Police in Western Southland are enlisting a roadside coffee stop to get a simple message in front of tourist drivers on State Highway 6: the open-road limit is 100km/h, and conditions should set your speed.

Lumsden staff have teamed up with The Coffee Bomb, a caravan in Garston that serves hundreds of motorists a day. Cups will now carry a small sticker reading: “Welcome to Western Southland. Max speed 100, drive safely.”

Senior Sergeant Peter Graham said nearly one million visitors travel through Lumsden and surrounding stretches of SH6 as they move between Queenstown, Fiordland and Milford Sound. Many are on tight itineraries and may not appreciate they’re on one of the country’s more demanding routes. “The speed limit is just that – it’s not a target,” he said. “If the conditions are bad, slow down.”

Graham said the partnership is about reaching drivers Police don’t usually get to talk to. The Coffee Bomb’s owner-operators include retired Constable Will and his wife Aroha.

Police did not release crash data with the announcement, but said they will look for more ways to push road safety messages through the summer flow of visitors.

Dangerous driving should be reported with as much detail as is safely possible. Call 111 if it’s happening now, or use 105 for matters that are not immediate.