How many drivers these days have a tattered copy of the local map book in their glove box? Chances are you are one of many motorists in Australia using car navigation systems or satnavs. But do you find your satnav distracting? Do you find you have to stop talking to your passengers so you can follow its instructions?
If the future of driving is self-driving cars, then what’s happening now? Car manufacturers are introducing all kinds of clever ideas to entertain and protect drivers – and pedestrians too.
Our greenslips.com.au poll, Is common courtesy lacking on our roads?, received a resounding 88% Yes. But the poll didn’t ask about incidents of road rage. Anecdotal evidence suggests drivers everywhere are becoming increasingly less patient and a lot more aggressive.
It’s illegal to drive unregistered or uninsured, over the speed limit or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. What if it were illegal to drive at all?
All over the world people have had original, sometimes quirky, ideas about how to slow us down on the roads. England uses smileys, France creates cardboard cut-outs to represent fatalities, India is trialling virtual speed bumps.
There’s a new word for people using smart phones without looking up to see where they’re going – smombies.
The Germans coined the word to combine “smart phone” and “zombie”. One enterprising German city in Bavaria has introduced in-ground traffic lights so texters don’t even have to look up.
New South Wales has the most expensive CTP insurance in Australia but, during 2014-15, South Australia had the highest average traffic fine of $410. A report by Australia Institute claims traffic fines hit low income earners too hard and proposes Australia adopt the Finnish method of basing fines on income.
Every week about three Queenslanders suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries in a road crash. Yet Queensland is the only jurisdiction without a lifetime care and support scheme to come in by 1 July 2016.
Before you drive home from the pub after a couple of drinks, consider what your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is. Alcohol was involved in 15% of fatal crashes in NSW in 2013-2015 and over 20% of fatal crashes in Qld in 2014-2015. Unfortunately, most drink drivers who hurt others are well over the legal BAC limit. But what if the limit was zero alcohol?
Speeding is the leading cause of death on NSW roads. Now thanks to social media, other drivers can let the NSW police know when you are speeding. NSW police already use social media to broadcast messages about safe driving. But they also get feedback from the public about what they see happening on the road.
If you didn’t find the answer to your question, please send it to us and we will answer it as soon as we can.