The “This is what we should all do” speech isn’t working anymore – as personal opinion goes nowhere in the age of online forums have proven (ie: those that matter, the lawmakers, do not pay enough heed to them) and it’s principally a venting space for, well, all of us.

There are two key words that apply here:

DRIVER & ATTITUDE.

How is Driver Attitude relevant to improving… anything… that is wrong with our contemporary driver and road situation / problems?

It impacts upon EVERYTHING.

- Courtesy to stay out of the right hand lane
- Allowing those that clearly indicate the space to merge
- Using our indicators as we wish to appear polite
- Clearly knowing our own abilities, and not feeling the need to see how far we can push them (the PRINCIPLE problem with younger – prominently male – drivers); a whole other kettle of fish!
- Not seeing the need to lane jump in heavy traffic / at stop lights / where there’s no room to do so.
- Increasing our awareness and perception of traffic conditions / car space / time of day – becoming more Switched On.

The list is long.

How is Driver Attitude Improved?

From the START, when a learner first gets in that automobile. With trained professionals, ideally placed as mandatory Advanced Driver Training (NOT the parents of the child. It can be the parents handing down the a) bad habits and b) bad attitude that is currently in existence).
Someone to teach them more than “how to parallel park” or “You will be penalized for going 3kmh over the limit”, but getting their Heads Right when behind the wheel.

But, yet again… this is just another internet rant. Very unfortunate. Regardless, it’s food for thought for everyone here.

From,
Someone Who’s Been Young, Sped Lots, Drove Dangerously, Lost Licences, yet Come Out The Other Side With A Wiser, Better, Yet Unique Point Of View.

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.

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.

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.