Tourists driving in the South Island

[AllanB]

I tell you, it ain't safe on the open road down here.

[Berries]

I tell you, it ain't safe on the open road down here.

You're not wrong. Luckily, statistically speaking, the more tourists who drive down here the safer we become because on average they are better than the fuckwit locals. But that doesn't make the headlines in the ODT or Southland Times. Twenty percent of crashes is fuck all when probably a third of drivers are from overseas on some of the tourist routes down here.

Having said that, the Chinese should not be allowed to drive here because they are shit drivers, have a totally different outlook on road rules and whatever you are told do not follow the "reciprocal arrangements" set out in the UN convention.

[bgd]

Having said that, the Chinese should not be allowed to drive here because they are shit drivers, have a totally different outlook on road rules and whatever you are told do not follow the "reciprocal arrangements" set out in the UN convention.

That will never happen, need those tourist $$

Apparently more Singaporeans kill themselves on NZ roads than anywhere else, apart from Sg of course. It's to do with the fact that they have to drive for more than half an hour and don't have buildings around them to give them the perspective they need to stay on the road.

[pete376403]

Germany is supposed to have pretty high standards of driving but that wasn't apparent today http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/govt...tality-6239967

[gammaguy]

That will never happen, need those tourist $$

Apparently more Singaporeans kill themselves on NZ roads than anywhere else, apart from Sg of course. It's to do with the fact that they have to drive for more than half an hour and don't have buildings around them to give them the perspective they need to stay on the road.

I choose not to drive here

Most singers are driving at 5kmh updating their facebook status in their 7 series beemer that never gets out of third gear.

When the time comes for more speed such as on the expressway many are found sadly wanting,motorway pile ups are sadly common here,then there are the trucks driven in from Malaysia with drivers high on anti sleep drugs and loads secured(if at all)with a dried noodle.

I will take the subway here thanks,and do my riding in enzed.....while avoiding the asian tourists....from Singapore

[Waihou Thumper]

I was following a stream of vehicles approx 10 from the turn off to Hanmer Springs.
This car was doing 100 kph then slowed down for no apparent reason. I was lucky enough to pass them all and as I got to the front car looked at the driver...
He was doing 50kph with a cell phone in his hand taking photos of the ranges and river down below.
So was the passenger!
Unbelieveable. It is now wonder we have these sort of needless deaths.

AND to make matters worse, it is usually the unsuspecting motorist/cyclist/pedestrian that dies as a result!

[Mo NZ]

I saw the same thing on the Milford road. Camera out the drivers window.
I thought of riding up beside him and snatching the camera then riding ahead of him and throwing it on the road.
But he stopped filming just before I got up beside him and I couldn't reach it.

But I am sure he got the message I delivered.

[Asher]

The Akaroa highway is my stomping ground and I do a huge amount of kms around Canterbury for work so I get to experience crap tourist driving daily. Don't get me wrong, when I'm on the bike if often the tourists who move over and indicate to let me pass (I'm guessing they are from Euro countries) while many locals actively make it difficult to pass.
Apart from tourist driving on the wrong side of the road ( which I have yet to come across thankfully) the things I find the most dangerous is:
They are so unpridictable, I have developed a pretty good spidey sense where I can predict when someone is going to do something stupid but some tourists just do things that make absolutely no sense.
The other one is giving tourists the keys to massive campers, if someone can't keep on their side of the road in a little Corolla think how much more they are over in a much wider camper

[caspernz]

Germany is supposed to have pretty high standards of driving but that wasn't apparent today http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/govt...tality-6239967

Part of the problem is the European driver who expects the same roading standards in NZ as in their own home country. The way NZ places a Stop or Giveway sign with often zero warning on an open road stretch, takes some getting used to.

Maybe humour is the answer to this problem. I'm picturing someone with the Billy T James approach to how we "supposedly" deal with foreign drivers who misbehave on our roads? One 30 second clip leaked in the right manner, showing roadside education would have more impact than anything official we've seen to date. How interesting the method of education is depends on your own interpretation

[Tazz]

Part of the problem is the European driver who expects the same roading standards in NZ as in their own home country. The way NZ places a Stop or Giveway sign with often zero warning on an open road stretch, takes some getting used to.

