Pair may have just arrived in country
It is not just up to rental companies to ensure drivers are rested enough to rent vehicles, the head of New Zealand’s Rental Vehicle Association says.
Two people, believed to be tourists, died when their Jucy rental van crossed the centre line and crashed head-on with a ute on State Highway 1, south of Dunsandel at 1.12pm on Thursday.
It is believed the pair, a man and a woman in their mid 20s to early 30s, were foreign nationals and had just arrived in New Zealand on Thursday morning, but police would not confirm that.
Rental Vehicle Association chief executive Barry Kidd said rental companies recommended people coming off long haul flights rest before driving.
Rental companies had a ‘‘moral obligation’’ to assess a driver’s tiredness before giving them keys to a vehicle, but it was difficult to assess.
‘‘When people are showing signs of fatigue when picking up vehicles, operators will take action but often they don’t know.’’
He said the obligation was on the driver to make sure they were wellrested. Research showed many of the crashes involving tourist drivers did not happen in the first 24 hours.
Fatal crashes were ‘‘the last thing any operator wants’’. ‘‘It’s difficult for them to deal with. They’ve got staff dealing with bereavements and people in difficult situations which is both personally and professionally quite emotional.’’
Abell Rentals owner Allan Scott said he had printed out a copy of a story about Thursday’s crash to remind customers the importance of not crossing the centre line. Rental companies were ‘‘bloody concerned’’ about drivers being fatigued when arriving from either long haul or short haul flights, he said.
‘‘We can’t stop them [driving], but we always advise them when they’re being picked up from the airport or when they come in. We tell them to make sure they have their first night in Christchurch or very close by.
‘‘A lot of them just want to jump in their car and get out of Christchurch.’’
Police were working to establish the identity of the victims. Their names would be released once next of were notified.