Driving in NZ!

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1653 posts

Uber Geek

#1146566 3-Oct-2014 13:02

DravidDavid:

I revisited the road code this morning after being beeped at three times at three different round-a-bouts on my way to work today. Their angry and impatient deminer had convinced me I had it wrong.

Actually that was me stalking you .. you couldn't see my car as it's below your mirror view ... ;-)

DravidDavid

1907 posts

Uber Geek

#1146607 3-Oct-2014 13:44

Mark:
DravidDavid:

I revisited the road code this morning after being beeped at three times at three different round-a-bouts on my way to work today. Their angry and impatient deminer had convinced me I had it wrong.

Actually that was me stalking you .. you couldn't see my car as it's below your mirror view ... ;-)

Come to think of it! It was a small car too! :D

nzkiwiman

2585 posts

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#1148215 6-Oct-2014 14:03

frankv:

An interesting side-effect is foot traffic, which more or less follows road traffic rules. Doors and escalators would presumably also need to be switched over.

This got me when I was in the USA - the doors to the malls were all around the wrong way

jarledb

Webhead
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#1149204 7-Oct-2014 15:08

SteveON: I spent 10 days driving in the usa and after driving there I was suprised how the pedestrian ruled. What I found out from a few americans.

1, In the usa people are afraid of getting sued. In nz there is a no at fault for personal injury, ACC protects you.
2, In the usa if you are in an accident which you were not at fault BUT you could have prevented it, you can get sued.

Thats one of the things I am still getting used to here in NZ. I am used to the same "pedestrian rule" from Norway, minus the suing.

It seems to me like you should try your best to avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists, and that you should also do your best to avoid collisions. Only makes sense to me.

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graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1149207 7-Oct-2014 15:12

jarledb: It seems to me like you should try your best to avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists, and that you should also do your best to avoid collisions. Only makes sense to me.

You are not the only one who believes that.

It is always best to avoid any collisions, even if nobody is hurt there is usually paperwork and inconvenience and I'm too lazy for that stuff.

RetiredMonkNZ

11 posts

Geek

#1150261 8-Oct-2014 21:07

One thing that bugs me is the indicate and maneuver all in the same action. What happened to mirrors and checking blind spot.

Having nearly been side wiped on Quay Street by some one being in the left lane (leading on to Hobson st) and then just maneuvering and signalling to allow them to turn right onto Fanshawe St. I will record your actions on my GoPro and report you.

Also FFS learn how to indicate on a round about. indicate left if taking first exit. If going straight over enter round about but indicate left when exiting. Indicate right, followed by indicating left on your exit for any thing after straight over.

I also think the learning model for NZ should be changed. Learning from someone who already has bad driving habits will lead to more drivers being ingrained with bad driving habits. Learn from a qualified instructor.

DravidDavid

1907 posts

Uber Geek

#1150344 9-Oct-2014 01:30

RetiredMonkNZ: I also think the learning model for NZ should be changed. Learning from someone who already has bad driving habits will lead to more drivers being ingrained with bad driving habits. Learn from a qualified instructor.

Interesting you mentioned this. My sister is learning how to drive and has been getting really frustrated with my mother. I took her for a drive and I facepalmed all the way home again.

"You need to check your mirrors frequently to see what other drivers are doing"

"Oh, I only look at it if I see movement".

"...But there is always movement."

So frustrating!

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RetiredMonkNZ

11 posts

Geek

#1150345 9-Oct-2014 01:35

Well I learnt to drive in the uk at first by my dad who is a driving instructor. But any grief learning lasted a week in the house. Fortunately his mate also a driving instructor had same issue with her daughter. So we traded dads.

DravidDavid

1907 posts

Uber Geek

#1150349 9-Oct-2014 02:09

RetiredMonkNZ: Well I learnt to drive in the uk at first by my dad who is a driving instructor. But any grief learning lasted a week in the house. Fortunately his mate also a driving instructor had same issue with her daughter. So we traded dads.

Fortunate for you!
I got lessons for my birthday and purchased them myself. I wasn't taking any chances. I did the defensive driving course at high school and have since taken other driving courses, some more advanced than others.

The result is 7 years of driving with no accidents. My car has only even been hit when it was parked! It's annoying since it makes me look like the stereotypical Auckland driver.

