Tag Archives: road safety

Tweeting while driving

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woman texting while driving

Do you tweet while driving?

Nowadays, a handheld device can do a whole lot more than just call or text. You can use it as a GPS, keep up with online traffic reports, see what people are tweeting about, or check the status of your friends via social networks.

In a survey of 500 drivers by NRMA Insurance, 10% admitted to using social networking sites to check their Facebook or Twitter profiles or post updates while they were driving (and those are the ones that actually admitted it!).

It follows a similar survey which found almost 50% of drivers admitted to talking and texting on their mobile phones while driving.

The desire to always be mobile and accessible is growing despite the fact that using a handheld device while driving is illegal. The offence carries a heavy fine and the loss of three demerit points.

Do you use a mobile phone while driving to tweet or update your status? Do you think it impairs your driving or is any more dangerous than using your car stereo?

NB: The NRMA advises drivers who need to use their mobile phone for either texting or using a social networking site, to pull over before using their phones.

Bullbars – dangerous or essential requirement?

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car with bullbar

photo credit: poppalina

The Federal Government is considering adopting an international requirement which would include the mandatory redesign of vehicles that could see bullbars outlawed.

The new law would require the fronts of vehicles to be designed to reduce the severity of injuries to pedestrians in a collision.  Under Australia’s current system, this would apply to vehicles before they are sold and registered.  It’s common in Australia for bullbars to be fitted after the vehicle is sold.

There is a strong case, based on accident data, that bullbars should not be fitted to vehicles used mainly in urban areas, as animal collisions are rare and not often dangerous to the driver.

Country residents on the other hand, see bullbars as essential as they reduce damage to their cars from collisions with large animals.

NRMA believes there is no justification for the use of bullbars in urban areas.  What do you think?

Long weekend road toll raises the question of a Bells Line upgrade

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The road toll for New South Wales this long weekend reached 8, more than double the previous year’s toll for the same period. 

Four members from the same family were tragically killed, after their sedan collided head-on with a semi trailer on the Bells Line of road at Bilpin.  Police believe the accident was triggered after the car overtook another vehicle.

A 2003 audit by the NRMA showed that in the previous 10 years, 129 people have died and 2984 people were injured in accidents on Blue Mountains crossings with 23 of those deaths on the Bells Line of Road.

According to an NRMA study, drivers on the Bells Line of Road are unable to overtake slower vehicles for over 80% of the 81 kilometre route unless they attempt dangerous overtaking manoeuvres.

Some have suggested building a four-lane Bells Line Expressway is the best way to improve safety on that route while others believe smaller-scale plans such as improving the worst sections of the existing two-lane road and/or installing more passing lanes would be more achievable. 

Do you drive the Bells Line of road and do you find it a dangerous road on which to drive?  What do you think could be done to improve conditions?

Why do Sydney drivers have such a bad attitude towards cyclists?

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Sydney has been called one of the most hostile cities for cycling.  Many motorists continue to be frustrated sharing the road with cyclists. But according to Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore in her address to the NSW Parliament in June 2010, increasing the number of cyclists on our roads could actually decrease traffic congestion.

“The 1 per cent of inner-Sydney trips already taken by bicycle result in 25,000 fewer car trips every day.  If people commute by bike for shorter distances they provide more capacity on the already overcrowded public transport services and speed up journeys for people who have to drive,” she said.

So if cyclists are helping to ease the congestion for motorists and improve the trip for commuters, what is it that motorists find so frustrating?  Have cyclists made you late for work, or caused a distraction?

Many motorists who are also cyclists argue that riding their bikes on the road have made them better car drivers.  Some cyclists have suggested that experiencing a cycling journey through Sydney’s traffic should be a compulsory part of getting a drivers licence.

What has been your experience with sharing the road with cyclists?  Do you have any tips for safely sharing the road with them?  Would you be happier if cyclists had their own lanes?

Your road, your rules

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The road rules govern the interaction of pedestrians and motorists. While they are there to make the roads safe for all road users, they will always be the topic of debate.

The rules are put under even more scrutiny when a new rule is made or an old rule is amended to respond to the changing nature of vehicles, technology and the road itself.

But imagine, for a moment, that you are in charge. You can roll out the rules you want and scratch those that you don’t. Now is your chance to alleviate your frustration, get where you’re going on time and improve traffic flow.

It’s your road, so you make the rules.

If you were given the job of designing a road and the road rules that go with it, what rules would you make? What rules would you keep and which would you discard?