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Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59614
motoring Revisiting the Road Code The turning misadventures of the New Zealand motorist; a disturbing tour of the minds of our road rule makers. THE ROAD RULES CHANGED this week, or was it last week? The police are trialling a period of 'warning' rather than issuing infringement notices to coincide with the new turning laws. Nice of them I thought, but I have since learnt that the issuing of warnings for minor offences for the five month period will save thousands of hours of paper work for the police; so you decide just what the true motivation really is! So, after spending much of my driving life having a very clear understanding of who gives way to who (or is that whom gives way to whom) I now have to re-learn the road rules. We all know that change is not something we cope with well! And whether you are ready for it or not, this new road rule is a significant change. By significant, what I am referring to is Perhaps I am just being old and cynical. Unlikely, but just in case I decided to visit the website of the NZTA to gain a better appreciation of just why the change is happening. To my horror I find the most ridiculous set of referenced statistics None of these 'moments' are a result of motorists being confused over which road rules are current or not, but rather a result of; a lack of care, a lack of patience, a lack of common sense and mostly just a lack of any sort of ability to drive safely. that the consequence of the change may well be life threatening! After all it is not just about you and me and our understanding of the new rules, it is also about the other 99.9% of road users who share our roads, crossroads and intersections! The view from my office affords me an excellent view of a busy intersection. Each day I witness at least half a dozen close calls and at least one accident a week. None of these 'moments' are a result of motorists being confused over which road rules are current or not, but rather a result of; a lack of care, a lack of patience, a lack of common sense and mostly just a lack of any sort of ability to drive safely. Now throw in a good measure of confusion over a new 'give-way' rule and I definitely suggest that we all check our car insurance is up-to-date! The old rule kind of made sense to me. It meant that cars on a busy road turning right across the on-coming traffic could get off the centre portion of the road as a priority. It also meant that the driver of the right turning car was always prioritised out of harm's way by always having the right-of-way! All very logical! I have ever seen! Just one of these reads, "The number of intersection accidents involving pedestrians hit by turning traffic has increased by 79 percent since 2000." The text goes on to suggest that these rule changes are predicted to "improve safety especially for pedestrians and cyclists". I am sorry but what a load of piffle! Further reading took me to the summary statement that is a real doozey! "The give way rule changes should produce more cautious decision-making and reduce the level of judgement needed in complex and dynamic traffic environments and promote smoother traffic flow." OMG! Who writes this stuff? Just reflecting on this statement while driving home last night nearly made me create a complex and dynamic traffic environment! I am sorry but people are dying on our roads because most of us use a fraction of our attention while we are driving! People are involved in accidents because they no longer know how to control their cars when faced with an emergency situation! People are seriously injured by drivers who are taking unnecessary risks because they simply don't give a damn about others! However, the new rules are here to stay, so despite the tripe listed explaining the reasons for change we all need to have a complete understanding of them and drive with care and confidence. I do encourage you to visit the NZTA website, www.nzta.govt.nz as it has an excellent educative overview of the new rules. Toni Marshall 70 | www.hermagazine.co.nz