Steering wheel tags reminding drivers to keep to the left are amongst new safety measures in rental cars this summer.

The idea has been tried out in Queenstown, where 70 percent of visiting drivers said they were helpful.

The tags also remind people to use seatbelts and not to overtake on yellow lines.

Tourism Industry Association boss Chris Roberts says 160 thousand of the tags have been ordered.

"If you're hiring a rental car in the next few months, you're likely to find one of these on your steering wheel," he says.

"It's a visual way of letting people know what some of the key road rules are and how to drive on our roads."

Roberts says driving is one of the best ways to see New Zealand.

"We do not want to take away that opportunity for our tourists to do that but at the same time, of course, we want them to be as safe as possible," he says.