Proposed new QLD laws for LHD vehicles???

[XBROO]

Originally Posted by Kryton

8hr business day to day - how about someone makes a few phone calls and finds out for sure - unless you just want to keep going on someones say so.

Arrhh, you know how to take the fun out of it.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

can someone please explain to me why a group of drivers that
a) will forget to pay their rego if there are no windscreen stickers and
b) will be involved in mass accidents because an old rule regarding amber lights has been brought to our attention

will be able to drive a lhd car in a rhd country
the law makers have this one about right - while any one who is qualified to drive a car should be able to cope with an lhd car . . . . . most cannot

How about a LHD endorsment such as that needed for a motorbike, truck, tractor or whatever.

[LG17]

Originally Posted by Kryton

8hr business day to day - how about someone makes a few phone calls and finds out for sure - unless you just want to keep going on someones say so.

It's not "someone's say so", it's something I was told and I put it out there to find out if anyone else had any information.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Kryton]

Originally Posted by LG17

It's not "someone's say so", it's something I was told and I put it out there to find out if anyone else had any information.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

Then why not make the effort to see if its true - ring people.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by flappist

How about a LHD endorsment such as that needed for a motorbike, truck, tractor or whatever.

maybe, but how do you screen them - or can anyone get an endorsement, just by passing a test that has no real relevance to the real world

if there was a parallel between posts and ability to drive a lhd car, then i truly believe you and some others here could drive one as an everyday car . . . . but there are many pro lhd people here that i would not want in one

i have driven a manual lhd in the philippines (lhd country) and they are easy to drive - however i had my wife next to me directing me, so i didn't have to worry about looking for road signs etc. if i was stressed out from driving down unknown roads etc. then maybe i would have ended up on the wrong side of the road once or twice. i see a similarity in allowing lhd's on our roads. more often than not most people will be good/lucky and not have any problems. however, particularly when stressed, are the drivers always going weigh up each individual passing move and make sure they are safe. most people here and otherwise will say yes . . . . . because they are perfect and everyone else on the road is to blame

my belief is that some people could be responsible enough, but most wouldn't be


in melbourne during peak hour, there are too many idiots driving rhd cars - imagine if some of those morons with more money than sense were driving lhd cars

[Full Noise]

I have a LHD mountain bike. Looks like I’ll have to hire a RHD one when I’m up there.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

maybe, but how do you screen them - or can anyone get an endorsement, just by passing a test that has no real relevance to the real world

if there was a parallel between posts and ability to drive a lhd car, then i truly believe you and some others here could drive one as an everyday car . . . . but there are many pro lhd people here that i would not want in one

i have driven a manual lhd in the philippines (lhd country) and they are easy to drive - however i had my wife next to me directing me, so i didn't have to worry about looking for road signs etc. if i was stressed out from driving down unknown roads etc. then maybe i would have ended up on the wrong side of the road once or twice. i see a similarity in allowing lhd's on our roads. more often than not most people will be good/lucky and not have any problems. however, particularly when stressed, are the drivers always going weigh up each individual passing move and make sure they are safe. most people here and otherwise will say yes . . . . . because they are perfect and everyone else on the road is to blame

my belief is that some people could be responsible enough, but most wouldn't be


in melbourne during peak hour, there are too many idiots driving rhd cars - imagine if some of those morons with more money than sense were driving lhd cars

Screening them is easy, they have to do a complete practical driving test in a LHD vehicle. The same as a motorcycle etc. You only do a LHD endorsment if you want to drive LHD vehicles and have to prove you are capable.

This is in stark contrast to giant 4WDs and caravans where any moron who has been driving bubble cars their whole life in and around Melbourne can quite legally buy a 3 tonne land crab hitch up a 10m shoebox and wreak havoc up and down the whole country.

I would have thought that you, of all people, would not support the restriction of vehicles that required a higher driving aptitude from being driven on public roads.
After all, old techlology vehicles with no crumple zones, ABS, DSC, power steering, 4WD discs, airbags, and any of the other 21st century safety measures such as for example Ford Falcon Coupes are much more difficult to drive a far more unforgiving of errors than bubble cars.

Would you agree with:

Originally Posted by someone else

in melbourne during peak hour, there are too many idiots driving safer modern technology cars - imagine if some of those morons with more money than sense were driving less safe old technology Ford Coupes

I suspect not........

[LG17]

Originally Posted by Kryton

Then why not make the effort to see if its true - ring people.

All my vehicles are RHD so I'm not affected but I thought some folk on here, particularly those with LHDs may know something.
I don't care if they change it or not so I won't be making any phone calls.
You are quite welcome to.

