The man had been driving for two-and-a-half hours. He admitted to Gary Rennie he was feeling a bit tired.
"It turned out he was a diabetic," says Rennie. "We got some food and drink into him and he left, refreshed. He is exactly the kind of person we are looking for."
Rennie is insurer AMI's Community Risk Advisor and the man behind their Driver Reviver programme – a community-based operation designed to help make New Zealand roads a little safer and help prevent accidents and fatalities.
You'll find Rennie, a bunch of AMI volunteers, and community-based services like police, ambulance and the fire brigade, at a carefully chosen spot about an hour out of a major city. That is where, Waka Kotahi advice shows, many accidents (and sometimes fatalities) occur – as the driver relaxes close to home and the body takes it as a signal that it is permissible to fall asleep.
It's where tired drivers, typically on their way home after a long weekend, are feeling weary, their guard down as they approach familiar surroundings. Driver Reviver signage alerts motorists that they can stop close by, stretch their legs, enjoy some free food and drink and take break from the wheel – reviving themselves for their journey.
"So we find a suitable spot about that distance and time away from a major city," says Rennie, "and we set up there." The team host a barbecue, and have food, drink, displays and other activities that persuade people to stop, open the door and take a moment – that could save their lives.
It's not a drive-through, he says. They encourage people to get out of the vehicle, not just grab a biscuit and a coffee and leave. One way to achieve that is technology: "We've got every kind of charger under the sun and the kids want that big-time; they've been on their phones and i-Pads all trip and they want to recharge them. So, while the hardware is getting more juice, they have a look around what we've set up."
AMI held three Driver Revivers, all in the South Island, last year – one at Waipara, north Canterbury, provided proof of concept: 250 cars and 600 people stopped in four hours.
"Of course, we can't tell what effect we are having," says Rennie, "because you can't measure what doesn't happen. But we've done our job if we prevent just one accident or one death."
Rennie and AMI are now planning five simultaneous Driver Revivers over Easter – in Northland, Coromandel, Tasman, North Canterbury and near Queenstown.
Rennie can't be at all five but says one of the things he is proud of is how much his AMI colleagues have embraced the events. Those who have attended already have loved it – and word has spread.
"It was a really uplifting and positive day," says one AMI volunteer. "Everyone who came to get food from the barbecue expressed how amazing it was that we cared enough to come out and offer this to the public."
"I had a great time connecting with the team, especially the public," says another. "Had a blast…and thanks for helping make sure motorists are safe on their travels. All the people that stopped for a bite to eat, drink and giveaways were blown away with the event."
AMI and Rennie plan to hold similar activities over the coming year, like the work they do with tradespeople: "We hold breakfasts for tradies," says Rennie. "We talk about site safety, tool safety, engraving tools so they won't get stolen and stand a better chance of being recovered – as well as environmental awareness and prevention.
At some, they have a simulator for a 9-tonne truck. It's hard to handle and Rennie heard a couple of young apprentices leave one breakfast, having spectacularly crashed the simulated truck, saying: "Man, I have new respect for truckies; I'll never pull out in front of a truck again – those things take some stopping."
Last year, AMI helped customers with over 100,000 car claims, paying out over $200m. It's all about education, says Rennie, especially when it comes to the Driver Revivers.