Is the Left Lane the fast Lane in Australia?
11 Jun, 2007
47 Comments 
Don’t know about you, but I’m convinced that Australia operates on a different set of road rules to the rest of the civilised world, when it comes to right and left lane, road rules.
I thought the law stated: no driving in the right lane unless overtaking. Is that it? If not, please correct me.
It’s a rule which very few Australians seem to have heard of. No matter where you drive here, the right hand lane will almost always be your slowest route and the left, the quickest.
It’s incredibly frustrating when you are traveling on a superb piece six-lane dual carriageway, only to find both the right and centre lanes, populated by various slow drivers or worse still, trucks.
And don’t bother flashing your high beam at these guys - as they will protect their right lane ownership with the the same vigour as they would if protecting their house from an intruder.
Right hand lane hogs are an epidemic in Australia. There is no doubt that the constant lane changing by frustrated motorists is dangerous and has been, and will continue to be responsible for many unnessary road deaths in this country.
In contrast, driving throughout much of Europe is an intoxicating experience. Yes, the high speeds you can legally drive at, seem far safer than our miserable 110km/h speed limit. Apart from some of the finest highways in the world, European drivers know the difference between right and left lanes.
In the UK, France and Germany at least, you only need to appear in a rear vision mirror and the driver will quickly move over a lane, to allow you to pass. Over there, it’s just plain driver courtesy.
Perhaps the Highway Patrol bosses across Australia, should think about issuing tickets to right lane hogs, rather than going after folks who have momentarily forgotten that they have passed through five different speed zones, all in 10kms, and end up being hammered for doing 110km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Should they heed this advice, then driving in Australia might be a far more enjoyable experience and a hell of a lot safer without Playstation-like lane changing manoeuvres.
Anthony
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June 11th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Firstly, I agree with what you say.
Secondly, regardless if it were a written rule or not. There are signs plastered along our freeways and motorways for slow drivers to stick to the left lane unless they are overtaking.
Much like you, I compare our roads, drivers, etc to Europe. The sad part is, travel is more important to them over there then it is to the pollies over here. So to is the licensing examinations.
My experience driving in major Australian cities is that other drivers are more interested in causing an accident then avoiding one.
Having only recently got my drivers license a few years ago, previously I only ever had a motorcycle license. I went through the current guise of NSW’s license tests. It’s pretty poor that the road sign section of the L’s test doesn’t test you on every road sign. Just a selection the computer test randomly picks.
My thinking is, if you don’t know all the road rules, you shouldn’t be driving. What does this have to do with your article? I don’t think there is a question in the RTA’s Learner’s test that asks about the road sign that tells drivers to stay in the right hand lane unless overtaking.
There are always commercials about not speeding and not drinking. Maybe they should advertise head checks, indicating out of a round-a-bout. Indicating when lane changing. When on holidays and driving, remember to stop, revive survive and stay in the left hand lane unless overtaking.
When I went for my bike license a long time ago, I remember giving way to your right at a round-a-bout. Now, generally if you got your license you had it for a while. You never have to take another knowledge test. Yet when I went for my L’s test for a car, I failed on that one question, with the remaining questions all correct. The rules changed a few years ago that now when you come to a round-a-bout, you give way to “avoid a collision”.
Now, that’s common sense, but you don’t need that to pass the test. When I did my P’s test, I left the driveway of the RTA, drove around the block, reverse parked and was asked to head back to the RTA.
I was glad I got my license, but at the same time I was confused that I had either done something very wrong to head back so soon. But when I got my license, I was more confused over the fact that I wasn’t asked to manoeuvre a 3 point turn, a hill start, go around a round-a-bout. etc.
One other sensitive topic I seldom talk about because it is controversial is how you are allowed to take part in the Learner test on the computer in multiple difference languages. Last time I looked at the No Parking sign, it was written in English. I’m not racist, but I’d imagine that I would not be welcome to do a learner license test in German if I was taking it in Russia.
Anyway, that’s my vent and basically my reason why I agree with (and more so) with the state of our roads due to uneducated drivers who have clearly been handed their license by sheer luck, stupidity or slack arse RTA workers that are just not bothered with their job.
