ROAD RULES

Driving 500 km each weekend on State Highways 16 and 1 highlights the problems we have in New Zealand with drivers who have no or little understanding of the road rules. I heard Stephen Joyce on the radio a few weeks ago promising to review the licensing system should he and his dodgy mates get re-elected. In short, he highlighted the problem in this country where there is a very high number of unlicensed drivers and those still driving on learners permits after many years. He said, correctly, that until people passed the full licence they haven't demonstrated that they understand the rules and regulations. The intention is to cancel temporary licences after a few years and make the holder go back to the beginning. This is all very well but unless we actually have meaningful penalties then nothing will change. I live in a rural area. I searched the web to find out the quantum of the problem and came across this:





Unlicensed driving among urban and rural Maori drivers: New Zealand drivers study.

McDowell A, Begg D, Connor J, Broughton J.Source
Injury Prevention Research Unit, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. anna.mcdowell@ipru.otago.ac.nz
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the extent and type of self-reported unlicensed car driving and reasons given for driving before getting a license among Maori drivers in urban and rural areas of New Zealand.
METHOD:
Participants included 824 people of self-identified Maori ethnicity. The ages ranged from 15 to 65 years, with the majority of participants aged 15 (37%), 16 (21%), or 17 (14%) years at the time of recruitment. Participants were recruited after passing the car driver's learner license theory test at a driver licensing agency or a learner license course or by the participant responding to a postcard placed at licensing agencies nationwide. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included items for a wide range of personal, driving, and licensing-related variables. The cohort was not randomly selected but included as many eligible participants as possible, with recruitment taking place in urban and rural areas of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
RESULTS:
Unlicensed car driving experience was common, especially among rural participants (urban: 65%, rural: 83%). The nature and extent of driving experience and reasons for driving unlicensed were remarkably similar for urban and rural drivers, Females (47%) were more likely than males (37%) to report previous experience of a serious traffic crash. Being stopped by the police for driving unlicensed was not common (24% urban, 17% rural), but for those who had been stopped, the consequences varied by residential location.
CONCLUSIONS:
Driving before obtaining a driver's license was common practice and the amount of driving extensive, for both rural and urban drivers. Furthermore, contrary to common perceptions in New Zealand, the need and opportunities for driving were similar, irrespective of place of residence. This suggests that similar issues may need to be addressed by both urban and rural Maori community road safety providers.




Now I'm not saying that Maori nationally cause the greatest problem but in Northland there is a much higher proportion of Maori than elsewhere in the country. This report may be relevent to rural dwellers in total.

In Australia they take the problem a little more seriously and, like their drink-drive regulations they actually legislate properly against unlicensed drivers. See:

Unlicensed Drivers
If you drive unlicensed, you risk having the vehicle you are driving impounded.
Likewise, if you allow an unlicensed person to drive your vehicle, you risk having your vehicle impounded.
This law takes effect in addition to existing penalties and applies when a person drives in one of the following circumstances:
The driver licensing authority has suspended or refused to renew a person’s driver licence, or refused to issue a person with licence.
The person has had their licence cancelled.
A court has imposed a disqualification upon the person.
The person is subject to a disqualification because of the accumulation of an excessive number of demerit points.
The person has an extraordinary licence and is driving contrary to a condition relating to the time, purpose or location.

Roadside vehicle impoundment will apply to the vehicle used by the driver at the time of the offence, including borrowed vehicles or a vehicle used for commercial purposes.

Penalties
The penalties for unlicensed driving range from 28 day roadside impoundment to court imposed sanctions for repeat offenders including impoundment for up to 3 months duration (after conviction of two relevant unlicensed driving offences), and for up to 6 months duration or confiscation (after conviction of three relevant unlicensed driving offences).

In addition to the inconvenience of losing the car, the cost of impoundment will typically be around $900 for the full 28 day period. Vehicles will not be released until the costs are paid in full. Further penalties, including permanent vehicle confiscation, will apply for repeat offenders.




So what have I noticed (more) now I am driving a lot.

1. Lane changing. Do you know that when indicating a change of lane you should must use the indicator at least 3 seconds before changing lanes. Makes sense? Most people, if they indicate at all, turn the blinkers on while making the lane change or even after doing so. Stupid.

2. Passing on yellow lines.

3. Passing on bridges

4. Passing on blind corners

5. Following too close. The Road rules in New Zealand has the 2-second rule for good weather conditions and 4-second rule for bad. It is recommended that the motorist takes a fixed position ahead of an object and count how long it takes to get there. At whatever speed the time should be at least 2 seconds to ascertain the distance that should be left between cars.
This table is in feet and is based on 3-seconds but shows the distance needed.

Three-Second Rule		Safe Interval Should Be >	3 seconds	6 seconds
Speed	Distance Traveled	For These Conditions >	Good	Marginal
25 m.p.h.	37 ft. per second		111 ft.	222 ft.
35 m.p.h.	52 ft. per second		166 ft.	312 ft.
45 m.p.h.	66 ft. per second		198 ft.	396 ft.
55 m.p.h.	81 ft. per second		243ft.	486 ft.
65 m.p.h.	96 ft. per second		288 ft.	576 ft.
75 m.p.h.	111 ft. per second		333 ft.	666 ft.
			Safe Following Distance in Feet

So, how many people know or adhere to this rule? Bugger all I think.

6. Turning right off a main highway. This one always surprises me. when I was taught to drive it was mandatory to, when wanting to turn right off a main (80km plus) highway, where there is not a marked turning area, to pull over to the left until it was safe to cross. Every time I drive up North, some moron stops in the middle of the open road to turn right into a driveway or minor road. Behind them cars are barrelling along at 80 to 120km per hour and they fucking stop in the middle of the road!

7. Driving unsafe vehicles. Bald tyres, rust, insecure bonnets, doors, boots and even roofs is de-rigeur up here.

8. P.

9. Pulling out onto the main road without checking that it is safe to do so.

10. Alcohol and excessive speed.