road rules con't

dishlicker · Senior Member

road rules con't

Radar · Guru

Yes to the question can you turn left when stradding 2 left lanes towing a caravan.

But your vehicle must be over 6 mtetres long having a sign on the back of the caravan saying this and that with the words this and that.

Good luck. Radar.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

My understanding is, if you have the "do not overtake turning vehicle" signs on the back of your van, YES. No signs no straddle.

dishlicker · Senior Member

Hi Radar yes correct again but i beleive the vehicle length is 7.5m or 24ft? and Dougwe you have to have the length to be able to straddleand also you must be within 50m from the turn point no further away cheers

Long Weekend · Guru

Yes Dishlicker.

But you must a) be 7.5 metres or over total overall length (van and tug combined); and b) must have the 'Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle' sign on the left hand rear of the van.

In general straddling the two lanes to make a left turn is called making a wide turn.

The 7.5m applies to all vehicles of that length and over - buses, trucks, tankers and so on. I believe that it is actually illegal to put the signs on the back of box trailers as they are less than 7.5m.

As it was explained by a RMS official at the State Rally in Bathurst two years ago, if you do not have the sign on the back of a van and you make a wide left turn and clean up a car coming through on the inside it is YOUR FAULT! With the sign if you clean up a car it is THEIR FAULT - they have disobeyed the sign - Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle.

To make matters more complicated it is legal requirement for trucks, tankers, buses etc to have the 'Do Not ...' on the back, but for some reason it is not compulsory for caravans to have it.

But as the RMS official suggested, you have nothing to lose by putting the sign on the back of your van and everything to gain if you do happen to have an accident while turning.

Murray

PS: I have one on the back of my van!

Bruce and Bev · Guru

Once again we see here that rules vary from State to State. In WA you cannot put these "do not overtake...." on your RV irrespective of length. It is based on weight of the total vehicle and something like over 5T.

I live and travel in WA and as soon as I got into NSW I went and bought a suitably sized sticker which is now on the back of my van.

Why cant all vehicle laws be the same throughout the country - or is it a case of each state govt employees keeping their jobs by writing and reviewing their own rules - just like health and education - too many layers of govts and their employees at a huge cost to tax and ratepayers

Yuglamron · Guru

Yes but it doesn't apply when turning right.

Vince · Senior Member

Just to add.

If approaching a roundabout in NSW (don't know about other states) and you muster the required length 7.5m and over, display the correct signage "Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle"

At 50m not less on the approach to a roundabout you can lane share, that is if there are two lanes you can use both. Ensure the lane is clear before crossing to it and not be under the 50m.

A further point to consider is if turning right and there are two lanes that do so you should be turning from the left lane, you cannot lane share on a right hand turn.

Cheers
Vince
STA Bus Driver

justcruisin01 · Guru

Long Weekend wrote:
Yes Dishlicker.

and b) must have the 'Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle' sign on the left hand rear of the van.

Correct; yet people have the all over the place, left,right, centre, right across the back & some on both sides. Its only a matter of time & i'm surprised its gone this long before fines are handed out.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

I can understand why people put these stickers on the right side of their RV's. Nowdays we have 1-2 spare wheels on the back, maybe a couple of 20 lt jerry can holders and other stuff (like me with a ladder behind my wheels and jerry can holders - need the ladder to clean my roof top solar panels) and the sticker just "disappears with all this other stuff. I personally think it should be on the right side so the following driver has it right in front of their eyes - rather than looking out their left side of the windscreen to see or not see this sticker. I knew the sticker should be on the left, but after trying, before peeling off the sticky backing, put it on the right side. Driven about 2K with it like this so far and not been popped for it

justcruisin01 · Guru

Bruce and Bev wrote:
I can understand why people put these stickers on the right side of their RV's. Nowdays we have 1-2 spare wheels on the back, maybe a couple of 20 lt jerry can holders and other stuff (like me with a ladder behind my wheels and jerry can holders - need the ladder to clean my roof top solar panels) and the sticker just "disappears with all this other stuff. I personally think it should be on the right side so the following driver has it right in front of their eyes - rather than looking out their left side of the windscreen to see or not see this sticker. I knew the sticker should be on the left, but after trying, before peeling off the sticky backing, put it on the right side. Driven about 2K with it like this so far and not been popped for it

Its on the left so it you merg right to turn left the sign is in front of the guy behind you.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I don't ever recall seeing any intersection where a competent van driver would need more than the one appropriate lane.
But if it makes a few people feel important on the road, so be it?

Cheers,

Peter

Mutt · Veteran Member

that's ok if you have a small van. try turning some of the corners with an 11.5 metre van. some tight corners you need an extra half a lane.

Mutt · Veteran Member

also our combined length is 17.5 metres.

Tones · Veteran Member

Just to take this a bit further, a vehicle (including combination) that is longer than 7.5 metres is by definition a "long vehicle" (Note; not a heavy vehicle). Long vehicles are prohibited under Reg. 200 of TORUMS Legislation in Queensland from parking in a built up area for longer than one hour. Most car and caravan combinations would fall within this definition. Exceptions do exist e.g. where Councils have installed long vehicle parking bays like in Warwick.

Now there is another scenario that has a direct bearing on "long vehicles" on particular types of roads. Let's see how many people know the answer to that one. Clue; it involves following distances !

Tones

patrol03 · Senior Member

If I recall when I did my Heavy ticket you needed to be 60 meters from another HV unless overtaking.This also I believe would include Long Vehicles 7.5m and vehicles with multiple axle combinations e.g. tow vehicle and tandem van. The weight issue is interesting as the larger 4WD's ,Patrol and Land Cruiser Tare over 2.5t and they are towing up to 3.5t thus giving a combined weight in some cases over 6t,but by definition at the moment the car and caravan combination is not classed as a Heavy Vehicle but must conform,if longer than 7.5m,to the" following" distance rule.The towing combo in most states is not restricted to 100kph as are Heavy Vehicles.This is where weight and length give fuel for discussion on licencing. I think I have answered your question Tones. Ian

the ginger nomad · Senior Member

Mutt, yours must be a huge rig! At 17.5 mts that's only 1.5 mts short of a B double! Certainly makes my little poptop look small lol.
John

patrol03 · Senior Member

7.5m John,not 17.5

Tones · Veteran Member

Ian, you are partly correct. There is one small catch with following distances and it would affect most grey nomads who venture away from the big smoke. I will paste below the relevant Queensland Legislation so that you can have a read.

It is a shame that the authorities and RV industry do not give more publicity to such legislation so that people can be made aware of the legalities of towing.

Tones

127 Keeping a minimum distance between long vehicles

(1) The driver of a long vehicle must drive at least the required

minimum distance behind another long vehicle travelling in

front of the driver, unless the driver is

(a) driving on

(i) a multi-lane road; or

(ii) a length of road in a built-up area; or

(b) overtaking.

Maximum penalty20 penalty units.

(2) In this section

long vehicle means a vehicle that, together with any load or