‘Keep Left’ stickers recommended after Swiss tourist dies in wrong
Following the death of a Swiss tourist driving on the wrong side of the road in New Zealand, a coroner has recommended 'Keep Left' stickers for all rental cars. The Ministry of Transport has declined to mandate the stickers, citing other priorities.
Why it matters
The incident raises questions about road safety for international tourists and the responsibility of rental agencies in preventing preventable accidents.
Helen Anita Epprecht Bucchieri was travelling to the Three Sisters rock formations in Tongapōrutu when she crashed.
A motorist waved, yelled and whistled in a desperate attempt to stop a Swiss tourist driving on the wrong side of a highway.
But seconds later, he heard “an almighty bang” as Helen Anita Epprecht Bucchieri collided head-on with a ute.
Epprecht Bucchieri was holidaying in New Zealand when the crash happened on State Highway 3, about 2.5km south of Tongapōrutu in northern Taranaki .
The 71-year-old was trying to find the Three Sisters rock formation when she went around a bend and crashed.
She died in her rental car at the scene, while the ute driver was uninjured.
In findings released earlier this year and republished in the latest Coroners Court Recommendations Recap , Coroner Robin Kay found Epprecht Bucchieri’s death was preventable and recommended “Keep Left” stickers in all rental vehicles.
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