European driving - the right way
14 Mar, 2008
58 Comments 
Driving isn’t so a much a right as it is a privilege. That’s the issue we’re faced with in Australia and it’s part of the reason the greater majority of road users infecting our roads are incredibly poor at driving.
My recent venture through Europe highlighted several things that Australia seriously lacks when it comes to driving.
Firstly. The cost of owning a car and getting a license in Australia is very cheap in comparison to our European neighbours. In Holland for example, the public must only complete driving lessons with qualified instructors – not with a parent who has probably learnt a myriad of bad habits over the years.
Upon completing the scheduled number of hours with a driving instructor, a learner must then go through a rigorous driving test – again, unlike Australia. I recall my driving test was a 15 minute job. Part of the test included a point-to-point reverse – which I’m certain an ape of average IQ could complete with both eyes closed. To think that anybody could possibly fail a driving test in Australia truly shocks me and makes me wonder why they are allowed to hold a license.
Secondly. The mentality of drivers on our roads is beyond belief. Many drivers share the belief that sticking exactly to the speed limit is both safe for them and all drivers around them. In Australia, if you approach a driver sitting in the right hand lane, driving under the speed limit, they instantly get defensive and won’t move no matter what you try – this kind of mentality is unheard of in Europe.
The other thing that totally plagues Australian drivers is hidden speed cameras. Around Australia - in Victoria especially - the public is too scared to drive watching the road because of the risk of going several kilometers/hour over the speed limit - resulting in a fine from well positioned cash-cameras. Drivers are far too paranoid about their speed, so much so that they don’t bother watching the road in front of them. This results in inattentive driving, which is not only dangerous for the driver, but the people around them.
Our trip to Italy had us drive on many Autostrades. The Autostrades were limited to 130km/h. Take a guess how many people were actually doing 130km/h? You guessed it – not many. The majority of the drivers were sitting on a casual 150km/h, while the rest were happy to cruise past at 200km/h. In Australia, this would be seen as deadly. Government officials would be dumbfounded at how incredibly unsafe this practice is. Now take a guess how many car accidents we saw on the motorways during our stint in several European countries? 0. None. Zilch.
Why were there no car accidents? Because drivers don’t have an unfounded sense of pride when it comes to other drivers. There was rarely anybody who was in the left hand lane for longer than the time needed to overtake. The drivers are also trained to look ahead of traffic and spot any problems that are about to arise.
Arriving back in Australia was fantastic in many ways – after all, it is the best country in the world. But one thing that continues to amaze me is how bad Australia is when it comes to driving. It shocks me to think how many accidents are caused in Australia due to uneducated drivers that wholeheartedly believe that driving is a simple task that anyone can and should do.
I guess I’ll just have to bite my tongue – the Government seems to be far too focussed on ripping every last penny out of driver’s pockets via speed camera fines, opposed to actually thinking about ways to properly train drivers before they are handed a deadly piece of machinery which can potentially wipe out a family in a heartbeat.
- Paul Maric
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March 14th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Interesting article which I’m sure will provoke a lot of reaction. I tend to agree with the view of concentrating on speed and not driving. In my year or so banging around Victoria I managed to get nabbed for two speeding offences (119 in a 100 zone & let off on one by a very decent copper). Thats only the 2nd and 3rd time in twenty years for me. Lane discipline is far more considerate here although the BMW brigade still lane hog, like you say in the article hog a lane and you’ll get seriously tail-gated and flashed.
I can remember driving down the Monash Freeway and being amazed at how many rear end shunts there were, yeh it was busy but no more so than than the M4 on a weekday.
I think you become accustomed at driving at higher speeds and watch the road a mile or so ahead looking for brake lights. Plus the Police are not so bothered I recently got pulled and let off for doing 140k’s in a 110 zone but as I was keeping left using indicators when changing lane just being sensible really.
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March 14th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Sounds like u just got hit with a speeding fine Paul?
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March 14th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
send your coppers over here no name.
ive heard plenty of stories of being done 1kmh over the limit. 30k’s over and you are in court my friend
agree though ive never heard anyone taught to “drive ahead”
that would solve many problems
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March 14th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The whole driving package in Australia, that’s the roads, the level of skill behind the wheel, and the driver’s attitude of “I’m doing the speed limit and I’m staying right here in the right lane mate” almost buggers this place.
I blame both the federal and state politicians who clearly see drivers as cash cows in this country and only insult further when they pretend to care about the hundreds of thousands of people killed on our substandard roads over the years.
ALL fuel tax and money derived from the cash cameras should be used to improve our roads.
let me also say with regards to speed. 110km/h on any of Europe’s freeways is downright dangerous. You would fall asleep at that speed over there. Your attention level would plummet. To think that folks fly past you at 200km/h with utmost safety is an alien concept to anyone in Australia who hasn’t driven in Europe.
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March 14th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Guess I was lucky or have a charm with the blues n two’s.
My boss in Mel warned me when I arrived in Au about driving speed and said “its only a matter of time, you’ll get nabbed”. I did, which shows how its much more black and white when it comes to law abiding in Aus. Somehow thats a good thing.
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March 14th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Realcars:
I’ve never actually had a convicted speeding fine during my entire time driving.
This includes my career as a motoring journalist, where I often drive cars that are capable of well and truly exceeding the speed limit.
I’m simply astounded at how bad Australian drivers really are. I spent a little over one month in Europe and drove in six countries, hence my desire to scribe the article.
*touch wood* my clean record remains for a while to come.
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March 14th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Paul - Clean License, you’re obviously not driving fast enough!!! tee hee
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March 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
My 3 main problems
1) right hand lane hoggers, they have no idea’s about what blinkers are, which is why they cannot get into the left lane’s except at there turn off in which they cross 2 lane at once to get to it??????????
2) Why if at a traffic jam cannot people just go just go through one lane at a time and give a little bit of space to each other are we civilize or not
3) Why do some city dewellers think that the tyre pressures that work in the city also work in the country. 15-25 psi doesnt work well at 100+ kph learn to do maintenance people.
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
My main problem, Capri, is that people who can’t spell properly also can’t read properly. This means that they shouldn’t be able to pass a license test, which has a comprehension component.
But hey, here in Victoria, Mildura in particular, you can wipe out 6 people and that’s not even culpable driving.
So even if we had sensible laws, the courts throw out most cases against offenders, some of whom then go on and blame the victims.
The major problem here in AU, however, is the total lack of a public transport system. This forces people onto the roads who would, in Europe, never consider having a car or a license. They take the train instead, which you just can’t do here.
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
yes in europe people know how to drive in austalia because peiople cant frive they complain about accidents so the gvernment lowers speed limits.europe as a continintet is only about half a size alrger than oz and the countries wouldn fill a state yet we drive at ridiculously low speed they may asweell rip out the speedo and put a 0-100 one in
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
a very good article which i couldn’t agreee with more having lived in europe myself - and ditto for all the comments on the australian roads/mentality/public transport being so different…
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Accidents are not a result of speed - speed amplifies the impact of the accident - they are the result of unattentative drivers or unroadworthy cars. The same driver driving at 90 km/h or 180km/h is still going to have the accident if they’re not competent…
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Australian driving sucks. For all those that have actually driven outside of this great country of ours you will understand that generally the Australian public has no clue when it comes to sensible respect for road users.
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March 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Have to agree about how easy it is to get your licence these days as well. Especially when a friend said that there was talk of making it easier to get your manual licence so people wouldn’t just go for the auto version.
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March 15th, 2008 at 12:17 am
The best article I have read this year!!!
I’m not Austalian born but imigrated to Oz at the age of 15. I haven’t driven back home but I can remember what it was like being a car enthusiast, watching everything that I could to do with cars. Then I came over to OZ, and I noticed straight away how dfferent it was even though I didn’t even have a license I could tell the difference… cause I now the difference it can be so anoying.
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March 15th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Im an Australian now living in Belgium and i totally agree with the article.
Australia has another major issue with Road Ragers and almost every road user is selfish and drive as if they ‘own’ the road.
Here in Brussels i see cars pull out of others every minute, no one blinks an eye lid nor do you hear a horn being used. Back home this would have resulted in another rage incident - im sure many have seen the results on the news.
I have been here for 7 weeks now and not once have i seen a drag off from any stop light intersection. I dont know what inland quiet town in Australia that could equal that record.
I have driven on the Belgian motorway at 140km/h (30km over the speed limit) and i was being overtaken almost every 10 seconds by BMWs, Audi’s and Mercs, yet not one cop car with a radar in sight. Are there any crashes here, no.
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March 15th, 2008 at 1:32 am
“and i was being overtaken almost every 10 seconds by BMWs, Audi’s and Mercs, yet not one cop car with a radar in sight. Are there any crashes here, no.\”
Oh but you see what they need is speed cameras. These are there for safety.
I support the notion that Australians do not know how to drive. We do not learn it, we do not understand the fundamentals of it.
This forum may represent the few that respect the privilege of driving but generally my feeling on the road is Aussies could care less.
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March 15th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Hell yeah Andrew………….
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March 15th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Greetings from Italy.
Here they are actually getting a lot tougher with speeding. On the motorway between Rome and Naples they have installed the system like you have on the Hume where it takes a photo of your car and then measures your speed over a longer distance. I’m not sure how many people get booked through this system, but like in the UK, it’s only a matter of time before the politicians here realise the potential of speed taxing.
The main thing here is that you drive to the conditions, which is an anathema to the Australian pollies.
One of the biggest problems in Australia (caused by the draconian laws) is cruise control. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great system, but so often you find cars locked on 107km/h stuck overtaking a car doing 106km/h. I don’t really blame the drivers as such as they know that the “safety cameras” (what a load of crap) are ubiquitous.
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March 15th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I couldn’t agree with you more Paul. Great article.
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March 15th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Good article, and very true. I’ve spent time in Europe, particularly Italy where driving at highway speeds is courteous and organised. People seem to have far more of a clue, trucks stay in the slow lane, and in all it is a far less frustrating affair than driving need be.
Not a day goes by on Australian roads where someone pisses me off by doing the wrong thing or by being incredibly selfish. In the six months I spent driving around Italy I didn’t experience that once - kinda says something - our attitude needs restricting, not our speed limits.
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March 15th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Italians are probably by far (apart from indian drivers…youtube them!) THE CRASIEST drivers in the world…every second car i saw had some sort of panel damage(touch parking?)and always seemed to treat the public roads as if it were Monza. Having said that, how many accidents did i see? NONE? my brother was almost hit when crossing the road, but that was probably becasue he wasnt used to Italian driving! it seems they understand car control more than we do, something we need to work on here…speed doesnt kill, its the nut behind the wheel
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March 15th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I have heard that getting your licence in Germany is like getting a pilots licence.
Then on the other hand look at youtube and see the indians and some other asian countries and how they drive at crossing with no traffic lights, very scary.
It would be interesting to see the stat’s on population of cars vs accident ratio of each country to see if we are that bad.
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March 15th, 2008 at 11:34 am
To the person who wrote this article, if you’re so full of ideas on how to improve road safety in this country and they’re better than what current governments are doing, develop a platform and run for parliament….. oh that’s right, you’re like all the other rev heads who think driving above a speed limit is your right.
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March 15th, 2008 at 11:47 am
KJ - its a free country and freedom of speech and all that but clearly, you’re not listening are you? Every comment supports the author. You have never driven in Europe or the states have you? No, didn’t think so.
We only want sensible comment here not the words of a self confessed mental lightweight!!
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March 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
KJ:
Spoken like a true ignoramus who has never driven overseas.
Unfortunately the government has successfully brainwashed the general population (like yourself) and conned them into thinking that exceeding the speed limit is the bane of all evil and will result in countless deaths.
In actual fact, speed is NEVER the only factor in fatalities, the main contributing factor is always the driver.
Automated vehicles could drive at 200km/h and never have an accident. Humans can’t. The only way we can strike harmony between safety and efficiency is by teaching people the fundamentals of driving, which isn’t currently taught in Australia. And the proof is in the pudding, simply look at the Europeans, they’ve got it right.
Also, KJ, I love my current job - unless I was paid a large sum of money, I wouldn’t take up such a position with the government. It would mean dressing up nicely and cutting my hair - two things I honestly can’t be bothered doing.
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March 15th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I agree we concentrate on speed to much here, to the extend that you concentrate less on the road. However we couldnt start increasing speeds or not policing, as said getting a license is to easy, so we have to have lower limits because you have less capable drivers on the road. The solution should be long term, make tests harder (NOT longer like they are, for eg 12 months on Ls!!!) and then increase limits.
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The driving schools teach us how to pass the RTA test not how to drive..
But even there they also fail their customers/students
Because some instructors tell you to wait at an intersection with filter lights [arrows] until the actual green arrow appears.
Yet if you were to wait for the arrow in the test and not go through when it was clear and safe to do so with the arrow blacked out - its a fail because you impeded in the flow of traffic.
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I believe that being allowed to drive is a privelege and not a right. Because if it was a right; then why the hell do we have to sit the half-arsed test..apart from revenue raising
Because the motor vehicle is probably the most potentially dangerous/lethal weapon the majority of people will come into contact with on a daily basis and therefore the testing to see if people have the cognitive skills etc needed to operate it must be far more stringent than what they are at the moment
Note I said “allowed to drive” and not “able to drive” as its clear very few of todays teenagers are able to drive
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Good article. I agree with most of the discussions. I too have driven in Europe. Here are what I see at the problems with drivers in Australia:
1) Poor driver skills - poor training (mainly the young and the elderly ?)
2) Too many strict rules like speed limits and cameras make drivers lose concentration on the road trying to adhere to the rules. Blame our greedy governments and councils.
3) Bad attitudes and manners - drivers think they own the road, road rage, etc.
4) Too many unroadworthy cars on the roads.
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Wheelnut:
I agree with most of what you’ve said, but I don’t agree with the segregation of “toadys [sic?] teenagers.”
Poor driving is visible across the board, not only with youth.
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I realise that; however the greater % of drivers involved in accidents speeding fines driving whilsst disqualified etc are in the under 25 age group
and recent stats show that of that demographic; the % of young women is steadily increasing.
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March 15th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Wheelnut:
Do you have a link to any of those statistics by any chance? I wouldn’t mind having a read through them.
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March 15th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
No - I read them in issue of NRMA Open Road but if you are interested in viewing any statistics relating to cars etc I’m sure that either TP; Dingo; or any of the Toyo-Tossers would have them on file somewhere… give them a try
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March 15th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Paul, I think we were seperated at birth. I agree 100% with everything you have said in that article.
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March 15th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I dont agree, getting a car ins’t exactly “cheap”, most people cant afford one
and besides no one has the time or money to spend on driving lessons for the whole Ls period
i do agree on a course though, however what there needs to be is better tests and better traffic control and roads.
and yes i am P plater
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March 16th, 2008 at 7:27 am
That is a really ugly picture to put on the front page of your site
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March 16th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi Paul,
you hit the nail on the head in this one!
I have just come back from a 2 month holiday around europe and 1 week in Canada on the way back.
I couldn’t agree with you more on what you have said here.
One thing that did stand out to me was the police in Canada (in particular - some places in europe are the same also). It seems that they are happy for you to drive 20-30km over the speed limits as long as you are not doing something dangerous… and they will not say or do anything at all!
This “grace” margin is slightly reduced in towns or areas where people are around (common sense), but you do not have to worry about doing 20km down a hill (coasting). The cops do the same and it is just common sense that you watch the road NOT YOUR SPEEDO constantly whilst driving.
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March 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am
In India there is one simple rule. Give way to whatever is bigger than you. It works. Though their biggest road toll segment is pedestrian fatality, not so much collisions with other cars.
Italy raised the speed limit to 130km/h a few years back after a bit of research and found that the death toll went down. Something to do with being more alert, spending less time on the road and getting to your destination quicker.
Then, as a few people have mentioned…. there is the license testing. I remember doing my tests only recently for a car (I rode motorcycles all my life previously). I’ve mentioned this on the site in other posts, but I left the RTA, turned right at the T intersection. Turned left at the lights. Did a reverse park and was told to go back to the RTA. I passed. I did it in a manual. I didn’t do a three point turn. I didn’t do a hill start. I didn’t go around a roundabout. I didn’t really do anything. And the L’s test and the General Knowledge tests are the dumbest waste of money I have ever seen and had to do myself.
When I vent my ideas on how it should be here, people usually respond to me by saying, “Yeah, but imagine the uproar.” I say Bull. Sure there will be people who complain. Too Bad! Catch a train and complain about how late it’s running instead.
SteveC
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March 16th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I came from a country with no driving rules, but I’m even more cautious to drive in Australia. While many people back there are such arseholes on the road, a lot of them have good judgement unlike here. They don’t obey road signs but the accident rate is just about the same here, maybe even less. Australia has a lot of motoring laws and cameras, but none of these can prevent occasional roadkills, and the government blames them on speeding, which, as proven in Europe, isn’t the case at all.
It’s true that some deaths are caused by high-speed crashes, but it isn’t the speeding itself that claimed lives. It’s the fact that these drivers only know straight lines. They don’t know how to handle ever-changing road conditions and care about the welfare of other users. I’ve seen Autobahn videos in Youtube and those BMW, Audi or Benz rockets are driven by responsible people who have the right training. They don’t cut off other users and jeopardise safety.
I cannot agree less to the fact that driving schools teach you what to do to pass a licence test and not genuinely safe motoring. I have to say it’s stupid to look in your rear-view mirror everytime before braking. I’ve experienced many situations wherein the cars in front of me suddenly stops, either because they had to turn and signaled too late, or simply stopping for no reason. If I obey that rule, I would have hit these cars already, and it will be hard to prove it isn’t my fault.
There’s also sheer arrogance especially from P platers. Surprisingly, they’re the most aggressive ones out there. From a regular Getz to a tuned Commy, many of them cut off others, changing lanes anytime they want, as if they want to prove something like “Hey, we passed our test and now we’re out here to show you how good we are.” ‘P’ is for probationary but it seems they are hardly probed at all.
Those are just some of the reasons why Australian roads are far from safe. It’s obviously a serious issue the government should look at. Obviously they should study European motoring and apply it here.
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March 16th, 2008 at 11:18 am
So true. I was on the highway back to syd for a couple of hours yesterday and I coulndt believe how hopeless people are driving. People sit in the left lane on an empty road. Others sit at 80 in a 110 zone in new cars, which I think are much more dangerous than people doing 120 in a 110 zone.
It just all messed up
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March 16th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Fabo: If you were on the highway back to Syd, you do realise that people are supposed to sit in the left lane on empty roads? Ie: Keep left unless overtaking.
In response to the article; Whilst I do agree with the point that the Australian government should provide better driver training, I don’t think a lot of the comparisons being made between Europe and Australia are fair.
Having driven in Europe, I can say I very much enjoyed it. The increased speeds allowed, the mainly courteous drivers, the logical (in most countries) road rules. However, unlike others here who think that not seeing an accident means they don’t happen - I DID see accidents while in Europe. I also noticed one other major difference between driving in Europe and driving in Australia: Distance.
