New road rule (Vic)

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by trublu

people should learn to be more vigilant on our roads as these are now every day events in today's world.
Drivers should stop making excuses & learn to take responsibility for their careless actions.

Nearly forgot the biggest problem can be blamed on motorists who have a bad habit of sitting to close to vehicles not allowing you time to react safely to changing conditions.

and there for all the read is common sense, well done trublu

[OzriderXR8]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Stop/go people at roadwork sites have go to be the most aggressive when it comes to slowing vehicles down.
Aggressively waving slow signs and pointing at speed limit signs when traffic is already doing the limit. Just personal experience.
I'm sure they see some idiots flying past at high speed, but when no one is driving like that, the aggression is a bit over the top.

Experienced that just the other day at a long stretch of roadworks, some guy on the side of the road going nuts at me as I drove past. I honestly thought I had missed a sign or something but when I checked I was doing the posted 40kph limit, in fact with cruise control on, and there was no one else near me.

I could see him waving his arms at other drivers in the mirror like a total fruitcake.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by wackyv8

"It took just one day after Victoria's new 40km/h speed limit when passing emergency vehicles was introduced before a big truck slammed into the rear of a small sedan in Bacchus Marsh.
...The driver of an approaching Toyota saw police lights and proceeded to slow down, adhering to the new rule that came into effect on Saturday that requires drivers to slow to 40km/h when passing parked emergency vehicles.

But a big Hino truck travelling behind it failed to slow down and smashed into the rear-end of the Toyota at high speed. Bacchus Marsh-based Leading Senior Constable Shaun Woodhouse said it was lucky nobody was seriously injured as the Toyota was written off."

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4...le-introduced/

We'll see how goes with the first car punched into roadside gathering they were attempting to protect, after being rear-ended with a 70km/h speed differential (110km/h to 40km/h) ..

.. or the first motorcyclist killed.

[Trevor 57]

People will just need to pay attention to whats going on around them, it is called 'defensive driving'

Looking down the road is part of the gig

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Lever T

People will just need to pay attention to whats going on around them, it is called 'defensive driving'

Looking down the road is part of the gig

Do you really believe the majority of Drivers out there are capable of this.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Do you really believe the majority of Drivers out there are capable of this.

They should unless they want to face the risk of culpable driving offenses!

[XR6WGN]

Originally Posted by Lever T

People will just need to pay attention to whats going on around them, it is called 'defensive driving'

Looking down the road is part of the gig

Very True - but it is not helped these days by the lack of "Marked" Police cars doing the patrol duties!! Remember the old days when you had purpose built, Hi-Vis coloured Police Cars that you could actually see on the side of the road - when you saw the lights (and let's be honest - on a clear day, you could see them a fair distance down the road) you would instinctly slow down or at least start paying attention.

Nowadays it is small LED lighting in the front and (Tinted) rear windows of various makes of cars and you don't always notice them until you are almost onto them.

[Tassie f100]

Yeah and how many smart%%% coppers will flick on the flashing lights on a quiet afternoon just to get the numbers up.

[RANGEREST]

Whilst I understand why this law has been implemented, and mostly agree with it, a highway patrol car on the Hume for example, having pulled someone up for speeding at say 5ks over, which is hardly an emergency situation, is creating a truck load more danger than they are preventing.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by trublu

This happens with any traffic congestion on our freeways/highways/roads regardless of emergency vehicles road works accidents etc, people should learn to be more vigilant on our roads as these are now every day events in today's world.
Drivers should stop making excuses & learn to take responsibility for their careless actions.

Nearly forgot the biggest problem can be blamed on motorists who have a bad habit of sitting to close to vehicles not allowing you time to react safely to changing conditions.

You're right, traffic happens, people should pay better attention, but forcing people to brake heavily for situations where traffic is avoidable is probably not a great idea.
As I said maybe the limit should be higher. Less of a speed difference from regular flowing traffic is safer for people who are traveling on the road as well as still being safer and slow for emergency personnel on the side of the road.

I want emergency personnel to be safe at work, but police need to consider their own safety when pulling people over for minor infractions.
Do police cars in Australia have PA systems? Maybe they should so they can tell drivers to move to safer positions rather than stopping people on a tiny shoulder in a 110 zone.
I know in emergency situations having the vehicles move to safer locations is not possible, but I think 40kmh is overkill for slowing vehicles while passing emergency vehicles. We do 40 past school kids because kids have no road sense and are known to perform sudden movements without thinking. Are emergency service people on the same level as school kids?

Why do we value emergency services safety over everyone else? Maybe the low speed limit should be enforced when roadside assist and tow trucks are assisting a broken down car. Maybe we should enforce this limit every time someone stops on the side of the road.
Emergency services and roadside assist people have better training around roads and have hi vis clothing unlike your average road users. So maybe slowing for everyone is safer.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Ben73

We do 40 past school kids because kids have no road sense and are known to perform sudden movements without thinking. Are emergency service people on the same level as school kids?.

no, but there are plenty of muppets driving past them that are barely beyond that level, and its for this reason the laws are introduced.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by prydey

no, but there are plenty of muppets driving past them that are barely beyond that level, and its for this reason the laws are introduced.

Yeah but the brain dead people who have no concern for others safety will be the main ones who will not slow to 40.
The decent drivers paying attention will be the ones slowing.

