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NZ car rental firms to start tighter rules for foreign drivers in June

Xinhua, May 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Foreign visitors who rent a vehicle in New Zealand will soon find their driving skills under tighter scrutiny as the country moves to end a spate of crashes involving tourists.

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) said on Thursday that rental companies would next month begin trials of a new code of practice aimed at improving road safety screening.

The code, developed with the agreement of about 25 rental vehicle firms, included greater screening of driver experience at vehicle pick-up, more pre-arrival information about New Zealand driving conditions, and sharing between companies of information about visitors whose contracts have been canceled.

The driver assessment process being trailed by rental operators over June would focus on ensuring the proposed assessment questions were fit for purpose, and would be done in four languages -- English, Mandarin Chinese, French and German.

The TIA and the Rental Vehicle Association aimed to have the code finalized by October, in readiness for the 2015-2016 peak season, TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said in a statement.

"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," said Roberts.

Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss welcomed the trial of the code to inform visiting drivers and improve safety for all road users.

"New Zealand's road toll is still far too high. This code is another initiative that will help build a safe system for all road users, including the increasing number of overseas visitors choosing to explore our country by car," Foss said in a statement. Endi