How many more?

Posted on November 20, 2014 by KG

This is just one incident in a long string of them. Either hire car companies get their act together, or Kiwis should start spiking the tyres of every Asian tourist’s car.
‘Police had gone looking for a vehicle driven by a Chinese tourist two hours before she hit two motorcyclists, killing them instantly…’
Driving on these roads, we can be pulled over for doing anything that has the potential to cause an accident, and be heavily fined. How come car rental companies are immune?

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20 Responses to How many more?

  1. Odakyu-sen says:
    November 20, 2014 at 12:56

    Be sure that you don’t do that to Japanese tourists.

    The Japanese drive on the same side of the road as in the drivers in New Zealand (as do the Thais). Moreover, the Japanese driver training system is far more rigorous that the Kiwi one.

    I can’t speak for tourists from other Asian countries where most people take public transport and live in apartments, but if they get their international license on the basis of a Japanese licence, then they’re probably better drivers than the locals over here.

  2. tranquil says:
    November 20, 2014 at 15:38

    There definitely seems to be something wrong with the driving of tourists from certain countries when they come here. China seems to be one and I think Germany is another.

    I’m not sure what the solution could be.
    Maybe we’ll have to wait for self-driving vehicles! I hope not.

    • KG says:
      November 20, 2014 at 15:53

      I don’t know what the answer is, Tranquil, but things can’t be allowed to continue as they are.

  3. Cadwallader says:
    November 20, 2014 at 16:03

    If you drive around the States or Europe it takes a day or two to acclimatize to the other side of the road but the scraps some tourists get into is beyond that. Just bad driving which is not the sole preserve of the Chinese.
    It really is a huge stuff-up that some countries drive on the left and the others on the right. How did this happen? A couple of years ago Western Samoa decided to change from the US side to the NZ side but forgot which side of school-buses the doors are on. The result was kids disembarking in the middle of the road. I understand when Sweden moved in the other direction in 1967 the result was chaos.

  4. Darin says:
    November 20, 2014 at 16:28

    Seems pretty simple to me,no driving unless you hold an NZ license.Tourists will just have to hire a Cab or ride the Bus.You can workout which countries licenses you want to honor from there. http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_unsure.gif

    Similar happens here with retirees buying motorhomes.Normally you need a CDL(commercial license) to operate anything over 13 tons GVW.But if you buy a 15 ton 48′ long motorhome you can drive it off the lot same day no questions asked.http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_scratch.gif

  6. Ronbo says:
    November 20, 2014 at 20:32

    When I lived in Orlando, Florida there was a bit of a problem with British tourists used to driving on the left that caused a number of accidents, especially at night in the International district near Disney World and at Orlando International Airport.

    I recall late one night when I almost had a head on collusion with some Brits who were driving on the wrong side of the road after a pub crawl – fortunately, I was able to get them stopped before we locked horns.

    I notice the rental cars in Orlando now have big signs on the dashboard, “DRIVE ON THE RIGHT :!: ” :mrgreen:

  7. Brown says:
    November 21, 2014 at 06:08

    Rentals in NZ (or at least the big 4’s do) have the keep left signs and arrows on the dash. Roads often have arrows showing a keep left direction, especially after a tourist attraction you pull off to look at. Driving in the south island is getting to be more dangerous purely because of tourists – it used to be a place where there were hardly any cars and you could go fast on good roads in relative safety. I’m not sure what the answer is but in this instance it seems the driver was simply grossly incompetent. A test drive around the block would have fixed that. My last Asian car ride was to Hong Kong airport in March this year. It was nerve wracking to say the least (we weren’t sure if he was completely awake) but other rides there were very good with the bus ride from Central to the hotel was like a roller coaster – excellent!

  8. mistress mara says:
    November 21, 2014 at 14:44

    Asian tourist? Imagine my surprise.

  9. MvL says:
    November 21, 2014 at 17:45

    Helped my BIL who lives in Bangkok, with some Thai business friends of his during their NZ visit here recently. Mature people and regular and good drivers in Thailand. Sorted rentals etc for them.
    But.
    They were surprised by our lesser roads, such as those found leading to most tourism spots.
    Rough chip seal, quite narrow by Thai standards, with a sloping gravel shoulder, blending into a grass verge if you’re lucky, finishing in a welcoming ditch and fence, and perhaps a tree or two.
    Not much room for error.
    So I think when the shit hits the fan, on most of our roads, any foreign driver, Asian or not, can be in trouble.

    • KG says:
      November 21, 2014 at 17:51

      True enough, MvL, but the fact remains that too many Kiwis are being injured or dying because of tourist drivers.
      What’s more, a good driver drives to the conditions as presented. If somebody can’t adapt from expressways or at least well-made highways to country roads then they have no business being behind the wheel.

  10. MvL says:
    November 21, 2014 at 17:59

    “If somebody can’t adapt from expressways or at least well-made highways to country roads then they have no business being behind the wheel.”
    Agreed.
    http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gif

    • KG says:
      November 21, 2014 at 18:17

      I was talking to a cop at Auckland airport and he reckons the problem is that so many Chinese are “first generation” drivers.
      Most of us grew up around cars, with parents and friends who owned cars and we picked up a lot of information about driving that way.
      Many Chinese have never had a car in the family, and they’ve missed out on that information.

      • dondiego says:
        November 22, 2014 at 19:23

        Exactly. Saw an asian here [rural NSW] teaching his girl how to drive :twisted: Saw my Taiwanese mate reverse into my Aussie mates car in the carpark :roll: (I always left before them, or had lights on and one eye on them rolling ciggies while it warmed up).

        Don’t get me started on the Trash-can-i’s who’ve only ridden goats, or the coupla curries who might’ve ridden a Brahma to market.

        End of the day: Two white men are dead because Equality :evil: