Incidents of key snatching have been on the increase for the past two years.

Tourists have been left stranded at the side of the road without food or water, others have been verbally abused and at least one has been assaulted.

Welcome to New Zealand.

Key-snatching from tourists has become almost commonplace, at least during the summer season, despite repeated warnings by police and politicians urging people not to act like vigilantes.

MARION VAN DIJK/FAIRFAX NZ Police national road policing manager Steve Greally urged people to show empathy towards tourists on our roads.

Police have pointed to the inherent risk in tackling a stranger on the road while, sadly, some commentary has tended towards a stereotypical xenophobic, even outright racist, view of foreign drivers.

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Ministry of Transport Most crashes on New Zealand roads involve Kiwis, although the proportion of crashes involving tourists in regions of the South Island has increased.

Key snatching, which first hit the headlines in New Zealand in 2015, has grabbed the attention of overseas media and appeared in Vice magazine and on CNN.

In the most recent example, a truck driver stopped a tourist near Queenstown and threw the keys over a fence into a paddock.

Police said the truckie realised, later, that he "went too far".

New Zealand Transport Agency The Visiting Drivers' project has committed millions of dollars to improving road safety

Meanwhile, Department of Conservation staff in Fiordland say they are frightened on South Island roads.

Of course, there are instances of appalling, and deadly, driving by visitors.

In other cases, a trip of a lifetime turns tragic or inexperience leads to a head-on.

Ministry of Transport The percentage of crashes involving an overseas drivers between 1997 and 2013.

But, the fact remains, the vast majority of crashes on New Zealand's roads are not caused by tourists.

However, in tourist hotspots the proportion of crashes involving visitors is higher.

So far, it seems no one has been charged with "key snatching" – there is no specific offence – but people who force others to pull over are at risk of prosecution for harassment or intimidation.

BEVAN READ/stuff.co.nz In November, AA driving school general manager Nigel Clark gives Stuff a sneak peek at a new driver training programme to help acquaint foreign drivers with New Zealand roads.

National road policing manager Superintendent Steve Greally said police have the powers to stop motorists and members of the public increase the risk by intervening.

"What some people don't realise is the risk intervening. That can cause a much more dangerous situation on the roads.

"Just put yourself in the shoes of a visiting driver.

CARL QUICK/ISTOCK A tourist bus in New Zealand on its way from Milford Sound to Te Anau.

"There could be a family and they experience another motorist trying to get them off the road.

"How would you feel?

"You'd be very afraid for your family. You could be forgiven for thinking they were trying to do you harm."

stuff.co.nz In December, thirty-six tourists were injured in a bus crash in Otira Gorge, near Arthur's Pass

Greally said motorists needed to understand they risk prosecution for assault, intimidation or threatening behaviour.

"It's far too dangerous for people to try to intervene.

"There's no excuse. It's disgraceful to think about throwing somebody's keys where they can't access them.

BARRY HARCOURT The scene of a two vehicle crash on the eastern side of Gorge Hill on State Highway 94 between Mossburn and Te Anau in February.

"Absolutely have a conversation with them, but call police.

'"We really don't want people throwing keys over fences and into rivers.

"There's no excuse for it. It's intimidation at the very least."

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Roads in New Zealand pose challenges to Kiwis and visitors alike.

Under the Summary Offences Act, intimidation can include hiding someone's property, following someone, or confronting a person in public.

Rental companies have reported an escalation in road rage incidents involving drivers in company vehicles in places like Queenstown and the Tourism Industry Association has described instances of key-snatching as smacking of racism.

As it stands, most of the tourists on our roads are Aussies.

Many of those who get into difficulty on our roads are from countries where driving is on the right.

This doesn't stop people from countries with comparable driving standards from getting it wrong.

In Queenstown, in March, a British driving instructor was clocked speeding at 178km/h on the West Coast.

Crash statistics reveal only part of the picture, due to marked regional and seasonal variations.

For the past few years, the number of visitors heading to New Zealand has increased.

Nationally, crashes where a tourist was at fault decreased between 2009 and 2013, but serious trauma crashes increased in popular tourist destinations in Westland, Southland and Otago, the only areas nationally where fatalities, serious incidents and minor crashes involving visitors are trending upwards.

Outside of Auckland, tourists flock to hotspots like Queenstown, Milford Sound and the rugged West Coast.

In the lower South Island, between 2009 and 2013, there were 493 injury crashes involving tourists. Of those, more than 400 involved a tourist at fault.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has previously said public perception of particular nationalities missed the mark.

Agency southern director Jim Harland said the 2015/16 season was shaping up as a record-breaker for visitor numbers.

"We've had a record season with over three million visitors coming to the country.

"We have a certain responsibility to make sure they return home safe.

"It's easy to target tourists

"It's not really appropriate behaviour. The police have reinforced it, they want to hear from people on *555 or 111."

Harland said $15 million was currently allocated for safety improvements in the lower South Island's state highway network and a multi-agency project is reviewing slow-vehicle bays, scenic points and overtaking lanes.

"When you look at the hard data there has been a significant increase in visitors and you gain the impression from media coverage that you'd think things had got out of control."

It is true the proportion of crashes involving Chinese, Indian and other Asian drivers has increased regionally, but, nationally, the majority of crashes where tourists erred involved Kiwis, Australians, Americans, Canadians and Europeans.

More crashes involving tourists at fault occur on SH94 from Te Anau to Milford than any other route in the country.

Auckland has the highest number of crashes involving tourists, but this represents five per cent of crashes in a region with a large population over one million.

Westland has the highest proportion of tourist crashes in the country.



Accident hotspots can be tracked in the North Island and in the South Island, south and west from Canterbury, to the West Coast and the highways around Mt Cook National Park to Central Otago via the Lindis Pass, along State Highway 6 and SH8 to Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford.

This is the classic South Island road trip.

The Government's Safer Journeys project continues, with fifteen agencies working together with a core aim of improving road conditions for visitors in the lower South Island.