Chinese drivers overtake Australians as biggest foreign danger on NZ roads

For the first time in five years, the worst offenders on our roads weren't Australian drivers but Chinese licence holders, figures show.

It comes as there's been a significant increase in Chinese visitors to New Zealand.

Statistics on the number of Chinese licence holders driving on NZ roads are not available. However, a Ministry of Transport report into 2016 overseas driver crashes suggests the 370 percent increase in visitors from China since 2005 is a contributing factor.

Over the last five years (2012-2016) the largest nationality of drivers involved in fatal and injury crashes have been Australians. The second largest nationality was Chinese.

However, 2016 saw the biggest increase in crashes involving Chinese drivers, overtaking Australian and German licence holders.

More than 3.5 million international visitors come to New Zealand each year, and they're allowed to drive with an appropriate overseas licence or international permit for up to 12 months.

Ministry of Transport figures show that in 2016, 23 people died as a result of an overseas licence holder being at fault, four more than the year before.

Almost a third of the fatal crashes by foreign drivers were because the driver didn't keep left, compared to one in five of New Zealand drivers.

But in total, foreign drivers were responsible for only a small percentage (6.2 percent) of all fatal and injury crashes last year.

Newshub.