and ruins lives,” says Johnston.

“The other road safety basics like not speeding, nor driving fatigued, distracted or under the influence or drugs, alcohol or medications are also ignored by too many people. The reality of road crashes causing death and serious injuries is devastating for everyone and no-one wants that for Christmas - or anytime this summer.

“People have a choice and they have a responsibility to do the right thing for the safety of themselves and others,” says Johnston.

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