Category Archives: Motoring

Discussions on Motoring and more from NRMA

Top 10 Most Misunderstood Road Rules

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Should slow cars keep left?

TEST-TIME: Use this list to cross your Ls and dot your Ps.

Should slow cars keep left? Do you need to indicate at roundabouts? Are you allowed to drive through a yellow light? 

“The community told us they didn’t understand some of the changes we made last
year and they also told us they were not sure about many other existing rules,” said NSW Roads Minister Mr Duncan Gay in a press release.

“To address this issue we have developed a guide answering many of the unknowns
about road rules in a simple way.”

These are the 10 most misunderstood road rules in the state, according to Transport for NSW.

1. ROUNDABOUTS: Drivers approaching a roundabout must use their indicators when turning or making a U-turn. There is no requirement for drivers to signal when approaching the roundabout, if they are going straight ahead.

2. GIVING WAY TO PEDESTRIANS: If a driver is turning left or right at an intersection, the driver must give way to any pedestrian crossing the road the driver is entering. This applies to intersections with and without traffic lights.

3. MOBILE PHONES: A mobile phone can only be used while driving if it’s secured in a commercially designed and manufactured mounting fixed to the vehicle or operated by Bluetooth technology or voice activation. This includes the navigational or GPS function and audio functions of the device.

4. MERGING: When a driver is travelling on a road without lane markings and the number of lanes is reduced, they must merge by giving way to any vehicle that is ahead of them. However a driver who is moving from one lane, marked by broken lines (whether or not the lane is ending) to another must give way to any vehicle already travelling in the same direction.

5. KEEPING LEFT: On roads with a speed limit of more than 80km/h, motorists must not drive in the right-hand lane unless overtaking, turning right or making a U-turn, avoiding an obstacle or driving in congested traffic. If a ‘Keep Left Unless Overtaking’ sign is displayed, then you must keep left regardless of the speed limit.

6. HEADLIGHT AND FOG LIGHT USE: High beam is not permitted if travelling less than 200 metres behind a car going in the same direction or less than 200 metres from an oncoming vehicle. It is an offence to flash the vehicle’s headlights unless the vehicle is being used to respond to an emergency. A driver is only permitted to use fog lights if driving in fog, mist or other atmospheric condition that restricts visibility.

7. U-TURNS: When making a U-turn a driver must have a clear view of any approaching traffic and give way to all vehicles and pedestrians. Drivers are not allowed to make a U-turn across: a) a single continuous dividing line; b) a single continuous dividing line to the left of a broken line; c) two parallel continuous dividing lines.

8. SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE: Drivers should stay three seconds behind vehicles in front of them. In poor conditions such as rain, gravel roads or dim light, it may be necessary to increase the travelling distance to four seconds to increase the crash avoidance space.

9. SCHOOL ZONES: A school zone is the area around a school with a speed limit of 40km/h normally from 8am to 9.30am and between 2.30pm and 4pm on school days. Details on NSW gazetted school days can be located here. There are a small number of non-standard school zone times in NSW. These zones are identified by red/orange school zone signs which indicate non-standard times. Signs at these schools display the times which apply.

10. YELLOW TRAFFIC LIGHTS: A driver approaching traffic lights showing a yellow traffic light must stop if they can do so safely. Penalties apply for drivers who fail to stop at a yellow light, unless it is unsafe to do so.

How did you go? Do many NSW drivers misunderstand these rules?

Should motorbikes be allowed ride through stationary traffic?

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Lane Filtering - Should motorbikes be allowed ride around stationary traffic?

GO WITH THE FLOW: To try and improve traffic congestion, the NSW Government are legalising lane filtering in a section of the CBD for the next few months. Do you think this is a good idea? Image: www.autoblog.com

From 1 February until 1 May this year, it will be legal for motorcyclists to ride through stationary traffic at intersections in parts of the Sydney CBD.

This practice of moving between stationary vehicles is known as Lane Filtering.

“Lane filtering is currently against the law, however there will be an exemption for motorcyclists in part of the CBD, which will permit them to filter through traffic when vehicles are stopped at traffic lights,” said Roads Minister Mr Duncan Gay.

