Category Archives: Motoring

Discussions on Motoring and more from NRMA

Driving beneath the speed limit

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Woman with road rage yelling out of a car window.

When it comes to the driving habits of NSW road-users, it’s slow drivers that has many NRMA members seeing red.

The hottest topic from the March/April issue of Open Road magazine was driving below the speed limit – with this statement from the Letters page, in particular, sparking debate:

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with travelling in the right-hand lane 2 or 3 km/h below the speed limit,” said one reader.

The team at Open Road were inundated with letters in response. So, it’s worth clarifying what exactly are the road rules when it comes to driving under the speed limit, travelling in the right-hand lane on roads and tailgating?

Driving slowly
According to the NSW Road Rules you cannot drive so abnormally slowly that you cause an obstruction. An example of driving ‘abnormally slowly’ would be, if you were travelling at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a road with a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, then you could be causing an obstruction to other drivers if there is no reason for you to drive at that speed on that road.

Keeping left
Drivers are to keep to the left on a multi-lane road where the speed limit is over 80 kilometres per hour, and are only allowed to drive in the right lane in certain circumstances:

  • Overtaking
  • Turning right
  • Making a U-turn from the centre of the road
  • There is a ‘Left lane must turn left sign’ or left traffic lane arrows apply and the driver is not turning left
  • The driver is required to drive in the right lane if traffic signs require a particular kind of vehicle to drive in the marked lane indicated by the signs.
  • Avoiding an obstruction
  • Traffic in every lane is congested
  • The right lane is a special purpose lane in which the driver is permitted to drive
  • There are only two marked lanes and the left lane is a slow vehicle turn out lane.

If a ‘Keep Left Unless Overtaking’ sign is displayed, then you must keep left regardless of the speed limit (unless overtaking).

Tailgating
Tailgating is a definite no-no and the Road Rules make this clear: “A driver must drive a sufficient distance behind a vehicle travelling in front of the driver so the driver can, if necessary, stop safely to avoid a collision with the vehicle.”

What do you think about these rules? What are your thoughts on drivers who travel under the speed limit?

Find out if your letter made it into the May/June 2013 issue of Open Road which is arriving in mailboxes now.

View past issues of Open Road or download the Open Road App for iPad.

Silliest car names

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Nissan CedricWhat are the silliest names manufacturers have come up with for new cars over the years? Our friends at Australian Classic Car magazine have compiled a car name list of shame:

10 – Renault Dauphine (1956)
Dauphine was a province in feudal France. It’s probably a great name for a car – if you happen to be a French historian and know what the hell it means.

9 – Daihatsu Naked (2000)
Seems something got lost in translation. The car’s clothes, perhaps. Daihatsu had bad-name priors with the Fellow (1966).

8 – Ford Prefect (1938)
Only an inbred twit educated at England’s snobbiest private school could ever think this was a good name for a car.

7 – Subaru Tribeca (2005)
“Hey, the Dodge Daytona, Chevy Bel Air and Mercury Monterey were all classics. If we name our car after an American city we can’t go wrong!”

6 – Reliant Robin (1973)
Not only a stupid name, it became an ironic name when you tried to steer the stupid thing around a corner.

5 – Ford Probe (1989)
Apparently no-one at Ford was familiar with the word ‘connotations’. The Taurus also gets a nod for being named after the stubbornest, ugliest star sign in the zodiac.

4 – Holden Brougham (1968)
This short-lived nameplate conjured up pictures of an old man in a tweed coat. It also sounded suspiciously like ‘brown’, the most boring colour of all.

3 – Mazda Carol (1962)
Yes, really. Mazda has a long rap sheet, including the Cronos, Bongo, Familia, Luce, Premacy and Savanna.

2 – Cadillac Park Avenue (1971)
‘Park Avenue’ made a bold statement: “This is the ideal car for wanker executives who want to tell the world they have tons of money – and no taste.”

1 – Nissan Cedric (1960)
Meant to sound distinguished, instead it sounded like someone’s grandpa. Nissan is another serial offender, with the Gloria, Prairie Joy, Pantry Boy Supreme, Laurel and Mistral on the list of shame.

Which of these do you think is the silliest car name? Have you got any that can beat our list?

Article taken from the May 2013 issue of Australian Classic Car. If you love classic cars, follow them on Facebook or find out how you can subscribe.

Seeing red: have your say on NSW’s worst roads

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NRMA Seeing Red on Roads Annual SurveyHave you ever been behind the wheel and found yourself frustrated by congestion, a detour due to roadworks, pot holes or other delays?

