chris955

Same in the UK when we're you last in the UK and saw a significant amount of undertaking ? When I was recently there for 3 weeks and spent most of that time traveling I saw virtually no undertaking and mostly very good lane discipline. Even the most rabid Godzoner must be able to see the enormous difference in the 2 countries ?

DC10

There really isn't much undertaking on UK motorways - slightly more in Europe.

Those who sit out in the fast lane there are hounded out of the way with severe tailgaiting, flashing lights and horns. They learn from it. Exactly as it should be.

chris955

h2oskineil

If undertaking was banned, keeping left would HAVE to be enforced.

I join the start of the Mitchell freeway in Perth and it is obvious that some people join the freeway in the right hand lane and have NO intension of moving out of that lane, even though they're doing less then 100 kph and have a long queue behind them!

I see "L" drivers being taught to drive and they too are 'crawling' along in the right hand lane. It's a vicious circle, crap inconsiderate drivers teaching their kids the only way to drive they know.... and so the cycle continues.

It is such a shame that people can make driving such a poor experience for others and have no concept that they are being so selfish and get away with it with no one telling them off for being inconsiderate. BUT.... drive 5 km's over the speed limit on a clear road in good driving conditions and you get a speeding ticket!

chris955

That is exactly the problem, the standard of driving is so low but the only priority the Police have is speeding, every other offense takes a back seat. As you say ban undertaking, enforce keep left and the roads would improve 100% in no time.

KJCherokee

The police do enforce these laws when they can, but with the limited ratio of police to public vehicles on our roads they can't possibly pull over and book every offender - and of course they are never there when you are being held up! Not to mention the fact that they are under pressure to increase fine revenue which is achieved far more easily with a speed camera.

Like so many road rules, it relies on the common sense and courtesy of drivers to be effective, and there are too many drivers out there who have neither of these qualities.

DadAgain

Many years of discussions on here about driving had almost persuaded me that Australian driving must be terrible and I simply had adjusted and become de-sensitised. I accepted the general 'vibe of the thing' and assumed it must be so - the anecdotal evidence presented on BE was overwhelming.

..and then this Xmas I was back in the UK.
I drove all around Hampshire, I drove into London, I drove up the M40/42/6 to Cumbria and all around the lakes, I drove up to Edinburgh in 80mph winds and back down the A1/M1 to Hampshire again. Not a ridiculous amount of driving over a month - but enough to form an opinion.

I saw some completely RIDICULOUS driving; suicidal nutjobs, crazy tailgaters, blind-corner overtakers, agressive blocking, lack of acknowledgement waves when giving way at slow merges and a range of poor behaviour from slightly iritating to extremely reckless.

My personal conclusion? There are idiots on the roads wherever you are and although the idiocy may have some 'local flavours' that make newcomers always feel that *drivers in this place is crazy* (i.e. no lane discipline here in Austalia) there is very little difference in baseline overall driving standards.

chris955

I was in the UK 12 months ago and even driving down from the airport I was struck by the huge difference in driving. I don't think anyone is saying there aren't bad drivers everywhere just the overall standard here is well below the UK. My trip certainly highlighted that for me, I never felt unsafe even on some narrow twisting roads.

Amazulu

I don't think there is much of a difference in driving standards between the UK and Australia. UK drivers are definitely more courteous though.

skinnygeorge

Totally agree, I would not think twice about having a motorcycle in the UK. With all the risks attached I feel in control of the situations. Here in Australia I`m not so sure. I do 40,000 to 50,000+ kms a year here and I see a lot more stupid and ignorant driving here. And I feel part of that increase is the drivers from other countries around the Southern Hemisphere with very different driving teaching standards. Lets face it European drivers British,French, Italian, German on British roads even the very bad ones. Are often quick witted and able to avoid collisions as they are so used to it.

chris955

I actually stopped riding here a number of years ago for a few reasons, one of which was the stupid and dangerous things I was seeing every single day. There seems to be no doubt the standards are much lower, Barry Sheene referred to Australian drivers as the worst in the world and singled out Queensland drivers for special consideration.

Sherlock Holmes

In the scheme of things is matters not too much I suppose but in the UK you are supposed to park with your reflectors facing traffic during the hours of darkness. It's not enforced in busy streets that are street lit and where it can be impossible to park outside your own house sometimes.

The idea of making learners here clock up a 100 hours or so sounds good until you realise that it is older drivers passing on their bad habits and out of date knowledge of the road rules to their kids.

DC10

This week I had my first driving experience up there in more than a decade. The speed limits certainly seem about 10km/h on average slower than equivalent roads in the southern states (lots and lots of 80km/h and 90km/h zones on motorways, and seemingly no 110km/h zones) - perhaps this is part of said "special consideration"

Vegemite Kids

When you say "European" do you mean UK?

I ask because I lived in Germany for 5 years before moving back to OZ (and in Italy for 4 years before Germany) and the highway I drive 2x week here in OZ at 110kph has waaaaaay better road surface quality than the autobahn (with unrestricted speed limits) I used to drive daily in Germany and the Autostrada (with unrestricted speed limits) in Italy. (both the Highway here in OZ and the Autobahn/Autostrada in Germany/Italy where I lived are/were dual lane) I was back in Germany in May '11 and the surface quality of the A7 is now worse than it was when I lived there but the speed limit is still unrestricted on most parts (Kiel canal bridge excepted, but then it always was - but thats a wind / height issue and always will be).

DC10

Yes for some reason (maybe freeze/thaw? but haven't noticed it elsewhere in Central & Eastern Europe, apart from Russia...) autobahn surfaces are not the best. Generally speaking though they are still faaaaar more suitable for high speed driving than say the Hume or Pacific Highways - better camber, no at level intersections, no roadkill, more lanes where needed etc.