New safety drive for Kiwi car rental firms
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.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025