Signage blamed for tourist's fatal crash

Kim Taewook's death may have been caused by a combination of unfamiliarity with New Zealand road markings and unclear signage . Photo / Steven McNicholl

The Coroner has found the death of a tourist driver may have been caused by a combination of unclear signage and unfamiliarity with New Zealand road markings.

26-year-old Kim Taewook was killed in November 2013, when the rental car he was driving on State Highway 80 did not give way at the intersection with State Highway 8 and drove directly into a path of a truck.

Mr Taewook was a student visiting from the Republic of Korea. He was driving from Christchurch to Aoraki Mt Cook with an unrelated passenger when the crash occurred.

Blood taken at autopsy found a trace of alcohol, which was thought to have been non-contributory to the crash.

A police investigation noted some deficiencies in the signage at the intersection. Constable JB Mcintyre of the Canterbury District Serious Crash Unit found the warning sign 200 metres prior to the intersection could easily be missed by a driver travelling 100km per hour.

He suggested the warning signs be made larger and placed on both sides of the road.

The topography of the area also created an illusion at the intersection, which gave it the appearance of veering right and downhill, Constable Mcintyre noted.

This was exacerbated by the information signs on the eastern side of State Highway 8 being offset from the centerline of State Highway 80.

Coroner D O Crerar intended to release a copy of the finding to the NZTA, in preparation for a possible recommendation for an investigation into the signage at the intersection.

He found that although Mr Taewook was, at the time of his death, a tourist visitor to New Zealand, there was no evidence that he was unfamiliar with local road conditions, nor was he driving negligently.

However, he noted that a lack of recognition of an obligation to comply with road rules or take into account road conditions may have contributed to the incident.