Car hire companies are beginning to roll out a new code of practice to stamp out the rising tide of car accidents involving foreign visitors.
The Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand urged all car hire firms to sign up to the new code which sets out new rules to inform foreign drivers about vehicle safety in New Zealand and to assess whether they are prepared for New Zealand motoring conditions.
"Our aim is to provide a minimum standard of consistency in operators’ approach to providing information to visitors on what’s different about driving in New Zealand," said association chief executive Chris Roberts.
"The indications are that we can expect a bumper tourism season next summer, so we want to do all we can to keep both our visitors and New Zealanders safe on our roads," Rental Vehicle Association chief executive Barry Kidd said.
The new scheme, which is voluntary, was first trialled in Queenstown.
The code also includes important information for visiting drivers translated in Mandarin, German and French and follows on from the existing Drivers Signature Project, which is an online training module for overseas travel agents.
A raft of new initiatives have launched in the last year in response to numerous deadly car accidents involving foreign self-drive tourists.
