"Would RACQ please do a comprehensive piece on which Road Rules differ between States. It gets so confusing for travel Interstate when rules change just because we leave Qld on holidays and travel to NSW, Vic or SA. I am sure many members get caught out by the rule changes after they have crossed a border. An example the rules on speeds when towing trailers and Caravans etc and NSW requiring maximum speed of 100 kph or lesser speed where posted if GVM is 4.5 Tonnes or greater.
I suggest perhaps just a comparison only where the rules differ State/Territory wise to ours.
Sorry I am a member but cannot remember my Member Number and currently donât have access to my Card while submitting this.
Actually the speed limit is the speed limit and travelling less than that safely is not an offence and is actually probably something to be applauded. If however they are not keeping left when they should this is definitely something that should be dealt with. Others may disagree with me and that is their right but the Law is quite specific about exceeding the limit:
From the TMR re speeds
âYou must not drive faster than the km/h speed shown in the circle. In poor conditions, it is safer to
drive slower than the speed limitâ
ââSpeedingâ doesnât only refer to driving faster than the posted speed limit. It also means driving too fast for the prevailing conditions without thinking about the vehicleâs condition and capabilities or the driverâs skill and experience.â
@Fred123 âPoor driving skills and inconsideration of other motorists are.â
I understand what you are saying but refer you to the quote just above and the inconsiderate nature of some drivers behind someone who is travelling less than the posted speed. As long as they donât do 40 kph in a 100 kph zone on a clear sunny day with no road obstacles in the way but if 80 kph then it is perhaps the drivers behind who need to be considerate of the driver in front of them as long as the driver in front is keeping left.
Your faith in the system far exceeds mine. âDiscretionâ, something one can rely on being used appropriately. Right it will!
'Officer I am from out of state, I did not know I could | could not make a U-turn at the signal and the 4 car pile up was not my fault. Correct, no excuse. Ticket issued | not issued.
A few decades ago I was driving to school (I was a teacher) and got rear ended (Root Hill, NSW). The other driver admitted he was watching the young ladies on the sidewalk not watching the road. The fine officer and the other driver talked about the cows in Qld and many other things. My youth and American accent, just another new Aussie. The fine officer used his discretion and no ticket was issued. My totalled car, so sad too bad.
Discretion is a wonderful thing if you are good mate with the officer, otherwise I would not hang my hat on it being a reasonable defence for the lack of harmonious rules or the verbosity and increasingly long ones we endure.
I have had only one experience of driving through the bus lane/station in Hobart and being spoken to by a local officer. When we said that we didnât know the area (from âout of stateâ) and indicated that we didnât really know howewer ended up where we did⊠he obligingly/helped us depart the area quickly and safelyâŠwith no infringement issued.
It does happen and maybe the reaction of the driver also determines what action is taken on the other side.
I agree that some slow vehicles are inconsiderate but perhaps we could also allow people to economise on fuel. Especially when towing there is a noticeable difference between 90 and 100 kph in fuel consumption and a big difference between 90 and 110 kph. There are more reasons than poor conditions for not keeping up to the speed limit. There are those who think you must do at least the speed limit, if not 10 kph over, or they are entitled to tailgate you and be generally rude. Lack of consideration goes both ways.
My personal choice too! Only kangaroos, and sheep and cattle and the occassional emu or brolga (except in the drought). Or the bushie in his V8 Land Cruiser doing a sedately 60-80kph, because time is infinite out west. Fortunately none of these know any of the road rules, which leaves it up to the driver to choose what speed and action to take.
Of course I too wish that the B-double-B-quad road trains might also pull over or always travel at the speed limit of 110kph, on the way up the hills as well as on the way down. The mining industry has a lot to answer for by not buying more powerful prime movers?
P.S.
For the inner road travelling nerd in all of us, next trip to Qld spare a thought.
A fine example of discretion, all puns intended. One can take either view, and the discretionary nature of the parking ticket shows how well that can work.
Whilst taking my wife to an appointment this morning, we had to stop at a major 2 lane roundabout prior to exiting at the first exit.
Whilst stopped, an idiot on a bicycle rode up past us and the vehicle in front of us.
My wife said to me that she thought that he was going to go round in front of us depsite making no such indication of doing so, let alone the legally required hand dsignal.
I paused before driving off, and sure enough, the idiot turned straight in front of our vehicle.
I had to laugh with the RACQ stating that it is illegal for a driver to have a mobile on their lap in #5 & 6 whilst TMR Qld claim it is legal in #9, 10 & 11
This article appears to show that TMR Qld is correct and the RACQ is wrong.
The merging vehicle in #21 shows it indicating when unnecessary.
There is a merge like this one not far from our place where the idiots who fail to indicate anywhere else, especially on roundabouts, persist in indicating unnecessarily.
Then the idiots may get a pushbike or electric scooter like this one I saw yesterday riding a pushbile erratically on a pedestrian crossing against the red light and causing a police vehicle to have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting him.
Or the idiot I saw the previous Friday riding an electric scooter on a very busy arterial road without wearing a helmet.
Or the one I saw earlier this week who was riding an electric scooter on the footpath and was wearing an appropiate helmet, but when the footpath ended and he had to ride on the 50km/h road, he was keeping up with my vehicle.
At least the rider was wearing high vis for safety!
And what did the Police 4WD do next?
Hopefully a U turn at the first opportunity, for a more personal meeting.
âRevenue from fines and forfeitures is forecast to grow by 39.3 per cent in 2021-22, partly driven by the introduction of cameras to detect drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seatbelts.â
Please smile for the cameras whilst helping support your State economy.
Every time I am out on the road, I shake my head at the incompetence and stupidity I witness.
Yerterday morning whilst stopped at the traffic lights at a T intersection, I saw a tradies ute on my left wanting to turn right and he obviously started to drive off when the light had turned red in front of him.
He then started to reverse back out of the intersection and narrowly missed 3 high school students who had walked out on the pedestrian crossing as soon as the walk light had turned green.
Today on the way home, we were stopped at a red light whilst waiting to turn left when a moron with no helmet rode his pushbike throught the red light just as the traffic on the left started moving.
Further out where the highway goes from 60km/h to 80km/h, a TMR contractor was driving at around 10km/h in a truck whilst spraying weeds on the left side of the road.
No signs on the road behind him, no escort vehicle, just the vehicleâs hazard lights flashing.
Shortly after, there was a 60km/h sign on the side of the highway around 1 kilometre prior to the slip lane leading to the overpass.
No work on the highway and some 5 vehicles parked on the side of the slip lane with around a dozen or more TMR contractors standing around talking.
Presumably these idiots were expected all 3 lanes of traffic on the highway to slow down from 80km/h to 60km/h for a kilometre prior to the slip lane they were relaxing on.
