Australia - Not allowed to do anything!

[Junior]

New laws to crack down on distracted drivers
Clay Lucas and Barry Park
August 28, 2009

WHEN your parking meter runs out, do you like to grab the space next to it if it's free?

When you drive, do you sometimes talk on your mobile phone with it sitting in your lap and switched to loudspeaker?

Or does your dog occasionally sit on your lap while you drive?

All this, and much more, will become illegal under new road laws to be introduced in November.

Under the laws, announced by Roads Minister Tim Pallas yesterday, drivers will for the first time be fined $234 and lose three demerit points if any of their passengers are not wearing a seatbelt.

The current seatbelt laws specify that drivers are liable for penalties only if passengers not wearing a seatbelt are aged under 16.

The laws also make it compulsory for children to be in a child restraint until age seven. Infants must be in a capsule until six months of age.

And laws governing mobile phone use while driving - responsible for many serious accidents and deaths each year - will be tightened dramatically.

A driver is four times more likely to crash while using a mobile phone. Already, more than 40,000 drivers a year are fined for using a mobile phone, ranking it among the state's top three driving offences.

Under the changes, mobile phone use while driving will only be permitted if the phone is in a commercially designed holder and the driver does not need to touch any part of the phone to receive a call (by using bluetooth or a similar technology).

Even holding a mobile phone - whether or not engaged in a phone call - will now be prohibited. Holding a phone, the new laws specify, include a driver resting it on their lap.

Drivers who flout the mobile phone laws will also risk a $234 fine and three demerit points.

Other changes to the road safety laws are designed to minimise driver distractions, such as from portable music players and satellite navigation systems.

And drivers must show even more care when passing a tram: currently, road rules state only that a car must not pass the rear of a tram if a pedestrian is crossing.

Now, if a tram is stopped at a tram stop, a car must stop too - regardless of whether they can see a person crossing the road to get on or off the tram.

Parking laws have also been reviewed, in a move that will please councils reliant on revenue from fines.

A driver who moves their car to another parking spot must now move it off the length of road, or out of the area to which a parking sign applies.

This means a motorist who moves their car to an adjacent parking spot once their time has run out would be liable for a fine.

For skateboarders or those who ride a foot-propelled scooter, there are changes too.

Skateboards must not be used on roads at night - VicRoads says this is dangerous because skaters are so difficult to see - and wearing a helmet will now be compulsory for scooter riders.

Motorcyclists will also have to contend with new laws that raise the minimum age of a passenger to eight.

And motorbike riders will no longer be allowed to have an animal sitting on the fuel tank.

One exception to this, said VicRoads director of road user safety David Shelton, was if a motorcyclist had a legitimate use for the animal, such as a dog on a farm. However, no such exceptions will apply to a car driver who allows a dog between them and the steering wheel.

''Those days will be well and truly over,'' Mr Shelton said.

The RACV's chief engineer, Peter Daly, said the improvements to road rules were crucial to stop deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

"The issue at the core of these changes is driver distraction and it must be addressed if we are to reduce crashes on our roads,'' he said.

The new laws will come into force on November 9.

 

[theasxgorilla]

I love getting back to Sweden so I can drive and talk on my mobile phone without needing to worry about the fuzz trying to bust my a$$.

Oh by the way, Sweden has the lowest road death rate per million inhabitants, or per billion kilometers driven in the EU. Lower than the Netherlands, and both are still lower than Australia. Go figure!

 

[Timmy]

Shouldn't this thread be titled "Victoria - not allowed to do anything!"?

 

[nunthewiser]

I
Oh by the way, Sweden has the lowest road death rate per million inhabitants, or per billion kilometers driven in the EU. Lower than the Netherlands, and both are still lower than Australia. Go figure!

LOL that would be because they can organise the ambo,s while they in the middle of the prang rather than after like we allowed to

 

[Surfer35]

If we were to obey every law, rule, ordnance, by-law and regulation in this country, we couldn't leave the house.

Had many an argument with ignorant countrymen who still cling to the misguided notion Australia is a "free" country. We endure big government bent on encroaching upon every aspect of our lives.

I miss living in Japan and being able to ride my pushbike on the footpath without a f*#cken helmet.

 

[Buddy]

I have it on good authority that a new law is soon to be passed in all Australian states. The law is that all vehicles shall be escorted at the front of the vehicle by a person over the age of 16 carry a red flag above their head. That said person shall walk to the front of the vehicle at a distance not exceeding 5 yards from the vehicle and at a speed not exceeding 5 kilometres per hour.

It's true, I tell you.

 

[Prospector]

The Governments have to raise revenue somehow and these are the easiest targets as most people do some of these things from time to time.

Yet in SA, our road toll is going to be horrendous this year - the more they crack down on catching speeders, the worse it gets. Why? Because speed cameras are never put in places where speeding causes road accidents, but rather, where lots of people might (reasonably) go a bit faster than normal - you know, the straight, two lane roads with service roads that are actually very safe. So the Dollar revenue is huge.