Cheers
Steve
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June 11th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
I recently drove in M4 with speed limit of 90km/h. I drove pretty fast above the limit, 100km/h or little more and faster than others. I chose right lane of course. Then came the car, he tailgated me very closely, a very rude way to ask for overtaking. By the time I found a safe space in the left lane, I changed lane,a bit slow though. This arsehole passed me gave me a middle finger and drove at least 140km/h. I didnt give a S** about this, just gave him back my finger.
When I think about it, I am not quite sure should I oblige quickly to let him pass if it happen again. Why give wankers courtesy.
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June 11th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Chap the point is
you should just stay in the left lane, if there is a car behind u that wants to go faster, why not let him past?
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June 12th, 2007 at 2:30 am
“In the UK, France and Germany at least, you only need to appear in a rear vision mirror and the driver will quickly move over a lane, to allow you to pass. Over there, it’s just plain driver courtesy.”
and i’m sure immigration is lower in those countries too.
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June 12th, 2007 at 7:26 am
Matt said “and I’m sure immigration is lower in those countries too.”
Matt, rather than whinging about how migrants are ruining the driving experience for you with their “apparent” tendency to hog the right lane and lack of courtesy, why don’t you campaign for tougher licensing standards or increased police enforcement instead?
You know, write to your local member, draw up a petition or even lobby for driver education classes in schools. Heck, why don’t you run for government if you feel so passionate about it. It’s a lot more proactive and makes you seem a lot less like a bigot.
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June 12th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Don’t worry - Aussie is not alone in this problem. Here in NZ we have people who have passed the same sort of stupid tests and have no idea on how to drive let alone in a courteous manner.
I too have driven in the UK & US, and agree with prior comments on the quickness of drivers in those countries to pull into the left (or right lanes in the case of the US) if need be for a faster travelling vehicle. But the main thing over there is they don’t need to that often because they are already in a lane which is appropriate for the speed of the car.
The best example of not keeping left we have is in Auckland on the motorway system. Quite often you have people towing trailers, buses, trucks or campervans in the far right lanes. Or better yet you can quite regularly come across any combination of these three or four abreast blocking all lanes from travelling any faster. The best is when you get the three B-Trains beside each other trying to race down the motorway to Hamilton…..
Another thing that irritates a lot of drivers in NZ is the way people travel at approx 90 - 100 km on the open road (limit in NZ is 100km) which is predominantley one lane each direction through the country. However you can bet every time as soon as you hit the passing bays everybody thinks it is drag time and the cars that were doing 90km now seem quite happy to do 110km down the passing bay.
So that means other drivers who want to travel at 100km all the time have to pass at a rate of around 120 - 130km to get past. Of course once the passing lanes end the cars who were doing up to 110km slow right back to 90km. Very annoying for everyone as the traffic simply doesn’t flow.
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June 12th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
LOL matt, if you think immigration is lower in UK and france you would be indeed extremely mistaken.
As for keep left, i usually keep left unless overtaking or prevailing traffic conditions dictate otherwise.
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June 13th, 2007 at 11:17 am
LAW. On a multi-lane highway with a speed limit greater that 80kph or where a keep left sign applies, the driver of a vehicle MUST keep left UNLESS, overtaking or about to turn right.
It jacks me off sitting behind a car in the right lane when I’m in my own car…. My work car is a marked police car, they’re only too happy to get out of my way then…..
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June 16th, 2007 at 7:30 am
My experience on my commute to & from work is that the left lane is actually faster time & time again.
I have a theory as to why they do it. They aren’t aware of where the passenger side of the car is. So they prefer the outside lane which gives them a bit more confidence that they are not going to collect parked cars, light poles, letter boxes or worse garden knomes!.
I’ve tested this theory occassionaly when I am forced to pass a car on the inside by hugging the centre line. they don’t like it at all. & either slow down or speed up.
Agree for the most part about Europe. Not quite sure about the flashing lights thing. I have tried the “leave the right hand indicator on” showing the person infront that I intend to run faster than them and they should move over. (Only do it when there is enough room for them) It works about 30-40% of the time.
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June 16th, 2007 at 9:24 am
I’m all for keeping left. It iritates me when you have slow drivers in the right hand lane that know you are behind them, and have the room to move over, but just don’t.
What annoys me even more though when you do use the right hand lane for the right reason, OVERTAKING, you get a bogan wankjob (alot on the Ipswich Motorway) that tailgates right on your ass when you have just entered the right hand lane to overtake.
