NZ Motorists

[James Deuce]

So that's why the traffic is so slow? You're holding it up! It takes me 14-16 mins from home to town in peak hour, and I've got further to go than you down that Hutt mway. Lanesplitting might well be illegal and dangerous, but at least I'll have lots more spare time before my early death! (pt)

I should have said: In the car.

Bike takes about the same as you for me to get to Abel Smith St. I park right outside work too.

[chris]

If you spend peanuts on training you get monkey drivers.

No different to the UK. Also bear in mind that learner drivers in the UK have to cope with the vehicle movements of a 60 million population in a country the same size as NZ.

My own observations as a Pom living in NZ are that yes, general driving standards are shockingly bad compared to other countries I have driven in. Speed is simply not the main issue in NZ when it comes to accidents (it does cause some obviously) in my opinion. I used to regularly drive in Europe and it was a rare sight to see a traffic cop in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy etc while all around you people were happily going about their business at anything from 130km/h to 200km/h. If speed truly was the killer that NZ officialdom would have you believe, most of Europe would be deserted.

UK traffic cops are great compared to the policemenists in NZ who seem to display no common sense whatsoever. Although there is a speed limit on UK motorways of 70mph, I received one speeding ticket in 18 years of driving there. The average speed at which most traffic flows is around the 85mph mark and I was no different. I had been in NZ a few weeks before my first ticket for 112km/h on a clear empty, straight road, from a policemenist who displayed no common sense. A fair cop is a fair cop guvnor, but a good ticking off and then been sent on your way with a healthy respect for the guy who stopped you is so much more productive than blanket ticketing.

I believe that Portugal has the highest road death toll in Europe; I felt safer driving there than I ever have done on HW16 for example.

[Lou Girardin]

The UK has a far tougher testing regime. You can fail for holding the steering wheel incorrectly for instance.
In NZ there was even a proposal to do away with vehicle safety checks prior to a test.

[chris]

The UK has a far tougher testing regime.

Maybe, but you share the road with a hell of a lot more drivers than here in NZ. Otherwise, the theory test is much the same and the instructors will vary during a practical test I presume. But I presume it is much the same here as in the UK that you are taught to pass a test, not taught to drive in the real world.

[avgas]

If you spend peanuts on training you get monkey drivers.

I dunno lots of those aisan spend alot (dont take offence people, just messing with ya, and dont worry im not anit-aisan )

Add to that the attitude of a car just being another appliance, not requiring any pride in your ability to handle it.

Yep thats a good point - f all NZers actually learn how to drive on the limits of their vehicle, so they dont know what the limits of their vehicle are - so when they exceed those limit (ie hit brakes)....all hell brakes loose.

Plus a macho, hyper-aggressive attitude breed into young males through thugby.

Dont forget the women who feel they are being unjustly done, 4wd owners, boy racers, buissness folk and ego-extentions.

Then there's the punitive, purtitanical attitude to enforcement rather than education.

Also there is a lack of enforcement in some areas.....

[Groins_NZ]

Plus a macho, hyper-aggressive attitude breed into young males through thugby.

Yes, and then they buy a 4x4 and think their 'king of the road'.

Some interesting comments from lot's of different sources in this thread for sure! The conclusion to all this, as far as I can see, is that we're basically FUCKED!

Quite often when I'm either riding or in the car I comment to my partner about a blatantly obvious twot who shouldn't be on the road, "how the f%$* did someone driving like that pass their practical?".

[Brian d marge]

Yes they are bad ...I remember reading a book called the book of lists ....lists and lists of trivia ....NZ wasnt that bad ,,,The maldives isle were the worst ...
but yup the macho arrogant attitude I feel is the problem ...BUT i really dont have a problem with NZ drivers ...They do stupid things ,,but at the end of the day if you drive /ride defensivly you hardly have a prob ,,,

On the bike I actually feel safer, and I cant remember when was the last time I had a brown trouser moment...If stupids want to kill themselves thats cool ,,, Insert rant about the innocent kid ( she was 7 ) anyway I wont be anywhere near the problem ,,and will be quite happy

As for suddenly changing lanes ...you will either see a head turn or a steering wheel turn and should have plenty of time to react ...
Tailgated ,,,pull over and let the dick meet his maker quicker .....

Oh and wind the windows up in the car before releasing your feelings loose about the d/h in the car in front ,,,,,

But I get a bit annoyed about the blanket speeding tickets ...That is revenue grabbing ,,,speed does cause problem as in if you hit a pole at 10km ,,,you get a sore nose ,,,hit a pole at 100 and you will know about it .....and IF Helen has to pay for your medical ,,,willShe make damn sure she will try and stop you ending up in the hospital in the first place ,,,,She would make the speed limit 20 km/h ,,,if it reduced the medical costs due to traffic accidents .....