All we need to ensure better driver behaviour is to have more marked police cars on the road. Now, they have even taken away the signs after a camera car because they say that people pass the car, realise they have been snapped and come back to attack the attendant. Yeah, sure, why havent we heard of this happening then. The reason they have done this is so that cars coming the other way cannot flash and warn oncoming drivers that there is a snapper camera ahead.

In SA, we have a confusing range of speed limits in the metro area ranging from 40 - 70 kms per hour in the space of a few hundred metres, yet they refuse to paint the speed limit of the road because they say that motor cyclists will slip on it. Nope, they prefer people to get confused so they get more revenue from creeping over the limit by a few k's and not realise they are doing so.

 

[gfresh]

oy.. you're not allowed to post that!

 

[Happy]

The Governments have to raise revenue somehow and these are the easiest targets as most people do some of these things from time to time.


....

We can almost say, that we can do anything we like, but some activities have price tag on them

 

[MACCA350]

And drivers must show even more care when passing a tram: currently, road rules state only that a car must not pass the rear of a tram if a pedestrian is crossing.

Now, if a tram is stopped at a tram stop, a car must stop too - regardless of whether they can see a person crossing the road to get on or off the tram.

I can see this causing major congestion, especially at the end of the tram lines.

For example at the end Sydney Road tram line there is a stop just 50 meters or so from the end of the line island. It is very common for trams to bank up having two or three trams there. The island can only accommodate two trams and in many cases a second or third tram will sit at the second last tram stop anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes or more even though the doors are closed and no one but the driver is on board.

If the above changes are made, Sydney Road and many others would be stuffed!!!

cheers

 

[dalek]

"Parking laws have also been reviewed, in a move that will please councils reliant on revenue from fines.

A driver who moves their car to another parking spot must now move it off the length of road, or out of the area to which a parking sign applies.

This means a motorist who moves their car to an adjacent parking spot once their time has run out would be liable for a fine."


Can anyone explain to me how this would practically operate ?
How can you be effectively be banned from parking twice in the same street and what has this got to do with safety or anything other than revenue ?
Outrageous nonsense and sadly we will all comply

 

[awg]

"And motorbike riders will no longer be allowed to have an animal sitting on the fuel tank.

One exception to this, said VicRoads director of road user safety David Shelton, was if a motorcyclist had a legitimate use for the animal, such as a dog on a farm. However, no such exceptions will apply to a car driver who allows a dog between them and the steering wheel."


Surely they will have to make an exception for guide dogs?

 

[prawn_86]

Outrageous nonsense and sadly we will all comply

Will we? Why not just drive round the block then park in the same spot if its still there? Surely that argument would stand up in court.

 

[Nyden]

Surely they will have to make an exception for guide dogs?

I sincerely hope that an individual who requires the use of a seeing-guide dog is not bloody driving. :

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

I sincerely hope that an individual who requires the use of a seeing-guide dog is not bloody driving. :

Nyden , you do have an unassailable point there mate.

gg

 

[Glen48]

Got an EX Chinese wife who has got Legal Aids chasing me for wages when we were married and working together.
Which means if she can do that any one in business and married is at risk?????
talk about driving you mad.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Got an EX Chinese wife who has got Legal Aids chasing me for wages when we were married and working together.
Which means if she can do that any one in business and married is at risk?????
talk about driving you mad.

You are basically stuffed , mate, I have 3 Mrs Gumnuts that I know of chasing me , even after settlement.

And the fourth looks at me with a je ne sai quoi every now and then.

My girlfriend in Hong Kong who is a lawyer says I have nothing to worry about, but it still interrupts my sleep every now and then.

Its not fair eh.

gg

 

[awg]

I sincerely hope that an individual who requires the use of a seeing-guide dog is not bloody driving. :

Was just making a joke, as I'm sure you could tell

What I didnt mention, is I used to work with a guy that had very poor eyesight, he used a 2 inch thick magnifying glass to read documents, coke bottle glasses and was an albino...he was very able and independant but woebetide you if you mentioned his sight deficiency, he was a cranky bugger.

I later found out that he was classified as legally blind, and received an allowance from Centrelink that is only payable if you are classified as legally blind..drove a Landcruiser Station wagon as well.

Dont ask me how he had a licence...maybe he didnt.

He seemed to be able to see well enough to know which chicks were hot though, as he was always innapropriately chasing after them, maybe there is other ways to tell..like Ray Charles

 

[bassmanpete]

Will we? Why not just drive round the block then park in the same spot if its still there? Surely that argument would stand up in court.

I remember in Manchester (UK) in the '50s (yes I'm that old!) they had parking signs that said something along the lines of '1 hour parking. No return within 20 minutes.' It didn't make sense to me then (I was only about 6 or 7) and I had to get my dad to explain it to me. In other words, that argument probably wouldn't stand up in court.

 

[Julia]

I sincerely hope that an individual who requires the use of a seeing-guide dog is not bloody driving. :

Nyden , you do have an unassailable point there mate.

gg

Funniest exchange I've read for a while!