Genesis

Apparently its official..they are getting worse..more impatient and road rage is on the increase. Today I saw a 111 vehicle on blues and twos...two vehicles cut across it's path causing it to stop...because THEY had the green light..can you believe it? I was four vehicles down the line and could see what was occuring..both these cars were 1st and 2nd in the queue. What tossers. Just about sums up the average kiwi driver I think. At the weekend a driver over took a slow line of traffic apparently on a bend and now him and 2 innocent people are dead. A Supt. who was visited at hoe after seen driving erratically refused a breath test. He was duly removed from head of prosecutions into another Chf Supt. roll....what kind of example is that setting??????????? He obviously did something wrong as there was shit hitting the fan..how about he finds a new job..out of the force????? What kind of punishment is that then that he received..I wonder what would happen to Joe Public who refused a breat test in his/her house???? Rant over.

love30stm

yikes that maybe so, but I would rather drive here than the UK and actually I have not drove for 20 years, but since being in new zealand im driving again so im pleased as punch

talking of the Uk I once saw a women (a old women) going the wrong way around a roundabout, and a car heading the wrong way down a dual carriageway it happens everywhere don't let it get out of perspective

Wellington Will

It is official, it's getting worse and it's already bad: you are twice as likely to be injured on Kiwi roads as you are on UK roads.

According to IRTAD (International Road Traffic and Accident Database), roughly 11 people are injured on Kiwi roads, compared to only 5 on the UK's, for every 100,000 of the population.

In Wellington, a district council report has found injuries caused by traffic accidents have reached their highest levels for a decade, and more than 1200 injuries were reported in greater Wellington during 2007-2008.

love30stm

So what are you saying none of us should drive or go out the front door anymore???

Wellington Will

Absolutely. Stay inside, bolt the doors and windows and don't answer the bell for anybody wearing a car.

I would say, slightly more seriously, that you should take more care driving in NZ than you might think is necessary. It feels like a good place to drive, empty roads, few traffic jams,... but it is more dangerous... probably because of rural, winding roads and more drink driving (but that's unfounded supposition)

love30stm

Yeppers and I do take extra care because of idiots on the roads, me included (thats was a joke btw)

Am Loolah

Karma for making me laugh!

The 3 dead accident at the weekend was a couple of k's up the road from us in Te Puke - terrible, overtaking in the dark and drizzle on a bend, 3 cars at once.

My husband's theory, bad judgement and drink driving aside, is the speeds of 100K's on single carriageways is the problem. They aren't dual carriageways and there are very rarely central reservations, so you go over the centre line at that speed you are straight on in to a head on. Not much chance of survival then.

southerner

I'm not defending poor driving in any sense - however as Am Loolah says part of the difference in road stats between here and the Uk is the higher mileage (per person)of driving here done on non motorways at open road speeds.

In the Uk (in the South East at least) I hardly remember 60mph at all. Even B roads were typically at 40 or 50 mph limits.

Browner_

Genesis, I have no doubt there is a cultural problem on the roads in NZ. It is full of idiotic drivers with no idea, as most of us know.

Even in the Te Puke incident, people were blaming the road "accident black spot" - Shocking driving causes most of these deaths.

Admittedly someone is going to cross the middle lane accidently on occasions on the 2 lane State Highways, but knowing that youd surely drive a bit more cautiously.

I had the misfortune to be in Porirua today, and the state of the cars being driven is embarassing. People are more concerned with making their car as loud as possible or tilting their number plate at an angle, than they are about making a car roadsafe.

I would expect better in remote Africa.

Batty

Do you really really believe that all the bad drivers on the roads here are Kiwi?

I've been in a car with an expat who frightened the life out of me when they did a 'Ue' just before a bend on the road and then spat the dummy when someone blew a horn at them. We've twice had a car just pull straight into the lane in front of us without any warning - very obviously not Kiwi

As a non-driver I don't believe there are many good drivers on the roads at all. I know everyone honestly believes they are but how many people believe 50kph is a limit, not a target? How many people never eat, smoke or change a radio station while they're driving?

I reckon that the best 'defensive driving' method is to always believe there's an eejit coming around every corner

Browner_

No, just 98%

Batty

You don't live in Auckland

Am Loolah

Our local paper hasn't blamed the road as an "accident black spot", a resident expressed concern at the SPEED people travel on that stretch of road, especially due to the volume of traffic during the kiwi fruit season.

" ... overtook about 3 vehicles on a sweeping left-hand bend, before smashing head-on into a ute ..."

"Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, of road policing, said police staff were "gutted" that less than halfway through the year the Bay's death toll had almost matched the total for 2008. "To be honest, trying to get the message across feels I would be better to bang my head against a brick wall" Mr Campion said."

From The Bay of Plenty Times.

Batty

As an aside... A friend was travelling back from Gisborne a couple of months ago. It had been raining and she rounded a bend, hit some oil (documented) and ended up on the other side of the road with only a fence (that she cracked) separating her from a ravine. She wasn't speeding and the police acknowledged that she wasn't speeding but she was convicted of dangerous driving last week and fined $250 & £100 court costs. If you cross the median - even if it's not your fault - it's still your fault!!!!

Newfies

Its not sooo much the speed that kills its that fact that kiwi drivers do not plan ahead they will tail gate overtake on blind bends cross the centre line for no apparent reason drink drive (and see no problem with it) young people driving powerful cars with not concept of the power or handling of the vehicle, and are generally just bad drivers. Most of them have not had a proper lesson as their parent teach them to drive.

Seeing all too often the aftermath of some of the fortunate ones that survive these accidents and their injuried sustained during. We get to hear of the details surrounding the accident an although speed plays a big part alcohol is bigger part.

The other thing that makes NZ roads more dangerous is the fact that insurance in not compulsory. So wher in the Uk a teenage would not be able to drive a 2 litre subaru as they wont get insurance, here its not a problem. Get my drift.

As for not remebering a road over 40 or 50 miles per hour back in the UK. I remember driving regularly at 70pmh on most roads where I lived except in the city which was all 30mph some scant sports were 40mph. Convert this over and doing 100kph is only about 63mph.

It is all about no planning, tailgating, alcohol, smoking/eating/changing radio, and speed people not realising that their right foot does come of the left peddle and go to the right one once ina while.

Another worrying thought is my hubby was with someone else driving the other day and he was using his right foot for the accelerator and his left foot for the breaks in an auto car! HOW!!!!!! WTF