There have been ten vehicle crashes on the Crown Range Road since the start of this year and three times as many public complaints made about poor driving on that road, according to the Wanaka police.

Senior constable Ian Henderson said the reasons for the crashes were varied but inappropriate speed for the conditions was a common factor and he believes a lower speed limit would also reduce the incidence of crashes.

The Crown Range road from Cardrona to SH6, near the Arrowtown junction, is challenging for some locals and extremely challenging for visiting drivers not accustomed to traversing a mountain pass, he said.

Google maps defaults to the Crown Range road as the fastest route between Queenstown Airport and Wanaka without providing any guidance on the nature of the road.

“It’s such a challenging piece of road, and there’s a lot of inexperienced drivers using the road who tend not to know how to drive it well,” Ian said.

He said many of the complaints the police receive are of drivers cutting corners, passing dangerously and crossing the centre line. He’s even pulled over drivers who believed a double yellow line indicated a safe passing area.

Accidents he’s attended have also been triggered by cautious or inexperienced drivers ignoring pullover bays and creating a logjam of vehicles behind them.

“There are locals who drive that road every day getting frustrated being stuck behind slow vehicles,” he said.

More passing lanes might help, Ian said, but the best solution in the short-term would be to reduce the speed limit from the current open road speed limit (maximum 100km/h) to 80km/h, he said.

The Wanaka police have lobbied the Queenstown Lakes District Council to reduce the speed limit from south of Cardrona village to SH6, he said. 

“Eighty through there to me is a no brainer,” Ian said. “I think that’s a really comfortable speed for most drivers and I hope the council will pick up on that.”

Unprepared drivers can get caught out when the weather changes. PHOTO: QLDC/Downer

While a slower speed limit should help, so would better driving habits, said local driving instructor Lyal Cocks. With 40 years experience as an instructor, Lyal said the crucial factor is driving to the conditions.

“Driving to the conditions rather than the speed limit is something I drum into my students,” he said: “And not just the conditions of the weather, light, traffic or the road but also the condition of the driver who might be tired or distracted by passengers. All those factors need to be considered for every trip but are even more important when driving a difficult mountain pass.”

During the first ten minutes of rain the road is at its most slippery, he said. Drivers need to increase their following distances and avoid heavy braking, especially into corners and on hills.

“Slowing gradually before a corner and accelerating gently out of the corner maintains better vehicle control,” Lyal said. 

The Crown Range road is also known for its unexpected risks, ranging from stock on the road, to black ice, to rocks. “Search the road ahead as far as you can see for oncoming vehicles, shaded patches with the potential for ice, upcoming corners; stay focused and be risk aware.”

“I encourage my students to run “what if” scenarios and what action they might take: what if that oncoming car swings too wide through the corner and is on the wrong side of the road; what if the parked car ahead suddenly pulls back onto the road, or you drive around a corner and there’s a rock in the road?”

Plan the journey; allow for more time to account for the conditions. “Running late leads to poor decision making,” Lyal said.