Some people resort to bully tactics even when you have been in the right lane for 2 seconds!!!
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June 21st, 2007 at 7:45 pm
I agree with Thomas - if I do use the right lane to overtake, then allow me to do this please without having a bully behind me… And there is still a speed limit to be observed during this process - just because you are on the right hand lane doesnt mean you can ignore the posted speed limits!
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June 21st, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I think the problem usually occurs when the left hand lane driver is sitting at 70 in an 80 zone for example and then an overtake is attempted at 75km/hr in the right lane, if your going to be in the right lane, at they very least, stick to the limit!
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June 23rd, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Funny thing about these people hogging the right lane, a lot of the time they arent aware of what they are doing. Unfotunantly ‘Juliet Potter’ and ‘Thomas’ are those people. They have admitted it themselves without realising it.
The fact that someone is getting impatient behind them means that they are not overtaking quick enough, and if that is the case then they shouldnt bother overtaking at all. Why change to the right hand lane, only to sit on the same speed as the car next to you? If you cant complete the whole overtaking move within 200 meters then you are not going fast enough to overtake at all. Besides that, the law actually does allow excess speed for the purposes of overtaking.
Theres no excuse for holding up people in the right lane.
Lets try a different rule… If someone is wanting to go faster then you, move over.
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June 26th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Um, no Nigel… I do not make a habit of sitting in the right lane, and I am aware of how I drive. I do not believe my comment insinuates that I hold up people or that I sit on the right lane blissfully unaware.
My point, which you dont seem to want to hear or you are purposefully misconstruing, is that there are other drivers on the road, that for no good reason, sit on my ass while I am overtaking (again, when I am using the right lane effectively). And I also agree with Thomas that it is, in my experience, usually a “bogan” or a young guy in a hotted up car that does this… It is intimidating and dangerous and there are still speed limits that need to be adhered to when “overtaking”…
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June 30th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
i drive all around brisbane the gold coast the sunshine coast & west of brisbane every day & find the left lane is the fastest but you soon catch up with a slow car & need to get in the right lane & the fool in the right lane [who’s going slow sees that you want to get over so they speed up]. then when you do get over the fool you are trying to get around speeds up when you get beside them i hate getting out in the right lane period!. but you’ve got to to keep the momentum up because i drive a 45ton when loaded truck there are cowboys & it’s getting worse [young blokes] trucks are limited by law to 100kph so what do you do when these fools speed up & keep you out there in the right lane?
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July 5th, 2007 at 9:54 am
No one in the right lane should be driving above the speed limit.
Most of the comments here are from drivers who speed ….
The law needs to change to “cars driving under the speed limit must use the left hand lanes”
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July 5th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Mark, you sound like the sort of person this Rant & Rave is aimed at. Why on earth would you want to sit in the right lane when drivers behind wish to pass you? The speed limits in Australia are some of the lowest in the Western world and on 8 lane highways as we have in QLD - they are too slow when compared to the rest of the world.
Our speed limits are there to raise revenue - we all know that! What kills Australian drivers is inexperience, poor roads and DRIVER FRUSTRATION.
Sounds like YOU have probably caused other drivers to take unnessary risks and for that - you should have been booked for driving unlawfully. You are most fortunate that our police ministers place a higher value on state revenue than human lives!!
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July 5th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
I agree with what tony has said about the revenue raising thing. we have idiots in our housing estate racing down our 50kph street doing above 100kph & countless calls by me & several neighbours has failed to see the police do anything about it they want us to record times & get number plates what bulls@^t yet you can drive to the gold coast & see camera cars [hidden behind sound barriers] we’re going to place them in plain view lol on a highway where you could safely sit on 150kph so nobody can tell me that the posted speed limits on our highways aren’t there just for revenue raising if they were serious about road safety they would get their asses down here & stop the idiots before they kill somebody worst of all a kid !
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July 9th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Isn’t it only the rule if the speed limit is more then 80km/h?
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July 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Yes Garath, 80k relates to multi-lane roads, but in Qld, S.125 Transport Operations (Road Use Management - Road Rules) Regulation 1999 makes it an offence to ‘unreasonably obstruct drivers’ on ANY road, and gives as an example someone sitting in the right hand lane at a speed lower than the posted limit.