Australians have to drive much longer distances to get to their destinations. Our cities are set up a lot differently, spanning larger areas and being further apart from each other. In the same distance that it would’ve taken me to drive from Melb - Syd, I crossed 3 countries in Europe. Not to mention how many cities I went through (or bypassed) with every opportunity to stop and rest if need be. This means that, although the majority of our driving is still in Urban areas, we still spend a larger % of our time on rural roads than our counterparts in Europe. And statistically speaking, more than half of our accidents happen on rural roads with the majority of those accidents then being single car collisions.
So what does this mean? … Well, I guess that means that bitching about the lack of driver courtesy aint’ gonna do jack. We already have the laws that tell drivers to keep left, advise who has right of way and allow a generally safe flow of traffic. People know these laws, but arrogance is getting in the way of everyone else. Perhaps some more appropriate policing in those areas would be better suited. As for driver training… I’ve already been personally responsible for my own safety and taken the steps necessary to make sure I’m a safe, competent driver (defensive & advanced driver training days). Perhaps people just need to be a little more accountable for their own safety and actions, rather than placing the blame and having a whinge?
For everyone’s info: Australian road death statistics in comparison to other countries is available at www.atsb.gov.au … It clearly shows that Australia is just as safe as the majority of European countries, and far exceeds others (inc the USA). Interestingly, Victoria - the most infuriating state to drive in, is the safest.
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March 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
It’s also not just about laws, but enforcing them as well. I am surprised many drivers still use mobile phones on moving vehicles. There’s a rule against it, but nobody seems to target them. The cops keep concentrating on breath tests and let cameras do their work for them.
I think it’s best to deploy unmarked police cars and make them run on main highways to monitor rule breakers and abusive motorists.
As for death tolls, given that we have just as many as Europe, it only shows that it isn’t speed that kills. I should say it’s irresponsibility, lack or no courtesy for others, and poor judgement and foresight on the road ahead.
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March 16th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
It’s not even about enforcing the laws. It’s making sure every person behind a wheel knows them. And if it helps, change it from a law to common sense/courtesy/requirement.
It appears people here (Aust) don’t know that they should keep right unless overtaking. They don’t know that they should always indicate their intentions by using their turn signals before making their movement or change.
People need to learn how to use a freaking roundabout. But most of all, licensing tests here in Australia need to be made more real. This doesn’t mean making them harder. But making the requirements better suited to today’s modern roads (cough) and modern cars.
I think driving instructors also should take some responsibility in regards to actually teaching kids to drive, not to just pass a test and go out with your mates that night, ready to show off in dad’s company Commodore or mums Corolla.
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March 17th, 2008 at 5:36 am
SteveC: You’re meant to keep left unless overtaking mate!
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March 17th, 2008 at 9:25 am
The problem with the government is that it consists of ignorant buffoons like ‘KJ’ above. They can’t focus on anything outside of what they’re used to on our isolated island here, and also can’t bear any criticism being levelled at their beloved country. It’s because of people like this that i’m skeptical that things will ever change.
I was born here and have been driving for the last 10 years. It’s so easy to get a license here, they may as well hand them out in your Corn Flakes packets.
I’ve been to Norway a few times, am married to a Norwegian, and have friends from over there come to visit. They’re shocked when they hear how easy it is to get a license over here. Over there, it’s compulsory to go through certified instructor-led training, and have comprehensive driving examinations. That, combined with $5000 later, and you’ve got your license.
The fact that it’s harder to get your license over there also means that people are more careful on the roads, as they don’t want to do it all over again.
I’m not saying that it should cost that much here, but the testing and education should be more rigorous.
What annoys me most here is that 90% of people here don’t even know how to handle a roundabout. That includes Police. They indicate right when they’re going straight. They don’t give way to vehicles already in the roundabout - and go straight through a 2-lane roundabout in the outer lane when there are cars coming through the inner lane from the right.
