Te Anau Crash

[Virago]

My wife and I have spent a fair amount of time in Central Otago this Spring / Summer / Autumn - i.e. peak tourist season. We developed a bit of a game of "spot the Asian in the rental car".

It's fairly easy. Late-model car (usually "K" reg), and usually a cross-over type vehicle. Driving speed will be extremely erratic, cornering will be hair-raising, the driver will have no ability to stay in their lane, and intersections will have them completely flummoxed. They appear to have no recognition of other road users.

We would often confirm when we could, and sure enough, a little yellow guy with white knuckles.

The moral of the story is - don't trust a driver who can be blindfolded with a bootlace.

[Akzle]

i think the REAL question this thread raises, is: whether KB should have a moratorium on posting, linking, referencing, or citing "stuff.co.nz".


also whether being old and white is proper and sufficient grounds for complaining about "those foreigners" in a country they've only been in a couple hundred years.[/LIST]

[Moise]

Maybe even better not to comment / speculate on serious accidents until the facts are known.

Sent from somewhere using Tapatalk

[Coldrider]

i think the REAL question this thread raises, is: whether KB should have a moratorium on posting, linking, referencing, or citing "stuff.co.nz".


also whether being old and white is proper and sufficient grounds for complaining about "those foreigners" in a country they've only been in a couple hundred years.[/LIST]

having been up in Auckland more frequently than usual, I don't consider Auckland to be in Aotearoa any more. 80,000 people flying in every year, diluting something...even if they have to borrow a boat, or bike.

[Berries]

I would say that the vast majority of kiwi drivers would find that road cjallenging,let alone tourists who may have never driven on a rad like that before.

Lets not get too carried away. It's a great driving/riding road with fantastic scenery to distract you but the only thing relatively unique is its remoteness and fact it is one giant cul-de-sac resulting in no through traffic and thus a high proportion of visitor drivers. Take that away and there are roads like that all over the world.

Random Google of best driving roads.

[MD]

I found it ghoulish that Stuff posted; before, during and after the fire pictures to better shock us that these action shots capture two people who were 1. hurt, terrified and about to die, 2. dying and by 3rd picture dead, reduced to ashes.

My buddies and I that have done an annual South Island ride for many years all feel that our greatest danger is no longer our desire for speed - which I would say has been slightly reined in, but the stupidity of foreign drivers.

Each year we have more 'holy crap' moments with cars/vans coming at us on the wrong side or stopping in the middle of the road on blind spots to take selfies.

[SuperMac]

A car isn't going to change the direction of a bus, merely slow it down a little. That all said, the drivers that are carefully trained (tankers etc) know they're best to steer straight ahead and brake as hard as possible. Most efficient way to lose as much speed as possible in minimum distance, plus you don't risk the stability of the load as much.

Looking at the damage to the bus, the car impacted on the front right, then the bus rode up over. At that point the driver would have lost steering control.

Looks quite a camber there, that might have had an effect on direction of travel.

[Paul in NZ]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9082...ed-centre-line

[Coldrider]

Just a simple question, per hour, how much does a bus driver get paid?

[neels]

Sucks for the bus driver, and the people who turned up on the scene and watched the car burn, not a nice thing for anyone.

[Paul in NZ]

Sucks for the bus driver, and the people who turned up on the scene and watched the car burn, not a nice thing for anyone.

sucked a lot more for the poor cunt in the rental car...

but I take your point - no good out comes here

[jim.cox]

sucked a lot more for the poor cunt in the rental car...

Victims Plural - there were two in the car

[Paul in NZ]

Victims Plural - there were two in the car

Yes - sorry... Terrible thing

[buggerit]

Maybe add it to 90 mile beach and Skippers canyon, no rental cars allowed, I'm sure the tour companies would step up

[Moi]

Maybe add it to 90 mile beach and Skippers canyon, no rental cars allowed, I'm sure the tour companies would step up

Small problem with that...

I decide to fly to Dunedin, pick up rental and do the loop of the south of the South Island including a trip to Milford Sound for a night or two there... why shouldn't I drive through to Milford Sound?