For all those who think they have the right to slow down drivers in the right hand lane, who they feel are exceeding the posted limit, don’t forget that each vehicle can have a 10% discrepency in their accuracy (equating to a possible 20k difference between vehicles in a 100k zone). Keep left! But not too far left as the very far left lane on a multi-lane road is mine.
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July 21st, 2007 at 10:43 am
You only have to be in the left hand lane when the speed limit is over 80 ks. Quite frankly in the town where the limits are 80 ks or less doing multiple lane changes is very dangerous. You may need to do a right turn in two ks time and if the road user did multiple changes over that 2 ks the level of crash risk has increased.
Unreasonably going under the speed limit is considered to be over 10 ks under the posted limit. What folks haven’t considered here is really how much time do you save by going 5 ks faster?
It has also been said that the speedo might be out by 10%. So when you see someone overtaking in the right lane who you deem too slow maybe there speedo is showing something different to yours. The roads need a lot more patience and courtesy.
Flashing your high beam (as mentioned in this article above) is illegal and could create an unsafe situation. So many people that drive do not know when to use the horn either.
The police should do more about Tailgating which is also illegal.
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July 21st, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Unfortunately Sean, you sound like the typical right lane hog that may well have caused frustrated drivers to take unnecessary risks to get passed you.
The law is what it is but is ist not much easier just to abide by the keep left rule at all possible times. If someone wants to get moving and pas you, whether he is exceeding the speed limit or not (Please don’t tell me you have never exceeded the speed limit - I won’t believe you!)
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July 21st, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Anthony you sound like someone who would want to pass everyone for the sake of passing. Then when you don’t get your own way you travel behind a car so close you flash your lights and tailgate. Both of which are illegal and dangerous. Then when the car in front has to stop all of a sudden you are then saying it’s the car in fronts fault. It’s about time that people follow the rules and stop advocating anything else.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 8:07 pm
The right hand lane for me is a zone I spend little time as possible in.
The speedometer on different vehicles can have variations of calibration 110 on mine is 104 per the speed check sign on the Western Highway near Ballarat Vic.
I may have someone coming up from behind whose speedometer is spot on.
Consideration rubs both ways.
Consideration of this likelihood needs to be made when deciding to pullout from behind the slow traffic & KEEP to the left at other times.
It is about reasonably judging relative speeds of other traffic,some of us can do it better than others for all sorts of reason & at the worst end of the scale there are some that don’t care & that is the problem end.
If in doubt is there anything wrong with just waiting for nothing to be coming up from behind?
We all have a right to presume that other vehicles are NOT significantly over the legal limit but it is not much use protesting your rights while your car is being assessed after an incident.
Cool heads all round helps everyone to get there.
SUBURBIA is a different scenario with a myriad of right hand turn dedicated lanes branching from divided multilane roads,USE some judgement & consideration & anticipate that the driver in the right lane might just be looking to turn right somewhere soon & if not they might just be seeing something you can’t if not are you really that desperate to beat them to the next red light? And for those who can’t help themselves & speed out of frustration in the left hand lane remember it is closest to the footpath & parked cars.
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July 25th, 2007 at 12:22 am
Just ask Ben who states that in his work “police” car ppl always get out of the way - I disagree, that even under lights and siren it takes some ppl several seconds to realise an emergency vehicle needs to pass - if these ppl would simply move into the left (keep left not middle is my thought here) life would be a little easier - why not give up this stupid power play, be curteous, perhaps the person who needs to overtake has a medical or other emergency and as someone here said you are allowed to exceed the speed limit when overtaking - this is not true for all states and territories.
Anyhow, it is sad to read some of the comments here but remember when you are out there “if you find yourself arguing with an idiot, you’re probably doing the same thing”.
Keep right, rear fogs on, 10ks under and speed up when ppl undertake you - yeah and you mights just make “dickhead driver of the year” if you so desire… Stay safe all
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August 2nd, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Now - here’s a thought, just get a left hand drive car, and really going on most multi-lane roads here in Australia you’ll feel like you’re just driving in Germany… trucks in the right lane, slow cars in the right lane too - some overtake or just sit in the middle and the left lane remains free - very practical…. just turn it all around to your advantage… and as long as no one is speeding you are all safe….. and to avoid speeding I find the entertainment units and navigation systems very practical as you can play with these as you are doodling along ….
