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Thread ID: 87356	2008-02-18 05:51:00	Are New Zealanders Bad Drivers?	legod (4626)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
641455	2008-02-19 20:58:00	(sorry i didn't see that post before) whats wrong with undertaking? you know where every one is on the road and you look when ever changing lane so how can undertaking be a problem ? In an ideal world, where everyone has the same skill level, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with "undertaking". However, not all drivers have the same amount of common sense (or any at all - as evidenced by many of the comments and experiences described in this thread) and look around fully before changing lanes. Therefore, most countries have a specific rule in their Road Code which forbids this usually dangerous maneuver. If I recall correctly, the rule was revoked in NZ (in the 80's??) because traffic on Auckland's motorway would not keep left and this was causing frustration and congestion. Yet another knee-jerk legislation solution!!	johcar (6283)
641456	2008-02-19 21:33:00	Id say there are more unsafe drivers then safe drivers if that makes sense. So yea, we are pretty terrible in my eyes.	rob_on_guitar (4196)
641457	2008-02-19 23:09:00	(sorry i didn't see that post before) whats wrong with undertaking? you know where every one is on the road and you look when ever changing lane so how can undertaking be a problem ? the problem is with the effects of undertkaking rather than the manouver itself. Allow one to undertake means you do not have to move over the left at any point. Therefore you end up with all three lanes going 80kph causing people to take risks and cut in and out of traffic to get past the bottlenecy. Of course if people dont move over and undertaking is banned then it makes things even worse. In the UK you have to stick left and if you are in the outsidelane holding traffic up people flash and this often causes the "obstalce" to move over. Also lorries cannot use the fast lane which avoids the system slowing down - but then again the speedlimit is 70mph which trucks struggle to achieve unlike a limit of 100kph. The turning left rule is also dangerous and causes unecessary congestion i reckon	englandXrugbyworldchamps (12744)
641458	2008-02-20 00:58:00	Some of the bad driver stereotypes IMHO:- 1. Young hoons that don't give a sh** about the laws. 2. Mid age men with their V8 Ford/Holden who also don't give a sh** about the laws and always seem to be running late for something. 3. Asian drivers mainly in Auckland East side. 4. 4WD Owners who don't give a sh** about anyone and because size matters to them feel they can push in anywhere anytime and park anywhere anytime. 5. Old men wearing hats, very common in the South Island (slow drivers) 6. Lots of people in the Waikato who drive on the shoulder (hard to pass as you never know if they are going to pull across in front). 7. Camper vans and Trucks ... well they have to be there I guess. 1-4 All feel they must keep going when the traffic light turns amber. A Red Light to them is just a suggestion to stop. With all that going on the rest of us don't really stand a chance.	Bantu (52)
641459	2008-02-20 02:58:00	The turning left rule is also dangerous and causes unecessary congestion i reckon Our turn left/give way to right turning traffic rule is just plain stupid. You see it causing confusion, and probably crashes, every day.	Biggles (121)
641460	2008-02-20 03:05:00	4. 4WD Owners who don't give a sh** about anyone and because size matters to them feel they can push in anywhere anytime and park anywhere anytime. Got hit by a 4WD one time as I was stopped at some lights. The 4WD driver coming up behind me must have been slowing down, but decided talking to the passenger next to them was more important that watching the road and smacked into me. Lucky for her once we pulled over to check out the damage (send my head whipping back so it wasn't a gentle tap) it seemed that her very flat bumper had connected perfectly with my very flat bumper and the load must have been almost perfectly spread so there was no damage. But I hate the damn things. Can't see round em. Can't see through em (cause they love tinted windows) and if you're in a sensible car you'll (usually) come off second best in a collision ....	Biggles (121)
641461	2008-02-20 03:07:00	..which is why we all need to buy gas-guzzling black windowed behemoths as well. It's the only way to get the illusion of safety on the road these days. I feel that way all the time in my bluebird, get into parents massive supercharged Estima, it's a different story! :o	wratterus (105)
641462	2008-02-20 03:59:00	Lol, tho you gotta admit it would be cool to be able to get into those kinda half parks that are cut off by the foot path and just park halfway up on that.	--Wolf-- (128)
