Kiwi Drivers Death Wish

[Lon]

New Zealand drivers must have a death wish. Passing on blind curves (even uphill), bumper hugging at 100 k, excessive speed for road conditions, 60 k through shopping center parking lots, 60 k on narrow residential streets, regularly driving over a double line. Now I am a typical California driver and tend to drive over the speed limit. I am accustomed to mountain and desert driving and the plethora of California freeways, but these Kiwi drivers scare the crap out of me. They might be termed AGRESSIVE as opposed to DEFENSIVE in their driving skills. This is a small country of only 3 million and I think the highway death toll is already at 25 for the year. The wrecked cars look like they disintegrated the accidents are so bad. My BIL drives a big Toyota SUV and loves to climb right on someone's rear bumber at high speed.

Pull that crap in California and your insurance company will be paying out some big bucks because the guy in front will figure he can get a big settlement after hitting his brakes and having neck injuries. No such liability claims like that here.