Police in Dunedin have urged drivers to exercise caution on the roads following two separate multiple-vehicle collisions amid icy conditions on Tuesday morning.

At approximately 7:25 a.m., emergency responders attended a crash involving four vehicles on the Southern Motorway near the Green Island exit. One car reportedly struck the median barrier and rolled onto its roof, trapping an occupant inside. That individual was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

In a separate incident in the city, Cosy Dell Road was temporarily closed after a three-vehicle collision, which authorities attributed to icy road surfaces.

Acting Inspector Karl Hemmingsen advised motorists to adapt their driving to the prevailing conditions by fully defrosting vehicles before setting out and maintaining safe following distances. “If everyone is driving to the conditions at safe following distances and being prudent, careful drivers, hopefully we would like to see no more crashes on the motorway for the remainder of the winter and beyond,” he said.

The recent crash increases the total number of incidents on the Southern Motorway to at least five since February, all occurring along the descent at Lookout Point. While Acting Inspector Hemmingsen was uncertain whether this represented an unusually high number of crashes for that stretch, he noted that collisions on the motorway tend to have wider implications. “There’s plenty of other crashes around the city, but they don’t cause the same disruptions. If something goes wrong, it causes mayhem for people getting to work,” he said. Factors contributing to the risk include the hill’s gradient, morning traffic levels, multiple intersections, and driver behaviour.

Hemmingsen also remarked that some drivers appeared to lose their caution as winter conditions set in. He suggested that if similar frost occurs later in winter, such as in August, the number of accidents might be lower because drivers would have adjusted to the conditions.

Meteorologist Paris Marshall from MetService explained that a high-pressure system lingering over New Zealand had led to colder nights and the formation of ice on road surfaces. Temperatures dropped to -4.8°C in Monona around 8 a.m. Tuesday. Similar conditions were expected on Wednesday with a slight warming forecast for Thursday before temperatures drop again over the weekend. “School holidays will start to feel cold to start them off, which is a bit unfortunate—unless you like cold weather,” Marshall noted.