Hope for the Hopeless...
 

Failed the U.K. Driving Test ?

You just keep trying, but can't reach the required high standard?

You may as well hang up the keys and give up !!!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S HOPE !

Yes , move to Australia and get you Driving Licence there!
Within minutes of applying, as long as you can stop the car and make it go, you'll be driving with the seal of approval from one of our friendly Policemen.
( "what's a Policeman got to do with the driving test?" I hear you say... Errr, No Idea)
The driving standard is So Low! You can't fail !

And there's more!
There is absolutly No road courtesy whatsoever in Oz, so you only have to think about youself, It couldn't be easier !

But wait, there's more !
Driving in Oz doesn't require any of those expensive Insurance policies, that's right, have an accident, write off somebodies pride and joy, and simply walk away!

But wait, there's even more!
Certain States in Oz don't even require an MOT certificate, that's right, no matter how unroadworthy or dangerous your car is, just drive with confidence, and if the brakes fail and you have an accident,
No Worries!

BUT BE WARNED !
If you do get your Driving Licence in Australia, Please don't be fooled into thinking you can drive in the U.K. , the standard you would of attained will simply not be good enough!
You would become VERY Unpopular with other motorists, and will Ultimately end up in the back of a Police Traffic Car!

Thank Goodness for the Land of Milk and Honey...

:zzz: :scared:

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

Almost everything you have stated in your post is absolute and utter rubbish, in
fact I guess the only part you got right was your own name, and I am taking your
word for that.


"Howard Tiz" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > Failed the U.K. Driving Test ?
    > You just keep trying, but can't reach the required high standard?
    > You may as well hang up the keys and give up !!!
    > BUT WAIT, THERE'S HOPE !
    > Yes , move to Australia and get you Driving Licence there! Within minutes of
    > applying, as long as you can stop the car and make it go, you'll be driving with
    > the seal of approval from one of our friendly Policemen. ( "what's a Policeman got
    > to do with the driving test?" I hear you say... Errr, No Idea) The driving standard
    > is So Low! You can't fail !
    > And there's more! There is absolutly No road courtesy whatsoever in Oz, so you only
    > have to think about youself, It couldn't be easier !
    > But wait, there's more ! Driving in Oz doesn't require any of those expensive
    > Insurance policies, that's right, have an accident, write off somebodies pride and
    > joy, and simply walk away!
    > But wait, there's even more! Certain States in Oz don't even require an MOT
    > certificate, that's right, no matter how unroadworthy or dangerous your car is,
    > just drive with confidence, and if the brakes fail and you have an accident, No
    > Worries!
    > BUT BE WARNED ! If you do get your Driving Licence in Australia, Please don't be
    > fooled into thinking you can drive in the U.K. , the standard you would of attained
    > will simply not be good enough! You would become VERY Unpopular with other
    > motorists, and will Ultimately end up in the back of a Police Traffic Car!
    > Thank Goodness for the Land of Milk and Honey...
    > :zzz: :scared:
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

Howard Tiz - What a load of Bollox!!!!

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

A lot of what he says is true , there is no MOT in WA so the standards of car care are very poor , loads of bangers about.
After you have paid Rego there is no requirement for insurance, but you will need it because someone could write your car off and you will get not one bean.
Driving Standards are what you would exspect in the third world , no manners at all and little sense , Australians drive cars like they live their lifes.Best of luck
:D :beer:

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

Absolute rubbish. I lived in Oz for 17 years - learnt to drive there - have since driven all over the world - drive 65 miles a day in the UK Southampton to Reading, have driven the entire California coast line - thru LA at rush hour on a friday, all over San Francisco, all over europe as well. Driving standard in Oz is very good - roads are about 300% better than the UK for the most part and much wider. i'd say curteousy is slightly worse in the UK but not too different.

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

I'm really sorry but it's not!

The driving standards here are very POOR.
I'm afraid you will have to deal with it because it's all true.

You do not need Insurance, death and injury are covered by your car registration but you DO NOT have to have insurance against damage.

There are NO vehicle checks and road courtesy is non- existent.

I personally hate the road designs they are all wrong Plus Australians can not drive (terrible combination) I'm not trying to wind anyone up here but it really is pretty scary on WA roads, most of you will see for yourselves soon.

Christian

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

There is no MOT or equivalent in WA, PB is right.

I found the Aussies to be generally good drivers, less aggressive than the UK and tend not to break the speed limit as much.

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

Compulsory third party insurance is covered in the vehicle registration in
all states. Not sure about WA, but in NSW cars over 10 years old have to
have a roadworthy every year.

