Driving

by Esther Perica, Arlington Heights, IL

Driving oneself is one option for experiencing New Zealand’s scenic diversity. However, I want to describe an encounter my wife and I had with police on the South Island so that future drivers can at least be forewarned.

In the March ’06 “Person to Person” section, on page 130 Kathleen Nichols asked about planning a one-week trip to Hokkaido, an island at Japan’s extreme north. I would like to give some suggestions.

While on a Princess cruise from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, we stopped in Falmouth, England, on Sept. 25, ’05. I had confirmed reservations for a rental car from Europcar. However, since this was on a Sunday, I was informed that after I arrived at the agency, I was to call and someone would meet me and provide the keys to the car.

I read with great interest the various letters regarding driving internationally (August and September ’05 issues). I have had similar experiences in my travels in 70-plus countries. There is one bit of advice I would like to add. It has saved me on numerous occasions.

Take along a good, dash-mounted compass and use temporary double-faced tape to mount it on the dashboard of your rental car. You will be thrilled at the many times it will keep your tempers cool and your directions accurate. Good driving!

DON DUFEK
Maineville, OH

On our first trip to Poland, in October ’05, I read that the road fatality rate in that country is one of the highest in Europe.

In his August ’05 “Discerning Traveler” column, Dr. Philip Wagenaar offered some tips for handling collision damage waivers (CDWs) when renting a car, to which I would like to add some notes. The CDW is a good way to save money, but it has to be watched.

If you decline the CDW when renting a car, you are promising to return the car in the same condition as when you received it. If it is damaged from any cause, whether it is your fault or not, you must pay to fix the damage.

In the letter “Tips for Driving in Britain” (Aug. ’05, pg. 73), the comment that more people drive on the left side of the road than on the right is incorrect. The latest figures I have seen (from 1996) estimate that about four billion people drive on the right versus two billion on the left. And since the most rapidly “automobilizing” country in the world is China, which drives on the right, the numbers are undoubtedly skewed more heavily in that direction every year.

BOB BREWER
Denver, CO