[gtxb67]

you have some good points, i still have my point of view but

Originally Posted by flappist

for example Ford Falcon Coupes are much more difficult to drive a far more unforgiving of errors than bubble cars

the ford coupe is driven in the same way as any lhd that can be driven on our roads. i do not suggest to get rid of them, but i do agree with limiting them to niche cars, just like the ford coupe now is
if a company was going to make ford coupes in the exact same way as they did in the 70's i would not agree with it. they would need to conform to the adr's of the time - no if's, no but's, no maybe's. aesthetic automotive perfection cannot come before current safety measures

Originally Posted by flappist

Would you agree with:



I suspect not........

i don't think this is very relevant to this topic - i see your point, but the ford coupe is a niche car, but more importantly the steering wheel is on the correct side of the car. i personally don't care what safety features my car has - i think avoiding the accident is the most important thing, and being on the right hand side of the car gives me a much better chance of seeing oncoming traffic when over taking than a lhd
if i misjudge an overtaking move in my coupe, rav4d or 121 jellybean, the chances are i will know by the time my wheels have just crossed the line - every time this has happened, i have had time to pull back in. if in a lhd vehicle doing the same thing, i would be much further onto the wrong side of the road and then have less time to get back in

[Jim Goose]

There is an American serviceman here who for some odd reason imported his LHD CAMRY to townsville (I suspect he hasnt got any permits etc.. but thats another issue).

If is SO easy to drive a LHD drive in a RHD world... why does he ALWAYS drive in the right hand lane of a mulitlane road (despite the rule above 80kmh).

Met a Mustang owner at a car show last yr who drove his car all the way from the sunshine coast to move to NQ... says it was the most scariest thing hes done on the highway... long distance travel sitting on the wrong side of the road.

[MercurySilver]

i think they have to be 30 years dont they to be able to be driven stock LHD??

this would kill the importing side of things if this rubbish comes thru
might make the prices of our muscle go up again tho????

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

There is an American serviceman here who for some odd reason imported his LHD CAMRY to townsville (I suspect he hasnt got any permits etc.. but thats another issue).

If is SO easy to drive a LHD drive in a RHD world... why does he ALWAYS drive in the right hand lane of a mulitlane road (despite the rule above 80kmh).

Met a Mustang owner at a car show last yr who drove his car all the way from the sunshine coast to move to NQ... says it was the most scariest thing hes done on the highway... long distance travel sitting on the wrong side of the road.

There are also plenty of people who drive at 80km/h on the highway except at overtaking zones where they speed up to 100 and even more people who will not ever drive in cities like Melbourne or Sydney because they did ones and it was the scariest thing they have ever done.

One of the greatest problems in society is "normality syndrome".

People think they are normal and therefore anything they are not capable of doing all other "normal" people are not capable of doing.
The leads to xenophobia as anyone who can do something they can't must not be normal and therefore must be stopped.

This is also the basis of all the nannyism that plagues our culture.

How many times has the screaming and whinging of the dumb or incompetent people removed a right or freedom from everyone all because they are incapable of doing something so therefore no one else should be allowed as this would make them feel inferior?

Here is a news flash.

We are not all the same.
We are not all equal.

Not eveyone can safely drive even the simplest of cars.

Not everyone can fly or ride a motorbike or sail or sing or draw or swim or run or whatever.......

If you are not capable of driving a manual non power steering 3 tonne truck THEN DON'T DRIVE ONE even though you can do so legally on a normal license.

In the same way if you just cannot function in a LHD vehicle in a RHD country then DO NOT DRIVE A LHD car.

I wonder who the poms have not wiped themselves out.
Remember Clarksons GT40? It was a new LHD car sold in UK.

http://www.londonlhdcentre.com/

[noosacuda]

Sounds like absolute crapola to me! We drove from Bundaberg to Albury/Wodonga for Chryslers on the Murray in 2011 in my LEFT HAND DRIVE Chrysler, over 4000k's driven and NO hassles at all! If you can't overtake safely, then DON'T, just sit back and enjoy the ride! I'd NEVER convert my car to righthand drive- why should i? Is the Qld gov't going to sudsidise the conversion cost? I don't think so.

[2011G6E]

I think just giving open slather to LHD cars, new and old, would be a self-correcting issue.

If you could walk in and buy brand new LHD cars, some people would love it and quickly adapt, but others would take one test drive and be terrified and not buy one.
With older cars it's even more so...99.99% of old LHD cars would be owned by enthusiasts...they know what the "problems" are with driving a LHD car here, and know how to deal with it in their pride and joy and, I would suspect, are more careful drivers than the general population because of it.