"Christian S" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:414855.1032018317@britishexpats-
.com...
    > Originally posted by Mandy Bale:
    > > Howard Tiz - What a load of Bollox!!!!
    > I'm really sorry but it's not!
    > The driving standards here are very POOR.
    > I'm afraid you will have to deal with it because it's all true.
    > You do not need Insurance, death and injury are covered by your car
    > registration but you DO NOT have to have insurance against damage.
    > There are NO vehicle checks and road courtesy is non- existent.
    > I personally hate the road designs they are all wrong Plus Australians
    > can not drive (terrible combination) I'm not trying to wind anyone up
    > here but it really is pretty scary on WA roads, most of you will see for
    > yourselves soon.
    > Christian
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

renth <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > Originally posted by JPW:
    > > Absolute rubbish. I lived in Oz for 17 years - learnt to drive there -
    > > have since driven all over the world - drive 65 miles a day in the UK
    > > Southampton to Reading, have driven the entire California coast line -
    > > thru LA at rush hour on a friday, all over San Francisco, all over
    > > europe as well. Driving standard in Oz is very good - roads are about
    > > 300% better than the UK for the most part and much wider. i'd say
    > > curteousy is slightly worse in the UK but not too different.
    > There is no MOT or equivalent in WA, PB is right.
    > I found the Aussies to be generally good drivers, less aggressive than
    > the UK and tend not to break the speed limit as much.

I have to agree, and as for the original post by "Howard Tiz", it is
bollocks. Fancy suggesting that to pass your test in the UK, you have
to demonstrate that you are a good driver. As one of the more
vulnerable road users i.e a motorcycle rider, I can tell you that UK
driving standards have a long way to go.

Thunder Ace

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

I have to agree, and as for the original post by "Howard Tiz", it is
bollocks. Fancy suggesting that to pass your test in the UK, you have
to demonstrate that you are a good driver. As one of the more
vulnerable road users i.e a motorcycle rider, I can tell you that UK
driving standards have a long way to go.

Thunder Ace
[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

Does this explain it?

Random drug tests urged for motorists

By Trevor Robb



RANDOM drug testing of drivers could be introduced under a proposal before the State Government.

The West Australian understands that the Government's drink and drug driving task force has made a submission that legislation be drafted to help catch the rising number of people driving while affected by drugs.

The WA Police Service is also believed to have made preliminary inquiries about obtaining portable roadside saliva testing kits to run a pilot program to test for drugs.

Supt Bob Langford, who is on the Road Safety Council's officers support group, denied any specific approach had been made to obtain the machines but did not rule out the possibility.

Supt Langford said a sub-group of the task force was doing a review to determine what could be done about drivers using drugs.

He said officers would go to Victoria next month to look at the model in use there.

"We are looking at all the ways and means to combat all types of drugs being used by drivers," Supt Langford said.

Police and Road Safety Minister Michelle Roberts said the Government would back measures to target motorists who drove under the influence of drugs, particularly cannabis. "If legislative change is required and recommended then I will support this move but other measures may be just as effective and could be implemented in the short-term," she said.

Victoria Police use trained officers to detect the use of drugs other than alcohol in drivers. Officers who suspect a driver's ability has been impaired by drugs can submit them to a series of motor skills tests. If they fail, police can demand a blood test.

The Victorian Government is drafting laws to allow for random roadside testing for drugs based on a saliva swab. South Australian police are also considering the move.

Roadside saliva tests, which can involve a swab which takes up to 90 seconds, can only be used as a preliminary test and a blood sample would be required for a conviction.

WA Office of Road Safety spokesman Roger Farley said the drink and drug driving task force would report its final recommendations in six months.

Research by a team of Queensland doctors has highlighted the danger of cannabis use in young drivers.

Researcher Carl O'Kane, senior emergency services registrar at Townsville Hospital, said cannabis use was emerging as a big factor in fatal crashes. "Younger drivers seem to be substituting cannabis for alcohol, perhaps to avoid detection," Dr O'Kane said.

More data was needed to determine the relationship between cannabis and fatal crashes but one estimate suggested it could increase the risk by more than six times.

Professor Laurence Hartley, of Murdoch University's Institute for Research in Safety and Transport, said amphetamines were a big problem with some drivers.

