Newsflash: The worst drivers on New Zealand roads are - drumroll, please - New Zealanders.
We drive too fast, we tailgate, we feel obliged to overtake the minute we see an overtaking lane and we mix alcohol - and text messaging - with driving. Sometimes while tailgating and overtaking all at once. In short, we're shockers.
Our latest bad habit? Following tourist drivers - sometimes even herding them off the road - and then snatching their car keys from them. The absolute worst: following up your theft of car keys by assaulting the driver.
These attacks on tourist drivers are one step removed from a lynch-mob carjacking. Sooner or later one of these incidents will play big in the media of the country where the visitors are from - and that will hurt our tourism industry.
A mate of mine says we suffer from what he calls the "Kiwi 'Peter Brock' Syndrome". As he puts it: "Kiwis all think they're amazing behind the wheel. In reality, we're terrible. Impatient, rude, aggressive. Self-appointed Kings of the Road. What do tourists know about driving, coming from their home countries with low road tolls and sensible driving practices?"