[Zedjay]

i just bought a mustang over the weekend ..been looking for months for the right car
and the reason it took so long was because i wanted RHD...i ended up getting LHD though and thought it was going to be awkward to drive but i gotta tell ya..
After driving for about an hour it feels normal..(i drove it home from the gold coast)
ive been driving it all weekend
even went to get in the passanger side of my pajero this morning

i think its safe and as noosacuda said if you cant over take then dont just enjoy the ride

[MercurySilver]

id love them to get rid of the law completely
you could import a srt8 challenger and then not pay 100 grand after its been converted

wonder how much the aussie car market would dive tho

[flappist]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

id love them to get rid of the law completely
you could import a srt8 challenger and then not pay 100 grand after its been converted

wonder how much the aussie car market would dive tho

The car would still have to comply with all the other ADRs though so it would not just be a case of unload it off the boat, screw on the plates and drive.

Even in the "dual hand drive" areas there are a lot of things that need to sorted such as lights etc.

[MercurySilver]

ive always wondered about the lights and blinkers
ive seen ***** loads of older american cars on the roads that still have the brake lights as indicators (flashing) i was sure this was illegal (well here in sa anyway)

[Zedjay]

mine has red rear blinkers (brake light / blinker)
and is leagal..
i think because its over 30years old

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by flappist

Even in the "dual hand drive" areas there are a lot of things that need to sorted such as lights etc.

LOL, I've often wondered how many people have bought headlight conversion kits from Seppoland and then wondered why they cant see the kerb/fog line when the go out at night here.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

LOL, I've often wondered how many people have bought headlight conversion kits from Seppoland and then wondered why they cant see the kerb/fog line when the go out at night here.

And how many times they would get flashed, take a look at your lights next time and you will notice the cut-off on the right side is generally lower than the one on the left or doesn't reach out as far, to not blind/annoy oncoming traffic, on a LHD car it is opposite

What ***** me is its OK to drive a 30 year old LHD car here in Victoria, why not a new one?

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by Zedjay

mine has red rear blinkers (brake light / blinker)
and is leagal..
i think because its over 30years old

thanks for that
so i guess its like the LHD thingy
if its 30 years or older it can have the LHD and the factory blinkers

[Cambo351]

When i imported my XJR to Switzerland from the UK the only modification needed was to change the internals of the headlights to point to the other side of the road. Thats it.

I really don't see why things have to be so complicated in Oz.

[350125GO]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

And how many times they would get flashed, take a look at your lights next time and you will notice the cut-off on the right side is generally lower than the one on the left or doesn't reach out as far, to not blind/annoy oncoming traffic, on a LHD car it is opposite

What ***** me is its OK to drive a 30 year old LHD car here in Victoria, why not a new one?

To protect the Australian car industry? Pretty obvious I thought?

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by 350125GO

To protect the Australian car industry? Pretty obvious I thought?

i think it might also have something to do with tourism and having no neighbours using lhd
the only international visitors we might get who bring their car over are new zealanders and they have rhd. the indonesians and others are not likely to ever bring a car over for their holidays
the uk on the other hand could get the french and virtually everyone else in europe hoping to bring their car over for a short stay, so it makes an amount of sense to allow that
the european governments might have more relaxed rules because of their own tourism dollars, but also to keep their neighbours happy. we don't need to, because all of our neighbours are rhd



i honestly cannot see what the problem is - the rules have been around for a long time, they are not new. i wonder how many of those, that are the most vocal about the rules, because they would like to bring a mustang or something else over, are the ones that claim they would buy the v16, quad turbo, gtho that ford have been silly not to offer

[XBROO]

Like it has been said before, the 30 year old classic are going to be driven by enthusiasts, who love and respest cars. If you leave it open to any vehicle I couldn't imagine the koas on the roads. I mean it's bad enough now with out putting numskulls in LHDs.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

ive always wondered about the lights and blinkers
ive seen ***** loads of older american cars on the roads that still have the brake lights as indicators (flashing) i was sure this was illegal (well here in sa anyway)

The auto clubs in UK give you beam diversion stickers for almost free for driving on the European continent - you stick them on the marked spot on the lens. Simple.

[turbodewd]

I would presume a LHD corvette is safer than any motorbike.

Why dont they ban all motorbikes?! I mean people die on those things waaaay too often.

[XBROO]

Originally Posted by turbodewd

I would presume a LHD corvette is safer than any motorbike.

Why dont they ban all motorbikes?! I mean people die on those things waaaay too often.

Now that's just a ridiculous thing to write.

[noflac52]

Originally Posted by turbodewd

I would presume a LHD corvette is safer than any motorbike.

Why dont they ban all motorbikes?! I mean people die on those things waaaay too often.

Yeah ! They're usually hit by some numbskull in a car! Why don't they ban all cars?