I'm sure many of us have seen the recent dashcam footage of the Celica rear ending a Rav4 causing the Celica to go off to the left of the highway and smashing into a vehicle stopped in the emergency lane while the Rav4 rolling on to its roof off to the right hand side and being hit by 3 other vehicles.
I can see that sort of stuff happening more often if people are forced to brake from 100+ to 40 regularly.

Just found it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnGmIEzayQM

[pottery beige]

lol @ the outrages

situations

slow down and chill the f out

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Trump

There are some workplaces where it isn't possible to legislate safer conditions, that's a fact of life.

The Australian way.. Overlegislate everything in the name of safety, so many occupations or industries become extremely challenged, unprofitable, hindered and can no longer function, and get replaced by offshore third world nations where safety, OH&S are non-issues. If our caring government had their way, they'd start legislating 8 hours sleep per night , outlaw junk food, and make us stay home to reduce the road toll.

[elizabeth.d]

A few years ago I was travelling out bound on the Monash just past the old Waverley Park ground. The freeway rises there and I found myself stuck amongst half a dozen semi trailers all jostling amongst the slower moving ones. I get a bit nervous when I have a truck either side of me so I made my way to the inside lane and accelerated past them. Only problem was I got pinged by an unmarked that was travelling in front of the group. 115 was my speed completing that manoeuvre. Here's where it gets interesting. I drove another 2km before pulling over at the first available off ramp which was Stud Rd. It ****ed the copper off no end resulting in another fine for failing to obey a police instruction $300 3 points. My argument was that the police failed to adequately identify themselves by being in an unmarked car, the signage on the freeway clearly stated no stopping on freeway, emergency stopping lane only and I considered the section of freeway to dangerous to stop on being adjacent to the on ramp taking cars from Eastlink. Drivers would be looking over their right shoulder merging onto the Monash not seeing me stopped in the emergency lane on the left.
The magistrate agreed also and threw the case out saving me $600 in fines, but I still wore 6 demerit points and cost me my RDO in attending court. Would I do it again you betcha. Take the exit ramp and keep our freeways safer.

[71cop]

I remember travelling the country as a kid with dad driving the XY and on major roads and highways they had things called detours ( tracks pushed through the bush ) adjacent to the roadworks. Worked great I thought, safer for the road workers & I don't remember seeing any accidents on the detours and certainly no rear enders.
Kept the traffic flowing at a reduced speed and you didn't have the dangerous situation you have today of huge lines of traffic stopped on these major roads for extended periods of time in some cases ( accidents waiting to happen ).

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by 71cop

I remember travelling the country as a kid with dad driving the XY and on major roads and highways they had things called detours ( tracks pushed through the bush ) adjacent to the roadworks. Worked great I thought, safer for the road workers & I don't remember seeing any accidents on the detours and certainly no rear enders.
Kept the traffic flowing at a reduced speed and you didn't have the dangerous situation you have today of huge lines of traffic stopped on these major roads for extended periods of time in some cases ( accidents waiting to happen ).

Well all states still do it (detours) these days when doing roadworks in country areas.

[71cop]

Originally Posted by trublu

Well all states still do it (detours) these days when doing roadworks in country areas.

So when I & many others were in a line up of traffic stopped on the road at road works recently in outback QLD & NT we were really on a detour were we ? Oh hang on you weren't there.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by 71cop

So when I & many others were in a line up of traffic stopped on the road at road works recently in outback QLD & NT we were really on a detour were we ? Oh hang on you weren't there.

I do travel quite extensively all over Australia's roads, I do see these detours you mentioned in your OP, not all roadworks do have them but they are still utilised if the authorities deem them appropriate for the road works.

Oh wait you have not seen the ones I have experienced in my travels!

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 71cop

I remember travelling the country as a kid with dad driving the XY and on major roads and highways they had things called detours ( tracks pushed through the bush ) adjacent to the roadworks. Worked great I thought, safer for the road workers & I don't remember seeing any accidents on the detours and certainly no rear enders.
).

They definitely still exist. I have been on one in the past week.

[Wretched]

If it is indeed to protect emergency services staff using the emergency lane, can we the law adjusted so that ALL cars in the emergency lane are in scope?
Emergency workers are, I imagine, trained how and where to position themselves in situations, but what about Joe Bloggs changing his/her tyre? No lights, no sirens and certainly no reflective gear.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

The Australian way.. Overlegislate everything in the name of safety, so many occupations or industries become extremely challenged, unprofitable, hindered and can no longer function, and get replaced by offshore third world nations where safety, OH&S are non-issues. If our caring government had their way, they'd start legislating 8 hours sleep per night , outlaw junk food, and make us stay home to reduce the road toll.

As a OHS professional, in response to you comment I will say that businesses bring this on themselves, the OHS Law is very simple, it basically says that the boss has to provide a safe workplace. How the business does that is entirely up to them.

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by trublu

I do travel quite extensively all over Australia's roads, I do see these detours you mentioned in your OP, not all roadworks do have them but they are still utilised if the authorities deem them appropriate for the road works.

Oh wait you have not seen the ones I have experienced in my travels!

I think it depends on how long the road works are going to take, if quite a long time they will build a bypass. We also travel extensively

[GO FURTHER]

Just heard on the radio this morning, that Police are currently unable to issue infringement notices on this new road rule at the moment, as the infringement tickets do not as yet have the penalty code printed on them.

Apparantly, the new rule was rushed through legislation without prior consultation with police and the relevant bodies.

So no one has yet been officially booked!