Give Way rule poised to change

[Max Preload]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...ange-confirmed

Just what we need - further dumbing down of the driving populace.

They're also removing the incentive for motorcyclists to spend money on further training to reduce their time on the restricted license. That'll do wonders.

Oh, and I see they've rolled out the misleading "Motorcyclists are 20 times more at risk of being involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than car drivers per kilometre driven." soundbite.

At least power-to-weight ratio restrictions will come in, which I'm sure will be like Australia. That is much fairer than simply engine capacity. If only that were applied to vehicle licenses ('rego') though.

[Swoop]

Is Eric a KB member?



Well, it's about time. An international body, the International Transport Forum (ITF) has agreed with what I've been banging on about for years - Kiwis are crap drivers.

In fact we're worse than that, we're downright dangerous and menace to anyone who shares the road with us. The ITF report states New Zealand has the seventh-highest ratio of deaths per billion vehicle kilometres travelled and is the ninth highest in deaths per capita.

That puts us up there with Cambodia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Lithuania. All countries where most of the time you don't need a license to drive. Here we have to sit a test. I'd like to meet the fool who thought it was okay to hand out a certificate to drive a tonne of killing machine, simply based on answering a series of multi-guess questions.

Maybe our driving standards are so poor because our testing system is so poor. It doesn't take rocket science to deduce that, to improve driving standards and deaths, you have to educate the nut behind the wheel.

Our roads are the equivalent of blacktop goat tracks compared to most of the developed world yet there's no system in place to train young, old, new or immigrant drivers how to deal with our particular conditions.

The AA bloke's statement in the Press that, "Safer Journeys [new AA safety programme] recognises that drivers will make mistakes, but it's the road or the roadside that determines the outcome of those mistakes. Cars, roads and roadsides need to be protective" just about sums up why the problem will never be fixed.

Put the blame somewhere else why don't you - again. First, we had all that nonsense that speed kills, which it doesn't, bad driving does, and now, apparently it's roads that kill us. God knows what they'll come up with next.

If you train a driver that on a narrow road you have drive more slowly and with care, rather than getting them to tick a box on a piece of paper, it might just sink in.

The incumbent rulers of this country recently had the best chance in lord knows how long to rip up the current driving licence legislation and deliver something really worthwhile. But all we got was a soggy chip approach that will achieve nothing.

I have now come to the conclusion that to become a politician, not only is there a requirement to have a slightly wonky moral compass, but you also have to be neutered.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Implement the recommendations below and watch the problem solve itself.

* The test before you get in a car is NOT multi guess; it has to have written answers.

* Raise the driving age to 17 for a learner's plate, and then only for a car up to 1300cc. And the driver must have had at least three driving lessons from a qualified driving instructor before they are allowed to actually drive the car.

* To get a restricted licence the driver must show proof of at least two defensive driving lessons from an approved training organisation over a minimum 12 months prior.

* If any traffic infringement occurs during that 12 months, the driver starts from day one all over again.

* Full licence granted only after being assessed by a traffic officer sitting in the car during a test.

* Only on gaining a full licence, can the driver buy any car they want.

* Compulsory third party insurance.

And ditch the advertising agency that came up with the 'driving's in the blood' campaign. If anything summed up what a bunch of dorks we are when it comes to driving campaigns that one did and would have won a Golden Lion at the The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. That's right, get your Dad to teach you how to drive and have an accident.

By Eric Thompson

[neels]

Can't see how changing the give way rules will make any difference, people are too stupid to understand now so instead they will be confused and stupid. At the moment it's pretty simple, if they're coming at your drivers door with the horn going then you didn't have right of way. They haven't managed to get people indicating sensibly at roundabouts yet, how the hell will they figure out different rules depending on the type of intersection?

Agree completely with the tests for moped riders though, I always thought it was weird that you need one for a motorcycle, but no licence/test/WOF before you wobble along the road on your dodgy old scooter.

