Roundabout law has Queensland drivers in a spin

[Sabantien]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/quee...01-gr71pu.html

To indicate or not to indicate when entering a roundabout, that's the big question that has many Queenslanders stumped, according to a leading motoring body.

The RACQ has compiled five of the most popular road rules which the organisation is constantly asked to clarify.

Many Queensland drivers are unsure about the finer details of using a roundabout.

Topping the list is roundabouts, followed by whether cars must give way to pedestrians, when can mobile phones be used, when does a car have to keep left and when can fog lights be put on.

RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie said they have published the list of rules as a refresher course for Queenslanders or anyone heading north this summer.

"These are the ones we most commonly get asked by our members," Ms Ritchie told AAP.

"There the ones we get asked for clarification and especially roundabouts."

Five road rules the RACQ says are most commonly misunderstood:

Roundabouts: Drivers approaching a roundabout must use their indicators when entering and turning left, right or making a U-turn, but not when travelling straight ahead. When exiting you must always indicate left just before you exit, unless it is not practical to do so

Giving Way To Pedestrians: If a driver is turning left or right at an intersection, he or she must give way to any pedestrian crossing the road the driver is entering.

Mobile Phones: A mobile phone can only be used while driving in Queensland if it's being used hands-free, and you are not a learner or P1 licence holder under 25 years old.

Keeping Left: On multi-lane roads with a speed limit of more than 80km/h and/or where there is a 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' sign displayed, motorists must not drive in the right-hand lane unless overtaking, turning right or making a U-turn, avoiding an obstacle or driving in congested traffic.

Fog Light Use: A driver is only permitted to use fog lights if driving in fog, mist or other atmospheric conditions that restrict visibility.

[Sabantien]

I found this an amusing read.

In my experience Queenslanders just don't indicate, let alone at roundabouts.

Give way to pedestrians? They won't even do that at a pedestrian crossing, let alone anywhere else.

Every day I see people with mobile phone in hand, or head down texting (best was a guy doing well over 100 on the highway on his motorcycle while texting)

It's straight to the right lane and sit 20ks under the speed limit.

Fog lights? Hey, they paid extra for those bad boys, gonna use them constantly.

[Mr Hardware]

My father taught me that when you are going straight through a roundabout, you don't indicate at all, not even to exit, because it's the same as going straight down the road.

Yeah, no. That's what happens when you get your licence in a country town with nothing but 4 way intersections (no lights) from the local cop in the 70s.

[csv8]

Mr Hardware your Dad is half right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z45ClSysRQ

[prydey]

"These are the ones we most commonly get asked by our members," Ms Ritchie told AAP.

the only way this isn't worrying is if their member base is teenagers yet to get their licence.

unfortunately that isn't the case. no wonder there is such carnage on the roads.

its also what happens when the authorities only enforce one law (speed).

and in case anyone thinks its unique to queensland... its not.

[Vesper Martini]

They haven't brought up the when to give way rule, and how to approach rule.
that most people don't seem to know, or pretend not to know about roundabouts.

[Silver Ghia]

Here in Vic most drivers have their right indicator flashing when they exit roundabouts

My policy is to ignore indicators on other vehicles altogether, and only go by which way they are heading.

[PaulXR50]

Stuck on the western freeway at the moment in Bris. People cant merge what chance they have with a roundabout. Useless sobs...

[FPV+fteT3]

NSW says you indicate right on entry then left before exit you choose which is so stupid it beggars belief of course your going to be going right on a roundabout the only exception is if your taking the 1st exit then you indicate left. I dont know what brain dead muppet decided you needed to indicate right all that is needed is a left before the exit you want to use once you enter a roundabout your going right no need to indicate the obvious.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by FPV+fteT3

NSW says you indicate right on entry then left before exit you choose

Nup....

http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov....road-rules.pdf

[MITCHAY]

My driving experience in QLD is limited to Townsville. I have seen on many consecutive days the same merge lane come to a dead stop because it is too hard to merge with traffic

There is barely any traffic but it is a total cluster ****, I've never seen anything like it. Roundabouts are just as bad If I had to drive there on a daily basis it would drive me nuts!

[ozpacman]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

My driving experience in QLD is limited to Townsville. I have seen on many consecutive days the same merge lane come to a dead stop because it is too hard to merge with traffic

There is barely any traffic but it is a total cluster ****, I've never seen anything like it. Roundabouts are just as bad If I had to drive there on a daily basis it would drive me nuts!

Mate - you should try Cairns. I think we get the drivers who have been kicked out of Townsville after being deemed too useless!

They beggar belief here. Collectively the worst drivers I have ever experienced anywhere!

Russ.

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by csv8

Mr Hardware your Dad is half right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z45ClSysRQ

Only 78K views. "Sigh"...much more work to be done!

[CyberWasp]

It all makes sense now.
You go around a roundabout....not straight over it.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by ozpacman

Mate - you should try Cairns. I think we get the drivers who have been kicked out of Townsville after being deemed too useless!

They beggar belief here. Collectively the worst drivers I have ever experienced anywhere!

Russ.

Cairns doesn't count.

90% of the drivers up there would be Tourists in rentals

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

Every day I see people with mobile phone in hand, or head down texting (best was a guy doing well over 100 on the highway on his motorcycle

Go to Hanoi, they ride scooters in chaotic traffic with one hand, text with the other and have a girlfriend on the back who is sitting side saddle whilst also texting and talking to a girl on the back of the scooter next to her.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by csv8

Mr Hardware your Dad is half right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z45ClSysRQ

Whilst my dad does the right thing (lives in a country town with no roundabouts or traffic lights, no pub, but a bowlo and a bottlo) his opinion is that you shouldn't have to indicate coming in to a roundabout unless turning left, and only have to indicate when leaving. Ie drive in, circle 15 times then indicate to leave. I get his angle to a degree, but I think indicating your intentions before you do it is a much better way to not get driven into. I did my driving test before you had to indicate out of roundabouts. I don't even see police doing it, or anyone else who isn't in a L trent car. Could be worse though. My late grandpa refused to acknowledge red arrows because they weren't around when he was younger. Those car rides as a young kid were a bit hairy

[danzvtil]

The indicating left as you exit is a pointless exercise, a rule that assumes that all roundabouts are multi lane. At the point of exit your single flash does nothing to show the other traffic your intention as you have already made your move.
I pulled up to a roundabout and gave way to a car on my right, his confusion of this rule almost caused a crash, as he approached he flashed once left, going around the apex one flash right, then another left flash on exit. He was travelling straight ahead! The first flash told me he was turning left meaning I almost pulled out in front of him.
I don't see why we need to over complicate something so simple as a roundabout.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by FPV+fteT3

NSW says you indicate right on entry then left before exit you choose which is so stupid it beggars belief of course your going to be going right on a roundabout the only exception is if your taking the 1st exit then you indicate left. I dont know what brain dead muppet decided you needed to indicate right all that is needed is a left before the exit you want to use once you enter a roundabout your going right no need to indicate the obvious.

na
http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safe...undabouts.html

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

The indicating left as you exit is a pointless exercise, a rule that assumes that all roundabouts are multi lane. At the point of exit your single flash does nothing to show the other traffic your intention as you have already made your move.
I pulled up to a roundabout and gave way to a car on my right, his confusion of this rule almost caused a crash, as he approached he flashed once left, going around the apex one flash right, then another left flash on exit. He was travelling straight ahead! The first flash told me he was turning left meaning I almost pulled out in front of him.
I don't see why we need to over complicate something so simple as a roundabout.

are you kidding? its a pain in the but when people don't and exit with the right indicator still flashing, by indicating left the right one stops and you know you 'should' be clear to enter.

[Sabantien]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

The indicating left as you exit is a pointless exercise, a rule that assumes that all roundabouts are multi lane. At the point of exit your single flash does nothing to show the other traffic your intention as you have already made your move.
I pulled up to a roundabout and gave way to a car on my right, his confusion of this rule almost caused a crash, as he approached he flashed once left, going around the apex one flash right, then another left flash on exit. He was travelling straight ahead! The first flash told me he was turning left meaning I almost pulled out in front of him.
I don't see why we need to over complicate something so simple as a roundabout.

If people did it correctly it's not pointless. He indicated something to you with his indicators, and the reason it almost caused an accident is because he did it incorrectly.

That's kind of the point of all road rules. If everyone follows it, then everyone else knows what they're doing.


As for Cairns as mentioned above, everyone in Cairns is a kiwi or a Victorian. Not sure I want to drive in Melbourne!

[BENT_8]

QLD...LOl, Nuff said.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

If people did it correctly it's not pointless. He indicated something to you with his indicators, and the reason it almost caused an accident is because he did it incorrectly.

That's kind of the point of all road rules. If everyone follows it, then everyone else knows what they're doing.

agree. confusion/chaos comes from rules not being known, or not being followed or both.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

As for Cairns as mentioned above, everyone in Cairns is a kiwi or a Victorian.

You forgot the OS tourists in rentals, who are used to driving on the other side of the road

[Streets]

I just don't go out during the daytime anymore if I can help it because there are just too many hopeless ****wits on the road.

[blackf6]

So many broken combination switches. Not enough mechanics.

[Holmes11]

It's funny really, but I can handle someone being slightly useless behind the wheel, or making a bit of a **** up (after all everyone makes mistakes, right?), or making you guess which way they are heading on a roundabout, or taking an hour and a half to pull away at the lights.......but what gets my goat without fail is people being overly aggressive. The whole "my time is more precious than your life" way of thinking.

So you undertook 2 cars, and pushed into a space that wasn't really there. Well done for saving 1.75 seconds on your commute, ********.

[Pis-ton broke]

if its a big rounderbout, then people could indicate left to get off, but if its a small rounderbout, it can become a judge with the steering wheel and indicator. some people don,t have that dexterity, and i can understand that.
on my landcrusier my crusiercontrol is on a stick close to the indicating stick, sometimes ill knock the cruiser stick, cause its in the way. its can be confusing and annoying.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

My father taught me that when you are going straight through a roundabout, you don't indicate at all, not even to exit, because it's the same as going straight down the road.

Yeah my dad taught me the same in the 80's but during my test I had to go straight through a roundabout so I indicated right and then left. The tester said that it was not necessary to indicate but it wasn't incorrect either. So he didn't mark me down for it.

[CoupeKing]

Gotta hate it when you approach a roundabout with a car in front of you and the right is clear, only to have them stop and give way to a vehicle on the opposite side - panel beaters dream.

And when I can't see because of a van, 4wd, or tinted-windowed car next to me - I trust their judgment hoping that a cement truck or a Kenworth carting bee hives isn't there.


And then you have to deal with the absolute *&&^%wit that decided to plant trees in the middle of it.