TWO German tourists are lucky to be alive after a collision on the Whanganui River Rd almost demolished the front of their car yesterday.
And a call has been made for the road to have more warning signs and the speed limit reduced from 100kph to about 50kph.
The male driver was
taken by ambulance to Wanganui Hospital with a suspected chest injury. His female companion was unscathed.
The couple, who arrived in New Zealand a week ago, had driven from Wellington to Wanganui in a rental Toyota. They were heading to Tongariro when the accident happened, about 5km south of the Flying Fox.
Constable Karl Reyland said the Toyota and an Isuzu Bighorn four-wheel-drive, travelling towards Wanganui, collided on a corner about 4.30pm. The driver of the Bighorn was not hurt, but his vehicle was damaged.
Highway Patrol Senior Constable Doug Burden, who also attended, said it was amazing that the German driver was not more seriously injured or worse, and that his partner had been able to get out of the car unscathed.
The cause of the accident was not known.
A woman (the mother of the Bighorn driver), who was travelling behind the Toyota, believed more warning signs were needed on the road.
"Tourists have to be made very aware the Whanganui River Rd is very windy and extreme care is needed."
She also wanted to see the road's speed limit reduced. Wanganui Fire Brigade officer Ken Malcolm, who attended the accident, endorsed the woman's concerns.
"Much more signage is needed up there, especially with the amount of tourist traffic using it. It is a dangerous road and very narrow. People are bringing campervans down and looking at the view.
"A truckie I spoke to said he was hit by a campervan on Monday night and locals tell me there are a lot of accidents and near misses at this time of the year," Mr Malcolm said.
PICTURED: A collision between this Isuzu Bighorn four-wheel-drive (foreground) and the Toyota car on the Whanganui River Rd yesterday has led to calls for more the road to have more warning signs and a reduced speed limit.
