AA trying to change the give-way law (again).

[Squeak the Rat]

AA are once again trying to get our give way laws the same as a lot of overseas countries, so that cars turning right have to give way to cars turning left into the same street.

Just wondering what the general opinion of this is, and whether it is worth implementing....

Having driven and ridden in the UK I'm confident that this law works in practice, and I can see benefits in removing confusion and maybe preventing accidents. However, surely the transition would be a complete nightmare with people forgetting and causing shiteloads more crashes.

Is the longterm gain worth the potential short term pain? Can kiwis cope with such a change? (subliminal NO)

And would this be another case of "lets change the law because drivers are too incompetent to understand the current one"?

[The Stranger:Me]

We have the simplest give way rules of any country in the world.
Hell the rule even appeals to the survival instinct.
Basically it is give way to anything that would hit your drivers door.

Now the mindless masses can't even deal with that, I fail to see how adding even one exception is going to clarify anything.

[James Deuce]

.

Is the longterm gain worth the potential short term pain? Can kiwis cope with such a change? (subliminal NO)

And would this be another case of "lets change the law because drivers are too incompetent to understand the current one"?

I agree wholeheartedly with the comment about the UK.

Changing the law in NZ isn't going to improve understanding of traffic rules, or competence.

Changing the law will just make make the AA membership feel like they belong to an organisation that can "get things done".

If the Government was serious about reducing accidents then they would have Police concentrate on intersections, not speed, irrespective of whatever give way law was in place.

[SimJen]

Free left turn at traffic lights would be a better idea....

[Biohazard]

And would this be another case of "lets change the law because drivers are too incompetent to understand the current one"?

Nail on the head m8, no matter what new laws are introduced there is always going to be people who cant and wont comprehend it...

Lets face it...its dangerous out there people, so be prepared for the nutters/whack jobs who have the ability to take out a bus cue should they so wish !!!

All roads are scarey, no matter what country we live in or have visited..Cars are wonderfull, the drivers are killers.

[scumdog]

They'd be better off trying to get a law change to allow left turns if the way is clear at the lights when the lights are red, the do the equal of that in the USA and it works a treat.

But leave the give way laws alone FGS!!

[bobsmith]

now... can anyone else see the problem with implementing a rule that we use every day, which is completely opposite from what we're doing now???

It will be a complete caos especially in a country like NZ where the government communicates with public soooo ineffictably that many of the public wouldn't know that the rule has changed after a month it has taken effect. hell, they count on people listening to radio, watching news or reading the newspaper to learn these new rules, etc... but some people (including myself) do none of these things! (well I am a little shocking though... I learnt about the last election only a week before the election and that's only because my girlfriend was talking about it...)

[SimJen]

Most drivers have trouble with the current rules....
How many times do you see people at roundabouts indicating right as they enter and then going straight through with the left indicator on as they exit, they have no idea they are effectively holding up traffic going straight through from the other direction as other cars think they will be turning across them.
For fucksake don't indicate going in to the roundabout unless you are going around it.... only indicate on the way out if going straight through.
I follow about 3 or 4 cars most mornings on the way to Hams that do it different at each roundabout.
Cage drivers should have their genitals crushed

[The Stranger:Me]

They'd be better off trying to get a law change to allow left turns if the way is clear at the lights when the lights are red, the do the equal of that in the USA and it works a treat.

But leave the give way laws alone FGS!!

May be ok for you guys, but I live in Auckland.
Have to keep it simple, words of one syllable and no exceptions.

One law change I would support though is making everyone have to re-sit their scratch and win every 5 years.
Should take a lot of wankers off the road.

[SimJen]

Retaking a scratchy will make no difference. The licenses must get harder, its too easy to get one, then you can jump straight into a 500hp 2 tonne weapon of mass destruction.
Why is a motorcycle licence so much harder/longer than a cage licence????

[Squeak the Rat]

I reckon it's bloody scary. Doing this will not suddenly make incompetent drivers good. The problems aren't all caused by tourists, it's mainly people who live in this country (source: thin air).

Stop changing the laws, instead have a fail quota on the driver licence exam.

I learnt about the last election only a week before the election and that's only because my girlfriend was talking about it...)

Is your girlfriend chinese?

[bobsmith]

Is your girlfriend chinese?

No..... how the hell do you get chinese from that? If she was chinese, I wouldn't have known about the election full stop.....

[merv]

The problem is they should never have changed the law in 1977 to put us out of kilter with the rest of the world. The give way when turning left in my view has always been stupid causing a lot of hesitation - is the car behind going straight through, can I turn in front of the left turning car? If we'd stuck with the rule that when turning right we gave way it would be so much easier.

The AA wants to bring it back and personally I agree with it. In damn near 30 years much of the population has not learnt to cope with it and I don't think it would be hard to change it back.

[Ixion]

I can tell you, but you'll have to come close, so I can whisper it.

[ZeroIndex]

Basically it is give way to anything that would hit your drivers door.

Wow.. that is by far the simplist way of looking at it (never thought of it like that..

but yeah, being from South Africa, the whole 'person turning left goes first' is stupid, and a waste of time.. the person turning right takes 3x as long to get into the road they're trying to get into, and they end up backing up traffic behind them.. AA you are stupid, wake up and smell the asphault.. the current road rules are like the petrol prices 3 years ago.. no one was complaining for 1litre to $1 for gas..

*Edit: um.. i don't really know what that last bit about petrol had to do with anything on this topic, but hey, it seemed good at the time