Give Way rule date changed

[MSTRS:Me]

Four sum its not to big of a problem...

[jasonu]

Don't know about trams...they were LONG GONE when the current rule was brought in here in the mid/late 70s. I understood the idea behind it to be 'give way to the right - no exceptions'.

In those days Auckland (for one) still had the electric busses that had to follow the overhead lines.

[bluninja]

you're right, I keep forgetting the "other" your

not forgetting the yore of times gone by

[rainman]

I think I may have said this previously but again, currently, turning left is too complicated for the average driver. You need to check to your left as you move over to make sure there's no pedestrian about to step out or scooterist trying to duck up the inside. You need to look ahead to see if there is someone turning right into the same road as you, in which case you have to give way. You then need to look in your rearview mirror to see if the vehicle behind you is going straight. If it is, you then don't give way to the car turning right but proceed.

The new rule makes things simpler and also brings us into line with international convention. I wonder if the world will ever get to the stage of traveling on the same side of the road, be it left or right.

What he said. The current rule is absolutely idiotic and I can't wait until it's gone.

[rainman]

you don't need to look behind (you go round as they pass)

Ah but you do - you can only "go round" if there is someone behind you who is going straight, so you (the left turner) have to look from the person turning right, who would have right of way, to the person behind you who by that stage is on your tail and you can't see if they're indicating left (meaning you have to give way) or going straight (meaning you must turn). To make things worse the right-turner can't see if the person behind you is indicating left or not either, so ha no information with which to make a decision.

It's a completely rubbish rule, and the rest of the world thinks you're at best quaint (and at worst crazy) for keeping it so long.

[pzkpfw]

Ah but you do - you can only "go round" if there is someone behind you who is going straight, so you (the left turner) have to look from the person turning right, who would have right of way, to the person behind you who by that stage is on your tail and you can't see if they're indicating left (meaning you have to give way) or going straight (meaning you must turn). To make things worse the right-turner can't see if the person behind you is indicating left or not either, so ha no information with which to make a decision.

It's a completely rubbish rule, and the rest of the world thinks you're at best quaint (and at worst crazy) for keeping it so long.

Well, I think the give way ought to be decided by who's facing you, not who's behind them. If the left turner has to stop (under the current rule) to let the right turner go, then the person behind the left turner ought to stop, too. Tough luck if they are going straight. They shouldn't be going around.

The point of the current rule was to let the right turner get on, and not be stuck in the middle of the road. The only confusion is when people play this guessing game of letting the left turner go, because they see someone going straight (maybe), behind the left turner. It's that guessing game that needs to be got rid of, not the current rule.

(The pictures they show in the road code, etc, never show what's going on behind the "red and blue" cars; so they've left it up to people to figure it out, instead of making it clear.)

Pissing into the wind, though. The change is coming...

[Scuba_Steve]

Ah but you do - you can only "go round" if there is someone behind you who is going straight, so you (the left turner) have to look from the person turning right, who would have right of way, to the person behind you who by that stage is on your tail and you can't see if they're indicating left (meaning you have to give way) or going straight (meaning you must turn). To make things worse the right-turner can't see if the person behind you is indicating left or not either, so ha no information with which to make a decision.

It's a completely rubbish rule, and the rest of the world thinks you're at best quaint (and at worst crazy) for keeping it so long.

think you should read my bit in the brackets again (you go as they pass)

the rule as stands is logical & intelligent (with exception to unmarked intersections) the old/new rule is illogical & in all honesty retarded (with again exception to unmarked intersections).

[steve_t]

think you should read my bit in the brackets again (you go as they pass)

the rule as stands is logical & intelligent (with exception to unmarked intersections) the old/new rule is illogical & in all honesty retarded (with again exception to unmarked intersections).

So the left turning person still has to look to their right to see the car going past. What if there's not enough space on the right for the car to get past?

Have you driven in Australia? The new rule makes heaps of sense, we might end up getting some of those Hook Turns in some areas though due to our road design.

[rainman]

think you should read my bit in the brackets again (you go as they pass)

So the left turning person still has to look to their right to see the car going past. What if there's not enough space on the right for the car to get past?

Have you driven in Australia? The new rule makes heaps of sense, we might end up getting some of those Hook Turns in some areas though due to our road design.

