The grim catalogue of death continued on South Island roads yesterday with one person killed and one seriously injured when a four wheel drive vehicle crashed over a 40 metre bank on the coastal road near Kaikoura.
The accident happened about 2.30pm about 20 km south of Kaikoura, killing a 53
year old Kaikoura woman and seriously injuring her female passenger.
The passenger was taken by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital where she was reported in a stable condition.
Senior Sergeant Ian Freeman of the Police Southern Communication Centre said emergency services and the police serious crash unit attended.
Four serious road accidents killed six people and injured four others in the South Island this week.
Apart from the Kaikoura death, two Southland women died when their car and logging truck collided at the Waitaki Rd Bridge on Monday; two American tourists were killled and one injured when their car lost control and ended up in the Haast River; a head on crash took the life of one Israeli tourist and seriously injured two others north of Burnham on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile the Land Transport Authority says New Zealand's left hand drive rule and varied driving terrain poses dangers for tourists unfamiliar with local motoring conditions.
Christchurch based LTSA regional managaer Dennis Robertson said he organisation was working to reduce crash rates among visitors.
Tourists fatalities on NZ roads account for between 0.8 and 1.5 per cent of the annual toll.
In terms of the whole road toll it is not significant but still the LTSA takes it seriously, he said.
Mr Robertson said NZ was a tourist destination and it would have a problem if it got a reputation for being dangerous for driving.
The LTSA provided information about driving in this country for overseas visitors through rental car firms and other tourist operators.
Tourists were told NZ was a smalll country with a large variety of terrain and conditions.
Mr Robertson said tourists sometimes stopped on the side of rural roads where there was light traffic and when they drove off again the instinctively returned to old habits and crossed the centre line.