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August 3rd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I have spent 3 years living in South Africa cursing 3rd world drivers there only to find that here in Australia it happens. To be completely fair in it happens for different reasons in each country, but nonethless the problem is there.
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August 6th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Late comment but only just read your piece. I wish it was true of UK drivers to get out of the way but unfortunately it’s often doesn’t happen. The UK’s problem isn’t so much as right hand lane hoggers but members of CLOC (Centre Lane Owners Club). If not them, then tail-gaters.
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August 11th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Plain and simple the LAW states keep LEFT unless overtaking. IT’S SIMPLE except for diesel brains in double B’s and drivers with hats. The fast lane along the M1 should be the right lane not the left lane.
COME ON KEEP LEFT it’s that simple.If you want a scenic drive take the train or a bus!
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August 21st, 2007 at 1:54 pm
It happens everywhere in australia. Its so simple if your driving along and noones holding you up, DRIVE IN THE LEFT LANE. How hard is it. But as mentioned b4 the worst are people driving at 90 kays on a 1 lane road then when an overtaking lane shows up they speed up to 110-120 kays then slow again. The point to this???? No-one can tell me. Anyone who has travelled on the Pacific Highway knows all about this. But its not only on highways it happens in cities too. University drive in newcastle city bound goes from 2 lanes to 1 i will be sitting on 60 kays getting passed by all cars but as soon as it turns to 1 lane everyone slows down to 50. Why??????? If you can’t drive on a single lane road at the speed limit get off the friggin road, obviously your not confident enough to drive.
Ok thats my rant so Keep left, maintain speed, use blinkers, and dont talk on the phone while driving. I think if there was crack downs on these behaivours rather than just the blanket “Speed Kills” mentality of our traffic authoritys you’ll see a massive decrease in not just accidents but road deaths as well.
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August 21st, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I recently drove up to QLD along the Pacific Hwy and due to the fact it wasn’t school holidays it was mostly pain free apart from the RTA revenue enforcement cameras. Once I was on the 8 lane freeway between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, I was absolutely amazed that cars entering the freeway from offramps would find a lane, any lane, in which they could travel without having to change lanes whilst on their way. With a choice of 4 lanes, many found themselves in lane 3 of 4. I found the clearest and most unused lane was lane one. I’m not saying that Qlders are dumb as its more of an Australian thing. I too have driven on European highways and I’ll never forget the experience in Germany where I ventured at 160km/h into lane 2 of 3 and I felt massive buffeting from 3 or 4 very fast beemers all doing 200+ overtaking us in lane 3. Do that here and yes you will most likely die from a collision with a slow going un-courteous right lane hog. Australian drivers leave a lot to be desired! I agree that more pressure should be put on pollies/media for more emphasis on what causes driver frustration. I was too scared to overtake guys who sped up when overtaking lanes appeared incase I got buzzed by a camera. Sorry for the rant, I’m frustrated!!
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August 21st, 2007 at 7:14 pm
after reading this article a few days ago i started paying more attention to drivers not keeping left, and i have to say it is starting annoying the hell out of me that slower drivers continue to travel on the right lane. I’m relatively new to driving, holding my learner permit for 2 years and only having my P’s for just over 6 months so i dont have a whole lot of driving expirience, but i have a pretty good knowledge of road rules, but it seems like every driver (in Melbourne atleast) has no clue that keeping left unless overtaking is a rule. i have never heard of anyone being booked for not keeping left and i see drivers sticking to the right lane and driving slow everytime i drive. I for one beleive that if australia were to create an autobahn type of freeway without speedlimits which relied on driver curtasy to keep left, the road toll figures would be astronomical.
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August 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 am
Have to ad since my last comment I was driving up the link road in newcastle which is a dual lane road with 90km/h limit at 10pm. I’m in the left lane doing 90-ish and was catching an old XF Falcon in the right lane probably doin 15kmh less and we were the only 2 on the road. Then the idiot didnt dim his highbeam when i got past. You know why, he just came out of hungry jacks and was eating his burger with BOTH hands off the wheel and interior light on!!!! Oblivious to what is going on, now where is the police around for dangerous driving like that.
But oh dont worry about that, its those kids in there hotted up cars that kill everyone, plus we make more money off them.