Simple things like that should be second nature.
As I said above, i’m skeptical that driving in Australia will ever improve. Governments nowadays are too scared to make big changes. As we witnessed in the last election - Rudd and Howard shared many of the same policies.
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March 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Damn straight, and seems everybody here agrees - with the exception of KJ of course. Perhaps we should band together and start our own political party - after all, there is a Fishing Party, so why not a ‘Driving Enthusiasts’ party as well? I’m a real stickler for defensive driver education and training - we need to have a licencing system like Germany. On a slightly different, but relevant note, I learned to drive with Dad, but was advised to take lessons with a professional instructor. Turned out this guy had worse habits than my Dad did! Weird stuff too, like not allowing engine braking when coming gradually to a standstill etc. I think a standard curriculum for all driving instructors is required so as to avoid this.
Sadly, my Nostradamus impression is that things are only going to get worse, what with the greenies wanting us all to drive Priuses, and K.Rudd wanting to charge us per km travelled - all we can do is pray NT unlimits their speed zones and enjoy driving while we can…
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March 17th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Great article Paul. I’ve just moved back to Perth after 4 years in England, and quite a bit of driving under the belt throughout Europe.
Most people in Perth are utterly clueless as to how to drive in a way that is good for everyone. It’s definitely a “me me me” attitude.
I regularly drove on the English motorways at 130-150kph in the middle lane. Those in the left lane were trucks and others doing the posted limit (112kph). Those in the right lane were doing 130+. It just worked. Everyone was courteous, no-one hogged the right lane and people got to where they were going without losing their rag.
Whilst I found the Italian and French roads a bit more crazy - they tend to drift across lanes without much warning, they too work together to make the experience very enjoyable and not unsafe.
The biggest contrast for me in London was that you could pull out of a side street turning right, fully block the oncoming lane and people from both lanes would just stop and let you get across. If I did that in Perth I would expect to be beaten to a pulp by other angry road users.
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March 17th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I remembered when I was young and my dad was driving in France.
My dad got pulled over for…wait for it….staying in the fast lane (left lane)!! Not for speeding, but for stopping the other cars from speeding. Other motorists were speeding but the police ignored them.
I guess that would never happen here. You go 9km/h over, BAM…here’s a ticket.
I have driven in Aus for 10 years now, and the worst case I’ve seen is a old Land Rover going 80km/h on the right lane at 100km/h zone. I keep flashing at it but it wouldn’t budge. The worst thing is that it was driven by an elderly (not that all elderly are that bad, but this one was!!!).
Having said that, I must admit that I see less and less “right lane hoggers” on the freeway in WA. This could be a good sign for us.
These post/forum might have some impact after all.
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March 17th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hi Matt, I found your experiences interesting, as I’m a WA native myself. I hate my fellow drivers on the whole, but what would you think of me, I wonder, if I professed to not having a liking for letting people in myself? Don’t get me wrong, I’ll not hesitate to relinquish my possie to someone who’s simply trying to enter from my left from a side street against terrible odds. But if they’re wanting to turn right instead of left, am I going to signal them through contra to right-of-way laws? No, that’s where I draw the line, because I don’t want to be part of their accident.
And I get grouchy when people sit meekly flashing their headlights at me to encourage me to turn against 2 or more lanes of traffic because, frankly, I’d much rather them hit the gas, clear the decks one after the other and let me through safely and legally once they’re all gone. It would take 30 seconds, if only they all concentrated.
That’s something my fellow WA drivers don’t get the hang of: moving decisively and briskly when given the go signal.
As for the practice of flashing headlights to let someone in contra to right-of-way, is that a curiously West Australian thing? It’s either a sign of lovely manners or not knowing who really has the right of way so, what the heck, I’ll just flash my headlights at you. I think it’s the latter!
