Some New Zealand roads are notorious due to the number of fatal and serious crashes there, others because they are steep and narrow with no room for driver error.

Most highways in Aotearoa are sealed and have two lanes but the country also has some narrow unsealed roads, some of which are winding and climbing with spectacular views.

What is a 'dangerous road'?

Deciding if a road is dangerous is subjective, but one indicator is a high number of fatal or serious crashes on a particular stretch of road over an extended period of time.

A dangerous road might also be one that is precarious for a driver to negotiate, or even one that rental car companies refuse to insure you to drive on because they consider the risk is too high.

AA communications, research and road safety manager Dylan Thomsen said the highest risk roads are generally highways because they carry the most traffic and at higher speeds.

For most drivers, the riskiest ones they travel on are the ones that are higher speed, have no median barrier and are busy, he said.

"When someone is travelling on a road like that there is much less margin for error because a mistake by anyone is more likely to result in a crash and vehicles also have the ability to go head-on into oncoming traffic."

Weather conditions such as flooding, snow or high winds or the risk of rock falls or avalanches may also make it difficult to drive even on roads which are usually straight-forward or familiar.

Highways with few passing lanes (such as often occur in the South Island), tricky to negotiate intersections, or blind corners could also contribute to a road being more challenging for drivers.

How safe is NZ's highway network?

The New Zealand Road Assessment Programme or KiwiRAP developed by the Automobile Association and Transport Agency rated nearly 90 percent of New Zealand's state highway network, covering more than 10,000km of rural highways with speed limits of 80km/h or more.

It said that equated to about 12 percent of New Zealand roads, but accounted for nearly half of all fatal crashes.

KiwiRAP released a five star rating system for the rural state highway network in 2010 which showed that 39 percent of New Zealand's roads received two stars, with 56 percent getting a three star rating.

Only 5 percent of the roads surveyed were rated with four stars, but KiwiRap said that was where 28 percent of the country's travel occurred (ie on motorways with a high traffic volume).

The survey showed that at that time only 5 percent of New Zealand's road network was median divided, a move that would improve road safety, while only 20 percent had "forgiving and safe roadside conditions".

On the plus side, 96 percent of the network had "good delineation" and 98 percent had wide lanes.

Work underway to update crash info

Thomsen said the AA Research Foundation was part way through looking at crash rates on a number of highways, but that was not yet finalised.

"Part of the reason we have undertaken that work is because we wanted to get an update on which highways have the highest crash rates, which can then help prioritise where safety upgrades are most needed."

The work was expected to be released early in 2025, he said.

The fact a number of new stretches of highway had recently opened made it difficult to determine the country's highest risk roads right now, he said.

Previous AA Research Foundation research found that there was on average a 37 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries where new stretches of road were added, he said.

But there was not yet enough data to show how much the new roads had improved road safety, he said.

Crown Range Road on 11 June 2024. Photo: MetService

Some of NZ's most dangerous roads

Skippers Road: Skippers Road is 17.4km long, running from the paved Coronet Peak Road to Skippers Campground. It is not one of New Zealand's most dangerous roads in terms of fatalities, but the fact that it is extremely narrow and cut from the middle of a sheer cliff face qualifies it to be on this list.

The dangerousroads.org website says in most places the road is "too narrow for most vehicles to pass each other, with no guardrails, and the drop-offs leave absolutely no room for error". It is one of the few roads in New Zealand that rental car companies will not allow you to take their cars.

Old North Road: There were 13 deaths and serious injuries on Waimauku's Old North Road from 2014-2019.

This year, Auckland Transport said Old North Road was considered a high-risk rural road for crashes and it was intending to install a roadside safety barrier adjacent to 1011 Old North Road in December 2024 "to provide a safer section of road for vehicles, motorcycles and cyclists".

SH2 from Katikati to Tauranga - Bay of Plenty: NZTA said the stretch of State Highway 2 was one of the highest risk roads in Bay of Plenty.

Between 2009 and 2018, 27 people were killed and 77 were seriously injured on this winding stretch of road, it said.

In response to the high crash numbers speed limits were lowered in a number of places, including from Katikati to Te Puna, parts of Te Puna, Bethlehem and Pahoia School zone.

In July 2024, NZTA installed flexible wire rope median barriers on sections of SH2, south of Katikati as part of its safety improvements. But the barrier has drawn criticism and protests because it limits cars and trucks from turning into side streets.

SH1 from Cambridge to Piarere: The road between Cambridge and Piarere had long been frustrating to motorists travelling south with frequent congestion as two lanes merged into one, the Waikato Times reported. The existing highway south, is also a notorious crash spot, it said. Construction of the Cambridge to Piarere extension of the Waikato Expressway could begin in two years, it reported.

SH1 Whangārei to Marsden Point - Northland: NZTA said that from 2011 to 2021, 22 people had lost their lives and 73 people had been seriously injured on that stretch of highway. Mostly they were either head-on crashes or caused by people turning onto or off the highway, it said. The road is one of the government's Roads of National Significance with plans to make 22km of SH1 south of Whangārei four lanes, including upgrading the SH1/SH15 intersection.

SH1 north from Kawakawa to Springs Flat - Northland: The State Highway 1 stretch of road from Springs Flat, just north of Kamo, to Kawakawa is just over 45km.

According to KiwiRAP data there were 14 deaths, 41 serious injuries and 133 minor injuries on that stretch of road from 2012 to 2016.

But in 2017, Inspector Wayne Ewers told The Northern Advocate that it was not necessarily the road but speed, people not wearing a seatbelt or other factors which caused the deaths, many of which could have been prevented.

But he did acknowledge "it's a serious piece of road" and that people needed to be alert and concentrating when they drove on it.

A speed camera located next to State Highway 1 between Kawakawa and Moerewa. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf

SH58, also known as Haywards Hill, connects Porirua to the Hutt Valley - SH58 averages about 20,000 vehicles a day and in the past it has been described it as the most dangerous road in the Wellington region due to high speed, traffic volume and side-road hazards leading to severe road crashes. However, there has been been a safety programme to upgrade the highway which is ongoing.

Crown Range Road from Queenstown to Wānaka - This is the highest main road in New Zealand reaching an altitude of 1121 metres. Tourism New Zealand warns that the road is often covered in snow and ice in winter making for difficult driving conditions. It advises anyone driving the Crown Range Road from May to September to carry chains and to know how to fit them. During the summer months the road can be busy so motorists need to slow down and stay alert, it said.

Milford Road from Te Anau to Milford - Milford Road is the only way to access the Milford Sound Piopiotahi. It can be a difficult road to negotiate in winter when there is a risk of ice, snow and avalanches. Motorists may need to carry chains between June and November.

NZTA said an avalanche control programme was in place to keep the road open as much as possible during the avalanche season. The road was closed for about eight days a year on average, when the weather and high avalanche risk made it unsafe, NZTA said,

-RNZ