'It's time we got tough': Greg Murphy calls for driving tests every 10 years, phone confiscations

New Zealand racing driver Greg Murphy has called for people to sit driving tests every 10 years and phone cofiscations after a horror crash at Tokoroa which killed eight people.

The community of Tokoroa is in mourning after three local schools confirmed their students were amongst those killed in Sunday's horrific crash. Newshub understands that a couple and five of their children were amongst those killed in the accident.

Last year, Murphy launched a national young drivers programme to help educate people about being prepared behind the wheel.

On Monday, he took to Facebook criticising the Government for not addressing the things that need "real attention".

"Speed is not the big issue," he wrote. "A lot of the time it is the opposite - the amount of people driving at low speeds is concerning.

"We should all be forced to re-sit our drivers licences every 10 years at the max."

Police are calling on drivers to simply slow down after Sunday's crash made April's road toll the deadliest in 10 years.

Forty-five people have been killed on New Zealand roads so far this month - the highest monthly toll since April 2009 - while 137 people have died this year, which is the highest total to begin a year since 2010.

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter told Newshub it's going to take a "sustained effort" to turn the number of road deaths and injuries around.

"That's why this Government has invested a record $1.4 billion over three years to upgrade over 1500km of our most dangerous roads."

Speaking to Newshub Nation on Saturday, the day before the Tokoroa tragedy, Genter said teaching people to drive better was only part of the solution to New Zealand's shocking road toll.

Murphy said the condition of vehicles on the roads is another issue.

"It's time we got tough on this, rather than continuing down the pathetic PC approach," he wrote.

"What people know about their vehicles and what is safe needs attention and education.

"It's time for change that will make a difference!"

The April road toll for Taupo and the South Waikato region is already at 14, just two deaths fewer than for all of 2018.

Newshub.