Here in little old Aotearoa, we're a humble bunch. We like to think we're good at accepting our flaws - but it can be a different story when punters from other parts of the world start commenting on how we do things.
One irate British bloke has called out the driving skills of Kiwis nationwide, but the response from New Zealanders might be the most surprising part.
It's no secret that New Zealand’s road toll is not flash - there were a staggering 298 road fatalities in 2024. That was also the year we had the lowest capita per road death rate in over 100 years. Bit grim, eh?
All of us are guilty of shouting “what the f*ck are you doing?!” more than once while in the driver's seat, so we get it. But still, one Reddit user did not hold back when venting his frustrations.
“I’ll probably get called a winging pom… but the driving here is absolute madness,” he said.
Am I supposed to pull over when someone is up my arse or am I just being tail-gated as a way to give me permanent road anxiety?
Rather than arguing back, a huge number of Kiwis didn't hesitate to jump on the bandwagon to rag on their own kind, most agreeing that we are, well, not great.
“It’s fair to say we’re shit,” one user commented.
It amazes me how Kiwis are the nicest people I’ve been around, except when they get in the driver’s seat.
Others took stabs at a particular car: “Not all Ford Rangers, but usually a Ford Ranger.”
One even went as far as calling NZ drivers “arrogant talentless pricks.” Thanks mate.
Many references were made to the old-school version of license tests, and how this affects the quality of these drivers now: “My boomer dad told me how he got his license back in the day. The test was to drive around a block once and answer three questions.”
Most people here are taught to drive by their parents, so bad habits/attitudes get passed along.
It’s all timely, with Auckland’s ‘March Madness’ traffic beginning - thanks to universities starting back, combined with the already hectic work and school traffic.
The roads have already seen too many tragic accidents this year, including a motorcyclist accident that was described as a “distressing scene” in Auckland. In February, two young lives were tragically claimed in a car crash in North Canterbury.
Whether you're siding with old mate ranting on Reddit or not, it's clear Kiwis need to take more responsibility to maintain safety on the road.
Another user pointed out how many times they see people hooning past school buses, endangering kid's lives.
Comments pointed out that heaps of drivers weren’t even aware of the speed limit when passing a stopped school bus (It's 20km, by the way).
"You're expecting drivers to be paying enough attention to the road to even notice a school bus," one person wrote.
"Trouble is nobody knows this f*cking rule so if you do it, you're likely to get angry horned at best, crashed into at worst," another said.
Busses need American-style stop flag things.
Truth is, most of the time our roads could be made a helluva lot safer just by people using common sense and remembering that defensive driving course we all sat through (zoned out in) many years ago.
What do you reckon, are Kiwi drivers as bad as we seem?
