Dunedin is living up to its unenviable reputation as one of the worst areas in the country for urban intersection crashes, three pedestrians having been struck by vehicles in as many days.
The central city accidents have prompted police to remind motorists and pedestrians alike to exercise caution on Dunedin streets.
In the latest incident, emergency services were called to the corner of Dowling and Princes Sts, after reports a 34-year-old woman had been hit by a car just before 10am.
Acting Senior Sergeant Tania Baron said the woman and driver were both taken to hospital.
Inquiries were continuing.
On Wednesday, an elderly pedestrian sustained minor injuries after being hit by a car at the intersection of George and St Andrew Sts at 2pm.
The driver in that incident was likely to be charged, as was the driver who hit a 55-year-old pedestrian at the intersection of Moray Pl and lower Stuart St on Tuesday afternoon.
Acting Snr Sgt Baron said the woman sustained facial fractures and other head injuries, but had made good progress and was expected to be released from hospital this week.
Dunedin had a reputation as having one of the highest intersection crash rates in the country, and "it is a real sore point for us".
"I get numerous calls each day about people failing to give way to pedestrians crossing at intersections," she said.
Sunstrike had been a factor in several recent crashes, and motorists were reminded to either take an alternative route or pull to the side of the road and wait until they could drive safely.
Recent crash statistics show the city has one of the highest crash rates at urban intersections in the country. The Dunedin City Council had identified 46 crash hot spots, mainly at intersections controlled by traffic lights.
Acting road policing manager Senior Sergeant Steve Larking said various factors were behind the kind of crashes that occurred this week, including driver or pedestrian inattention, failing to give way or stop, driving too fast and carelessness.
Motorists and pedestrians alike were urged to exercise patience and be aware of other vehicles and pedestrians, he said.
"If you are driving, drive to the conditions and concentrate on your driving. Be a responsible driver and, as a pedestrian, be aware of your surroundings."
The police and other agencies were being proactive in trying to reduce road accidents and improve safety on roads, and "any crash is one too many".
"Police regularly run operations to target intersection safety, focusing on our high-risk intersections identified from previous crash data," Snr Sgt Larking said.
"Road trauma has the biggest social cost of any type of event police deal with."
Dunedin City ranked at the top of the list for urban intersection crashes causing either fatal or serious injuries during the five years from 2006 to 2010, NZTA statistics show.
During the same period, the city featured in the top five for crash categories involving pedestrians (second), motorcycles (third), older drivers (third), cyclists (fourth) and young drivers (fourth), and ranked sixth for accidents caused by distracted drivers.
