Opinion: Our bad reputation as drivers

Our driving manners could do with a bit of work. Photo / Getty

The Bay of Plenty is paradise. We're known all over the country for our beautiful beaches, our gorgeous lakes, our majestic forests, right?

Maybe not. You see, one particular trait is damaging our reputation.

It's the kind of reputation that has people gossiping with their friends over every gory detail, sharing blow-by-blow accounts of the unsavoury experiences they were unfortunate enough to witness.

My friends, our reputation is that we're packed full of bad drivers.

And it's a reputation I find hard to defend. After all, I myself see bad behaviour on a daily basis.

It's like people here have never learned how to use a roundabout. Or merge (it's like the teeth in a zip, one after another in smooth, flowing succession, if you didn't know). Or, as the joke goes, our cars don't come with the optional extra orange flashing lights to indicate direction.

And it's being noticed.

I was confronted by our reputation on a recent trip to Napier. On a tour of the famous wineries, a chatty young sommelier quizzed us about our holiday.

"How have you found Napier?"

"It's been amazing. The weather has been perfect, the city is beautiful and the wine is even better, ha ha."

"We're lucky to live here. Where are you from?"

"Tauranga."

"Oh, wow. You guys have the worst drivers. Every time I visit I see something ridiculous."

It wasn't an isolated incident. Our neighbours at the campground, who were from the Wairarapa, had the same response.

"Tauranga, eh. Do you all get your licences at the supermarket?"

Driving through Rotorua on our way back from Napier, we were nearly run off the road at Fairy Springs by a little old man hunched over his steering wheel who I swear didn't even realise he was changing lanes.

Most of the bad behaviour I see tends to be a lack of basic courtesy and manners for other road users.

People driving slowly in the fast lane. Tailgating. Blocking people from changing lanes. Cutting in. The number of cars I've seen trying to block motorcyclists from pulling to the front of a queue is just ridiculous.

But less frequently, the behaviour isn't just rude but downright dangerous. Drifting over the centreline. Talking on the phone. Incorrect indication. Sudden braking. Pulling out of driveways/car parks/side streets without looking.

I could go on.

We need to take a good, hard look at our driving behaviour. Our parents all taught us how to use our manners, right?

Those lessons need to be applied to every part of our lives, including on the roads.