Five die on roads this weekend

The two motorcyclists killed in a collision with a van in Taranaki had been briefed on safety, before taking part in a charity toy run. 

They were 40-year-old Kelly Richard Reardon from Waitara and 68-year-old Gordon Thomas McKay from New Plymouth.

The local Bikers Rights Organisation organises the annual event.

A third motorcyclist was killed in a separate crash in

Bay of Plenty yesterday.

It tours Taranaki collecting toys for children who would otherwise go without at Christmas.

Secretary Sandra Heal says the riders were given a talk about road rules and things to look out for before starting out.

"In an event like this, they're all riding with their friends so they're riding in big groups so it does make them really vulnerable."

Ms Heal says the remaining riders made a group decision to keep going, after the tragedy.

"They had a vote about whether they would carry on, and they all decided that they'd carry on, and finish the run and collect those toys.

"Thought it would be a good thing to do for the guys that lost their lives."

Motor Cycle safety experts say riding motorcycles in groups is extremely dangerous

CEO of New Zealand Motorcycle Safety Consultants, Allan Kirk, says the problem with riding in groups is that motorcyclists tend to get complacent.

He says motorcyclists riding in groups is always a very dangerous thing, as a large number of crashes happen when bikers are riding in groups because they tend to take all their signals from the rider ahead.

Mr Kirk says when motorcyclists ride in groups the number of casualties and fatalities is always worse.

And there's been another fatal crash overnight, one person died in an accident at Paeroa near Thames.

So far this weekend five people have died on the roads.

Apart from the two motorcyclists killed in Taranaki there was a death at Ruakaka near Waipu.

And another motorcyclist was killed early yesterday in a head-on collision with a car in Bay of Plenty.

Photo: NZ Herald