For Auckland Visitors

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For those of you who visit Auckland in the holidays these tips could save your life, print these off and keep with your drivers license.

1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A confident Auckland driver avoids using them.

2. Under no circumstance should you maintain a safe distance between you and the car in front of you; the space will just be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.

3. The faster you drive through a red light, the less of a chance you have of getting hit.

4. Warning! Never come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No-one expects it and it will result in you being rear-ended.

5. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork, the other driver has nothing to lose.

6. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a vigorous foot massage as the brake pedal violently pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to strengthen your leg muscles.

7. Never pass on the right when you can pass on the left. It's a good way to prepare other drivers entering the highway.

8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures; they are given only as a suggestion and are not enforceable in Auckland during rush hour, especially in the CBD.

9. Just because you're in the right lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that an Auckland driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.

10. Always brake and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tyre. This is seen as a sign of respect for the victim.

11. Learn to swerve abruptly without signaling. Auckland is the home of high-speed slalom-driving, thanks to the Public Works, which puts pot-holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them alert.

12. It is tradition in Auckland to honk your horn at cars in front of you that do not move within three milliseconds of the light turning green. It’s a contest who can blast first and longest.

13. To avoid injury in the event of a collision or roll-over, it is important to exit your vehicle through the windshield right away. Wearing your seat belt will only impede your hi-velocity escape from danger.

14. Remember that the goal of every Auckland driver is to get ahead of the pack by whatever means necessary.

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