We've had a nice discussion about good and bad driving and everybody pretty much agrees, which is novel.
We still have superlizard not happy because people are driving 30-50 kph in 100 zone. So what's happening? Apart from a total numpty nobody drives that slow just for the hell of it. What is causing the slow speeds?
In my daily commute there's a couple of choke points where things stop. A 3 lane road dropping back to two and a two lane road where parking is allowed in the evening, and the packs of cyclists on the roads. [}:)]
I can imagine one or two people driving at unreasonable speeds occasionally for no apparent reason. I can't imagine it being a normal part of the daily commute.
BTW I tried driving late to work to miss the morning peak. That got slower and slower as everybpdy else used it for a bit of an excuse to sleep in or drop the kids off at school or whatever. Now I get up a little earlier and get to work before the peak. So far so good.
Maverick040, you've hit the nail on the head. I've said for years that some speed camera revenue should be used to finance TV ads reinforcing safe and courteous driving techniques. Keeping left unless overtaking would be the first one, even when it's less than 80 k's an hour. It's just the natural order of things.
In Tassie when you buy a new car the indicators are on the options list not OEM equipment.
Funny how all you so called "good" drivers reckon that you can drive safely at speed. It seems to me that many of the young drivers killed on the road are said to have "loved their cars and were good drivers" nonetheless they perished as a result of becoming stationary from a starting velocity of 100+km/hr. Only a few weekends ago I was woken in the early hours of the morning by the boom of a Holden Commodore containing 2 young males exploding around a power pole, I actually gave a little cheer as it saved me from having to complain to the police about hoons doing hotlaps around our block. They hit the transition from a bitumen road to gravel at 140k and found a post 200 metres on. I now have to drive past the pathetic memorial of flowers and crosses each day.
I am a bad driver. I drive a big arsed landcruiser down that stretch of gravel at less than 60 k and turn onto the dual lane highway accelerating gently up to 75k before pulling into the right hand lane long before my right hand turn as there is no way anyone will have the courtesy to let a right hand indicating vehicle in to the right hand lane. In fact I generally drive the whole 3km trip in the right hand lane lane. As I can swing into the right lane during the left turn because of the traffic lights.
I can assure you that my observations are that most drivers pay absolutely no regard to road/weather conditions and drive at above the speed limit irrespective of road surface, wet roads or sun glare. Trust me I have pootled up to more prangs by vehicles that have earlier overtaken me than I have observed of vehicles that drive with the same regard to safety conditions and economy as I. Yes Australia is full of incompetent drivers but the all drive too fast without regard to what is going on around them.
My favourite is when someone is doing the right thing and keeping left, said person needs to get in the right hand lane to make a right turn ahead, and ol' mate toss pot speeds up in his Prado to close the gap.....me first me first.
At the end of the day, if everyone were a little more considerate of other road users instead of driving with their blinkers on in la la land, life on the road would be a lot more enjoyable. (same could be said for everyday antics off the road too)
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