I was going to say to Suba_Steve "What if there is not enough room for them to pass because the left-turner has stopped to let the right turner through?", but yeah, what you said.

Dunno about hook turns, but the use of those little mini-offramp type lanes to the left on bigger intersections might be the thing we need.

[Pseudonym]

I’m not sure if you may have noticed, but THEY DON”T FUCKING GIVE WAY NOW!
What will change for us is they now won’t give way from the other direction.
HiVis vest? You could ride naked, painted pink, standing on your head with fireworks coming out of your arse and they won’t see you.

The change will bring us inline with the rest of the world, and that will be better for those new to the country.
Why we adapted the stupid rule in the fist place is beyond me, yea I know the reasons but it was unnecessary.
Like the roundabout “clarification” it’ll be the same deal where people come to an intersection, fart their brains out their ears and just go for it.

If it’s bigger than me I’m letting it go, it’s worked up to now.
A moral victory with a missing leg? Na I’ll pass thanks.

Note: I live in South Auckland and work in Auckland so I am amongst some of the best world class drivers you could ever hope to find…

[Voltaire]

I learnt to drive under the 'old' rule and I don't remember any issues on the change to the current stupid rule....but then we didn't have the internet or what passes as 'news' on TV then. Probably be like the Y2K bug.....much ado about nothing.
The cars overtaking from behind left turning cars when the driver of the left turning car is waiting for you to turn and ofter even waving you thru make the current rule a joke.
I've ridden/driven overseas and its up there with Frances give way to vehicles coming out of side roads on the right and Spains give way at the end of over taking lanes.

[Scuba_Steve]

So the left turning person still has to look to their right to see the car going past. What if there's not enough space on the right for the car to get past?

Have you driven in Australia? The new rule makes heaps of sense, we might end up getting some of those Hook Turns in some areas though due to our road design.

I was going to say to Suba_Steve "What if there is not enough room for them to pass because the left-turner has stopped to let the right turner through?", but yeah, what you said.

well thats pretty simple, isn't it??? you don't need to be a genius to work it out. On the very rare occasion there is no room to pull over (the straight through is blocked) so the right turn gets his chance to go & everyone carries on.

And no I haven't driven in Australia but that still doesn't change the fact current law is logical & is best for traffic flow & getting cars off the road.
If that left turn car has nowhere to pull over chances are that right turn car is holding up traffic. Under new/old law he'll just be holding up traffic for much longer & could even be reliant on "courtesy" before he is able to move & free up traffic flow again. Given NZ's current state of "courtesy" I wouldn't put 5min holdups out of the question.

[rainman]

well thats pretty simple, isn't it??? you don't need to be a genius to work it out. On the very rare occasion there is no room to pull over (the straight through is blocked) so the right turn gets his chance to go & everyone carries on.

But that's not how it works in practice, at least where I am. Far more likely the left-turner just takes the turn and the going-straight car does exactly that. I don't have a road code handy to check but I don't think it makes it clear what to do in these cases - the examples are only one car deep. That you and I have differing views of how best to handle the circumstance only confirms that there is a problem to fix...

the fact current law is logical & is best for traffic flow & getting cars off the road.

You keep saying that but we'll just have to disagree: me and the rest of the world over here, and you over there...

[superman]

Under new/old law he'll just be holding up traffic for much longer

Currently it's holding up cars behind the left turners... soon it'll be holding up cars behind the right turners (in narrow road situations). How will it be holding up traffic for longer? If anything it'll be less hold up because left turners can just go with no worries, while at the moment right turners must watch out, left turners must watch out, and then decide. In the new rule all responsibility is put on the right turner. (and I seem to remember somewhere that if conducting a right turn and straight flowing vehicles are behind you, you are supposed to pull over to the left and let them pass first... like that'd ever happen here)

[Berries]

(and I seem to remember somewhere that if conducting a right turn and straight flowing vehicles are behind you, you are supposed to pull over to the left and let them pass first... like that'd ever happen here)

Ahh, the old Cockies Rule as I call it. Some people think that you are required to do this. The Rule says (2.5.3) that you aren't committing an offence by doing it, so it isn't really promoted. Makes sense sometimes I guess if there is a lot of traffic coming towards you and you are turning right after a blind crest. Where it falls down is with the bullshit NZ practice of sitting there with your indicator on and not doing anything making everyone think you are about to pull out. Numbnuts.