Lane Hopping

Well it is obvious that, those drivers in a BIG hurry are in fact the biggest idiots on the road, here's a tip.... GET UP EARLIER...Doh! But no I'll have that extra five minutes in bed and then screw everyone on the road 'cos I'm late. Major problem in New Zealand is the lack of consideration of other road users, but then why should I, It's my life. So lets look at the 3 incidents this morning all deriving from impatience or trying to get to somewhere in a hurry. So these 3 drivers are trying to lane hop, overtake, on the crown of the road or worse using the bus lane, in one situation the car blocked the bus lane so much the bus had to stop for them, what's that use your mirrors...don't be silly. So by the time we get to the city all 3 drivers have gained no advantage, are suitably stressed and will probably take it out on someone at work or worse on the kids later.

What is desperately needed in this country is a stronger driving test and one that is conducted more frequently, better policing would help as well.

3s Up

Well thank you to the guy who tried to force me off the road, what's with Toyota Corolla drivers? do they feel so inadequate or something that they have to try to bully people on the road? So there I am driving to work, heading for the city, travelling I might add around 50kmph on a 50km road and so it starts, the flashing lights  and the speeding up so he almost rear ends me. Now listen here Mr Corolla, such actions are not going to speed me up I am impervious to such taunting, but I just don't get it, the increase in speed would have meant both of us breaking the law, putting each other at risk and jeopardizing other road users Nah I don't think so. I wonder if he had any difficulty interpreting my hand signals?

Rain

Well the rain is arriving in sheets as winter takes it's grip on New Zealand. This should in all reality make a significant difference to driving attitudes and skills, but no, that's not the kiwi way. why would you want to drive to the conditions, where's the sport in that. greasy roads, slippery conditions, visibility reduced all ingredients for an increase in the accident rate and so it shall prove.The need for kiwis to be somewhere in a hurry, is the underlying cause presently for some crazy antics. get up earlier New Zealand and give yourself plenty of time. This is not a sport, it is very serious, people die in these conditions and Auckland having sub-tropical weather makes driving conditions hazardous. So slow down and keep away from me, it's not my problem that you are late, and i don't see why i should be made to pay, for you being slack. Which brings me to the point I am trying to make. Main road, some rain, visibility down, but not serious, it's at this point that those who normally blind you with their fog lamps, don't have them on.....what? So the lady who obviously was late, was either going to end up in a box 6 feet underground or be responsible for putting someone else there. This metal box you laughingly call a car is no protection. when will you realise it is a deadly weapon and more than once it as been in the work hands.

It doesn't get any better

Been out of the loop for a little while, testing, observing, and generally avoiding being killed on what is laughingly called the New Zealand Roads. Whilst it is obvious that some raging chemical change takes place with most kiwis heads, this is a phenomenon that appears world wide. but why? I have tried to research the subject  but to no avail. How is that normal, rational, friendly, gregarious individuals, go through this metamorphic process, leading to aggressive, thoughtless, uncaring, reckless drivers, crazy is not the word for it.

So whats the answer? I have no idea, when I find out I will be a millionaire that's for sure having sold the book and film rights.

However there are somethings that could be done to alleviate the situation. Make the driving test tougher, have people resit the driving test ,say every 3-5 years, these items themselves will over time improve road safety and improve driving ability. Will the government respond? Nah! There isn't the political will to make substantial and workable policies. the knee jerk reaction that is the hall mark of successive governments is and indictment of the pathetic ways road deaths are viewed in New Zealand

Shocking Easter

You know it's holiday time when the death toll on the roads hits double figures,11 when will NZ learn? Never it would seem. The driving standards in this country are appalling and the carnage will continue until the government actually decides to do something about it rather than just tinker with the system to appease a few of the lobbyists in society.

So what is the answer? It's obvious that  driving standards need to improve, so start with those who are constant breakers on the law,those who drive under the influence of anything, those caught speeding on a regular basis, taking them off the road for a period of time only resolves the potential issues short term and these are long term issues, so everyone banned for whatever reason MUST take a driving test again both theory and practical.

