Perhaps the study needs updating, because having spent a few days in Central Otago it seems that region's roads are potential death traps for tourists.
Drivers drifting toward the centre line, or travelling 20km below the prevailing speed limit (and holding up traffic) were common on the windy, mountainous roads.
A hotelier shook his head and said "happens all the time" when we mentioned our horror at watching a rental car overtake a rental van on a blind corner, on the road to Milford Sound.
Our own rental vehicle had a worn sticker on the speedometer that said "keep left".
I suspect (hope) if we hadn't been New Zealanders we would have been given more safety advice when we collected the vehicle.
Tiredness also builds when travel schedules are based on time estimates relevant in the US or Europe, but are elongated in New Zealand by narrow, winding roads.
Fifty km on a German autobahn or American highway is not 50km on a Northland highway.
We seem to have no trouble enticing tourists here with slick campaigns, but struggle to communicate to them that they might accidentally kill themselves while here.
Perhaps airline safety videos could include more safety messages about NZ roads.
At the moment it feels like a problem that has been flapping around in the too-hard basket, for too long.
