Take it easy on the southern roads over Queens Birthday Weekend

That's the message from police after a horror start with five deaths in three hours yesterday in Canterbury.

Southern Acting District Road Policing Manager Greg Ballantyne says people need to modify their driving behaviours - and drive to the conditions.

He says we don't want a repeat of the Canterbury crashes.

Ballantyne says any death on the road is a tragedy, which creates a ripple effect on families and the community.