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Post Info TOPIC: Cararavanners vs Other Road Users
Cruising Granny


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Cararavanners vs Other Road Users
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I have sent this document to Mark Coulton and the other addrees named.

 
ATTENTION:   Queensland State Government and Main Roads, Police Commissioner, Education   Director.
To whom it may concern,Since driving around this state over the past six months, I have been horrified, and sometimes terrified, at the driving practices of Queensland drivers.I have been driving for 42 years and have a clean driving record in all states.  I drive a Landcruiser, towing a twenty foot caravan, and Ive travelled around Australia with this configuration for more than twelve months, without incident.  I drive according to state laws and conditions.  I dutifully watch my rear vision mirrors, to give me warning of vehicles approaching from the rear.This gives me time to prepare for the tail-gaters and their impatient, dangerous overtaking practices.  On many occasions I have had to apply my brakes to give the overtaking motorist the opportunity to resume the left lane in front of me, to avoid becoming involved in a possible head on collision with on-coming traffic.Queensland drivers are impatient, selfish and totally disrespectful of the law and road rules.  Ive come to the conclusion its compulsory to overtake on double white lines, and the more risky the manoeuvre, the bigger the challenge for the overtaking driver.I have been honked at for driving too slow on hill climbs, whether or not theres an overtaking lane.  When there is an overtaking lane or a slow vehicle turn out I use them, to be courteous to other vehicles, even heavy vehicles.  But I am not shown the same courtesy.  My vehicle is equipped with a UHF Radio, which is invaluable for receiving warnings of road and traffic conditions ahead.  I use it to call the trucks behind me to let the drivers know I am aware of their approach, and I give them the details of my average speed, and call them through to overtake when its safe to do so.They have thanked me for acknowledging them in the first instance, and for my courtesy and road manners.  This countrys truck drivers have enough to worry about, without worrying about inattentive caravaners.Many of the overtaking lanes are much too short for even one vehicle to overtake safely in the allocated distance.  The fog line allowance is also too narrow to allow for any safe evasive action.  The deep storm water drain next to the fog line creates another danger, making a crash inevitable.  In other words, the road construction is very dangerous and does not give motorists an opportunity for safe, evasive action, or emergency run off.I have been in Cairns for the past five months.  Since driving around this region, as far as Cooktown and CapeTribulation, my belief about Queensland drivers has been confirmed many times.My philosophy is, traffic crashes are caused by, Selfishness, Speed & Stupidity, not necessarily in that order.It is on the basis of my driving experiences, I make the following submission:
  1. The Queensland Government, Main Roads Department and the Police determine the major causes for crashes, throughout the state. 
Conditions vary from city and country, according to road conditions and traffic volume.
  1. Set up an intense media campaign which addresses all the probable traffic crash causes. 
Television, radio and print, as well as a web site and educational DVDs with manuals.  Use pictures of crashes for shock value not bodies or blood.
  1. Introduce education programs in primary schools, addressing pedestrian, bicycle, road and footpath rules and courtesy. 
  2. Introduce education programs in secondary schools, addressing the laws of road and driver courtesy, incorporating defensive driving. 
The goal is to avoid crashes, not take risks which cause them.  The issues in point 3 should also be reinforced.
5.  Target driving instructors, to ensure the curriculum is consistent throughout the industry, and everyone is learning the same rules. The crash data should already be on record.  A representative from all the stakeholders, including the Education Department, should be involved in the project, to ensure the consistent message reaches the target audience.There is also the potential to sell the concept and the finished product to the other states, and ever overseas.I realise this is an enormous, expensive project, and will take some time to co-ordinate with a team which involves a production agency and film crew, but it will be an investment in the lives of Queenslanders, and all Australians.I believe you all have the safety of all Queenslanders uppermost in your mind, and this campaign will help to resolve some of the frustrations you feel every time there is another crash and fatality on your roads.I thank you for your attention, and hope you give this submission your serious consideration.

Yours truly,

Christine Thiel

-- Edited by Cruising Granny at 21:12, 2008-12-06

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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment.
Transport has no borders.

Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
drongo & wendy


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     Gawd does that mean this older bloke better swing along the N.S.W border and head into the NT lol [coming from vic.] but hang a lefty into SA could be the go ay. must remember its a 2 wheeldrive thou.
 