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

We just renewed the rego on our car in NSW. Car is 2 years old so didn't require 'mot'. my hubbies car which is 9 years old had to have 'mot', I think maybe 'mot' is for cars 3 years and over, not sure, I'll let you know next year! as for the 3rd party, this is called the Compulsory Third Party Insurance 'green slip' which you have to get before you get your rego (by the way, this is transferred to the new owners of the car when it is sold, so I guess its the car thats insured whoever drives it). It covers you if you hit a person not damage to property or other cars. To get the 'rego' you have to produce the green slip and 'mot' (if required), but they don't ask for any other proof of other insurance cover so I guess its up to you if you get other insurance. We have both cars insured fully comp (silly not to really) which is not too expensive if you have a normal car. As for the driving tests, my husband took a 'mock' test with a driving instructor here and failed it, twice! We were glad when the law changed and we could go get our licenses just by doing the knowledge test (providing we had our full UK licenses) as their tests here are tough! Mind you thinking about it I probably wouldn't pass the UK driving test now either!! I find the drivers around here much more polite than in the UK but you do get the idiots just as you do in the UK, even I can be an 'idiot' sometimes! Its a bit dicey here in the wet though as it doesn't rain for weeks or months and then you get a downpour and all the crap on the road makes it VERY slippery and most of the cars around here are arse driven, be prepared to see some lovely 360's on the roads in these conditions, I've witnessed a few!!
I think the worse road I've experienced around Sydney so far is the Pacific Highway, its like they have taken a dual carriageway and made it into a 3 lane road each way and with no central reservation, just a white line, dividing you from the oncoming traffic it gets a bit scarey. Also the big, I mean HUGE, lorries around here take the speed limits seriously and will steam past you doing 70k's even though the road is narrow and lots of traffic about or its pissing down!! No wonder everyone is buying big 4x4's around here! Another gripe I have is the car parks. A lot of people round here don't seem to think twice about ramming their car door into the side of yours when they park. The spaces don't seem to be big enough as everyone has big cars. I have so far avoided car park dings as I always find a space with no cars around or I park on the end space so I can leave a big gap between mine and the next car! I don't think you can class all Aussies as bad drivers, every country has bad drivers and different rules, just makes us 'reasonable' drivers look good! As for the motorways, they are pretty good but be prepared to be faced with a push bike on the hard shoulder and sudden end of motorway signs and traffic lights, oh and bus lanes in the middle complete with bus stop!

Happy driving!

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

When I first came to Australia, I was amazed at the signs at the end of the slip-roads - the ones which are pointing towards the motorway... "wrong way - Go Back!" lol.
And the other signs you may see "please keep left unless over taking".... I've got to agree the driving here in Australia is awful. I just found it humourous the councils have got to errect signs to tell people to keep left, and don't drive up a slip road which is for traffic coming on to the motorway...

And, when you come across a roundabout, you'll soon realise why there are not many rounabouts in Australia (well there isn't many here in Brisbane anyway).... ahhh!!!

I kid you not the driving is bad here in Australia... it's a bit like london drivers.

cheers

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

ever driven from Sydney to Queensland... lol, single lane traffic most of the way! funny for such a major road... terrible. The roads are terrible. Try driving from Brisbane to the Sunshine coast too - only two lane traffic, with lots of curves... and it's supposed to be a motorway.

The road coverings in Australia... are mostly the "cheap" stuff... (lack of funding ) when it gets wet, it is slippery....

Street lighting is mostly the "white lights' not the "yellow"... again it is not sufficient enough, and it comes from lack of funding.

You're kidding roads are better in Australia than Britain... get real! I too have lived in Britain, Australia, Singapore... travelled on a weekly basis to Malaysia, and often drove in Thailand. I've never travelled in the USA so I can't comment on that one.

But the roads here are Awful. cheap road surfacing.. not enough lanes, poor street lighting... and bad planning.

cheers :)

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

I saw one in Calcutta when I worked there which was worth a photo: 'No Horning!'

Re: Hope for the Hopeless...
 

I agree. I live in Sydney now and have driven all the way up the East coast. One poster on this thread mentioned the Australian 'motorways' - where the hell are these, I must be missing something! The roads in Oz are appalling and the standard of driving plus accident rates per head of population are shocking. Most Australian papers blame these things on the number of immigrants who learnt to drive on the other side of the road. Not sure, generally I find drivers here to be less considerate, more aggressive and completely devoid of basic common sense. All I can tell you is that driving in the UK on a recent return visit was a fantastic, pleasant and relaxing experience (I admit I had the pleasure of avoiding the rush hour!).
Some may disagree, especially those still wearing those chunky rose tinted glasses, and that's fine by me, I tell it how I see it (and my wife completely agrees with me!).