DunRoaminTheUK

Every morning I endure the rat-run from the south-side of Brisbane to Albion on the north-side and every morning I am presented with a quality of driving that would make a Bombay (Mumbai) tax-driver wince.

I ride a motorbike and so I am more acutely aware of the kind of sheer stupidity that seems to unfold between point A and point B.

I can't say for sure that the driver is always an indigenous Aussie but given the number of times that people try to imitate the style of Mad Max on any given journey then it is safe to assume that the majority are probably true-blue.

What does everyone else think?

Potato_potato

Unfortunately I had to go up to Brisbane on Monday. I was pleasantly surprised how relaxed the average driver was. However that's only because the standard of driving is so bad here on the GC that anywhere else seems OK.

Blinker usage for one is optional here. And you can bet your balls atleast one car will pull out in front of you causing a near miss while on your journey. Noone can negotiate a round about properly. Merging lanes brings all types of loonies out who speed up to not let you in or to make it look like a near miss. The orange light seems to mean speed up here, even when 3 cars have already gone through in front of you.

The dickheads always seem to be driving older cars with tail lights out etc or 4wds.

The drivers here are not only impatient, rude and aggressive they're also lacking driving skills. The later worries me the most.

Atleast in countries like Italy the average driver is full on, but atleast many have good driving skills.

DunRoaminTheUK

I always think that at first glance that a Brisbane driver "appears" to be safe due to the fact that generally speaking they don't speed. It's when they need to make a decision that involves a change in direction or speed that everything comes unstuck. Common-sense most definitely does not prevail and just about anything goes at this point. If all roads were straight, with no junctions or roundabouts and they simply had mini-off-ramps to people's houses then driving here would be a safe experience.

Basically, they are extremely careless (the bad ones) and thoughtless and apparently couldn't give a rat's arse about their fellow road-users.

It's so prevalent that laughing it all off is not an option.

Nu-Shooz

Not sure about QLD, but i found the driving in Sydney to be erratic.

Potato_potato

Can someone please teach these motorists what a blind spot is. Most of my near misses come from people not looking over their shoulder when they want to change lanes. Luckily I have a VERY loud horn which scares the shits out of 'em. The look on old grandpa Joes face is priceless when I give him the toot toot to stay in his lane.

Potato_potato

I'm curious as to what the standards are like in Melbourne now??
(it was ok when I lived there 2000-02. Can't remember having many issues with people. Most folk would let you in and not tail gate. Have things changed?

moneypenny20

I voted no. I don't often drive up to Brissie, but down here they are far better and more courteous than where I came from in the UK.

Potato_potato

They're alot better on the southern end around you. I was down there this morning at The Pines Shopping Centre and it was quite pleasant even though it was peak hour.

I spend alot of time around the northern part (around Labrador, Parkwood, and the M1). The standards here are noticeably worse. There are lot more bogans on the northern inland end.

DunRoaminTheUK

You ain't danced with the devil until you try to change lanes just after exiting the Gateway Toll Bridge going south-bound. I think people put their brains into their glove-compartments for safe-keeping when they go over the bridge.

Potato_potato

You wouldn't get me on a bike here!

DadAgain

Its not so much a case of 'better' or 'worse' just that Australian driving style is 'different'. Once you've learnt how to drive in the local style its quite tollerable and returning to the UK and getting on the road can be seriously scarey!

I agree roundabouts are a huge problem for australians - they just dont get it. I grew up in Basingstoke, Hampshire so LOVE roundabouts - but round here many of them have been ripped up and replaced with ridiculous inefficient traffic lights.

Accelerating toward a amber light *is* a technique you have to get used to. Unfortunately traffic lights are used in places where they are inappropriate (to much traffic and not enough throughput - perhaps a roundabout would be better?) - so light phases can be way too short for the volume of traffic - this combined with actually quite long amber phases has 'taught' local drivers to get through the lights when they can.

Tailgating and 'undertaking' are definataely more common here - but rapid lanes changes in some suburban routes that can give the appearance of bad drivers often have a better explanation. A lot of the time the fault lies not with the driver but with the road design. Many roads have VERY poor utilisation of 2 lanes, with parked cars in left lanes, bus stops without lay-bys or right turns with no turning lane. All these factors combine to make a few roads effectively a slalom assult course for the unfamiliar driver. Improved signage, appropriate banning of parked cars and reduction in permitted right turns would MASSIVELY improve Brisbanes road safety!

I_Will_Freckle

Brisbane drivers look like safety experts compared to Perth drivers.

>Trigger<

I stopped going over the Gateway a coupe of years back...too risky especially on a my bike....you just need eyes in yer arse

Potato_potato

The amber light doesn't indicate for one to speed up. If you need to speed up to get through you should be braking. If you speed up through an amber and hit a pedestrian who steps out (this happened recently on the GC) you will cop a dangerous driving charge and most likely spend time in a cell with bubba.

DunRoaminTheUK

Sounds as if you've been fully assimilated to me. I don't believe any of the reasons that you've described excuse the poor driving standards I see from day to day.

I used to drive in Newbury (near Basingstoke) and I can honestly say that your average Brisbane driver would have a life expectancy shorter than the time it takes to use up a tank of fuel if they drove on the M4.

When you have signs such as "One Way" on roundabouts and "GO BACK - WRONG WAY" on motorways you don't have to dig very deep for an explanation as to why. The "One Way" sign almost made me crash through laughing.