Tasmania's natural beauty is a major drawcard for tourists from around the world and many of them, much to the dismay of locals, choose to drive themselves around.

Key points: Tasmanian residents say international drivers are putting them at risk

Tasmanian residents say international drivers are putting them at risk Statistics show international drivers make up only 1.4 per cent of all reported crashes

Statistics show international drivers make up only 1.4 per cent of all reported crashes A former road safety advisor says hire car companies need to take more responsibility for safety messages

Last year 307,000 international visitors came to Tasmania, which was up 15 per cent on the previous year.

Now, with the busy summer season looming, the Apple Isle's permanent residents are bracing themselves to contend with international drivers.

"People will just suddenly stop the car in the middle of the road in front of you," Bruny Island local Megan Weston said.

Megan Weston says sharing the road with international drivers can be a nerve-wracking affair. ( ABC News: Peter Curtis )

"They are either consulting something or jumping out to take a photo of an echidna.

"They are moments that are quite scary.

"It's very much defensive driving, especially over the summer period.

"You're always on edge."

'There would have been deaths'

ABC broadcaster Fiona Breen and her husband James Ashmore had a near-death experience on Tasmania's popular Great Eastern Drive earlier this year.

They were bound for the east coast when a car load of international tourists pulled out in front of them across the 100km/h highway.

On course to T-bone the other car, Mr Ashmore swerved to the left to avoid the car, as well as a car in the other lane.

"We hit their car and it went 60 metres back down towards Bicheno and we slammed into a culvert and all the airbags went off," Breen told Leon Compton on ABC Radio Hobart.

She believes Mr Ashmore's quick thinking prevented a fatal crash.

Fiona Breen and her husband crashed when tourists pulled out in front of them on the Great Eastern Drive. ( Supplied: Fiona Breen )

"There would have been deaths," Ms Breen said.

"We would have killed them, we were in a Hilux with a big bull bar.

"When the emergency services came they said 'we thought you were the big fatal we've been expecting.'

"On the east coast they are expecting a big fatal accident involving international tourists."

The Great Eastern Drive is a popular tourist road. ( Supplied: East Coast Regional Tourism Organisation )

'They don't know how to drive at all'

Wayne Maher, the state manager for Budget Car and Truck Rentals, has seen some of the issues with international drivers first hand.

He said he has taken keys back from customers after assessing their driving abilities in the carpark.

"We want tourists, and it's our business, but through duty of care we've got to look after other people on the road and also our vehicles," Mr Maher said.

"There have been situations where literally they don't know how to drive at all — and that's right down to not knowing how to start the car.

"It's hard to police because a lot of these people book before they come to the counter or through travel agents."

Popular tourist locations like Cradle Mountain involve driving along narrow, windy roads. ( ABC News )

Mr Maher said staff advised customers to drive to the conditions and watch out for animals.

He said he employed staff who could speak Mandarin to ensure safety messages were communicated.

While the majority of reported vehicle accidents involved Tasmanian and interstate residents, Mr Maher said his numbers showed otherwise.

"The majority of accidents are through overseas tourists, definitely," he said.

'We need to be more diligent'

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania's chief executive, Luke Martin, said it was a myth that tourists were over-represented in crashes.

Despite the anecdotal evidence of residents, international drivers account for only 1.4 per cent of all reported crashes.

Of the 9,500 drivers involved in crashes each year in Tasmania, up to 130 are international drivers.

Mr Martin said suggestions that international tourists should display visitor driver plates and complete driver tests were impractical.

Sorry, this audio has expired 'We've had to say no, we feel like you're going to have an accident': Tasmanian hire car company operator

"It's just something we all need to be mindful of, and that there are more motorists on the roads over summer generally," he said.

"We just need to be more diligent and carefully monitor the data."

Tasmania's Department of State Growth said it is working to improve safety on the state's roads.

"Through the Tourist Road Safety Strategy we are focusing on educating and informing visiting drivers about driving on our roads," a spokesman said. "Visiting international drivers have been included as they are generally the most unfamiliar with our roads and driving conditions. "We are targeting information to assist these groups through gateway entry points into Tasmania, including airports and the Spirit of Tasmania, throughout their journey, as well as in rental vehicles and at key tourism locations around Tasmania."

There was a 15 per cent increase in Tasmanian tourism last year. ( ABC News: David Hudspeth )

Hire car companies asked to take more responsibility

Former Road Safety Advisory Committee chairman, Jim Cox, said car rental companies were not working together on the issue.

Mr Cox was behind a road safety campaign using Bobbie the Bear, a character popular with international tourists.

Bobbie the Bear pamphlets help spread road safety messages to international tourists. ( ABC News )

The lavender bear became a mascot for communicating Australian road rules which were translated into Mandarin.

"I physically went around a large percentage of the hire car companies," Mr Cox said.

"Some were terrific, and some I didn't know why I bothered going.

"There would be boxes and boxes of Bobbie the Bear still sitting in some offices — they don't bother putting them in the car."

Mr Cox said more onus should be put on car rental companies to get safety messages across.

"To actually get them to work together I found came to be an impossibility," he said.

Mr Cox said local drivers needed to be courteous and patient with visitors, but understood the frustrations of many drivers.

What you said:

"[It] doesn't seem fair that our young people have to endure such a strict learner driver program while our visitors have free reign. [I] know we are desperate for tourist dollars, but safety is safety." - Michael, Midway Point

"I saw a car going up Berriedale Road yesterday just stop on top of the hill and proceeded to take photos. [They] didn't even pull off the road." - Robyn, Berriedale

"Why should we be endangering the lives of Tasmanians by inexperienced foreign drivers?" - Jack

"Charge international tourists a driving tax which covers the cost of drivers completing a written test before driving on our roads. The test educates diving safety and etiquette." - Paul, Swansea

"Is there a leaflet given to obvious rental car drivers on the Bruny Ferry — warning them in no uncertain terms that they are driving on potentially dangerous roads?" - Deb, Moonah