Secondly the actual driving test itself needs to be more stringent, at the moment it is a bit of a joke and prepares no one for actually driving on NZs roads.

Thirdly it should be compulsory for everyone in NZ to re-sit the driving test every 3-5 years,this would have a significant effect over time on the driving behaviour of New Zealanders.

These proposals would not be popular with the general public, but tell that to the families of those who have lost loved ones over the Easter period

Foggy

Well now, I must be losing something in the translation, so let me get this right. It's foggy so as I am driving along other car users have their fog lamps on, seems reasonable, fog, fog lamps, fog, fog lamps Ok I think I have it.


So why is it that on any given night there are any number of idiots driving around with fog lamps all lit up and there is no fog...doh.

The problem yet again is that the driving standards are poor; they obviously are blind to the fact that fog lights are high intensity lights designed to cut through dense fog and allow other road users to see you, thus avoiding accidents and when used in the correct context they perform there function well.

However, when used outside of being a foggy night they blind oncoming drivers, with high beams, creating yet another hazard on the roads.

Pity these people get a driving licence so easily, one day they might have to read the road code, nah that as the potential of making NZ a safer place, so that's not going to happen.

Moving House

Well folks, I have been out of the loop for a couple of weeks, so big apologises, I have been moving house and it proved to be just as stressful as driving to work.

Thanks to the guy in the BigHorn, who almost ran me off the road this morning, so you are in a truck, thats does not give you any extra rights to be an idiot.

So lets get back up to speed. Steven Joyce, well known memeber of parliament and minister of everything, announces that the driving laws are to change next year, so lets see what those changes amount to in terms of saving lives.................. Er, nothing really, more banging drums and kicking up a fuss than sensible policy making.

Oh it can be argued that one life saved was worth the effort, but I am not sure that raising the driving age to 16 and banning drink driving if you are under 20 years of age will have any impact at all.

Now banning draink driving right across the board may have made a difference, but thaen spinless politicians would never really get serious about saving lives, but it does look like he has done something, to stem the slaughter that is New Zealands roads.

However the give way rule, is the dumbest law currently on the staute book and showed be repealed, well done Mr Joyce, at last you have somewthing right.

Asleep

To the lady travelling to work today who kept dropping off to sleep, DON'T! Well you can but not around me please, yes the madness continues that is NZ roads. I was travelling to work and through my rear view mirror could see a young lady who when we got to a crawl in traffic was catching 40 winks, not a good look ay?

Still could have been worse, she could have been awake and probably be a bigger danger on the roads, when will people learn, you cant have a two tonne motor car and be reckless.

What is needed is more education and the raising of driving standards after all it is my life, that is at stake.

Muggy

Well the hot steamy. muggy, sub-tropical weather persists over the North Island,. no it's not a weather report, but you would think that such weather conditions may effect the driving mentality of the average Kiwi, unfortunately it hasn't, it's just as crazy as ever out there.

Consider over the past 24 hours, 2 vehicles running the bus lanes, 3 cars using the centre reservation as a private lane. 2 buses who have gone rouge, a 3 car pile up on the Eastern Highway , yes just another day in paradise.

However given that the New Year is well under way and that the weather as been very kind, it remains the same old traffic issues day, after day, after day, after day. one thing is certain though the number of roadworks that have materialised over the past 2 weeks is amazing, the number of detours I have had to take recent as increased substantially. Whilst I would be the first to applaud such an initiative, the problem lies in the fact that the co-ordinating departs are obviously not talking to each other, the result, chaos on the Auckland roads.

What the!!

Well thank you so much the guy in the Nissan Patrol, who waited and waited and waited, until I was about 5 metres from him, then he attacked, Yep straighout in front of me and then to add insult to injury he turns off the road some 2 minutes later, so what was that all about? answers on a postcard please.