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August 22nd, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Oh yes, aren’t we good at avoiding the Left hand lane, after all, we don’t want to wear the poor thing out. Mind you, for those that have had the misfortune to drive on Brisbane’s fabulous Gateway Motorway, will find the advantages of NOT using the left hand lane. Here we have a wonderful piece of Engineering whereby the on ramps are a generous 50 - 100m long (ok so there are a bit longer than that, but feel that way)There seems also to be a lot of these ramps that are either uphill, on bends, or relatively blind entries. So if we have our beloved diesel warriors trying to pull 20 tonne up a hill, merging with traffic doing 100km/hr on a bend and a merging lane the length of good laugh, it’s no wonder people want to drive in the right lane. Besides, I pay my taxes, and pay and pay, so I want value for money. If that means using the right lane and obstructing traffic, then it’s my patriotic duty as a Qld driver to be a pain in the arse. Just look at Daylight saving, it really does fade the curtains up here. Could this also be just driving to the conditions?
If you happen to come across a old Volvo being driven by a person with a hat on doing 85km/hr in the right lane, give them a polite wave, as I will be overtaking them in the Left lane. Have fun out there!
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August 31st, 2007 at 12:21 am
There are TOO many stupid people on the roads, sorry to say! In Adelaide, we have the most dumbest stupidest and dangerous drivers that rile me up everytime cos they’re either tooo slow or tailgaters FORCE you to put your own life at risk JUST FOR THEM dkhds! And while I do drive fast, I drive within the speeds cos I dont want a bloody fine! So you stupid Adelaide drivers BACK OFF from me or you will get more than you bargain from as you dont know who you are dealing with in the next car that you abuse/tailgate! I’m highly fed up with both tailgaters and slow drivers in the right lane and I hate being held up. The people here who have said BE COURTESTOUS, thats right, don’t hold up people who need to go faster to get to a destination. The people who go fast are usually people who have good self control and confidence (though there are some stupid ones that do crash from speeding!) SO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY IF SOMEONE WANTS TO GET PAST YOU! On the pathetic excuse of a one-way only expressway we have in Adelaide, that is only open one way for half of the day and then open the other way for the other half of the day (which I must say I curse every single time I see its closed the times i need to use it!), I see so many bloody stupid people driving VERY slowly like maybe 15-20ks slower than the limit on the expressway DEFEATING its purpose - hello! What does Expressway mean???? If you cant drive fast, GO THE LONG WAY!!!!! I absolutely cant stand stupid slow drivers on the expressway hogging ALL two and three lanes (as it becomes 2 lanes after awhile which in my opinion to the pollies STUPID!) and these people who hog the roads sit side by side each other blocking ANY passageway for those who go right at the limit which is a 100!!! (again it should be limited at 110 or 120 as the expressway is too big/fast for 100!) PATHETIC! So next time you see me flashing my lights to move, MOVE IT!!! I ve had a gutful of you Adelaide drivers and I hope you are reading this!!! Oh one more thing, for pollies this time, Why have you put that stupid 80km limit WAY TOO FAR BACK FROM THE ENDING ON THE EXPRESSWAY???? AND ALSO IT GOES DOWN TO A 70KM AGAIN STILL TOO FAR FROM THE ENDING, HUH U WANT OUR MONEY!!!?????? TAKE YOUR REVENUE off and think about our safety instead! Australia is really an apathetic and uncaring country! Sorry i dont mean everyone but it seems A LOT are apathetic, there are some caring cortestious drivers yes and i thank you for that, but too many that are not! So stay in the left lane unless you can drive fast enough! I’m sick to death of you slow drivers and abusive drivers!!! By the way, those who weave in and out of traffic cos they are being held up, LEAVE THEM ALONE, THEY ARE NOT DOING ANY HARM AND ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHAT THEY DO! There! I have said my piece!
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August 31st, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Stick in the left lane when driving the F3
9 times out of 10 you’ll get there quicker.
Highway Patrol don’t police it because it’s too hard. (and they’re too lazy, rather sit behind a tree and raise revenue)
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September 1st, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Go Gypsy, Go!
I’m an Adelaide driver too and often wonder which Corn Flakes brand has a free driver’s Licence in the box!
I witnessed one driver doing 60k in an 80k zone and then went past me doing 80 in a 60 zone…work that one out!
I may be at fault here, but I frequently drive on the S/East Freeway to Mt Barker and will often stay in the right lane doing 110-120 (limit is 110 for all you non-South Aus drivers).
