Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

[QUOTE=hevs;7209961]Oooops :rofl: Might need to do a bit of clever editing there :rofl: Note to self: read thread carefully before replying :sneaky:

Edit: Error? What error? :rofl:

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

[QUOTE=moneypen20;7209837]I know, it amazes me when someone comes up 2cm behind as if somehow they are rushing a transplanted kidney to hospital, but after I move to the left in a hurry to let them overtake I find a minute later they're going slower than me.

This of course assumes that they had no opportunity to UNDERtake, which is far more accepted in Oz. Recently I realised that the reason people overtake on the left is because there are always new lanes appearing and disappearing on the left so if you just want to stay on the inside lane you end up hopping back and forth.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

A few months ago I had a full gravel truck about 5m off my back bumper- could not see his number plate! The choices I had were to speed up hugely and get ahead of traffic in next lane to oull in, or slow down and pull in.
I decided the latter was the best (safest option) with this idiot behind me...well he nearly hit the central reservation as he was so close when I slowed.
Then going over the Westgate Bridge (Melbourne) he pulled in ahead of me and slowed to 30km. As I went to go past, he pulled out. He was determined to stay in front.
I was pretty scared by now, and decided to floor it and get past....he swerved his truck across 3 lanes to cut me off.

I pulled off the freeway and called his company (noted his truck number) and reported him to the police. Hope he lost his job. His boss said "I know exactly who you mean".

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Yeah, I hope he has too.. nothing worse than an idiot in charge of a 30 tonne truck!

Em x

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

In Luxembourg, I found this happened alot when I first got there - I thought Continental drivers were being polite and letting me in the first few weeks. Even the UK highway code says this also means 'I am here' (coming through). The Belgians were considered bad in that part of the world because apparently there was no test until the 70s or something(!)

I am as bad a driver as any other Australian because I tend to be bored rigid when I do drive on highways that compared to London and the SE are vertually empty.:p

That might be some reason.

I feel safer in SE Melbourne than in London and SE.

I don't like the weaving in and out, by the occasional hoon, but that might be due to the fact that undertaking is allowed - but even then it's fair to say lane discipline is crap. My wife criticises me for hogging the fast lane a tad but my view is that I can't be arsed to go in, only to head back over seconds later. I wait until I get a nice clear stretch in the inside.

But then, in the UK, I recall moving over for the mergers...(which they can be a bit lazy about here) so....:p

it's all highly dependant on what is going on, and as, when I drive, as there is not much going on in terms of volume, I reckon we're just trying to stay *awake*..:p

but I'd rather be *asleep* when I get called out in the middle of the night to deal with a MVA cos some other sod has stuffed up...

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

For entertainment on those boring long journeys........

Wait for a tailgaiter to attempt to conjoin with your car, preferably when there is no opportunity for them to over/undertake.

Ideally, they need to be talking to their passenger, or concentrating on the mobile phone conversation.

Select a moment when it is safe for you & you can spend several seconds looking in the rear view mirror. Then..

SLAM ON THE BRAKES...

Then accelerate and watch their faces contort into a mass of sheer terror/panic whilst they drop the phone/swear/try to push their brake pedal though the floor.

Oh.....make sure you have a faster car as well!

When it works well, its great fun! See if you can mouthread their thoughts!!:rofl::rofl::rofl::p

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

That's got to be a state difference. Here I find I spend most of my time on highways behind people who are going 10-20kph below the limit. Whereas in London, if traffic was moving freely, hardly anyone drove slower than the limit.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I have got used to Sydney driving after 5 months- the weaving in and out means you have to be more aware of everything that is going on- however, from someone who was too scared to drive anywhere near London, I have now driven to the airport twice from the Northern Beaches area! Although you do get tailgated a bit, it is about the same as it was in High Wycombe and Slough, and the speed limits are lower. I have only been flashed once, and that was by a mercedes driver as I left the airport, warning me that I was in a taxi lane- couldn't get out as the taxi's wouldn't let me, so I had to cut in! What I find hard is thinking that you can turn right or left and getting to the junction only to find that you can't! (not marked on the map) I have no sat nav, as I'd never be able to programme it, and they are a distraction if you are looking at the screen instead of the road. :eek:

My gripe is roundabouts- not many people seem to know how to use them, or indicate properly- but that was the same in the UK

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

:eek: I understand the frustration, but don't kill yourself or anyone else in order to make a point!

Em x

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I guess you live near Wol. He admits driving onto roundabouts while people are still coming around indicating right :sneaky::D

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I plead the fifth!

