The holiday period road toll has risen to 12 after an accident in Waikato in which an 81-year-old woman died when two cars collided at an intersection on State Highway One near Ngarauwahia.
Earlier on Friday a person died who was involved in a crash on Christmas Day.
The official holiday period began mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve and ends at 6am on January 3.
Police say speed alcohol and a failure to wear seatbelts have contributed to a holiday road toll more than five times worse than this time last year.
The accidents have been spread across the country.
Police in the lower North Island say they have fielded numerous complaints about motorists speeding and overtaking on yellow lines and blind corners. They are concerned that drivers are going too fast and are urging motorists to buckle up, lay off the booze and lighten up on the accelerator.
The man who heads the police road safety campaign says the holiday period has been a grim one so far for emergency services.
Only two people had died in the same period last year.
Road safety manager Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald says police, fire, ambulance and hospital workers all have to find their own ways to cope with injury and death on the roads.
He says drivers must keep their speed down, pay attention and be patient in the holiday traffic.
Fitzgerald says there also seem to have been more non-fatal crashes compared to last Christmas.
"Highway patrol officers are out there working their butts off. They are a bit disappointed to say the least," Fitzgerald said.
Speed has been a major factor in the high death toll and Fitzgerald says one speed camera technician cannot replace the film in the static camera fast enough because of the amount of flashes going off.
Meanwhile, the overall road toll for the year looks likely to be a record low.
Fitzgerald says although the road toll for this year is lower than ever, it is still too high.
The official holiday period lasts from the afternoon of Christmas Eve until 6am on January 3, 2002.
New police patrol cars
Meanwhile, police are to get 448 new patrol cars to replace much of their ageing fleet at a cost to the government of over $16 million - or about $35,000 a vehicle.
Earlier this month police received 183 dedicated highway patrol cars.
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