Road safety promoted to visitors
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) recently teamed up with New Zealand Police to create videos for tourists promoting safe driving in our district.
The videos are in Mandarin and will be promoted to tourists ahead of Chinese New Year when the district sees an increase in visitors. The videos feature local Police officers and Chinese Kiwi resident – and QLDC staff member – Xinghao Chen.
The idea for the videos came from Ms Chen, who saw a gap for further education and understanding about driving in New Zealand for Chinese visitors. Ms Chen says there are a lot of differences between driving in Queenstown Lakes and China, and these videos are a straightforward and visual way to explain some of those differences.
The videos, which were filmed on the Crown Range and in Arrowtown, are short and informative and designed to be shared on social media. One video focuses on open road driving tips, such as pulling over if cars build up behind you and not passing on yellow lines. The other video explains what different road signs mean.
QLDC’s One Network Technician (Transportation) Sarah Thomson says there is a need for more education for all tourists. “For many of our visitors, driving in Queenstown Lakes is a new, unfamiliar experience. They may be driving on the opposite side of the road to what they’re used to, driving an unfamiliar rental car, and driving on mountain roads for the first time,” says Ms Thomson. “We have some of the most scenic roads in the world and we want our visitors to enjoy themselves – we just want them to do so safely, and we hope these videos will help,” she says.
Road Policing Constable Kiriana Flannery, who is based in Wānaka and features in one of the videos, is usually at the sharp end of accidents, getting called out to serious crashes across the district. Constable Flannery says it was great to collaborate with QLDC on a prevention project. “We want visitors to understand the risks and challenges of driving in our district before they get behind the wheel.” Her top tips for visitors driving in Queenstown Lakes for the first time were to ensure they understood the road rules, keep left, and take their time.
The videos will be shared with local rental car companies, Chinese-language media outlets in New Zealand, and other agencies.
