h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I lived in New Zealand for a couple of years and found the following law one of the most dangerous I've ever come across.

If you want to turn left off a road and someone aproaching from the opposite direction along the same road, wants to turn right into the same road as yourself, you have to give way to them. But, if you're going straight on, you don't have to give way and it is discretionary as to whether or not you stop to let this person turning right across. This causes no end of accidents...

It must have taken them ages to sit down and construct such a lethal and confusing law. It took me some time to get it right (I think) in words!

And just to add to the confusion, some, but not all, Australian states have the exact opposite give-way rule as New Zealands.

Something very important to remember is that in New Zealand you are your own judge of what is prudent and safe. You are totally responsible for your own safety. If you go on a boat, plane, or guided walk be sure you feel confident because if you get lost, hurt or crash you do not sue here like in the United States. Same thing applies when you are driving a car. If someone hits you then ACC (accident compensation coverage) takes care of your medical and your insurance covers your car. There is basically a no fault attitude. It is actually a very refreshing way to live, you are not paranoid all the time about a possible law suit at every turn, but you must be intelligent with your decisions.

If you are walking across the street be warned cars have the right of way! They do not slow down, you have to jump out of the way. Oh, and be very careful when crossing, you must look right then left before crossing.

The give-way rule Gwennie mentions above reads thus in the NZ Road Code booklet -

If turning,

Always use your indicators.
Give way (yield) to all traffic not turning.
Give way (yield) to all traffic crossing or approaching from your right.

You forgot to mention the exciting effect that roundabouts can add to the equation.

A four way intersection that would work perfectly well with traffic lights can be transformed into the Circus (re: Piccadilly) of Random Death, with the addition of four Give Way signs. Many drivers have the mistaken notion that those going straight through have right of way, simply because those turning right are delayed for a few seconds (as they must drive around the roundabout).

(This is of course in addition to the very casual relationship some drivers have with their indicators.)

Isn't it correct that New Zealand has one of the highest accident rates in the world for such a small population??? Or has this altered since I lived there?

I have to say that I would find it a lot easier to work out whether these rules were daft or just plain lethal if someone would say which side of the road folk (are supposed to) drive on in New Zealand.

After all, right-approaching traffic could be.. no, I can't work it out.

In New Zealand we (allegedly) drive on the left.

Just to make life more interesting tourists from America and Europe sometimes drive on the right.

Our roads, outside the main centres, are narrow and full of blind corners, especially on hills/mountains with a rock face on one side of the road and a sheer, un-guard-railed drop on the other.

Here's another traffic treaser for you. They look like pedestrian crossings and pedestrians are meant to cross on them. But they have no pedestrian crossing signs accompanying them and therefore are not official pedestrian crossings, meaning that pedestrians do not have the right of way.

Unless they're crossing on them at the time, and then they do.

On an unrelated note, today I went to get my new driver's licence. Even though the licence I (and all other driving kiwis) got first time round was supposed to be good for 50 yrs, we are all meant to upgrade to new plastic cards. We are all sent notices of renewal on our birthdays (they really do care about us!) from which we have 60 days to renew. To pay for all the brand new tech the government and the AA has bought, we have to pay for the right to get back into our cars. The cards are only good for up to 10 yrs or until we turn 25, 35, 45, etc. It costs (slightly) less to get a 7 year licence than 10 yr licence. My birthday was last month (Dec) and admittedly it was through laziness that I waited until now to do it, but it was this laziness that saved me $2. Had I been a forthright and dutiful citizen, and done it straight away I would have been shafted.

We have one roundabout in Ottawa, Canada. It is the only one I recall seeing (there must be more in Canada as ther apparently are rules as to how to negotiate them).

This is on Prince of Wales Drive just by the Experimental Farm (conjures up all kinds of images doesn't it?). No one seems to know what to do so it seems to be a big 4-way intersection with multiple stop signs and a big lump of earth in the middle, prettily adorned with flowers in the Summer. You just look at who's coming and if they have stopped or seem more timid than you - you go.

This sound like a way for the state to make a fast buck ..... a bit like our tax here in the U.K. on insurance policies!

