Chris Roberts: Make roads safer without tests for foreign drivers

Many more people are killed and injured by New Zealand drivers than by overseas drivers. Only about 3 per cent of fatal crashes are caused by people driving on overseas licences. Photo / NZME.

Opinion

It has been a tragic summer on New Zealand roads.

The Christmas-New Year road toll was the worst for 17 years, prompting soul-searching among the authorities.

For the past few months we have seen a stream of headlines about crashes involving visiting drivers, brought to a head on Monday when five foreign drivers appeared in South Island courts.

My deepest sympathies go out to anyone affected by road crashes this summer. Any death or serious injury is a tragedy for all those affected.

However, it's important we don't lose perspective on the visiting driver issue.

Many more people are killed and injured by New Zealand drivers than by overseas drivers. Only about 3 per cent of fatal crashes are caused by people driving on overseas licences.

The numbers are higher in regions such as Otago-Southland, where there is a higher proportion of visiting drivers on the roads, combined with challenging roads and road conditions. But even there, New Zealanders are at fault in most crashes.

Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) believes mandatory testing of those hiring rental vehicles is neither necessary nor practical.

New Zealand welcomes more than 2.8 million visitors a year and a large proportion of them will get behind the wheel during their trip. It is not feasible or cost-effective to test so many people.

It has been suggested that all rental vehicle companies test their clients, but many visitors borrow vehicles from friends or family, or buy vehicles. The practicalities of testing these drivers are highly questionable.

It is far more practical to work to ensure visitors are aware of New Zealand driving conditions and plan accordingly, before they arrive and during their trip.

TIA, along with the Rental Vehicle Association, New Zealand Transport Agency and a number of other partners, have been working hard to improve the information and resources available to visiting drivers.

We have developed best practice guidelines for rental vehicle operators and accommodation providers. These guidelines, available on TIA's website, provide a comprehensive range of ideas and resources that operators can use for communicating with visiting drivers at three key stages of their trip - when they book, when they pick up their rental vehicle and during their journey around New Zealand.

We have also created educational material for visiting drivers, with the recent launch of DriveSafe.org.nz. Key messages have been translated into Mandarin, German and French, and we are encouraging rental vehicle and other tourism operators to promote the website.

Good education of drivers involves providing messages when the visitor needs them. The communication guidelines and DriveSafe website send a strong message to visitors that thinking about their mode of travel begins when the holiday plans are being made at home.

But education isn't the only answer. More work is needed to make our roads safer for visitors and New Zealanders.

Median barriers, rumble strips and more arrows painted on the road at known accident spots are cost-effective measures that will help prevent accidents.

New Zealand's economy relies strongly on the tourism industry. We must do all we can to ensure travellers remember their visit for all the right reasons.

Chris Roberts is chief executive of the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand.