Road toll rises

**JDNSW** · 11th February 2020, 07:31 AM

As I have commented before - no accident has a single 'cause'. There are always multiple factors, and, of course, speed is often a factor. But it is rarely the major factor. Statistical data suggests the major factor is alcohol.

But I have to agree with Pickles -a major factor underlying most accidents is the driver attitude. And, despite all the talk about increased safety of cars, stricter enforcement etc, the general improvement in the accident rate over the last fifty years is underpinned by improvements in attitude.

To give an example (and there could be lots of other examples given), today it is, for most people, considered almost unthinkable to drive while over the limit (and empirical data supports this - random breath tests never even come close to1% of tests being positive). Fifty years ago (or even less) the most common attitude was "How can I drink and not get caught?" Certainly there are a few still with this attitude, but far from being the norm, these are now outliers.

DiscoMick · 11th February 2020, 08:29 AM

Certainly agree attitude is a problem. Like the bloke yesterday playing a tune on his horn because another motorist didn't slow and let him onto the motorway from aside lane. Funny thing was there were broken lines so the entering motorist was required to give way. Didn't stop him performing though. Just attitude. Why?

**Homestar** · 11th February 2020, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Certainly agree attitude is a problem. Like the bloke yesterday playing a tune on his horn because another motorist didn't slow and let him onto the motorway from aside lane. Funny thing was there were broken lines so the entering motorist was required to give way. Didn't stop him performing though. Just attitude. Why?

Yep, attitude is a huge one - I’d say both were to blame for that one - while the guy in the horn trying to merge should give way, why didn’t the other person just back off for a moment to make the merge seamless for everyone? Attitude from both.

**101RRS** · 11th February 2020, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Homestar

Yep, attitude is a huge one - I’d say both were to blame for that one - while the guy in the horn trying to merge should give way, why didn’t the other person just back off for a moment to make the merge seamless for everyone? Attitude from both.

Yes it is attitude - over the years motorists have been courteous and allowed others coming onto the motorway space to get on - unfortunately that practice has now become standard so the guy joining thinks he has a god given right to push in - now not so much an issue if both are close to the same speed but is an issue when the car coming in is doing 20kph slower than the motorway traffic.

In 90% of circumstances the lane is "owned" by the motorway traffic as indicated by the lanes painted on the road - the only time the joining vehicle has equal standing is if the sign says form one lane. I normally move to the right lane and let the joining traffic have the left lane, sometimes that is no possible so I either speed up or slow a little and let them in but if I am doing 110kph on the motorway, cannot move right and the joining car is doing 70/80kph then sorry you stop and give way - dont like it then tough.

Garry

**ATH** · 11th February 2020, 08:28 PM

Merging onto the freeways is something many drivers in WA can't fathom out. I was recently virtually pushed into lane 2 by some idiot who thinks having his vehicles nose just in front of mine entitles him to come straight over. Then he gave me the finger.
One of the problems here is the rule stating where 2 lanes merge, the one in front by even a little bit has the right of way. I've no problem with that but many also think that applies to freeway merging as well and cannot adjust their speed to put themselves alongside a gap between vehicles already on the road. In this instance there was a gap of some 20 plus metres he could have used. ******.
And don't even talk about the confusion on roundabouts....... and living near the cops training academy I can tell you many of them have no idea either.

AlanH.

**trout1105** · 11th February 2020, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Homestar

Yep, attitude is a huge one - I’d say both were to blame for that one - while the guy in the horn trying to merge should give way, why didn’t the other person just back off for a moment to make the merge seamless for everyone? Attitude from both.

I Agree, Both involved were self centered "Tossers".
Why is it that there are so many people on our roads that hate pushbikes, trucks, caravans or anyone else that will cost them a few moments of their miserable lives because they assume that they OWN the tiny bit of road they are travelling on??
Self centered arseholes.

**Kaps** · 11th February 2020, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by ATH

Merging onto the freeways is something many drivers in WA can't fathom out. I was recently virtually pushed into lane 2 by some idiot who thinks having his vehicles nose just in front of mine entitles him to come straight over. Then he gave me the finger.
One of the problems here is the rule stating where 2 lanes merge, the one in front by even a little bit has the right of way. I've no problem with that but many also think that applies to freeway merging as well and cannot adjust their speed to put themselves alongside a gap between vehicles already on the road. In this instance there was a gap of some 20 plus metres he could have used. ******.
And don't even talk about the confusion on roundabouts....... and living near the cops training academy I can tell you many of them have no idea either.

AlanH.

Merging. It has nothing to do with who's in front.
Unless there are no lines.
There are usually lines.
When crossing lines, the person crossing the lines gives way to anything in the lane they are moving in to.

DiscoMick · 11th February 2020, 09:22 PM

That's right. If there are lines the one merging has to give way. No lines and the one who gets there first has priority.
In practice, just be relaxed and let them in.

**BradC** · 11th February 2020, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

That's right. If there are lines the one merging has to give way. No lines and the one who gets there first has priority.
In practice, just be relaxed and let them in.

And therein lies the problem. Instead of "be relaxed and let them in", we get "**** some bastard wants to get in front of me, I better plant me foot, swerve toward them aggressively to see them off and make sure I'm less than 5mm from the car in front".

We're also faced with "Well I wanted to merge, so I sped up, indicated and moved into the traffic. Problem is I need 100M between me and the car I tucked in behind so I'd better slam on the anchors half way across both lanes".

Topped only by "I want to get in but I can't seem to find a gap big enough, so I'll just stop in the merging lane with my nose pointed out and scare the crap out of the people in the lane I want to merge into (so they slam on the anchors in self defense) and hold up the lane I'm in causing utter gridlock".

I love merging in Perth.

**ATH** · 12th February 2020, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Kaps

Merging. It has nothing to do with who's in front.
Unless there are no lines.
There are usually lines.
When crossing lines, the person crossing the lines gives way to anything in the lane they are moving in to.

That may well be true in SA but the "nose in front" bit is applicable here where 2 lanes merge. This is a result of meddling pollies trying to make some sense out of things that happen on our roads due to stupidity.
AlanH.

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