Potential confusion abounds! A flash of headlights means quite the opposite in most other parts of the world.
If our fellow WA drivers learnt the art of not slowing down to 65 km/h in tunnels (through sheer terror, I think, as it’s our only one), maintaining at least the speed limit on our freeways (surprisingly difficult, that) and not dabbing the brakes when a bend in the road is coming up or when someone indirectly in front of you indicates to turn right, then letting people in might become less of an issue, as we would hopefully all be moving far more efficiently anyway.
We are the State Of Brake Pedal Dabbers.
Boy, what a rant. Hope I haven’t melted the site…
I drove at peak hour in Melbourne once. Heaven.
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March 17th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Good article.
Though I think the aussie attitude of people in general is to blame rather than the driving ability of people.
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March 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Hi Golfie - Flashing of headlights here can mean anything from: -
- Get out my bloody way i’m going faster than you,
- your free to pull out
- I’m here watchout/pay attention/wake up you dozy t1t
- Your headlghts are on full beam
- theres a mobile speed cameras up the road (not commonly used as most people would want you to get done for speeding)
It a simple matter of entrepreting the situation and sensibly deciding what your suppopsed to do. Easy
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March 17th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Speaking as a Norwegian who moved to Australia eight years ago, I’ve got only one thing to say (insert cool, funky American accent here): AMEN BROTHER.
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March 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Cool. Sounds universal then. Flash flash.
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Migrating to Australia in the early 80’s and having my first experience on Melbourne’s as a European driver, I commented to my wife that, if I were to have an accident in Australia, it would not surprise me if it was with a Taxi or a Police car.
Two years later, I rang my wife to tell her that I would be late home from work. Reason, I had just had an accident with an unmarked Police car.
With trendsetting road users like the Police behaving the way they do, is it any wonder that the rest of the driving population are absolute morons, drivers that do not have the courtesy of ‘Ritsen’ (alternating cars) when a lane comes to an end either by design, parked cars, turning cars or accidents. Or stays in the right hand lane at speeds below the limit. Or tail gates when one adheres to the speed limit. Or veers left when intending to turn right. Or makes a left hand turn from the middle of the road. Or speeds up when being overtaken.
For the sake of brevity, I shall not continue with the above list as it would fill a number of web pages. Suffice to say, I am of the same opinion as Paul Maric. Concentration should be on the road, not on the speedometer and all drivers should be less selfish.
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March 18th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
its very true that many australians are selfish drivers. I especially hate it when im driving along, I move left to let someone (who has been tailgating) pass, only to see that he doesnt overtake. So there i am boxed in on the left lane behind a slow moving vehicle who is doing 20kmh below the speed limit, and i cant overtake this bugger because the guy on my right is now just alongside me doing 5kmh below the speed limit….and the road ahead of him is freakin clear! It happens all the time, ppl here love to drive side by side to other vehicles.
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March 18th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Could not agree more with this article well said
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Paul, I believe you are generally correct. There needs to be a balanced outcome. That means having the competence in line with confidence,,, hard to do. Aust is too hard on compliance and Europe (while fun) is too loose.
I would like to see;
130k speed limit,
Better learner system that requires test and competency based,
Graded ‘full’licnese system.
Insurance levels to suit the grades, this also limits the speed and license that driver is allowed.
I developed a programe for vehicle manufactueres and testers that required unbeleiveable driving safety and standards AND competence. I leaerned a great deal. Out of 300 drivers only 10 made the grade where speeds regularly exceeded 130k. Of that 300, 150 would be concidered competeanct to control a car at 130k and I would sign a document saying that each driver would be safe for at least 2 years.
My back ground is that of a corporate driver saftey instructor (not race track training). I am also a petrol head so the balance is hard to maintain but I use the same safe philosophy with my professional driving (rally, precision and film).
You made an observation I made in 2000, 2004 and 2006 and I will again net year, just love driving those roads!
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