Why is it so many motorists have this death wish? The only problem with that mindset is that they are looking to take someone with them, they are not content to kill themselves, tell you what guys, leave me alone. I have no intentions of dying, so stay away from me please.

Here are another couple of potential suicides from yesterday, why is it that when a car or van pulls into the left, the driver sees no value in checking his mirros to see if there are any vehicles coming that might hit him.

They pull over and then open the car door and step out, soory I don'y see the big superman logo on your chest proving that you are not a man of steel and that if hit by a 1 ton car at 50kph you are going to get badly damaged.....don't do it!

Pedestrians

Well it had to happen and in truth I have avoided the issue, but as the days roll on and this situation arises daily it’s about time it was tackled. I must admit this phenomena is not isolated to New Zealand, on the contrary, I have seen it in various parts of the world, but it is a dangerous practice and needs to stop.

I am not sure of the statistics but I suspect that they are high. So what is this phenomena, well it’s pedestrians…… There that’s done it, now I am in trouble, however this happens on such a regular basis it just has to been raised.

Next time you are out driving check it out. So you are driving along the road safely I might add and suddenly 50 -60 metres in front of you a pedestrian will now attempt to cross the road, that’s OK that’s not the problem, this is the problem, they are not actually going to make it, unless you slow down or take some evasive action.

However the intrepid pedestrian has got a secret weapon and it’s this. As long as they don’t look at you they won’t get run over, so they will never look directly at the driver in fact they will take every opportunity to avoid eye to eye contact. On that basis as long as they don’t get to see the whites of your eyes they won’t get run over and hospitalised, mmmmm tell that to the paramedics everyday. 85Kgs Vs 1/2Tonne I wonder who going to come off worse.

Garbage

Well it’s Monday and only two people have tired to kill me. The first was on the way to work the second on the way home from work, do I suspect a conspiracy here? Mmmmmm

So to the guy in the flash little Mazda 3, ya missed me! I must admit it wasn’t for the want of trying, guy pulls out into traffic making a left turn totally oblivious to oncoming traffic. ME and then floors the pedal and shoots off up the road, seems he was late for work, continue driving like that and your career will be sort lived. About 10 mins later I had caught up to him at a set of traffic lights, so we ask, what was that about?

On the way home it gets better, 18 tonne garbage truck not only decides to pull out into traffic, but this idiot decides not to turn left to join traffic flow, oh no that would be dangerous, but logical this crazy turns right into oncoming traffic. ME what an idiot, I had to swerve extensively and he did get the horn.

I can't wait until the school run starts, then it will be fun, again.

Tourists

So the holiday period is over, the accident rate is the lowest for some years but it is still far too high. However it was revealed today that the police are targeting tourists to help improve their driving standards whilst driving in NZ……  doh!...

I must be missing something in the translation, whilst any initiative to keep me safe is welcome, given the numbers of tourists to NZ compared with the actual numbers of accidents; surely the emphasis needs to be on improving kiwis driving skills, just more bureaucracy and government intervention without tackling the real issues.

But then anything that deflects from those issues seems to be the way National prefers to run the country. Come on NZ you can do better than that. Stop scape-goating and face the real issues, that of drink driving, tackling this one key issue will no doubt decrease the number of road accidents and deaths on the road massively, but then it's to easy so not likely  to happen.

Just because the death toll was down this year does not mean that the drink driving problem as gone away, just that drivers did not get caught.

Death Toll

Well the statistics are in for 2009 and yet again the death toll hits double figures, 12 at the last count. For those of you tracking such information you could argue that this is less than half last years total of 25. However tell that to the families involved.


Whilst these figures are a possible welcome sign of maybe a downward trend in the death rate, the likelihood is that it is a temporary blip and that New Zealand will be back on killing ways 2010.

The police have indicated that the majority of these deaths were due to bad driving. I rest my case. This is a case that I have repeated over and over again. New Zealanders are BAD drivers.