My brother however, learned from my mother and father after one lesson with an instructor. He has since written off two cars and has smashed in to and been smashed in to on more occasions than I care to count. He passed his restricted test just before the re-buff of the system which really annoyed me, considering he had been lazy about it and only decided to get it once the media said they were making it harder to get. He tried for his full drivers license in July but became disheartened after failing it twice. I've been trying to encourage him to take more lessons so he can take the test confidently, but he insists he is a good driver and does not need any expensive lessons!

The AA are even giving them away for free now! I wish that was the case when I needed them.

ScuL

487 posts

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#1150350 9-Oct-2014 02:25

The Dutch system is quite different from the NZ system when it comes to obtaining a license.
* You can't drive until you're legally 18
* You can only take lessons from an officially qualified instructor (by no means a family member/friend unless they are qualified instructors with dual-pedal cars)
* There is no restricted license/learners (the only exception is your alcohol intake is limited until age 24 I believe it is)

The average driver will follow anywhere between 30 and 50 full hour lessons before going for the exam (I believe 24 hours is the legal minimum)
As a result every driver on the road has taken an official course & exam and they aren't driving too hasty because of how they were taught

Personally it took me about 10 months to get my license and 4 exams. Not necessarily because I was a poor driver, but more so because I wasn't ready and the exams are strict as.
Started age 18 and a bit, got my license just after I turned 19.

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#1150393 9-Oct-2014 07:59

RetiredMonkNZ:
Also FFS learn how to indicate on a round about. indicate left if taking first exit. If going straight over enter round about but indicate left when exiting. Indicate right, followed by indicating left on your exit for any thing after straight over.

People know they are supposed to indicate so it cannot be a driver education thing - i think it is just laziness or don't give a rats attitude. At the local roundabouts it is reasonably common for people to not even signal left turns -- annoying if you stop to giveway to them because you think they're going straight.

General lack of indication is one of the poorest driver habits.

eg, this from just the other day... driver did not indicate or check the lane was clear and nearly wiped me out.

Mark

1653 posts

Uber Geek

#1150753 9-Oct-2014 14:36

surfisup1000:

eg, this from just the other day... driver did not indicate or check the lane was clear and nearly wiped me out.

Meh .. sorry but you are not so squeeky clean yourself in that video. You were passing the other cars which to me indicates you might have been exceeding the speed limit, passing on the left is not such a great idea as we all know people don't look that way enough (lots of imported people learnt to drive in countries where passing on the offside is a not allowed so they don't expect it to happen.) and you could see him drifting over to the left lane in advance yet you still bullied through, when the sensible option would have been to slow down and avoid the situation.

Police getting hold of that video in the event of an accident would probably allocate equal blame I think.

MikeAqua

7785 posts

Uber Geek

#1151383 10-Oct-2014 15:29

In my view the conduct of rented campervans on New Zealand roads thoroughly disproves any notion that drivers in other countries are more considerate.

Drivers of rented campervans are consistently inconsiderate. This may stem for incompetence in driving the vehicle they have hired but that suggest they shoudln;t be driving it.

Mike

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#1151432 10-Oct-2014 16:48

Mark:
Meh .. sorry but you are not so squeeky clean yourself in that video. You were passing the other cars which to me indicates you might have been exceeding the speed limit, passing on the left is not such a great idea as we all know people don't look that way enough (lots of imported people learnt to drive in countries where passing on the offside is a not allowed so they don't expect it to happen.) and you could see him drifting over to the left lane in advance yet you still bullied through, when the sensible option would have been to slow down and avoid the situation.

Police getting hold of that video in the event of an accident would probably allocate equal blame I think.

"You were passing the other cars which to me indicates you might have been exceeding the speed limit"

The other car was going well under the speed limit for about 2km before this (see the video below). Maybe that changes your mind?

"passing on the left is not such a great idea"

Yet not illegal. Failure to signal and failure to check the lane is clear before changing are both illegal . I wasn't trying to pass either. I wanted to turn left but he was going under the limit and I was going the limit and we were in different lanes so it just happened.

I was unaware he was trying to change lanes until the last moment because there are no lane markers while crossing the intersection.

Here...the slow driver is 3 cars or so ahead, I only catch up because everyone else is passing him.

RetiredMonkNZ

11 posts

Geek

#1151720 11-Oct-2014 10:01

Yeah rented camper drivers are dangerous. I once was going straight on a green light on customs street and a camper decided to a left turn on a red, but at a crawling pace.

Perhaps the government should launch an online theory test(highway code) That foreign rental drivers have to pass before they are permitted to rent. No Theory pass = no car.

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