I do this because of the many slower drivers in the left lane that I regularly catch up with and overtake. By staying in the right lane I get a smoother ride and don’t have to keep moving left and right all the time.
Also (in Adelaide anyway) the left lane is always the one being repaired (badly) and is often more bumpy and pot-holey than the right. Anyone been along the left lane of the SE Freeway past Hahndorf lately? The left lane coming back to Adelaide is even worse!
If another car is really ‘closing the gap’ on me fast (and obviously think they are on the AutoBarn), then they must be a more of a hurry than me, so I then move to the left and let them pass. Maybe if I’m lucky there will be a ‘cop and laser’ over the next rise and I will go past them…Ha Ha!
Am I being naughty for staying in the right lane, going a bit over the limit, to enjoy a better ride?
While we are on SA drivers…Can you all please turn off your f*@%ing driving lights in the city! They are NOT fog lights (you have been conned if you think they are!), and besides, we don’t have that thickness of fog to need them, even in the hills. Do other states have similar ‘fog light’ problems?
My 5c worth.
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September 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
To all frustrated speedy racers out there: YOU ARE NOT HELPING!
I believe most drivers are courteous enough and would give you YOUR road if you give them enough space. Sitting on their tails (does not matter what lane it is), flashing your head lights, signaling WHILE TAILGATING would not do the trick.
I personally do not like to be intimidated in such manner - if I am already at the speed limit (according to my spedo) then what do YOU want? I will give you the way at the earliest SAFE opportunity. Simple as that.
I always slow down when someone is overtaking me on a high speed road to make it safer for him/her. Always trying not to hold up traffic behind me if I am driving on a single-lane road (but again - I am NOT familiar with EVERY country-side road, so do not expect me to do the speed limit there just because the road sign says so).
Traffic in cities is a different story altogether. As many readers already pointed out: everyone pretty much is already going at the speed limit; you may need to turn right at the next lights or just need to turn right soon - why on Earth would you go faster in these situations?
Just calm down and drive safely, ok?
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September 7th, 2007 at 4:14 am
I think it’s very simple. If you’re in the right lane, you should be either of these:
a) Being held up by the car in front of you
b) Have heaps of room behind you and are traveling at a greater speed than the speed limit.
There is no excuse for anyone to be in the right lane unless they meet one of these criteria. That means if you’re holding up the person behind you and have the open road ahead, MOVE LEFT or SPEED UP, FAST. I will probably get criticized for saying it, but I have no problem speeding up to 150km/h or more to abide by this rule. If I feel like taking it easy at 120km/h, I’ll do it in the right lane if and only if theres no-one behind me. And if I only want to go the speed limit, I’ll chill out in left lanes.
Lets face it, yes speed limits exist but we all know that they are a load of horse shit. Its all about revenue raising, and it’s perfectly safe to do 150 on most of the major highways around Melbourne.
I regularly travel at over 180mk/h on the Monash freeway and it’s probably safer than traveling at the speed limit because I spend less time on the road, am more alert, and I’m always scanning the traffic and identifying potential hazards.
Is it just me or does anyone else feel the need, when you have to overtake a right-lane-hog on the left, to accelerate as fast as possible, to show them how fast you would have been going had it not been for their blockage of the road? I try to drive as close as possible to them as well, to show them the error in their ways.
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September 7th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
180 KM/H or more on the Monash?GET OUT OF MY WAY!!
Speed limits?Don’t limit my freedom to do as I like.
Where to start?
Find a race track,not public roads is the obvious.
Most modern medium sized 4 cylinders are capable of this speed,some do this & more with ease,so there is nothing to prove.
180 KM/H where traffic may enter & attempt to merge or exit shows an inhumane attitude to others.
No one expects that some @#&% is travelling at this speed from behind.
Reaction times & stopping distances.
Does Peter understand this?
I suspect not.
His writings reflect the way he drives.
At 180km/h his reaction time will take him at least 40 meters,50 meters is likely.
To safely brake at 100km/h the distance can be as far as 50-60 meters from the time you finish reacting & put your foot on the brake till you stop.
At 180km/h,who knows?
If an obstacle appears 100 meters away at 180km/h Peter is as good as dead.
At 100-120 km/h you MIGHT have a chance IF everyting is perfect.
