Las carreteras de Nueva Zelanda pasan cerca de granjas en funcionamiento y hábitats de vida silvestre. La velocidad y la distancia son las únicas herramientas fiables cuando un animal se comporta de forma impredecible.
esperar stock
Despacio mucho antes que ovejas, vacas, caballos o un granjero que controle el movimiento. Siga los gestos y nunca toque la bocina de manera agresiva entre una multitud.
El estiércol, el barro y la hierba mojada pueden reducir el agarre después del paso de los animales. Acelere suavemente y deje espacio a los vehículos agrícolas.
Proteger la vida silvestre costera
En las áreas de focas y pingüinos, estacione solo en espacios formados y camine la distancia final. Mantener la separación legal o aconsejada y nunca interponerse entre un animal y el mar.
Las aves pueden anidar junto a las carreteras o chocar contra vehículos al anochecer. Reduzca la velocidad alrededor del hábitat señalizado y evite conducir de noche en áreas activas.
Después de una colisión
Deténgase de forma segura, proteja a las personas del tráfico y llame al 111 en caso de emergencia. Reportar existencias o vida silvestre protegida lesionada a la autoridad responsable.
No manipule un animal salvaje herido sin dirección. El estrés, los dientes y el tráfico pueden provocar otra víctima.
Stock on the road is normal here
Herds being moved between paddocks on rural roads are routine, and you may come around a corner into a full dairy herd. Slow right down, stop if asked, and follow the directions of the farmer or the person moving them.
Move through slowly and steadily rather than trying to weave; the animals will part around a slow vehicle. Do not sound the horn, which scatters stock and makes it considerably worse for everyone.
Unfenced roads and wandering animals
Many rural and high country roads are unfenced, and sheep, cattle and deer can be on the carriageway at any time, day or night. This is particularly common in the Mackenzie, Central Otago, Northland and on back roads everywhere.
At night, animals appear at the edge of your headlights with very little warning. Reduce speed on unfenced roads after dark, and be aware that where there is one animal there are usually more.
Do not swerve
Braking in a straight line is almost always the correct response to an animal on the road. Swerving is what turns an animal strike into a rollover, a head-on or a departure off the road, and in a high-sided campervan the rollover risk is real.
Possums, hares and rabbits are the most common animals hit and are not worth any evasive action at all. For larger stock, brake hard and straight and accept the impact rather than leaving the road.
Protected wildlife on and near roads
Kea at Arthur's Pass, Homer Tunnel and Fiordland car parks are drawn to vehicles and are regularly killed on roads. Penguins cross roads near the coast in Oamaru, the Catlins and Banks Peninsula, and blue penguins nest under buildings and vehicles.
Never feed kea, which is what brought them to car parks in the first place. Check under and around a parked vehicle before moving it in penguin areas, and drive slowly through signed wildlife zones after dark.
Rural driving beyond the animals
Farm vehicles, tractors and stock trucks use rural roads at low speed and turn into unmarked gateways with little warning. Expect mud on the road near farm entrances, which can be as slippery as ice on a sealed surface.
Logging trucks on West Coast and central North Island roads are wide, fast and cannot move over much. Give them the full lane, slow down when one approaches on a narrow section, and do not attempt to overtake one on a winding road.
Many rural intersections have limited visibility because of hedges and shelter belts. Treat every uncontrolled rural intersection as one where something may emerge, and remember that local drivers know the road and you do not.
Reporting an animal strike
Hitting stock is a matter for the farmer and you should stop and report it, both because the animal may need attention and because the owner needs to know. Hitting protected wildlife should be reported to DOC.
Do not attempt to move an injured large animal yourself. Note the location, call it in, and be aware that a live animal on the road is a hazard to the next vehicle as well.
Lugares a lo largo del camino
Llévalo a la carretera
Guarda las paradas. Planifica todo el viaje.
Cree una ruta ordenada a partir de lugares guardados, calcule la distancia y mantenga adjuntas fechas, notas y tareas pendientes.