A car has collided with a truck and trailer on the Northern Motorway in Canterbury early this morning.
Police and other emergency services were called to the crash just north of the Waimakariri Bridge.
The driver of the southbound vehicle crossed over the grass median strip and collided with the front of the northbound truck and trailer unit, spinning off and then colliding with another northbound stationwagon.
No one was injured in the crash, but the highway was blocked for more than two hours while the scene was cleared.
The 20-year-old male driver of the southbound car will appear in court early next year.
Police believe excessive speed and driver inattention were factors in this crash.
They say it was entirely preventable and "it was only a matter of luck that death or serious injury was avoided".
Police would like to remind motorists to take extra care on the roads over the holiday period.
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