Police say they’re extremely concerned about visiting overseas drivers clocking excessively high speeds up to almost 170km/hr around Central Otago, some then trying to barter with Police over the instant $630 fine.

An overseas visitor allegedly clocked in at a whopping 168km/hr near Ranfurly last week.

Acting Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant, Bruce Martin says he was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, had his licence suspended for 28 days, as is standard, and has been bailed to appear in the Alexandra District Court. The man, who had three passengers in the vehicle, offered no real explanation for his excessive speed, Martin says.

Ranfurly Police then stopped an overseas driver on Tuesday (1 Oct) who’d allegedly been clocked driving at 142km/hr, while Martin says he stopped another overseas visitor on Wednesday (2 October), allegedly speeding at 112km/hr in pouring rain, at Wedderburn, near Ranfurly.

Two visiting drivers, one visitor from Australia and the other a visitor from India, were each slapped with the $630 fine and had their licences suspended after clocking in at 149km/hr and 148km/hr just south of Garston on Saturday (September 28). “Both had their cruise control on set at that speed, not a care in the world,” Martin says.

Many of these drivers give no excuse at all and often look at Police blankly when asked if they know the speed limit in the area, he says. “Depending on which country they’re from they will try and use the barter system with officers to bargain the price of the fine down and we have to explain that ‘No, it’s a set fee’, Martin says.

A patrol car with flashing lights pursued an international driver from China for 8kms on the Crown Range on Wednesday after he was driving on the wrong side of the road towards an oncoming vehicle, narrowly avoiding a head on collision. The driver persistently failed to stop, then sped through Cardrona township at an alleged 80km/hr, Martin says.

The driver had kept increasing his speed as Police approached, until eventually the patrol car was able to get up alongside him and point to the side of the road.

The rental car company cancelled his contract, and the car was held at the police station.

In these situations Police contact rental car companies, which usually cancel the contract leaving the offending drivers up for the cost of recovery.

An alert off-duty Queenstown officer avoided being hit on Tuesday by a carload of international visitors when the driver pulled out onto the State Highway at Arrow Junction, near Gibbston, without looking.

The first nine tickets Police issued on the flats near Omarama on Friday (4 October) were to overseas drivers visiting Central Otago, clocked at various speeds ranging from 122km/hr to 135mk/hr coming onto the Lindis Pass in bad,wet weather, Martin says.

He’s sent officers to Omarama to slow traffic approaching the Lindis Pass return having issued 20 or 30 tickets a day, some up around the 140km/hr mark, copping an automatic licence suspension.

During Thursday’s storm Police were shocked to find about 100 drivers, Kiwis too, continue to drive around the gates sealing off the Lindis Pass after they had to close the Pass due to three truck and trailer units stuck at the top. “People ignored it and kept driving. It beggars belief,” Martin says.

Police stop plenty of bad Kiwi drivers too, reaching speeds in the 120s, 130s and 140s, and many drivers from the same nationalities as those caught recently are excellent, careful drivers. Some though are just unaware of NZ road rules and conditions, he says. They’re used to driving in slow, heavy traffic loads on jammed motorways. “However, the onus is on them to familiarise themselves with NZ rules,” Martin says. Some good international drivers doing the right thing were very fortunate to escape unscathed on Friday when a boulder the size of a car wheel came flying off the side of the Cromwell Gorge, near Leaning Rock Creek, in the rain. It hit the rental vehicle, badly smashing in the front of the car and causing extensive damage.

Thankfully, the Australian couple in the car weren’t injured but Martin says they were very shaken up. Both airbags deployed which saved them from serious injury.

Martin says Police encounter a lot of single vehicle accidents involving international drivers where the vehicles have ended up in a paddock.

He’s urging other road users to be vigilant and drive defensively with an anticipated increase in international visitors heading into summer, and to report any dangerous driving (via 111 if there’s imminent danger of 105 if it’s after the fact).

“The average person takes 2 and a half to 4 seconds to react and take preventative action in an emergency situation, so at 149km/hr you’re travelling at 41metres per second,” Martin says. “Four seconds translates to one and two thirds of a football field. Keep to the speed limit as people make mistakes.”

Police will be targeting alcohol too with “some horrendous numbers being blown” by drink drivers, Martin says. A 30-year-old driver stopped in Cromwell last weekend allegedly blew 1334mcgs. His licence was automatically suspended, and he will appear in the Alexandra District Court.

In the lead up to the pre-Christmas season Martin’s urging people to plan a safe option, either a sober driver or an alternative.