[pzkpfw]

I happen to like the current rules, and don't find them confusing.

Taking the picture off stuff, what happens in a situation like their second example, if it's a four-way intersection?

If it's different than the main+side road example (i.e. my added picture is wrong), then that's confusing.

If it's the same as the main+side road example (i.e. my added picture is correct), then it's different than if both vehicles are going straight instead of both turning (unless they are ditching "give way to your right" altogether), and that's confusing.

[SMOKEU]

The majority of drivers don't even know how to indicate properly at a roundabout, now the government wants to confuse those people even more! Where is the logic in that?

I'd hate to see how many crashes will happen due to these rule changes.

[Hitcher]

I fail to see how creating further confusion at intersections will reduce accidents there by 7%.

I don't know why distinctions are drawn between "give way" and "stop" intersections. I suggest that replacing "give way" signs with "stop" signs and leaving the law as it is regarding which vehicle gives way to which would make a major difference to intersection accidents.

New Zealanders are crap drivers. This is why I would never suggest we adopt the "turn left on red" law (or right-hand equivalent) that many civilised countries have.

[Max Preload]

If it's different than the main+side road example (i.e. my added picture is wrong), then that's confusing.

Well then, consider it confusing. A 4-way intersection with neither road having a centreline that crosses the intersection is treated like a roundabout (just like a signal controlled intersection where the signals are out) in that you give way to the right...

[Banditbandit]

I fail to see how creating further confusion at intersections will reduce accidents there by 7%.

I don't know why distinctions are drawn between "give way" and "stop" intersections. I suggest that replacing "give way" signs with "stop" signs and leaving the law as it is regarding which vehicle gives way to which would make a major difference to intersection accidents.

New Zealanders are crap drivers. This is why I would never suggest we adopt the "turn left on red" law (or right-hand equivalent) that many civilised countries have.

Yeah . the change to the current law was supposed to reduce accidents - and now they say changing it back will reduce accidnerts - don't see how ...

If they make a "turn left on red" rule there'll be anarchy and more deaths on the roads ..

[Max Preload]

Yeah . the change to the current law was supposed to reduce accidents - and now they say changing it back will reduce accidents - don't see how...

So all they need to do to eliminate all intersection accidents is just change it back and forth for a while! Assuming a 7% reduction each time it changes, after 9 changes we'll be down 48% and after 25 changes it'll be a 94% reduction. Awesome!

[slofox]

The first suggested change is actually just a reversion to the way things were some years ago. I didn't think it should ever have been changed in the first place.

The second proposed change creates an exception to the principle of giving way to the right and when turning right. BUT. It actually reflects what happens already, most of the time, so is maybe not such a bad idea...

Getting people to indicate correctly at roundabouts? Mission Impossible...they're too thick.

Replace all Give Way signs with Stop signs?

Wouldn't make any difference in The Tron. I'm the only driver in the entire city who actually stops for a Stop sign...must be a fucking Luddite I guess....

[Gibbo89]

with the power to rate ratio thing, does that mean bigger bikes will be restricted in their power until you are on your full?

[Str8 Jacket]

Dear God, how the hell are us woman going to cope now?!?!

[Max Preload]

with the power to rate ratio thing, does that mean bigger bikes will be restricted in their power until you are on your full?

No. More likely the system used in Australia will be used where different bikes are classified suitable for provisional license holders based on their factory output and weight figures.
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/...iceriders.html

[Max Preload]

Dear God, how the hell are us woman going to cope now?!?!

I'm expecting nothing will change for them. They'll just keep barreling through the intersections doing their lippy, oblivious to the presence of other road users.

[Str8 Jacket]

I'm expecting nothing will change for them. They'll just keep barreling through the intersections doing their lippy, oblivious to the presence of other road users.

Since I have moved to a full-head helmet I have found that it's virtually impossible to apply lipstick whilst riding now!

I can just imagine a line full of blnde-like woman sitting at an intersection not moving as they are completely confused....