Driving out on to State Highway 1 from Moeraki is like playing ''Russian roulette'' every day, locals say in the wake of another fatal crash.
Waitaki district councillor Jan Wheeler, of Moeraki, said she was ''absolutely sickened'' to hear of another serious crash on State Highway 1 and yesterday called for flashing lights either side of Moeraki and speed limits ''as low as possible'' for the area.
''I feel ill every time something else happens. There's been far too many [crashes],'' she said.
Jane Carlyon, of Moeraki, said Wednesday's three-car crash at the turn-off to Moeraki Boulders about 3.30pm - which killed a 39-year-old woman and hospitalised three others - had prompted discussions about lower speed limits with friends for the past two days.
''Everyone that lives here is very aware [of the problem],'' she said.
''You go out on that main road - it's Russian roulette. I'm not exaggerating. That's what it feels like when you live here.''
She had lived at Moeraki for 17 years and said the stretch of road had become worse because of the tourism boom of recent years and ''we're not even into December''.
''It's not just the accidents; it's the incredibly close calls - all the time. I've personally had three or four coming out of the boulders.''
Moeraki Boulders Kiwi Holiday Park owner Alex Beley, of Hampden, said he believed drivers' - especially visiting drivers' - behaviour on the road would not change and rules needed to be put in place to account for others who were regularly making mistakes.
''You can stop much faster at 60kmh than you can at 100kmh,'' he said. ''Why not try it? How many deaths do you need to try a simple thing?''
On Wednesday afternoon, State Highway 1 from Maheno to Moeraki claimed its ninth life since 2011. Wednesday's crash was the fifth death on the stretch of road since the start of 2015.
A 35-year-old woman remained in Dunedin Hospital with ''moderate, to serious, non-life-threatening injuries'' after Wednesday's crash, police said yesterday.
The name of the woman who died in the crash would be released after next of kin had been notified, a police spokeswoman said.
No places of residence of any of the six occupants of the three cars involved in yesterday's crash could be released yesterday, nor could the make and model of the vehicles they were driving.
But police said an 88-year-old man and an 83-year-old woman who were in one of the vehicles involved, and who both suffered minor injuries and were transferred to Oamaru Hospital, had both been released yesterday.
A 56-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman, who were in the third car involved in the crash, were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Area prevention manager for Otago Coastal Inspector Matt Scoles said police would continue to work with the community and ''key agencies'' on State Highway 1 between Oamaru and Dunedin.
''At the current times - the statistics we have - the stretch of the state highway between Dunedin and Oamaru ... that is the highest-risk road in the entire Southern district.''
Southern district road policing manager Inspector Tania Baron agreed.
''Sadly people make mistakes which can end in tragedy as we saw yesterday.''
The NZ Transport Agency declined to comment on the crash until it had received the police serious crash investigation report.
The Safe Roads Alliance would begin investigating State Highway 1 from Oamaru to Dunedin in early 2017, a transport agency spokeswoman said.