Stephen

[Swoop]

Oh my goodness... what a thread and where to start!

But I won't.

There needs to be a complete mentality change with our drivers, but how do we do this?
Reading some of the posts from our friends in blue, the concept that people new to this country are using a "mail order" licence that is valid for 1 year, is completely insane to start with!

Think about it the next time you WALK down the street. If you walk on the left side of the pavement, just look at the people who are walking on the RIGHT hand side of the footpath & coming straight at you - then guess which lane they use most when driving.

Scares me thinking about these people who aren't thinking when driving.

[Karma]

The average NZ motorcyclist approaches the average UK driver in terms of control skill, and situational awareness, but we really need to be better than that.

So does that mean that the average UK motorcyclist is better than everyone?

[Pixie]

We rarely heard a horn being blasted in anger,

That's part of the problem with NZers,you rarely hear a horn used here either.It's because they are so repressed and frustrated.
In Italy it's a race to hit the horn the second the light turns green

[swanman]

Interesting and honest thread. I feel that there a quite a few ex Uk residents here. And i absolutley agree. Driving here is bad. When you first come here it is quite a shock. Worrying thing is that after a few years you don't notice it so much. Pet personal hate the truning left give way to turning right rule, OMG that is crazy. That is bureacratic nonsense over practicality, dumbest road rule ever and we all go along with it!

I only got one speeding ticket in Europe what was doing 50kmh in a 30kmh zone in Germany. Over here incessant, 58 in 50, 111 in 100 etc. It is not speed that kills it is inapropriate speed that kills. In line with the poor standard of driving here, there is poor road safety policy too. Hate to rant but this is a bug bear for me, as it is the one thing that risks my life more than it should in this great country.

[James Deuce]

Interesting and honest thread. ......

I'm a Kiwi born and bred, and I only needed a little exposure to a different driving culture to thoroughly examine my own abilities and attitudes.

And yes weasel, if Jimbo600 is anything to go by then I think that's probably a fair point.

[kro]

I moved from Auckland to Nelson, and although Nelson drivers are a hell of a lot more courteous, and let people in, and aren't in any big rush, they are freaking hopeless at using their indicators, which can be twice as bad.

It has to be seen to be believed.

[Brian d marge]

Tis true story ,,,,

I was driving in chch about 6 years ago ..goin down a one way street with 3 lanes ....cars parked on the side of the road ....so 5 lanes if you include where the cars are parked ...
I was in the right hand lane ie 4th from the left ,,,,doing 50k or so ,,and I see in the 6th lane comming up reall fast ,,ie on my inside ,,a car ,,and from the looks of it she wanted to cut in front of me ...thats cool ...but the speed she was going and the speed I was going ,,she would have hit the parked cars in front of her before she could have cut in front ,,,,,, So knowing this ,,,I had foot on brake ,,,no one behind me ,,so I thought ,,Ill just see how far this woman is prepared to go before she gives way ,,,* which she had to ,,,by law * ..
Nope ,,I let it go to the last mm ...and she was still accelarating .. so I stopped and she sweerved infront .... half a second more and she would have gone plowing up the arse of a parked car in front off her ,,,
She made a kamakazi piliot look safe ... Honestly she would have ,,gone right up the arse of a parked car rather than give way to me ...who was in the correct lane an all ....
But as I said before if you drive defensively ,,,then really there is no problem ...( treat em like idiots who are fresh from drivers school ,,amd dont be anywhere near them when they cock up ,,,,aand you will have a stress free ride !!)

Stephen
( the problem here in Japan is that they all watch the DVD player on the dash board so when the light changes green no one moves ,,,me included ,,,as i am watching me Led ZEP live DVD .....)

[SPman]

I only got one speeding ticket in Europe what was doing 50kmh in a 30kmh zone in Germany. Over here incessant, 58 in 50, 111 in 100 etc. It is not speed that kills it is inapropriate speed that kills. In line with the poor standard of driving here, there is poor road safety policy too. Hate to rant but this is a bug bear for me, as it is the one thing that risks my life more than it should in this great country.

Unfortunately, you're right. The only policy is to ignore the root causes, and beat everyone over the head, indiscriminately, with the "speeding" stick. All they can see is to slow down all the traffic - seems to be the only thought in their collective brain cell! The LTSA or whatever keep coming up with figures like ---slow down the traffic median speed by 2.3690kph we will save 3.547lives per month at a savings of blah dollars a year, so if we extrapolate and slow everyone down we wont have to spend any money, we'll save it and we'll look good.Their goal seems to be to get us all in convoys, with police riding shotgun , travelling the highways at 65kph!