Thread: Roundabouts & Semi-Trailer- Any rules?

My experience with driver trainers is that they teach to the traffic code of what ever state they are in, and very few have any professional driving skills a good example of this was a mate of mine was a butcher for many years just drove to and from work and family outings, he stopped butchering and became a driving instructor. He could recite the NSW book of road rules in his sleep BUT he would not teach common sense as it was not in the book of rules and common sense is what should be included in all instructions to learner drivers to be able to access a situation and act according.
Before I got out off the army I use to moonlight driving coaches and one day 2 of were going back to skanners depot down the valley in Brisbane we had to negotiate very sharp left hand turn and had to use both lanes turning from the mainly from the right hand lane , as the bus in front of moved off a young girl in a mini came up the left hand side of me and was wedged between a telegraph pole and the left hand side of the lead bus the mini was bent like a boomerang A hard way to learn but I will bet she has never done it again

Roundabouts is different to a normal road with multiple lanes... Its based on an International law and that comes from the big roundabout in France(oldest in the world 5 or 6 lanes)...

You can change lanes in a roundabout and trucks have the right of the use of both lanes... If its a B-double, then it will require both lanes, irrelevent of how good you think you are as a driver....

First in best dressed is the laman's term of the use of a roundabout, this applies to entering, turning and using... If a truck enters ahead of you, then giveway before entering....

The "do not over take" signs, are required by law, Australia wide, for all vehicles exceeding 7.5 metres.... It does not say that you are not allowed to use them on shorter vehicles...

Any large vehicle in WA has them, even if they are only 6 metres in length(the length of a single drive cabover primemover)...

You can look up the rules of roundabouts, every state has them and they are the same, but Police have trouble enforcing them as they have trouble understanding them...

I was involved with Roadwise(WA) when the laws came into effect and we where teaching and advising the public and Police on the correct use of Roundabouts... Our local Traffic Sgt was getting headaches trying to teach his officers and trying to explain the use to others, he advised his officers to carry a box of pamphlets and give them out instead of tickets, as both the public and Police had trouble...

They are very simple to use once you understand the principles of use...

Originally Posted by DeeJay

I was a driving instructor in the CMF in the early 70"s but I guess punching the driver in the arm for mistakes isn't too popular these days.

When I got my HR, the instructor whacked me with his brolly everytime I mate a mistake.

Originally Posted by Wraithe

Roundabouts is different to a normal road with multiple lanes... Its based on an International law and that comes from the big roundabout in France(oldest in the world 5 or 6 lanes)...

You can change lanes in a roundabout and trucks have the right of the use of both lanes... If its a B-double, then it will require both lanes, irrelevent of how good you think you are as a driver....

First in best dressed is the laman's term of the use of a roundabout, this applies to entering, turning and using... If a truck enters ahead of you, then giveway before entering....

The "do not over take" signs, are required by law, Australia wide, for all vehicles exceeding 7.5 metres.... It does not say that you are not allowed to use them on shorter vehicles...

Any large vehicle in WA has them, even if they are only 6 metres in length(the length of a single drive cabover primemover)...

You can look up the rules of roundabouts, every state has them and they are the same, but Police have trouble enforcing them as they have trouble understanding them...

I was involved with Roadwise(WA) when the laws came into effect and we where teaching and advising the public and Police on the correct use of Roundabouts... Our local Traffic Sgt was getting headaches trying to teach his officers and trying to explain the use to others, he advised his officers to carry a box of pamphlets and give them out instead of tickets, as both the public and Police had trouble...

They are very simple to use once you understand the principles of use...

Roundabouts ARE simple if you know how to use them. A Senior Constable in Vic's TOG that I know explained it like this; There are only two things that you can do in a roundabout, hit somebody or go around it the wrong way.

A vehicle IN the roundabout has right of way over any vehicle approaching it, something that I would like to get out and explain to the goose that approaches at 80 when I'm entering one in a loaded double.

In Vic it is illegal to display the DNOTV sign if the truck is shorter than 7.5. Doesn't stop people doing it though. In fact, I once modified one to put on the back of a club FIAT I had to say DO NOT OVERTAKE OVERTURNING VEHICLE, which got me a few laughs. Wasn't original, I copied it.

All that said, the truck should have applied lane blocking prior to entering the roundabout. I know that I would have.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

When I got my HR, the instructor whacked me with his brolly everytime I mate a mistake.

Not happy with your mating?

DL

Originally Posted by johntins

All that said, the truck should have applied lane blocking prior to entering the roundabout. I know that I would have.

And as you know, quite often thats a waste of time...

I have had a car go around the Police escort and try to go past me on the left while I was turning left with an extendable opened to 60ft... Copper was hanging out his window yelling, to no effect...

His little book and the fact the idiot blocked the road so no one could move, kind of made them think twice...

Its always the same but application of the law first, after that its there neck..

Probably the worst are the ones that just pull out like they own the road and you should use your brakes... The worst are the city truck drivers, they seem to think that a roadtrain can stop faster than them so they have more right to pull out in front of you....

Originally Posted by 350RRC

Not happy with your mating?

DL

I got my HR. How can you not be happy with that?

Originally Posted by DeeJay

Thanks for all the replies, my girl has learnt o good lesson for the future. Technically she wasn't overtaking but pacing the semi in the outside lane. We did spend a small fortune on professional driver training for her - the instructor featured on a TV show about learners some years ago but they can't cover all facets choofing around the burbs.
I was a driving instructor in the CMF in the early 70"s but I guess punching the driver in the arm for mistakes isn't too popular these days. That said, I think a few hours in the industrial area's showing her truck blind spots etc would be a good idea.
David

If the truck had it's cab ahead of your daughters car and the truck turned on his turn signal then your daughter would have no option other than to stop and let the truck make the turn even if you were both doing the same speed.

Not saying that this is what happened but it's all part of awareness around trucks, the same as the fact that the rear axles of trucks and trailers sometimes have no option other than to cut lane across markings and centre dividing lines of roundabouts and corners. As the stickers state "take care around trucks"