Campervan driver caught doing 139kph ‘no longer on the road’, company says

Saturday, 18 May 2024

• State Highway 8, between Lindis Pass and Twizel was frequently patrolled by police due to it being a high crash area.

• On Thursday, May 9, a police officer recorded a campervan travelling at 139kph in a 100kph area.

• That driver was issued with a $400 infringement notice and 50 demerit points, but is no longer on the road, the company says.

A campervan driver who sped past a police vehicle at 139kph was ordered off the road by the campervan company.

That tourist, who is from Hong Kong, was clocked driving the large Maui campervan in the high crash area of SH8, near Omarama on Thursday May 9

Senior Constable Dan Bartlett pulled over the driver, who was issued with a $400 infringement notice and 50 demerit points.

While that driver narrowly escaped police from suspending his licence for 28 days, he did not escape the attention of the campervan company.

A spokesperson for Tourism Holdings Limited (THL), which operates the Maui brand, told Stuff: “We take road safety very seriously”.

That included helping familiarise international tourists with New Zealand driving laws “to ensure they, and other road users are safe”.

That included providing pre-travel advice, and for motorists to complete a questionnaire that they have familiarised themselves with the country’s driving rules, the spokesperson said.

That included the driver in question signing a document that the speed limit for the motorhome that they rented was 90kph.

Asked if the driver had been warned, or was no longer driving, the spokesperson confirmed “he is no longer on the road”.

That came after a direct order from the company once they were made aware of the infringement.

“As a responsible operator this case has once again highlighted the importance of supporting all guests with understanding how to behave safely and responsibly on New Zealand roads and we do this in line with NZTA and police guidance,” the spokesperson said.

The particular part of the highway where the campervan was stopped was a high crash area with previous fatalities recorded.

At Easter on the same state highway, four people - including two Malaysians students studying at the University of Canterbury - died following a crash between two vehicles and a motorcycle.

Police regularly nabbed speeding drivers, particularly tourists, as they travelled between the likes of Aoraki and Queenstown, along the stretch of SH8 between the Lindis Pass and Twizel.

Senior Sergeant Karl Hemmingsen, Otago Coastal area road policing manager said it was fortunate the driver did not cause a serious crash driving at that speed.

“I wouldn’t imagine if he had come up to a corner he would have rounded it particularly well at that speed.”

In September Stuff reported on a campervan which was spotted crossing the centreline multiple times on the narrow road between Aramoana and Port Chalmers.

The footage was captured by a following motorist, and led to police obtaining the registration details.

In that case the vehicle had been returned to Christchurch Airport.