Mr Gay is using the three-month trial to test if motorbike lane filtering improves traffic flow. Lane Filtering will be confined to the areas bordered by Sussex and Market Streets, St James Road, Macquarie and Alfred Streets and Hickson Road.

Although the practice is legal in other countries such as the United Kingdom and much of mainland Europe, Mr Gay wants to find strong evidence it works here before making any changes to road rules.

“This trial is not about favouring one road user group over another, it is a system which could benefit all motorists in the CBD. It needs to be tested to ensure it improves traffic flow while not jeopardising road safety,” said Mr Gay.

Conditions for motorcyclists:

  • Specific conditions will include taking extra care when filtering near buses, no filtering on the left in the kerbside left lane or dedicated turning lanes, and riders must stop at the intersection stop-line.
  • Lane splitting will not be allowed – this involves motorcyclists weaving through moving traffic instead of stationary traffic.

What do you think of Lane Filtering as an idea to improve traffic flow?

5 rest stops for your next family road trip

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Road trips make for amazing family experiences and memories. In my family we’re known for just jumping in the car and driving for a spontaneous day out, as well as planned long road trips interstate or through the countryside.

A road trip isn’t the time to rush. Making plenty of stops is vital for safety and also, as parents around the country know, spending a little time keeping the kids happy will pay off during the long driving stretches.

Here’s how to make a rest stop work for the whole family:

Anyone on a road trip with children will attest to how difficult it is to drive past a country town’s local playground without dozens of requests to stop for a play.

Try timing meals and scheduled rests with towns likely to have playgrounds, and perhaps incorporate a picnic lunch with a play stop. If there aren’t any parks around (or if that isn’t your kids’ thing) grab a football, cricket bat or a kite, or even just have a family race on a local oval. Even a half an hour play means the kids will thank you – and you’ll be pleased you took the time to keep them happy.

Driver swap stop

It’s pretty tiring being in the same seat for an entire road trip, so if you have a long way to go you’ll need to give the navigator and music selector a break. I mean, the driver. The driver!

Seriously, the exhaustion of focusing on the road can creep up on drivers so you need to set a time limit on yourself rather than wait to feel the need to change gears from the pilot to the passenger. NRMA recommends stopping at least every two hours to avoid fatigue setting in.

If you don’t have anyone to share the driving with you’ll need to counteract the fatigue even more proactively. Some drivers are happy to take a quick power nap at rest stops, while others won’t have this option (when travelling with kids). In that case, sleep stops will mark the end of the day and a place to stay, and it’s time to get a good night’s sleep before heading off the next day.

Food stop

My husband prides himself on knowing the towns with the best bakeries, his specialty being great coffee, a good pie and a donut. Whether that suits your tastebuds or you’d prefer a fresh salad roll or a great café meal, stopping for food regularly is one of the best things you can do to rejuvenate the driver and keep the passengers satisfied.

Keep snacks in the car for in between meal stops – there isn’t a recipe for a miserable road trip truer than a backseat full of hungry kids – and make sure you let the family know when stops are planned so they can gear up their tastebuds for that perfect country bakery.

One tip, however: avoid rich foods and big milk drinks if you still have lots of driving ahead. No more details needed, just trust me on that one.

Dance stop

When my daughter was eight months old, we embarked on a road trip from Melbourne to Alice Springs. She was crawling around at the time – not a developmental stage conducive to being placed on the red dirt of the outback – and so we took to taking ‘dance stops’.

The dancing stop involves pulling to the side of the road, getting everyone out of the car and leaving the doors open. Then the music is cranked up and you dance with the kids; the young ones are spun around in your arms, and any older kids shake their thing alongside you. An amazing way to boost the fun mood of a road trip and get rid of any excess energy, and it also means you don’t have to push on to the next town before stopping for a break, which NRMA lists as one of the biggest potential dangers of country driving.

Sightseeing stop

Choose some things you want to stop and see along the way, and combine this with some spontaneous stops to see the sights.

