Dangerous foreign drivers could have rental cars seized in NZ

Foreign drivers who flout road rules repeatedly will have their rental cars seized by the police.

Police team up with rental car companies to keep NZ roads safe. Image by Jocelyn Kinghorn / CC BY-SA 2.0

The police say they are collaborating with rental car companies to cancel contracts for dangerous drivers. A single incident will result in an infringement notice as well as some basic education about New Zealand road rules from the police. But if a driver is found to drive dangerously again the rental car company can be notified, the contract cancelled and the car taken from the driver.

The NZ police say they get  ‘a large number of complaints about tourist drivers, but it’s only in extreme cases where we contact rental companies to put forward the information we’ve been provided with’ Rental companies have taken note and more are offering overseas drivers educational materials, directing them to drivesafe.org.nz and getting them to take a questionnaire to establish whether they were safe to drive in New Zealand before proceeding with a car hire. Read more: stuff.co.nz