Tourist on our roads

[RT527]

If you look at the photo of the crashscene it is obvious that the campervan lost control and swerved into the other lane. As such it's not that they were travelling in the wrong lane that caused the accident - but that they lost control and THEN travelled into the path of the oncoming motorcycles.

There might be a problem with tourists driving in NZ - but it has more to do with the fact that you can go in and rent a big ass campervan on you normal car license without ever having had any experience driving vehicles of that size. Combine that with narrow windy mountain roads and you have a rather nasty cocktail...

As for you german friend not being able to drive - it's probably more gender related than nationality related...

ok ok j/k

As I said in another post somewhere on here , when I saw the news that night, I very quickly was able to see what had happened.

I see the results of accidents on numerous occasions, to the point where I can almost work out just what has happened, this comes from experience and actually talking with SCU officers.

What has also taken me a long time to come to grips with is the lives wasted and the thought that I can do something about it....I cant...its an accident and all anyone can do is go and do their best to help.

Its actually up to NZ`s Macho ego-driven drivers to do something about it themselves, change how we perceive driving to be to what it should be, Which is a privilige, not a right.

What would be better for everyone on this site to do for the ones lost is change your attitude to driving .


As someone on here pointed out an arrow on the windscreen with the words drive on the left in bold letters would be the most simplistic way to save Lives, and the Cheapest.


God bless and support to anybody who is affected by a road fatality, wether its someone you Know or family.


Drive safe over Xmas , if you Dont, Ill be around to see yas in a bright red truck....and know that I wont judge and will do everything to help , even if you cause it!.

[rwh]

As someone on here pointed out an arrow on the windscreen with the words drive on the left in bold letters would be the most simplistic way to save Lives, and the Cheapest.

Agreed that it's simple and cheap ... but is it effective? It's just a static logo or piece of text on the dashboard; I'd read it once (and it's telling me what I already know), and ignore it from then on. Like the text in the middle of my tacho - does it say "x1000rpm"? Or something else? I don't know, I'd have to have another look.

Perhaps a video camera with an analysis computer that can figure out what side of the road you're on and beep at you? You'd need a cancel button for one-way roads, of course.

Richard

[Pixie]

Here's an interesting proposition: If we had LHD cars and drove on the left all the arseholes that can't judge the width of their 4wds and cars would keep left rather that hug the centre of the road.
This was the case in Sweden prior to the change in the sixties.

[Ixion]

Not quite so...

In Sweden they changed from LHD to RHD on September 3 1967. I even believe there was not a single accident on the day and accident figures dropped sharply for a time.

Mind you, this was Sweden - not NZ.

Actually - reading about LHD on wikipedia is quite interesting.

However there is a critical difference to NZ (which I had forgotten until Mr Pixie jogged my memory)

Prior to the switch to driving on the right, Sweden had a kept left rule. BUT .. virtualy all their cars were left hand drive - ie they drove on the left but the cars were set up for keep right. . So when they switched they actually normalised things. It's not surprising that accidents went down. (No I don't know why they ahd such a weird system. They're Swedish, enough said)

This would be the reverse for NZ. =If we changed,for years we would have many many cars with the steering on the "wrong" side.

[jonbuoy]

Its easy to remember what side of the road your supposed to be on in heavy traffic or around town or for the first few days of driving. The problem is when you've been driving for a week or so and are a bit more relaxed about it. I did the same thing myself a few years ago in Europe - pulled out onto a country road onto the wrong side - first thing in the morning after having driven around for a few weeks. Luckily my passenger figured out I'd fucked up before anything bad happened, it was in a right hand drive car though. Its easier to do than you'd think.

[Swoop]

Ok that was what I said, I miss your point

Just the fact that they had been travelling for a little while. Presumably both had turns at the wheel, so would have become "acclimatised" to driving here.
I am wondering if there was the distraction of the bikes appearing from around the corner ahead of them, or whether it was something else that caused her to drift to the left?

[Swoop]

Dunno when you were there

Late '80's.

Remember - this is Russia we're talking about here - half the cement for making the road base would be scammed off and sold during (or pre) construction, so the mix being poured would often be rather weak

Yup... Good ole' Comrades "helping each other out..." ($$$'s)
The first instance of "tilt-slab-construction" of buildings that I saw, was there...
The earthquake in Georgia came later...!