Beyond this those laws of physics which car makers try SO HARD to limit the effect of become harder to mask.
Did notice the time of the post 4.14am.
Just in after being out for a night of speed?
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September 10th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Keep left should also apply to escalators.
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September 16th, 2007 at 10:42 am
People are so worried about hitting other cars at speed. Has anyone given thought to a problem caused by mechanical failure?
I was driving once when one of the bolts holding the brakes pads came loose causing the pads to fall onto the rotors resulting in an unexpected braking effect.
Had to buy some new underpants before continuing my journey.
Peter…Please don’t whinge about speeding fines, because at 180k you are WILLINGLY saying that you will pay the Govt revenue.
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September 16th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Disregarding the “keep left” rule is a nuisance and annoyance to other road users. Disregarding the speed limits KILLS people. These things should be kept in perspective. I have no time for people who zealously enforce the former (on others) but ignore the latter.
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September 19th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Australians often drive ‘badly’ deliberately is my observation, because they can.
Several problems with Australian roads administration impacting behavior, vis
* Intercity freeway and dual-carriageway lengths bear LOW speed limits, typically 100 -110km/h as you know. This low driver requirement leads to carelessness, fatigue and frustration - people see ‘no point’ in being the best they can.
Generally 130km/h or speed de-restriction is better suited here AFTER median barrier install and the U-Turn bays are gate locked.
* On learning of “KEEP LEFT-Motorway”, ONLY NSW does this states roads authority, the RTA, in its ROAD USERS’ HANDBOOK advise readers HOW to appropriately use a motorway or freeway class road bearing three or more lanes. This EXACT tuition mirrors that taught in Europe, China etc, indeed most advanced places subscribing to the UN Road Traffic Conventions. Simply stating ‘keep left’ doesn’t cut it in relation to three or more lane lengths.
The QLD, VIC, SA, NT, ACT, WA, TAS driver handbooks DO NOT spell this out at all, as they really should. It means therefore that most most Aussies consider the middle-lane of three-lane sections - as ‘the actual left lane’! These folk then consider the left-lane to be the ‘truck and caravan only lane’. They are wrong, one uses it first, always, IF it is clear.
I am hoping to have this NSW text inserted into the other jurisdictional handbooks, behavioral change then takes years to catch on.
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September 24th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Mike kelly says “Disregarding the “keep left” rule is a nuisance and annoyance to other road users. Disregarding the speed limits KILLS people. These things should be kept in perspective. I have no time for people who zealously enforce the former (on others) but ignore the latter.”
Give me a break, how did you come up with that crap. No doubt from the typical rubbish coming out from the Australian government. I’m going to guess that you have never lived overseas. Ask any European whick is more dangerous and I can tell you their answer.
If 1) You keep left at all times unless overtaking
2) You indicate early and double check before changing lanes
3) You keep proper distances from the car in front of you (including falling back when someone enters your lane)
then ANY speed limit is safe. Europe has been using this system for years with a better road toll than ours even with much worse weather conditions and traffic density.
Since nearly no aussie drivers keep any of the above rules no wonder you can’t see outside of the typical ’speed kills mantra’.
No doubt you tutt tutt drivers you see speed past you while your at the same time sit exactly on 100 WAY less than the 2 to 3 second safe distance. I can tell you right now, which one is more unsafe.
Blocking the overtaking lane clumps all the traffic into large blocks of fustrated drivers, rather than it spreading out over the freeway. Watch next time your driving for that exact thing and you will see it everywhere on australian roads. Explain to me how this is safer. Watch a web cam for five minutes of an Australian freeway then an European motorway for five minutes. My bet is that you would retract your inane comment and start keeping left more often. Unless Like many Aussies your motto for life is DILIGAF.
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October 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Thanks for exploring this issue,
I too find it frustrating that there seem to be an abundance of drivers, who can’t see the sense of sticking to the left lane, or for that matter seem to understand a simple instruction. The law is simple, and makes perfect sense.
The question is really simple. Does the law say: Keep left unless driving at or below the speed limit, or does it say: Keep left unless overtaking?
Any other illegal or dangerous road use is a separate issue, and can not be used to justify ones own inconsiderate and illegal road use.
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December 4th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I think it would be easier for most of you to sell the car, take a bus,train,taxi or fly…much less stress.
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