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Naughty boy Wol- luckily it isn't you as I'm a Sydneysider!:D

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Martin, that is mainly the case because police now have a 0%(zero) tolerance for the speed of a vehicle. It is well acknowledged by experts from motoring organisations, that speedos have at least a +/- 5-10% margin in error for accuracy, but police guidelines nationwide cannot accept this. Once you could sail through a radartrap in, for example, a 100kph zone, doing 105-109kph, without fear of being caught. This is now no longer the case.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Sorry Sean, but that tired old speed excuse by the Government is a load of crap. I've been driving that road, on and off, for over 27 years and I can honestly say that in most cases, it is the design of the road that is a fault, and the lack of major funding for upgrades. Take for example the exit into the Matilda Roadhouse on the other side of Gympie. A right-hand turn in the middle of the road, on the brow of a hill, on a blind corner (both ways), with just enough room in the turning lane for a medium size truck. In fact the entire Highway from Gympie to Corooy has not been widened since I started driving on it 27 years ago to accommodate the masively increased volume of traffic. As far as I recall, they have only taken out 1 dangerous bend down near Amamoor State Forest in all that time. Also, if I remember, the stretch from Bells Bridge to Maryborough was a crap road then as well.
If you go to Goomeri, you will find that they have only just replaced the road and bridge at Fat Hen Creek, which was a nightmare to drive along in that time, as well as in the process of replacing another single-lane bridge near Goomeri. Both stretches have had no major work, save filling in potholes (to make the cars bounce all over the road) in nearly 50 odd years. BTW, they are on a major regional Highway.
Lack of funds is to blame, not speed, in most cases.


This makes interesting reading.... http://www.racq.com.au/about_us/corp...y_racq_members

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I know it's because of the strict enforcement in Vic (2kph tolerance for fixed cameras and 3kph for mobile ones). Burbage's assertion is not true here. But was very true in London (and most of the UK). (I think he likes to paint Aussies with a brush ;))

On speedo accuracy the Aus standard states that speedos should never understate the speed (i.e. show a speed that is less than the actual speed) and are allowed to overstate the speed by up to 10%. The +/- thing is a myth. So it is possible that someone driving at 100 is only doing 90. I know my speedo is 2kph out at 100 and is out by more at slower speeds (4kph at 40).

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Just north of Melbourne on the Calder Freeway (I _think_ thats what its called) there used to be a gantry over the motorway which had a speed trap that would show your speed. I dont know if it was connected to anything with flashing lights, but it atleast let you know that your speedo showed you were travelling slower than you thought.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Yep. I saw that one the other day (although it didn't work). You get them over other freeways as well. There are a couple on the Hume (one just outside Mellie and one just outside Wodonga). Occasionally you get something similar in roadworks.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I agree that the roads are structurally more dangerous than UK ones. You rarely see right hand turns through the median strip nowadays in the UK. They're still there but not as common as they used to be. Another factor that I think contributes to the higher Aussie road toll are the higher urban speed limits. Most accidents happen in towns.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I think one of the biggest reasons for tail gating is simply because drivers here (and the UK for that matter) fail to understand the sign that reads UNLESS OVERTAKING KEEP LEFT.

UNLESS OVERTAKING KEEP LEFT does not mean sit in the middle lane on the freeway, it means get in the left lane unless frigging overtaking. How many times a see a car just sat in the middle lane with no other traffic anywhere near astounds me.

Now I personally do not tail gate, recognising its dangers, however, if there is a car sat in the middle lane, I will pull out from the left lane to the right lane then over take before pulling back into the far left lane. A dramatic procedure compared to having to just over take one lane if they were in the right lane in the first place. Other drivers are possibly more frustrated and decide to sit up the car's rear in the hope they can educate the driver to pull over into the correct lane - something that rarely happens.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I drove from Cairns to the Gold Coast and back at exactly the speed limit, as I always do, and I was the slowest vehicle on the road. Of course you could say that because I was going at a certain speed then I didn't encounter others who were going at the speed limit. On the other hand, I think I overtook a slower car only a couple of times, and if the volume of traffic coming the other way was similr to the volume going my way then yes, I'd say eeryone was breaking the speed limit. I saw quite a few of them pulled in too. One idiot in a merc 4x4 suddenly appeared behind me between a couple of checks in my mirror and was doing the tailgate job on me. Next thing he knew was blue and red flashy lights behind him. Hahahahaha.

Saw one accident too, which wasn't as funny, but was almost certainly caused by excessive speed.

Trouble with the Bruce Highway is that it's single carriageway most fot he way and there are a lot of impatient drivers out there. I pulled over a couple of times to let the dangerous drivers pass me. It's better to have in idiot in front of you where you can see him/her.

I agree though that with local traffic there's not as much speeding as you'd see in the UK. The thing that gets me is that if they can travel exactly at a 110kmh or 115kmh, why can't they travel at 100kmh? Just not able to do it, I guess.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

The problem with that, is the rules in Australia are different to the UK rules:

Here in QLD it states:
Therefore, sticking in the middle lane, is actually correct, at least in QLD and NSW, and I think maybe other States also.

It may seem very odd to the British, who were taught to keep in the Left LANE, unless overtaking.

Slightly different wording, with different meaning.

On the under 90kph roads in QLD, it doesn't apply anyway, so you can use any lane you like, and not break any laws.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Are you sure it didn't work? I think they are set not to show anything if you are going too far above the speed limit. :sneaky: ;)

Probably to stop hoons getting a photo of themselves at 200kmh!

