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Thread ID: 53359	2005-01-15 05:49:00	Kiwi Drivers...	manicminer (4219)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
314335	2005-01-16 00:29:00	They are better off keeping left, without crossing the white line so that at least cars behind can have a clear view ahead to make their own judgement as to when it's safe to overtake, without being co-erced by the car in front to 'get on with it and get past'. perfectly said. couldn't agree more. This causes a number of accidents when it is just around a blind corner firstly i think a lot of it they don't relise how fast poeple can go around corners. (a case of "i only did 50km/h therefore everyone else must also only do 50km/h") 2nd, its an attuide thing, people do the old "its the other person fault". they ignore the first rule of driving, don't put yoursef in a dangerous position. thats why we have the drivers door rule. (and if you don't know what the drivers door rule is you shouldn't be driving!) just to add...the road code dosn't help with #$%@ like "if on narrow road and you are turning right pull to the left and let the traffic pass", which if you did do that you would either be killed or kill someone else.	tweak'e (69)
314336	2005-01-16 02:23:00	Ah, that's better, just got back from a 5 hour short bush tramp (testing my new GPS under the canopy), no cars, no overtaking, not even any roundabouts. So with the danger of being a complete pedantic bore, I will state again categorically if you like, that signalling right at a roundabout when going straight on has never been part of the road code. Driving instructors may well have taught that, if so they were wrong, and had no official basis for it. The reason is,as I've already implied, when traffic islands or roundabouts were first introduced here in numbers, even the local authorities did not know how to mark the lanes, whether to have one lane around the island, or two lanes, or the left lane for left turn straight on, or the right lane for straight on and continuing to turn clockwise, or two lanes suddenly going into one lane as you leave the island, etc etc. Therefore, it is no wonder driving instructors also got their knickers in a twist! There are a 'large' :) number of roundabouts in the Hutt, Upper and Lower, that have had the lane markings changed several times as the local authorities have tried to work out what is best, and what actually fits in best with other road code rules. On many islands they still have not got it right. Now coming back to signalling, the reason I'm so anti the right signal at islands is because it yet again introduces the nonsense of; "Do this if so and so applies, otherwise do the opposite." In this case, signal right if you are NOT going straight on (or turning left), do not signal right if you ARE going straight on. This is quite analagous to the give way when turning left: "When turning left GIVE WAY to traffic that wishes to turn in front of you into your intended road. DO NOT give way if there is traffic coming from behind you and will overtake you" It is this sort of nonsense that LTSA very belatedly in the day recognised as being a cause of accidents at intersections. Any Pom, or any German for that matter could have told them that yonks and yonks ago. All that is required is for EVERYONE to signal their turn off, as the Germans would do without even questioning it, after all they obey orders!	Terry Porritt (14)
314337	2005-01-16 03:07:00	I will state again categorically if you like, that signalling right at a roundabout when going straight on has never been part of the road code. dunno about you guys but personally i find you can't drive straight through a roundabout, they have rather a lot of concrete in the way ! :eek: you have to turn right before you can turn left into the road on the other side of the roundabout, hence the rules are very simply, indicate right then indicate left. its only on the tiny wee small roundabouts that it looks a little silly and most people just don't bother signalling as the indicators are only on for 1/2 a sec ;) "When turning left GIVE WAY to traffic that wishes to turn in front of you into your intended road. DO NOT give way if there is traffic coming from behind you and will overtake you" It is this sort of nonsense that LTSA very belatedly in the day recognised as being a cause of accidents at intersections. Any Pom, or any German for that matter could have told them that yonks and yonks ago. whats so hard about this?? the traffic in front of you can't turn in front of you without being killed by the car coming around from behind you, so you might as well go.	tweak'e (69)
314338	2005-01-16 03:25:00	dunno about you guys but personally i find you can't drive straight through a roundabout, they have rather a lot of concrete in the way ! :eek: I know what you mean but there is (hopefully was?) at least one roundabout in ChCh where this happens... A few years ago, I responded to a rescue call from my daughter to find she had driven over a roundabout and wrecked a wheel (and her composure). She was not alone. Parked along the side of the road with her were about five other cars that had done the same thing and either had wrecked wheels or other bits missing from sumps and undercarriage. Many disgruntled drivers and shaken up passengers littered the footpath awaiting rescue. At certain times of the year, the late afternoon sun shines straight into the drivers' eyes and the roundabout is invisible. Not so invisible was the wreckage to the roundabout's shrubbery from many low flying cars; similarly the anger at the council prats that designed and built it shimmered in the late afternoon sun. :angry	John H (8)
314339	2005-01-16 03:52:00	ROFLs uncontrollably, sorry I cant help it . >>you have to turn right before you can turn left into the road on the other side of the roundabout . << Well try this then the next time you approach a roundabout and wish to take the road opposite . When you drive off from the Give Way sign, (or Way Give depending on your view point), immediately turn your steering wheel to the right, and then see which way round the roundabout you go! Another point is that few roundabouts are constructed as neatly as portrayed in the Road Code, because most were built as afterthoughts (at least in the Hutt Valley, I just know about elsewhere) . Some roundabouts in Upper Hutt are so far over to ones right, that the road does actually go 'straight on', there is no deviation from a straight line at all . Yet for oncoming traffic it is still a good idea to signal a left turn . It traffic rules are not consistent then they are bad, sorry you cannot see this tweak'e in the examples I gave, but virtually all overseas visitors (except Americans of course) do, and they find the rules incomprehensible .	Terry Porritt (14)
314340	2005-01-16 03:54:00	******** > (at least in the Hutt Valley, I just know about elsewhere). I meant I just dont know about elsewhere!!!!!!!!!!!!	Terry Porritt (14)
314341	2005-01-16 05:23:00	lol ....sounds like you guys have an intersection with an lamppost in the centre of it ! at the end of the day as long as comman sence provails then i couldn't care less.	tweak'e (69)
314342	2005-01-16 11:42:00	I'm no statistician outside the basic statistical knowledge, and I'm certainly not stats trawling for some insignificant intarweb conversation . My personal experiences as a road user are what I am basing this one . I've been hit twice, both times were completely avoidable, both times were by young asian males . In my university time, none of my european classmates wrote off a car or were involved in significant accidents, but a number of asian students in the same hostel did . I draw my own conclusions/generalisations from that, my own experience, which I am perfectly entitled to do so . So you lecture Raikyn about stats, yet you have based your argument on your personal experience over 2 accidents? Have you considered the possibility that the majority of your "european classmates" couldn't afford cars whereas Asian students could? Have you also considered the possiblity of what might happen should EVERY person be given a car? Until that situation arises, I think it's pretty ballsy to label or even insinuate a specific demographic of a specific race to be poor drivers . I can give you my own personal opinion where I've been hit 3 times by young, european females . Lo .	Lohsing (219)
314343	2005-01-16 12:29:00	But they're always young ones. Shouldn't say that though, as in 4 months I will turn 15 and be a new, "young driver". Rest assured I will be better than some of the people I see on the roads!	george12 (7)
314344	2005-01-16 17:35:00	Is that you or the semi? :D Both of us. Be very afraid!!! :-)	Elephant (599)
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