A spate of motor accidents involving tourists have prompted concerned New Zealand motorists to confiscate the keys of foreigners to prevent them from driving . Following the death of eight people in crashes involving tourists in the past fortnight , five incidents of key confiscation have been reported in the nation 's South Island , an area which featured heavily in Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings trilogy films . New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that 'people taking the law into their own hands is not sensible ' . Diesel mechanic Robert Penman , of Dunedin , took the keys of a Chinese couple when they stopped their car in the middle of a one lane road , and waited for police to attend the incident . Foreign drivers are involved in 37 % of road crashes in the Westland District , on the South Island 's West Coast , despite only 6 % of crashes overall in the country involving tourists . 558 crashes involving tourists occurred in the past 12 months , with over 75 % of the accidents found to be the fault of the foreign driver , reported The Mercury . New Zealand Police 's Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing , Dave Cliff , told CNN that the incidents of key confiscation were hard to police as there was no specific law relating to the issue . He reiterated that violence , even to prevent a tourist driving 'dangerously ' would not be tolerated , 'and anyone found doing so should expect to face the consequences ' . Assistant Commissioner Cliff 's comments follow the assault of a tourist driving on the West Coast by a man who was unhappy with his driving . The tourist was punched in the face and had his keys taken from him , with local police labelling the incident unnecessary and 'nasty ' , reported The New Zealand Herald . ' I have no problem with doing it again . If it saves people 's lives I have no problem with it , ' said Mr Penman . 30,000 people have signed a petition , currently before Parliament , to force tourists to sit a safety test before being allowed to drive on New Zealand roads . A family of four from Hong Kong collided with a logging truck , killing all in the vehicle . West Coast 's Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn , said while there was definitely an issue in the area , he was worried that 'extremist behaviour ' from local drivers were becoming more common . He labelled the violence 'disgraceful ' and 'inappropriate ' , and called for greater driver education . The Assistant Commissioner assured the New Zealand public at the time that police were not complacent about driver safety , but urged people to contact police if they were concerned , rather than resorting to the confiscation of keys . Diesel mechanic Robert Penman , of Dunedin , took the keys of a Chinese couple when they stopped their car in the middle of a one lane road , and waited for police to attend the incident . ' I have no problem with doing it again . If it saves people 's lives I have no problem with it , ' he told The New Zealand Herald . ' I 've been in a head-on crash before and I do n't want to be in another one ... Everywhere I have been people say 'good on you ' for standing up , ' Mr Penman said . 30,000 people have signed a petition , currently before Parliament , to force tourists to sit a safety test before being allowed to drive on New Zealand roads . However , a Queenstown judge ruled on Monday that it was not the responsibility of rental car companies to assess the competency of drivers , and rather up to the individual driver to determine their own abilities . Earlier in the month a 39-year-old Taiwanese female teacher was charged with careless driving causing death and careless driving causing injury . 558 crashes involving tourists occurred in the past 12 months , with over 75 % of the accidents found to be the fault of the foreign driver . Five incidents of key confiscation have been reported in the nation 's South Island , an area which featured heavily in Peter Jackson 's ( above left ) The Lord of the Rings trilogy films . She was driving to the airport in a rented van with six family members when she drove through a stop sign , causing the death of her father and seriously injuring her mother . Paul Whitmell , 57 , and his wife Rosa , 54 , were driving from Mt Cook to Te Anau , when they were involved in a head-on collision with Chinese driver Qian Li , 34 , on Gibbston Highway on February 21 . The British couple suffered serious injuries , and Li 's passenger Mingyue Shen was also injured , for which the judge sentenced Li on three charges of careless driving causing injury . Li was disqualified from driving in New Zealand for 10 months .
Motorists in New Zealand have stolen the keys of foreign drivers . The comments follow the death of eight people in crashes involving tourists . The PM said that it 's not sensible for people to take the keys into their homes . Foreigners are involved in 37 % of crashes on the South Island West Coast . The police commissioner warned that violence would not be tolerated . His incidents include the assault of a foreign driver by a local man .