This will not only get you out of the car – perhaps for a short walk, an exciting new sight, or even just a few snaps on the camera – but also keep you excited about the reason you’re out on the road. That is, to see new things and enjoy the experience. It’s easy to get caught up in getting the kilometres behind you, but don’t forget to stop and refresh the whole family with some views of our amazing countryside.

Crash Assist Technologies explained – Collision Warning and AEBS

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Ford's Forward Collision Warning technology illustration

GUARDIAN ANGEL: Flashing lights on the dash and an audible warning tell the driver to take action (thanks to Ford for the Forward Collision Warning illustration).

Collision Warning

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a guardian angel on our shoulder, checking us all the time we’re driving to make sure all is well?

Collision Warning is a sort of like a guardian angel. It monitors the distance to the vehicle in front using cameras and/or sensors, and continuously calculates if a collision is imminent. It then warns the driver, usually with flashing lights on the dash and an audible warning, that action needs to be taken. The system only warns you – it doesn’t apply the brakes like Active Cruise Control or auto-brake (see below) – so you have to be on the ball or you may be too late to avoid a collision.

In heavy traffic, the warnings can be frequent and may become annoying, to the extent that drivers switch the system off, which defeats the purpose. It is also called Forward Collision Warning System.

Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS)

AEBS is an extension of collision warning. It uses cameras or other sensors to monitor vehicles in front, warns the driver, then applies the brakes if it detects an imminent collision and the driver takes no action. While the systems will only avoid a collision below a specific closing speed, at higher speeds it can at least reduce the impact speed, and therefore vehicle damage and possible injury.

It is helpful if you are momentarily distracted or if something unexpected happens in front of you. Similarly to Forward Collision Warning, if it triggers too often drivers may switch it off. Manufacturers have a range of brand names for such systems, including City Safety, Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake, EyeSight, and Pre-Safe Brake.

It will become mandatory in Europe for new heavy vehicles from 2013.

What’s your experience with Collision Warning Technology and Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems? Are they features you like?

Crash Assist Technologies explained – What is Active Cruise Control?

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Active Cruise Control

CO-PILOT: The system detects preceding vehicles by means of radar sensors or cameras and adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance in front of your car. Image courtesy of www.audi.com.

We all know how annoying it can be trying to keep your vehicle’s speed steady and below the speed limit on long trips. 

Many vehicles now have cruise control, which aims to keep the speed of a car at a set point by adjusting the accelerator automatically. Typically the system doesn’t apply the brakes on downhill stretches, so it is recommended to be used only on relatively flat, straight roads, although a few models provide braking by changing down the automatic gearbox to a lower gear.

There are two views on the influence of cruise control on crash rates:

  1.  It relieves you of the necessity of controlling your speed and gives you more time to concentrate on other dangers around you, so it is advantageous.
  2. The lack of attention to speed control leads to boredom and a greater likelihood of mistakes due to fatigue, so it is detrimental.

There is not enough evidence yet to determine which is the more likely. However, fatigue, at least, can be addressed by regular rest breaks.

Active cruise control is an enhancement of cruise control and uses cameras or radar to detect the car you are following and controls the accelerator and brakes to maintain the same speed.

As our roads become increasingly busy and congested this can be a very useful feature. However, on busy multi-lane roads the systems sometimes brake heavily if a car cuts in front of you, which can be annoying. It can be useful in steadily moving traffic but it can’t anticipate congestion conditions as well as a person can, so it won’t react to a traffic slowdown until the car in front does.

Some systems will reduce speed to zero when the car in front stops, then accelerate again when it moves off. Most need to be “prompted” if there is too long a stop, by pressing a button on the steering wheel or touching the accelerator.

It is also called Adaptive Cruise Control or Autonomous Cruise Control. It is not yet widespread in new vehicles and is only available in luxury and top-level variants but, as with all new technology, will become more common with increasing volume and falling cost.

What’s your experience with ACC? Is it a feature you like?

Next time, we’ll take a look at Collision Warning Technologies, plus other safety  innovations that are changing the way we drive.