That toll could rise even further after a truck driver was taken to Southland Hospital in a critical condition, after a collision with an SUV at a State Highway 1 intersection near Invercargill yesterday.
The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency provisional road toll records six deaths in the Southern police district this month, five of which have been in the Southland area.
Sergeant Dougall Henderson, of the Southern District serious crash unit, said all the road deaths were still being investigated.
With three Southland road deaths last week, the tragedies were taking their own toll on police.
With the number of crashes, care had to be taken that staff got a rest from getting a callout.
Although officers were resilient, it was a was a priority to make sure they had access to welfare services, as attending the callouts had a cumulative effect.
The road deaths also had a strong effect on local communities, including Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers and St John staff.
Often locals who were not emergency services members were the first on the scene.
He encouraged drivers to be careful when it rained for the first time in a while, as it could make road surfaces slippery.
At this point, there was no suggestion the conditions of any roads themselves had contributed to any of the fatal crashes, but driving to the conditions was still a key message.
"With the spike in crashes down here, people need to be taking extra care."
Southern district road policing manager Inspector James Ure encouraged people to promote safe road behaviour to their friends, family and colleagues.
"Everyone’s got a part to play."
There was no single explanation for the spike in fatalities, but the "trauma promoting offences" which police focused enforcement on — restraints, intoxication, distraction and speed — were expected to play a role.
Insp Ure also encouraged people to take care around intersections, even if they had lived in the area their whole life.
