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Felix Marwick: Kiwis are just as lousy drivers as anyone else

Author
Felix Marwick,
Publish Date
Mon, 13 Feb 2017, 8:20AM
(File).
(File).

Felix Marwick: Kiwis are just as lousy drivers as anyone else

Author
Felix Marwick,
Publish Date
Mon, 13 Feb 2017, 8:20AM

It's a bitter pill to swallow when a loved one is killed in a road crash. It's even more tragic when their lives are taken, not through a mistake that they have made, but by the actions and incompetence of another. The fire is further fuelled when the one at fault is a foreigner and ends up being deported, away from accountability, after what many would perceive to be an unsatisfactory punishment.

And that's the exact circumstances that have beset Judy Richards. Her son Rhys Middleton was killed a little over a year ago after Chinese tourist Jieling Xiao struck and killed him while driving on State Highway Five in the Hawke's Bay. The subsequent Court proceedings revealed 27-year-old Xiao was manifestly unfit to be driving on our roads.

For her actions she was sentenced, after it was reduced on appeal, to just nine months home detention and 150 hours community service - a penalty that has stuck in the craw of many. The case has been used, along with others to call for a crack down on tourist drivers.

The Middleton death, along with others involving Kiwi's killed by tourist drivers, has created a groundswell calling for change and tougher rules for foreign drivers when they come here. Judy Richards will bring her petition to Parliament on the issue this week.

One has to have some sympathy for their cause. Losing the lives of family via the wilful negligence of others is a wholly awful experience.

But we can't focus solely on foreigners as they are not the ones that are the major contributors to fatal accidents on our roads. The bitter truth is that, according to research, overseas drivers are responsible for around six percent of fatal and injury crashes - we Kiwis are responsible for the rest. We notice the cases involving foreigners because they are the unusual; they stand out and are remembered. But when it comes to killing people on our roads, we Kiwis are just as guilty of it as anyone else.

Think about it. When you're doing your commute, who is it that you're mouthing off at when someone cuts you off? Who are you pulling the fingers at for failing to give way? Odds are they're a local.

By all means be tougher on tourists that drive here if improving safety is your aim. But don't be blind to the fact that, when it comes to driving, we Kiwis are as lousy at it as anyone else.

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