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demon dave
rocan


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we've driven around aussie and can't say any state is worse than the other for bad driving.most of the road funding is spent in the sth east corner,the rest of qld gets what's left over.as for the drivers,there are so many "southerners"living up here cause of the great weather whose to say who are the ones that drive so badly.maybe australia should be one big state then there would be nothing to complain about.
stay happy and keep traveling
rocan

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dave06


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we have traversed this wide brown land in all states and all possible road conditions for many years,
to say that one state is worse or better than any other I'm afraid is a farce, I personally love the kimberleys and the outback BECAUSE NO-ONE IS THERE, they are the best drivers

the problems facing society today is such that there is pressure everywhere, pressure to succeed, get a better job, pressures everywhere, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, one way these very silly and suicidal people deal with it is to blame YOU OR ME, whether we be walking down the street or just leisurely driving along a non crowded highway. they see YOU as the answer to a fractional frustration and one that is solved by bombastically getting you out of the way as quickly as possible, you are a hinderence to their life AT THAT MOMENT

I see all attitudes, I go to work in a car, drive a kenworth semi at work and when I get a bit of time off I'm "out there" with little blue, I am absolutely amazed at the difference a copper driving down the road makes its a different road

the world is getting to be a horrible place, terrible to shop, terrible to park, terrible to drive in, people have less patience and everything is me, me, me, and as we get older we anger faster, we must just simply let them pass and take the abuse or we pull out in front of them and cause a major accident which is out of the question which I must admit to thinking about, I have deliberately turned the wheel of the semi to stop an overtaking motorist because I know she didnt have time to make the manouvre, I've been cursed and sworn at and honked but they were still alive to do that, oh and the latest one was full of kids and xmas pressy's, i would never have been able to sleep again, I see kiddies running around the back seat with no seat belt at highway speed, gorgeous little things with golden locks, god I have nightmares about them after a day on the road

motor vehicles have never been so easy to drive and have never had so much power and speed, put this together with an idiot driver (male or female they are both the same) and you have problems EVERYWHERE

we were coming around a bend on the west coast of tassie a few years ago now, hadnt seen a car for a couple of hours, we rounded a bend and spied a vehicle, coming the other way driven straight in to the cliff, we were the only vehicles on the road, these japanese tourists had come from japan, via america and australia to prang in tasmania

idiots are everywhere, give them space and as much time as you can and just maybe when they go out in blaze of glory they wont take any of us with them

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 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
tonyd


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Quite right, Dave.
Today I encountered a mum negotiating a roundabout in her 4WD. Two kids loose in the back seat. And she was on the mobile.
At the age of 65, I am constantly amazed at the number of people who are prepared to die rather than miss a phone call.
Ah well, I suppose it will eventually improve the gene pool when all the idiots kill themselves. Just leave me out of it!
Cheers, Tony

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dave06


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the trouble is we as a society are breeding more and more idiots, we allow them to get away with one misdemeanor and it escalates from there, as I stated before just one copper in plain sight does absolute wonders to ones road behaviour

just on another note, I've been mulling over cruising grannies uhf ettiquette and I find it very good, as a part time truckie I really dont think about the other side too much (the truck drivers point of view) but I have now and I will put some of these thoughts down

(1) if you see a truck approaching in the mirrors, stay on your side of the road and MAINTAIN your speed, do NOT slow down, this would only cause the truckie to lose his "roadspeed" too quickly in some cases he cant do it without locking up his brakes, do not SPEED UP dont get him angry, he's had a long day, he can, by the way, see right over the top of you and is well aware of what is coming from the other side

(2) if you have a uhf just let him know that you are aware of his presence, last thing he wants is for you to suddenly "wake up" and hit the brakes and swerve all over the place, just something like "g'day southbound truckie this is southbound van directly in front, I see you, would you let me know when you want to overtake, have yourself a good one" in a plain ordinary voice, dont waffle on, he is just plain not interested, remember he is at work, if he wants to talk great, have a natter, but if he/she doesnt, best to just let him/her alone

(3) when he overtakes just keep a steady pace and remain calm and on your side of the road, he wont run over you unless he's had a really bad day, do not become "mesmerised" by the wheels, you will "drift" into them and road kill is very hard to get off those big wheels, if you find yourself drawn to the sight of these things, concentrate on the left shoulder of the road maintain your position and dont look at them, I assure you we will stay on our side

if you see a road train aproaching and you are rounding a bend and you are on the "outside" of that bend "GET AWAY FROM THERE" the driver needs to use the outer edge to clear his trailers from the inside, dont sit there like some bloody goose, I seen a photograph recently with some twit on the outside photographing the poor bugger as he struggled to get his rig around, you are putting the drivers and your life at risk, once the rig starts to sway its like a snake and you cant stop it, let them have what they need to do their job

simply put learn to share the road, the truckies have a hard job to do and the last thing they want is to get tangled up with any of you blokes out there

oh!! it can take a fully loaded truck (single semi) carrying an average of between 40 - 60 tonnes anything up to ten kilometres to get up to "road speed" so they (we) dont like to slow down

I have no advice to deal with the idiots on the road, just try to steer clear, let them go and hope they dont take you or yours out when they do go!!

__________________
 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
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