ROAD SAFETY IS A major issue, and it is a shocking fact that too many drivers simply don’t know the rules. And a driver who doesn’t know or obey the road rules is a danger to themselves and other road users.
The latest concerning figures come from Toyota following their Big Fat Festive Safety Quiz, conducted in conjunction with Road Safety Education Ltd. An incredible 40 percent of respondents answered incorrectly when asked what times school zones operate.
Forty three percent of respondents were unaware that drivers should leave a 1.5 metre gap when passing a cyclist and even more worrying responses indicated that 60 percent were unaware of the minimum legal tread depth (1.5mm) and 64 percent thought it was allowable for a pet to sit on your lap while driving (a confusingly worded question that we assume wasn’t asking if a pet can sit on your lap while it is driving).
We at seniordriveraus have often complained that money is being wasted on demonstrably ineffective road safety advertising campaigns but almost none is spent on educating drivers and alerting them to ever-changing road rules. Complicating the issue further, road rules are illogically different from one state to the next.
Illustrating our point: in NSW, school zones operate from 8.00 until 9.30am and 2.30 to 4pm although there are some non-standard school zone times identified by red/orange school zone signs showing the times when school zone flashing lights operate; in Victoria, school zones operate between 8.00 and 9.30am and 2.30 and 4.00pm pm weekdays during Victorian school terms (except for public holidays); in Queensland, standard operating times for most school zones are 7.00 to 9am and 2.00 to 4.00pm; in Tasmania, speed signs around schools are being replaced with electronic signs, operating for set times on school days only; in the ACT, school zones are operating between 8.00am and 4.00pm; South Australia applies a 25km/h speed limit (other states set the limit at 40km/h) at any time when a child is in the zone, on the road, footpath or median strip, even on a bike (a child is defined as any person under 18 years of age and includes a student of any age wearing a school uniform); WA sets school zone times as between 7.30 and 9.00am and 2.30 to 4.00pm; and finally, in the NT, drivers must travel at 40km/h on school days “during the times shown on the sign”.
What a shambles!
We’d like to remind all readers to take extra care now that the new school year has begun, and especially when travelling through school zones.