641463	2008-02-20 04:28:00	No wonder there were so many junks on the road! Oil leaks in cars were too common - was told that it's cheaper just to top up the oil rather than getting it repaired . ride a motorbike and you'll discover both how much oil and especially diesel is spilt and left on our roads, and how the stuff can offer only marginally more traction than ice You can't blame the roads for bad driving . People complain how bad the roads are here . They're not that bad at all . I can tell you that the state of the roads in the UK is in decline . I lost count of the number of dangerous potholes I encountered on my last trip . while you are right about road not affecting driving, there's roads around my neighbourhood that are slipping down hills, spring water coming up from the road, potholes, man covers over an inch above/below the rest of the road - and the repair jobs are appalling - putting tar in the cracks rahter than building the road properly is a favourite might add that there is a few buggered bits of road around here that are partly responsible for many accidents (the fact people can't drive is really the problem though) oh, and i'm in auckland, in an area that sees alot of traffic I get into a habit of trying to pee them off . you, sir, to put it nicely, are what many NZ drivers consider a c**t how can antagonising other drivers be a good idea? has it occurred to you that many people are trying to get to places on time and didn't account for some f***wit deliberately doing half the speed limit? there is a difference between safe speed, driving incompentence, and being an ass PULL OVER If it weren't for Asians, we as a country would be much better at driving (no offense Jamuz) now that is BS . while asians are often quite bad, they are not the only problem i too find that riding a motorbike has greatly improved my driving, and my friends who have "converted" say the same . the stuff you can see, the lack of in-car distractions, and the strong incentive to not crash all help the biggest problem with NZ drivers is not speeding, it's not driving 10% under the limit, it's not even 3 cars travelling side by side at 80kph on a 3 lane motorway, it's inattention, incompentence, and inconsideration (of which 4WDers are sorely over-represented) a car has atleast THREE mirrors, and two major blind spots - yet i very rarely see drivers checking blind spots or their mirrors . infact i've seen people drive from mt wellington to henderson with the wing mirrors folded in from their carpark at work . whenever a driver says "oh i'm sorry i didn't see you" they really mean "oh ****, i didn't look, and now you're badly injured and i've gotta run cause i don't have insurance" the number of incompetent drivers i've seen crossing centrelines is frightening . just yesterday i nearly had a head on with a 4WD that was a foot over the centreline . i've seen plenty of drivers both hugging centrelines and straddling them and causing other drivers to take evasive action . most the crashes around my place are ones which make you sit and say "how the f**k did you manage that" . people need to at some point practice controlling a vehicle that has lost traction . bikers have many courses run by other bikers, for free, to try to make safer riders by giving learners the instruction and practice necessary . unfortunately drivers rarely even do a defensive, yet they are controlling over a ton of metal at high speed with no clue of what to do in an emergency . also, how hard is it to understand a zip? letting someone in isn't the end of the world, and falling back a place isn't a cause for distress either the amount of drivers oblivious to other road users is also astounding . once i've actually knocked on a car driver window to alert the driver that they had infact wandered into my lane without looking nor indicating the number of drivers that will slam their brakes, swerve into a driveway/sidestreet and THEN indicate, the number of drivers who travel up the side of a queue on the motorway and then try to cut in, causing a lot of emergency braking behind them, and the number of idiots doing half the posted limit and not pulling over to let the kilometre long queue past, is frankly appalling . and as a side note, today i had a mother with a single child pull out infront of me from her parallel park near a school, despite the huge gap behind me, using all of her "3 . 0L turbo" diesel to accelerate to 30 and then slowly drifting up to 50 over the next 300m at which point she slammed her brakes and pulled into a driveway . now while i was prepared for this idiocy being a school zone aat 3pm, i do wonder both how much it costs her every day to do this, and perhaps if it would be in the best interest of both her and her child's physical health to do the 300m on foot . heck, they might even have a chance to talk and do some of that bonding, and dare i say it, "parenting" thing	motorbyclist (188)
641464	2008-02-20 04:31:00	Lol, tho you gotta admit it would be cool to be able to get into those kinda half parks that are cut off by the foot path and just park halfway up on that. you don't need a tank to do that! but i've seen a woman back her landcruiser out of a parallel carpark where the gearbox was infact in 1st, sending her lurching into said half park and breaking down a sign with a wooden post she drove off. if she had hit a car or pedestrian she'd be seriously liable for damages, yet hitting public property is ok?	motorbyclist (188)
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