Closing road to rentals impractical
February 2nd, 2008, 4:15 am Hobbies News
Her comments came after the highway, from Te Anau to Milford, was singled out as the third-worst road in the country for personal risk and just weeks after calls from police for it to be closed to rental vehicles.
The highway was identified in the personal risk category, which is based on the likelihood of an individual being involved in a crash on that road, in a report released by the New Zealand Road Assessment Programme, a partnership between the Automobile Association and government transport agencies.
In the majority of crashes on the road, tourists were involved, with crashes caused by speed, inattention and drivers failing to keep left.
The Milford road, which travels through some of the most picturesque scenery in New Zealand, has been host to 10 crashes in the past two months, including one in which a 31-year-old Welsh woman was killed after a van crashed into a tourist bus on January 13.
Police have said the problem is getting worse, with few tourists travelling by bus and more opting to hit the highway in rental cars and campervans.
Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau, is urging rental car companies to stop insuring their vehicles on the Milford road, effectively forcing tourists on to buses, as on other tourist routes.
However, Ms King said the idea was probably impractical, with responsibility for instructing drivers falling to the rental companies.
She did advocate vehicle rental companies spend time with tourists talking to them about New Zealands road rules, particularly on roads where crashes frequently happened.
Rental companies polled by The Southland Times said road rules, in particular keeping left, were clearly explained to customers before they hit the road.
Tourism Holdings Ltd, which is the parent company to Maui, Britz and Backpacker campervans, also operates daily bus services into Milford but would be loath to put off those who wanted to drive to the destination, a company spokeswoman said.
THL Rentals Division marketing general manager Kate Meldrum said while safety was a concern she opposed the idea. %26quot;I think it would be a real shame to restrict one of New Zealands icons,%26quot; she said.
THL offered bus services into Milford but many customers preferred to %26quot;self-drive%26quot; , she said.
The company also provided an AA produced brochure to every customer called %26quot;Whats different about driving in New Zealand%26quot;, which spelled out New Zealands road rules.
Car rental companies spoken to also opposed the idea.
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