Initially they were going to charge everyone $30 straight, regardless of age based renewals, and that's just for the standard licence, not including taxis and other professional drivers.

It was a hot topic on talkback, some objecting to covert revenue gathering (having a go at speed cams as well) and others who believe we're all being issued with smart ID Cards and that all our lives are being secretly monitored by centralised government computers.

Legislation has recently been introduced here in the U.K. for on the spot fines for speeding and speed cameras are springing up everwhere. It's just another way to get more money in the State coffers!

My hubby's "Motorcycle News" this week publicised a web site which lists all the known speed cameras in the U.K.

We had photo radar in Ontario a few years ago - actually only around Toronto - Which was fine as I don't live there, and rarely visit.

They were all gone once the current premier of the province promised to remove them all if he got elected - He got elected of course.

Have you heard the one where some bright governMENTAL sparks are looking at introducing speed inhibitors on vehicles which respond to the zone the vehicle is in?

That sounds pretty stupid, and would likely kill more people. One thing I like to see, that makes sense is on the M25, where there are varying speed limits that are calculated to improve the traffic flow - and make it move faster. This works in England, where people seem to know how to drive well and do it (mostly - believe me, try travelling around if you don't). If everyone drives at the limit, the traffic moves.

I don't think it would work in N. America so well, as is the nature of drivers here - unless you did actually automate the speed - I am a big "unfan" of cruise control, and this would be automatic cruise control. Some would pride themselves on their right to go slower.

Another thing is that speed within reason is not as dangerous as being stupid - I think some people are more stupid at driving than a semi-concsciously drunk driver, when sober and wide awake - but they are allowed to drive.

These are the kind of people I rant about who pass phantom cars, or do not seem to have the slightest idea what to do at intersections, or who has the right of way, etc. They often drive "minivans" or have big things dangling from their rearview mirrors and drive around in Ottawa (just a joke, but I have to share the road with them!)

My parents live in the New Forest in Dorset, southern England and during the summer months the whole place is swamped by caravans which are known locally as "grockle boxes".

On the subject of speed and its restrictions. My hubby is totally against them as a motorcyclist and driver on four wheels. As you say, imposed cruise controls/speed restrictions could be dangerous as what if a sudden burst of speed was required to avoid an accident?

I've driven through there, and it can be slow-going with all those caravans, or tractors. Here in Ottawa people drive these "minivans" which are just vans with a lower ceiling and a bunch of seats with car-like controls, so if you have 6 kids, or lug a sports team around, they all fit in at one time. These things are enjoyable as to share the road with as a '72 Morris estate wagon dragging a nice wood/vinyl/aluminium finished 60s vintage caravan. Problem is most of these seem to be driven by one driver, no passengers as commuter vehicles. There seems to be a direct inverse correlation between driving ability and the ownership of these minivans.

These things are a bit too big to comfortably drive around England, as are these giant pick-up trucks - used by ecology flaunting commuters. However these are driven using a kamikaze mentality - They have engines suited for heavy-goods vehicles, and are big, so their owners can just go very fast and everyone will get out their way.

You can always take the bus.

Busses in the UK have been "deregulated" or privatised and sold off to all the Tory cronies... Everything has been cut back to the bare bones or is very expensive...

I shan't ask how Mr Blair's plans to reform public transport are going then...

I find the bus service in the city of Oxford, an around Bucks. London, etc. quite easy to use and efficient (and cheaper than the service where I live). In Ottawa the bus service is great if you live in certain suburban zones and work in the city centre (ie. government) - Otherwise you may as well walk. We have a "Transitway" which is a budget version of an underground railway - ie. a road that is only for busses. It is a great Idea except if you don't live and work on this bus route - you either drive, bike or do something else, unless a 2hr commute for 15Km is acceptable for you.

Many frustrated bus commuters keep the bus fantasy alive, while having to drive their own vehicle - They drive a minivan by themselves - It is just like driving that lonely bus that no one takes because it only shows up once an hour, and leaves 5 minutes before the nearest connection arrives. On some with "tilt steering" you can even prop the steering up to enhance the illusion, and even go for that custom "big truck wheel" by installing one yourself.