A female tourist in the country for just four hours had her keys confiscated by a motorist. Photo / 123RF
A female tourist in the country for just four hours had her keys confiscated by a motorist. Photo / 123RF
A female tourist in the country for just 24 hours had her keys confiscated by a motorist who watched a rental car weave across the centre line and drive erratically for 50km.
At least two concerned motorists ended up sliding in behind the vehicle on SH73 as it wildly varied its speed and crossed the centre line so many times those behind it felt unable to safely pass.
West Coast Shuttle owner Cedric Trounson said he immediately called *555 to alert police after the swerving rental car was too dangerous to overtake.
Richard Adams was about to pass the car when it unexpectedly veered onto the wrong side of the road.
Adams, who was in his ute, was so concerned he diverted his journey to follow the car until he could get it to stop.
Adams also called *555 and tried frantically to catch their attention by flashing his lights and tooting his horn.
The car travelled at speeds of up to 130km/h then dropped back to 60km/h, continuously crossing the centre line.
"I thought maybe they are drunk or something isn't quite right, but when they continued crossing over the white lines - so half of their vehicle was almost over the white lines and then they almost took out a motorcyclist, a campervan and SUV because they were over the centre line," Adams said.
"My partner was screaming because we were going to be at the scene of a crash because these people can't stay on their side of the road."
The rental car finally pulled over near Lake Lyndon on Porters Pass. An Indian couple in their late 20s or early 30s were in New Zealand on their honeymoon and had only arrived 24 hours earlier.
Trounson and Adams also pulled over and Adam yelled at them and took their keys.
"I made her cry, she burst into tears, but that didn't worry me too much because I needed to get through about the severity of what was going on.
"They were going to kill someone. It was only a matter of time and that's the scary thing.
A tourist heading over Porters Pass in Canterbury had her car keys confiscated by a concerned motorist after weaving across the centreline and driving erratically . Photo / Google Maps
"I stood another 45 minutes on the side of the road holding the car keys waiting for the Police to turn up. If I hadn't of stopped them they would have carried on driving and I don't know where they would have gone. They would have caused a head on crash somewhere else."
The couple wanted to drive back to get phone reception, but Adams said they could only do that if he drove the vehicle or if they waited for Police to arrive. He refused to give their keys back.
Trounson, who had around half a dozen passengers in his coach heading to the West Coast, said he stopped and spoke to the drivers of both vehicles.
"I told her (tourist), 'you are still alive; this is for your safety'."
Trounson said the woman had just arrived in the country from India and had only recently gained her licence. She thought it was "nice and safe" to drive here.
She was heading to Franz Josef and had arrived in Christchurch for less than a day.
Police arrived 2 hours after they first called *555. The police officer told him they would get the rental car company to pick the car up.
Police have been approached for comment.
The latest key confiscation incident comes after footage emerged of a motorhome travelling on the wrong side of the road for up to 45 minutes on a Southland highway on Sunday.
In recent years an increasing number of drivers have resorted to confiscating keys off bad drivers travelling on South Island roads.
Police appealed for calm after frustrated motorists stopped cars veering on to the wrong side of the road or stopping in the middle of highways to take photos.
