the sheer igorance of grey nomads

blaze · Guru

the sheer igorance of grey nomads

Bunkerbob · Senior Member

While I am a grey nomad, well I'm grey and live in a caravan full time, I am also a heavy vehicle driver, road trains, B doubles, etc and I am not surprised about your comments. What gives me the irrits is they take the high moral ground when you try to explain the errors of their ways. It can be annoying when signs slow you down for k's before the roadworks but have the courtesy to slow around workers.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Unfortunately, the amount of years under the belt and the amount of grey on the head does not equate to the amount of common sense.

As a full time traveller, I too see some horrendous incidents that simply lacked experience with touring and the use of roads or the observance of road conditions. I think "road selfishness" is another fearful trait.

Perhaps it just that these travellers are 'city folk' and will gain more experience as they progress. Experience is something one learns from one's mistakes.

However, Ya can lead some horses to the bush but ya can't make em think cry

Cheers - John

Beth54 · Guru

When my Mum drove we reckoned she left a trail of destruction behind her. She only knew flat out and stop. She didn't get her licence til she was in her early fifties, and I reckon Dad must have bribed them!

Back to the thread...my second son has just returned from 5months touring every state with a show in which he was basically tour manager. So he got to experience a lot of different roads, eateries etc. He said the worst section of road for grey nomads hogging the road at 80kmh was between Cairns and Rockhampton. Lots of roadworks didn't help.

I told him it wouldn't have been OUR grey nomads! Must have been the 'outsiders'. biggrin

-- Edited by Beth54 on Thursday 25th of July 2013 05:15:02 PM

Happywanderer · The Master

I would call it arrogance, not ignorance. They should all know what the signs mean.
Yourself being a grey nomad would be conscious of what can happen, I hope you gave them a piece of your mind.

Duh · Guru

Years ago I was travelling on the bitumen road from Onslow WA to the main Gt Northern Highway (approx. 80 kms). I was pulling a caravan at the posted speed limit, when a large 4WD and big caravan came up behind at speed and overtook me.

It went into the gravel at the side of the road, fishtailing and knocking a couple guide posts out but worst of all for me kicking up stones which broke my windscreen. I had no hope of getting this idiot's number and whoever it was just continued on at speed off into the distance, never seen by me again. They are out there alright, selfish impatient gooses that think of nobody but themselves. furious

patrolst · Senior Member

You will find the same type of travellers, when they have a collision (created by them self) will look to some one else to blame.

barrie · Guru

Don't label us all with the Title of being ignorant

2weis · Senior Member

these same drivers would be the same if they were driving a car a truck or a horse and cart
its not what is behind them but their personality
brian

GaryKelly · Guru

I agree with all the comments. Some people are just that way inclined - arrogant, ignorant, impatient, uncaring, selfish, and the rest of it. Years ago there was a Disney cartoon about what happens to people once they get behind the wheel - they become monsters. Meet those same people in a different environment and you wouldn't recognize them. But what irritates me more than anything is the older driver who insists on telling you how many years he's been accident free hehe. SO WHAT?

herbie · Guru

Yep agree re all the below remarks,and when they puff their chest out at happy hr telling all who is in ear short of them about how long they have been driving accident free!!! as one bloke said to me the other night ,,but how many accidents has he contributed towards the other vehicles he comes within kooie of.

milo · Guru

whats so different about slowing down at a school zone and no kids around?
ie to road works with no road workers? confuse

yeah its a pain in the a**** but I'd rather get there than not at all!
the speed limit is the speed limit, don't whinge when you get booked evileye

-- Edited by milo on Friday 26th of July 2013 04:43:04 PM

mr glassies · Guru

when i work on roads and thats fairly frequent i have a pocket full of 10 mill stone and if people drive to fast through a work site i flick stones at them . i even offered a cop some one night when some old woman wouldn't stop he was standing in the middle of the road waving his arms and torch he just said na m8 i got lead . its not hard to slow down id like to find where a few of these people live and roar around there front yard and see what they say like that add a few yrs ago with the guy riding a bike through an office .

people it really is very daunting working on road sites specialy if you have to have your back to on coming traffic . we get people throwing stuff at us abuse the hole bit but if we wernt out there in all the elements building/repairing roads and its infrastructure wouldnt it be a **** drive we would all have

reminds me of the white post bandit up in the blue mountains yrs n yrs ago every thurs morn a heap of whit posts were nocked over some wanker in a od landy thought it was fun on the way home from the pub so 1 day the maintenance guys put a lump of railway line behind 1 of the posts say no more it totaled his landy and he even asked for compo . smart older people dont do damage to public stuff because they know in the long run we all pay for it with rego.

dibs

Duh · Guru

It certainly is a risky business dibs, see these links;

http://www.earthmover.com.au/news/2009/weekly-newswire/august/august-20th-09/other-top-stories/resentful-motorist-kills-qld-traffic-controller

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/traffic-controller-killed-at-road-works-20130117-2cuj2.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-08-04/traffic-controller-killed-in-roadworks-crash/1378172

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/lollipop-man-killed-by-truck-at-stafford-rd-roadworks/story-e6freoof-1225954080469

See the stats on this link, it would seem Queensland has the biggest problem with deaths and injuries to these workers, all the articles I viewed were on Queensland fatalities;

http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/publications/safe/construction/mar13/road-construct/index.htm

Beth54 · Guru

Standing there with the stop/go signs might look like a boring job, but I reckon they earn every cent they get.

I always give them a little wave and smile. The one's in the country seem to appreciate it more than the city folk though. But then, country folk are generally nicer in all areas.

Duh · Guru

I always tune into their frequency when I'm on the road, some use CH40 but many use CH39.

Queensland was the first time I heard the term "Wobbly" used when I was towing my caravan. I had been stopped and when I was waved on I heard him tell the bloke at the other end "A Nissan X'trail and wobbly coming through" LOL ! biggrin

herbie · Guru

The female traffic controller who was killed at the road works at Marlborough Qld ,her and husband had not long taken up a life on the road as nomads ,picking work up along the way.So very sad that it had to end in this tragic way.

A few weeks back along a stretch of road works along the Bruce H/Way there was six cars stopped at the STOP sign and a B- Double plowed into the whole six cars from behind. From the footage on the local news it is a miracle that no one was killed, al though they all had injuries. ..That is one of my most upper thoughts ,when stopped at stop/go signage, that a no brainer is going too fast/ inattentive/ tired / or what ever might make their reaction not as sharp as it should be.

Grams · Guru

Here in SA, it peeves me and Les off, that we see numerous road signs for roadworks...going from 110km, next sign is 60km then within too short a distance is 25km. Les drives a road train and he has warned them numerous times that if they want the truckers to slow down they have to give an 80km warning as well....stupid way of doing it.

When the road workers do the right thing, we are always grateful and give a wave, but sadly shake our heads as well. S it goes both ways original poster....

Beth54 · Guru

That IS weird Grams. In Qld we get the 100, then 80, then 60, then 40..usually 40 anyway. Sometimes less.