Kiwis need to talk about their driving behaviour
Kiwis need start talking about their own driving behaviour before pointing the finger at tourists, an NZ Transport Agency director has said.
Agency regional relationships director Jim Harland was in Invercargill on Wednesday and said one in five Kiwis in crash statistics had also failed to keep left, so bad driving could not be entirely blamed on international drivers.
Whether it was drivers losing control, failing to give way, being distracted or not not seeing other vehicles, Kiwi drivers were on par with the visitors, he said.
In most Western countries, the road toll was increasing, he said.
While roads could be made safer and people could drive safer cars, Kiwis need to start having conversations about our driving, Harland said.
As the host country, we set some of those driving standards ourselves. Things like using a cellphone or not wearing a seatbelt were still common problems in New Zealand.
‘‘Those are two simple things that would make a huge difference if everyone complied tomorrow.’’
Trying to give someone feedback about their driving behaviour was a taboo subject in New Zealand society.
‘‘Until you do that and are prepared to accept some feedback about yourself, how are you ever going to become any better?’’ he said.
‘‘The community should start talking about how to help each other become better.’’
If people saw unsafe bits on the road, they should let authorities know, or if someone was driving erratically, people should give them feedback, Harland said.
KIwis’ driving behaviour was not too good when our crash rates were compared to those in the United Kingdom or Scandinavia, he said. ‘‘If nothing else, it’s good to have conversations about how your driving is going.’’
Driving was a privilege and also a responsibility, he said.
Two of the most recent horrific crashes in Southland were near Dipton and Te Anau.
On October 8, a German woman was killed in a triple fatality crash in Dipton, when Invercargill couple Samantha Shortland and her husband Jesse Shortland also died. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
In March, two German tourists were killed in a horror collision just north of Te Anau Downs. The rental car they were in collided with a tour bus, then burst into flames.