More than 15,000 frustrated Members had their say last year in our annual Seeing Red on Roads survey. In 2013, both a federal election year and the third of our campaign, we want even more people to get behind the survey.

Over the last two years of the campaign, our Members have consistently flagged the Pacific and Princes Highways as the worst roads in the state. In response, we’ve seen record levels of funding committed by the government to start fixing both these roads.

In fact, since NRMA’s first Seeing Red on Roads campaign in 2011, governments have committed over $1.8 billion to fix the Pacific Highway and $240 million to fix the Princes Highway.

The NSW Government has also announced its WestConnex Project to fix the road NRMA Members voted as the worst in Sydney – Parramatta Road.

These major announcements show that our campaign works!

Although we’ve made a great start in getting these dangerous roads upgraded, there’s no better time than an election year to ensure NSW secures its fair share of federal road funding.

We encourage every NRMA Member to take part in the Seeing Red on Roads survey. With your support we can help make sure NSW gets much needed road investments.

Are the pot holes on your local street driving you nuts? Is the snail paced traffic during peak hour on your local motorway frustrating you? Whatever the issue, have your say here.

Will the Pacific Highway come out number one again or have the recent upgrades provided enough relief for North Coast motorists?

Below are the Top 10 Most Frustrating Roads in 2012 as voted by you. Click on the image below to enlarge.

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New Course for Learner Drivers

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Learner Driver

LEARN SMART: Just in case you missed the recent news on the new course for learners, which will give a reduction in logbook hours, here is the latest info.

We’ve had a huge response from Members since we posted on our site and Facebook page that from the 1 July 2013 learners will be able to complete a Safer Drivers Course and get a reduction in logbook hours.

Just in case you missed it, here is the latest information.

What does the Course involve?

The Safer Drivers Course is a combined theoretical and practical course. It will involve a facilitated group session discussing how to manage risks on the road and tailored in-car coaching addressing individual learning needs.

All up the course will take about five hours. The group session will run for two to three hours and the in-car coaching will be one to two hours.

The NRMA provided advice to the NSW Government Advisory Panel that developed the Course.

Do I still need to do 120 logbook hours?

Once you have done the Course your logbook hours reduce by 20 hours.

If you do the Course and do 10 hours of professional driving lessons your logbook hours go down to 80.

How much will it cost?

At this stage, we don’t know exactly how much it will cost to do the Course but the NSW Government has said the price will be affordable.

When will it be available?

The first group of learner drivers will do the course in July 2013. The Course will then be rolled out in NSW based on demand and provider availability.

What else has changed?

From 1 July 2013, learner drivers will be allowed to drive up to 90km/h instead of 80km/h. This will make sure that learners are supervised the first time they drive at 90km/h.

What do you think? Do you agree with these changes?

Seeing Red on Rail

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Have you had a train experience which made you see red? What improvements would you like to see on our rail network?

HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you had a train experience which made you see red? What improvements would you like to see on our rail network?

A couple of weeks ago staff at NRMA’s Wynyard office were astounded by the scenes outside the office. A sea of people spilling onto York St, police marshalling the crowds, total chaos. Was it a natural disaster, a security threat?

No. Overhead power lines entangled with a branch at Waverton train station had disrupted services on the North Shore Line. The butterfly effect of this minor fault rippled through the network, affecting an estimated 50,000 people who travel between Central and Chatswood on a Monday morning.

Two weeks later, NRMA staff in North Strathfield got an early Valentine’s Day present while traveling home, when smoke emerged from the air conditioner at RailCorp’s Strathfield signal box, forcing the evacuation of the entire station and having knock-on effects throughout the CityRail network. With frustrated commuters piling on to buses and phoning a friend for a lift out of there, Strathfield’s peak hour congestion became even worse.

From our research, the frustrations that our staff are feeling are shared by our Members. Nearly half of NRMA’s 2.5 million Members use public transport regularly, many catching a train to and from work every day.

From our Member survey in July 2012, 70 per cent of Members want better public transport to give them an alternative to the car.

We are now asking commuters to have their say on Sydney’s rail network by participating in NRMA’s first ever Seeing Red on Rail survey.

NRMA wants YOU to vote now now on the biggest issues on the rail network, whether it’s late trains, rubbish on seats or personal safety concerns. Better public transport options will encourage more people to use rail services, helping reduce road congestion and our impact on the environment.

Have you had a train experience which made you see red? What improvements would you like to see on our rail network? Have your say now, VOTE now.

By completing the short survey you will also go into the draw to WIN one of three iPad minis or one of five $100 NRMA Online Shop vouchers.*

*Terms and conditions apply. NSW Permit No. LTPM/12/00479 and ACT TP 12/02327. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.