Rental Vehicle Industry Supporting Road Safety

MEDIA RELEASE
Rental Vehicle Industry Supporting Road Safety

Rental vehicle operators continue to pursue coordinated initiatives across the industry as part of broader efforts by the authorities to reduce the number of road incidents, including those involving overseas drivers.

Rental Vehicle Association (RVA) Chief Executive Barry Kidd said there was no higher priority for operators than the safety of rental customers and all road users in New Zealand.

“The RVA acknowledges and shares the community’s concerns around road safety,” Mr Kidd said.

“Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the families and friends of all people here and overseas who have been tragically killed or injured on New Zealand roads. Road safety affects everyone and is an issue for every driver on the roads.”

Mr Kidd said the RVA and its members were committed to a range of practical measures that raise awareness and educate visiting drivers about the road rules and conditions in New Zealand.

“Road safety is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted response and the RVA is pleased to be working constructively with a number of agencies such as the New Zealand Police, Transport Agency and Tourism Industry Association.

“A very small percentage of the 2.6 million tourists who visit New Zealand each year are involved in road incidents. Overseas drivers are a single element in the overall road safety picture.

“The rental vehicle industry is doing whatever is practical to ensure these visitors understand both the road rules and the fact our driving conditions may be different and more challenging to what they are used to.”

Mr Kidd said the rental vehicle industry is looking forward to further steps by the NZ Government and Transport Agency to apply physical road safety measures such as extra road signage, median barriers and rumble strips, particularly at locations in the lower South Island popular with tourists.

“A combined approach to this issue, incorporating education and improved road conditions, is required to enhance safety for all drivers – domestic and overseas,” Mr Kidd said.

The RVA sits with government and other industry and tourism agencies on the Transport Agency’s Visiting Drivers Signature Project, which is aimed at formulating further innovative and creative solutions to the issue.

The RVA and individual rental vehicle operators have already implemented a range of initiatives as part of their corporate responsibility to contribute to the safety of all road users. These include –

1. The RVA Overseas Driver Best Practice Toolkit, which provides rental vehicle operators with a series of resources to help educate overseas drivers at every customer interaction about NZ road rules and conditions.
2. The ‘Safe Driving in New Zealand’ video available in English, Chinese, French and German. The video provides guidance on essential road rules and safe driving tips, like fatigue management and distance planning.
3. The safe driving steering wheel tag, which was launched nationwide as a result of a successful trial in Queenstown. The tag attaches to the steering wheel of the rental vehicle and promotes five key safe driving messages, such as keeping left and wearing seatbelts, in a simple, visual format.
4. A series of regional operator briefings, which was aimed at reinforcing and promoting the overseas driver safety initiatives to rental vehicle and tourism operators around New Zealand.
5. The Regional Information Sharing Network (RISN), which is being developed in conjunction with the Tourism Industry Association and will be trialled in Queenstown. The network is designed to enable local operators to be made aware of potential customers who have had a rental contract cancelled due to particularly incompetent and/or dangerous driving.
6. Provision to all overseas rental drivers of the Transport Agency’s ‘What’s different about driving in NZ’ brochure.
7. Provision of modern vehicle fleets featuring the latest safety measures.
8. In-vehicle stickers and mirror hangers featuring key road safety messages.
9. Specific road safety pages on operator websites, containing useful information in six languages (for example: europcar.co.nz/road-safety).
10. Emails sent to rental customers three days prior to pick-up with safety tips and useful links to other information so they can familiarise themselves with NZ road rules and conditions.
11. Communication with tour operators and online brokers to explore further opportunities to reach out to visiting drivers early.

These initiatives are in addition to other key measures implemented by the NZ Government under its Safer Journeys strategy, NZ Police, Transport Agency, Tourism NZ and Tourism Industry Association, such as –

• the DriveSafe website
• the best practice guidelines to rental vehicle operators for communicating with visiting drivers
• the road safety video shown to arriving visitors on Air New Zealand flights.

ENDS

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