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

As I said, it's a state difference.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Yeah! 117 is the max it'll report. I should have been going 110. It did work for some car further ahead, so if I can work out why it didn't work for me I can maybe use the 2nd half of my speedo :D

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Oh for heavens sake:

NSW Road Users Handbook, Page 115 (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/...educa_dl1.html)

Once on the motorway, stay in the left lane unless overtaking.
If there are three lanes and the left lane has many vehicles travelling at a slower speed than you,stay in the middle lane. After you have passed them, you should return to the left lane. The right lane is generally reserved for overtaking so move out of it as soon as it is safe to do so.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

On a deserted three-laner then yes: one keeps to the left hand lane.

However, what on earth is the sense - rules or not - of someone who is doing the limit or slightly over not occupying the centre lane? They are not stopping anyone from overtaking.

Tailgating is probably the worst problem on the roads here. If one leaves two to three seconds between you and the car in front it is rare than you are able to drive for long in the left lane and, if doing the speed limit I don't consider it my duty to pull over into an inadequate space in order to allow a tailgater to break the limit. Note - this is not implying that I consider it my right to make him slow down TO the limit. It merely means that I don't think he has any right to force me to drive less safely.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

What do you mean "Oh for Heavens sake" ? are things that bad ?

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/fr...AND%20No%3D179

states "The driver must not drive in the right lane unless: etc etc"


http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home...eft_overtaking

states: "When the speed limit is 90 km/h or more on multi-lane roads you must keep the right lane free, unless you are etc etc"


Note: The "NSW Road Users Handbook" is not LAW, but the NSW legislation website is. That book says: "should return to the left lane. " It does not say MUST, and the Legislation does not either.

As my post said, I am stating what the LAW says, and why people tend to drive like that, because they are NOT actually breaking any laws by doing so.

Personally I feel they should move over to the left lane, but the Australian argument that I hear, is that they do not need to, as their law does not say they have to.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I'm not sure what the rules are here for learners drivers, but i am wondering if one of the reasons for all this bad driving is the lack of "proper" driving school/instructors? :unsure:
I have been in Cairns for 10 months and in that time have only seen 2 "driving school" cars.
If the majority of learner drivers are being taught off parents, friends etc, then this would surely mean bad driving habits are passed down from one generation to the next and will continue doing so.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I've found that the left lane usually moves faster since everyone seems to be in the middle lane.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I was passed the other day by a huge 4WD with an L plate on the back doing 90 in a 70 zone.

There appeared to be a teenage kid at the wheel and a bloke about 50 years old in the passenger seat.

I think bad driving is endemic. Many know no different.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Exactly, examples like this seem to be pretty common here. :eek: But i guess with car insurance being so cheap (compared to the UK at least) this encourages young kids with little experience to get behind the wheel of a huge engined car.
But i agree with you and think bad driving is very deeply rooted here.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

:rofl: :thumbsup:

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

If there are three lanes on a UK road, then common sense (and the law) dictate that unless overtaking, the left hand lane is the appropriate place to be.

If there are three lanes on an Australian road however, common sense is far less clear-cut. With the left lane frequently disappearing and reappearing thanks to the crazy design of doing lane merges on the left side rather than right, perhaps theres a case to be made saying that staying the in the middle of three is safer (less likely to suddently find yourself running out of road and needing a RAPID lane change to stay on the road?). Perhaps all these legendary tailgaters are all so confused about which lanes are going to continue to exist in in the next km or so along the road they figure its best to follow someone else and let them pick a path through all the lane merges?!


(For the record I dont think tailgating is necessarily any worse here in SE Qld than UK and I think Aus drivers tend to be a lot more obediant in speeding terms than the UK - but lane discipline **is** terrible, road layouts **are* terrible and dangerous vehicles are FAR more common).

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

SEriously though, the left lane is the safest if you value your life in Australian driving conditions. It, at least, has the bail-out of the hard shoulder, so you have an escape route when the inevitable pile-up occurs.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I know. It's terrible in Sydney and so dangerous. I just don't get it. Especially as we have a baby.
What also annoys me is when someone wants to get into your lane and instead of getting in your lane behind you where there is plenty of space and no other cars they want to squeeze infront of you between you and another car! I get so annoyed with it and haven't got used to it.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I've mounted twin 50mm cannon on my bonnet. Nobody pushes in in front of me anymore.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

This is certainly part of it. Road positioning seems non-existent - someone turning right rarely positions their car so that others can pass to their left. And reading the road ahead also appears non-existent: we have to turn right into our road off the main Bowral/Moss Vale road (two lanes each way) and I can almost guarantee that, despite indicating and getting well over to the right 100m before the turn, the following car / ute will only realise they are about to rear-end me when they have only a second to spare - then they swerve across into the inside lane (indicating as they do: everyone indicates religiously as if that absolves them of all responsibility!)

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

I don't get this: my insurance - including CTP - is a little more than it was in the UK.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

Mine is way cheaper. I don't own a car in Australia.

Re: Tailgating!!! What is the point?
 

My experience as well.

G