Chief among them are other road users – the car drivers and motorcyclists who treat the busy stretch of steep, winding roadway as a venue to test their skills. 

On the way up, they often tailgate or push the envelope of their skills and their vehicle’s capabilities through the hairpins. 

On the way down, a different type of equally dangerous behaviour is common – drivers who stand on their brakes rather than use their transmission to maintain a slower speed through the bends. Come down the mountain on a motorcycle and rather than crisp mountain air, the atmosphere is thick with the smell of overworked brakes.

Add to that scenario the fact there is virtually nowhere to go if things do come unstuck – failed brakes, according to residents who live close by and regularly attend accidents, are commonplace – makes it all the more important to treat the road with respect. 

And, in the case of the hairpin at the bottom of the mountain that regularly sees vehicles come to grief, serious consideration ought to be given to adopting the recommendation of the Office of Transport and Safety Investigations that an arrester bed be constructed just ahead of the bend.

Another option to make the road a little safer is signage that clearly prompts heavy vehicles to maintain slow speed – perhaps flashing speed indicators ahead of the bend.

But as Peter and Rosemary Stanton, who have lived near the bend for the past 20 years, say, the main safety issue is poor driver behaviour and a lack of respect for the mountain. Unfortunately, changing driver – and rider – behaviour is a lot more challenging than engineering safety measures and road improvements on a problematic mountain road.