Maybe humour is the answer to this problem. I'm picturing someone with the Billy T James approach to how we "supposedly" deal with foreign drivers who misbehave on our roads? One 30 second clip leaked in the right manner, showing roadside education would have more impact than anything official we've seen to date. How interesting the method of education is depends on your own interpretation

Uhhh, ever driven in Europe? The road signs here are fine for the most part. A lot of country road intersections overseas have NO signs, and even worse no reflectors which makes driving in fog a right bloody chore. I'm 99.9% sure EVERY intersection in that area has a 200m warning sign and she would have crossed a bunch of other intersections before she got to that one. If she was too thick to work out what STOP means or was busy yakking away to passengers it's no fault of the road...

Someone fucked up and caused a crash, it happens.

Personally I think this tourist lynch mob gathering over their driving is bullshit and NZ drivers need to look in the mirror well before trying to pick out the inadequacies of tourists. In my experience when a camper cuts a corner on a narrow road (Queen Charlotte Drive for example) it is because the road is narrow and they are inept at swinging wide to stop it from happening. When a local cuts the corner it is every fucking one and at speed because they think they are Schumacher and because they drive it all the time they think they have some sort of ownership claim. They are the people that will kill you, it just won't make the news.

[caspernz]

Uhhh, ever driven in Europe? The road signs here are fine for the most part. A lot of country road intersections overseas have NO signs, and even worse no reflectors which makes driving in fog a right bloody chore. I'm 99.9% sure EVERY intersection in that area has a 200m warning sign and she would have crossed a bunch of other intersections before she got to that one. If she was too thick to work out what STOP means or was busy yakking away to passengers it's no fault of the road...

Someone fucked up and caused a crash, it happens.

Personally I think this tourist lynch mob gathering over their driving is bullshit and NZ drivers need to look in the mirror well before trying to pick out the inadequacies of tourists. In my experience when a camper cuts a corner on a narrow road (Queen Charlotte Drive for example) it is because the road is narrow and they are inept at swinging wide to stop it from happening. When a local cuts the corner it is every fucking one and at speed because they think they are Schumacher and because they drive it all the time they think they have some sort of ownership claim. They are the people that will kill you, it just won't make the news.

Yep, I grew up in Europe. Not saying it's the cause, but in my view NZ road signage is woeful, not to mention inconsistent. Even the latest signs on the motorways in Auckland are a laugh, and for a first time visitor, unnecessarily confusing. Now if one lived in a main centre in Europe and hopped off a plane in NZ, the potential for harm is real. Can't argue with the rest of your statement.

[Tazz]

Yep, I grew up in Europe. Not saying it's the cause, but in my view NZ road signage is woeful, not to mention inconsistent. Even the latest signs on the motorways in Auckland are a laugh, and for a first time visitor, unnecessarily confusing. Now if one lived in a main centre in Europe and hopped off a plane in NZ, the potential for harm is real. Can't argue with the rest of your statement.

Noice, the high population areas in Central Europe are better for sure. A 'country' road in some of those denser areas is like our SH1 After seeing for myself a lot of their roads I wasn't really that unimpressed, or impressed, when compared to our roads in general. Signage here is way better than Ireland though which is where I've done most of my offshore blats And don't even think about asking for directions, they're even worse!

The likes of the Autobahn that people harp on about is only one small section of a very large Europe.

[Reckless]

Its spreading North.
More hurt Kiwi's and a lovely Vintage gone this time to.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6686....post.66865557

[James Deuce]

There's nothing spreading anywhere. Just the misinformation that Tourists are more dangerous on NZ roads than the local crowd of clowns. I see the same stuff from Kiwis every time I drive or ride. It's unremarkable and completely accepted. The current tourist driver bashing is just racist socially acceptable violence that will have the effect of having our current rights to drive in other countries removed in response to our terrible driving standards and vigilante attitude.

The vast majority of road deaths and injuries are caused by your Mum, Dad, Sister, Brother, Cousin, Granddad and yourself. Tourists are the least of my worries statistically. I more scared of the giant cluster of idiots in the middle of the bell curve who live here and all think they are excellent drivers and riders.

[Murray]

And they still report and highlight the French visitor that died when colliding with a truck north of Tauranga. He swerved to miss a port-a-loo coming off the back of another truck. And interesting today http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-ple...ectid=11410814 2 trucks manage to collide with each other on the same road.

Whats with all the trucks being involved in so many accidents???