r/DrivingAustralia

Hey guys,

Bit of a late bloomer getting my license at 31. One issue I'm trying to deal with is safe merging practices.

I understand I have to give way - however just seeking advice on the safest thing to do in these circumstances.

Today I was merging onto the freeway, I monitored the traffic as I was coming in and matched the speed of the freeway and then started doing my mirror checks when I was parralel.

There was a car a bit further back which would've allowed me to zipper in neatly. However, as I checked my mirrors again before merging and was almost at the end of the slip road. I noticed they were now speeding up and I was already doing 110.

I ran out of road and paniced a bit and merged anyway, which they then quickly went into the right hand lane and started blasting their horn at me.

Am I right in thinking that I should have braked and gone in behind them, or drive along the emergency lane til they passed me? There was a fair bit of traffic and did not have enough road to think through this or know if I could've gotten in behind them with how much traffic there was. Just seeking advice so I know what to do from now on.

My driving teacher was adamant they should have let me in as a curtosy but I believe they're wrong in that that they HAVE to give way to me.

There amount of aggresive driving I've experienced on my L's has been insane. Not sure if this guy did not want to be behind a learner or just didn't want someone merging ahead of them, they were going well over the speed limit and caught up to me quickly as I was merging.

Hey guys. When I was taught to drive I could have sworn that the way to use a roundabout was to give way to someone to the right of you if they were already waiting there before you, and other cars would give way if you were there before them.

But as I've gotten older I've noticed there is an unwritten expectation that whoever is driving the fastest into the roundabout will automatically have right of way due to momentum. It seems that if you could have entered the roundabout before someone else, but their momentum coming up to the roundabout is greater than you, they force you to wait even though you could have entered the roundabout before them.

Mates, how do you deal with driving when the rising sun is directly in your eyes? Driving east in Brisbane these winter mornings feels like being blinded.

Any Queensland-specific tips? sunnies doesn't work either

Keen to hear what actually works.

I'm driving straight on a lone 60km road and everoyne is doing at least 20-30 km'h under.

Then they'rewaiting at least 3 seconds after a light turns green? Coming to a complete stop and being petrified of roundabouts even when there's no cars around and just standing there for 5 plus seconds.

Feel like everyone's IQ has halved overnight and everyone lost a limb.

I've started honking for the fist time in my life because it seems people are meditating when driving or something.

...YES COMMON SENSE.

This means that from today (July 1), speed reductions in construction zones must be removed during non-work hours, when it is safe to do so.

If there are no workers on site and out of work hours, the road work speed limit will be increased, as long as it is safe for motorists and pedestrians.

All road users must comply with the posted speed limit, including where speed limits are reduced due to road work, which often result in changed road conditions.

The Minns Labor Government has delivered on our commitment to remove unnecessary road work speed limits outside of construction hours, helping keep traffic moving, while maintaining safety.

Since people will change lanes, which is unavoidable, tailgating is the only other lever we can stop doing to avoid "Phantom Jams".

Basically the tittle, so chill down!!!

I've seen these track nights where you go in your own car to Sydney Motorsport Park track and can drive around in 15 minute increments.

Wondering if anyone has been who has never driven on a track before and would recommend to join a begginers session or if even that is too advanced and you need private lessons first?

^^ Petition currently active on Queensland government website to consider medical cannabis drug driving reform.

Also fyi you stay anonymous. qld gov petitions are sealed. Head petitioner name is publicly available but all signatory’s after that are sealed and never made publicly available.

Also fyi you stay anonymous. qld gov petitions are sealed. Head petitioner name is publicly available but all signatory’s after that are sealed and never made publicly available.

Also fyi you stay anonymous. qld gov petitions are sealed. Head petitioner name is publicly available but all signatory’s after that are sealed and never made publicly available.

I’m sure most of you are aware that the Queensland government is considering doubling its drug driving penalties in December this year. They’re also saying that if you have a crash causing serious injury or death with a relevant drug in your system, the maximum penalty will be increased to 25 years in prison.

Whereas if you have a crash while on prescribed pharmaceutical medication, the courts have to prove that those medications were a contributing factor. Unfortunately, our medically prescribed cannabis doesn’t fall into that same “medical prescription” category, so we’re treated as illicit drug users.

I don’t disagree with punishment for serious injury or death, but we should not be punished harder simply for using alternative medicine.
The current testing is also unfair. If I last used cannabis 3 weeks ago as a heavy user and I’m involved in a crash, blood tests will still show THC weeks after use, landing me in serious trouble for a substance I haven’t used in weeks. Saliva tests have the same problem.

It’s not surprising that Queensland seems to be going backwards compared to the southern states on this issue. it is disappointing.

Please consider signing the petition linked at the top of my rant. If enough people show support, they may reconsider the new laws.

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/petition-details/4561-26

^^ Petition currently active on Queensland government website to consider medical cannabis drug driving reform.

Also fyi you stay anonymous. qld gov petitions are sealed. Head petitioner name is publicly available but all signatory’s after that are sealed and never made publicly available.

I’m sure most of you are aware that the Queensland government is considering doubling its drug driving penalties in December this year. They’re also saying that if you have a crash causing serious injury or death with a relevant drug in your system, the maximum penalty will be increased to 25 years in prison.

Whereas if you have a crash while on prescribed pharmaceutical medication, the courts have to prove that those medications were a contributing factor. Unfortunately, our medically prescribed cannabis doesn’t fall into that same “medical prescription” category, so we’re treated as illicit drug users.

I don’t disagree with punishment for serious injury or death, but we should not be punished harder simply for using alternative medicine.
The current testing is also unfair. If I last used cannabis 3 weeks ago as a heavy user and I’m involved in a crash, blood tests will still show THC weeks after use, landing me in serious trouble for a substance I haven’t used in weeks. Saliva tests have the same problem.

It’s not surprising that Queensland seems to be going backwards compared to the southern states on this issue. it is disappointing.

Please consider signing the petition linked at the top of my rant. If enough people show support, they may reconsider the new laws.

For example there's a roundabout near my home which is a busy main road going straight through with a smaller side road joining on to it. A bit like a T-junction but with a roundabout. Always got a queue. The roundabout has two lanes and I always wonder why they didn't design it so that the left lane on the main road can simply go straight through regardless of traffic on the inner lane of the roundabout

I hate how we sit in middle lanes when being overtaken on the left and/or there’s nobody to the left of us. We really do drive like losers here in Australia - sorry, it’s the truth.

I was born and raised here but I’m well travelled and I think that’s the problem. Driving in Europe a few times will really open your eyes to how stupid the average Australian is behind the wheel. We just suck at getting even the simplest stuff right.

The M1 between Brisbane and GC gets me every time. Why are the slowest vehicles always stubbornly sitting in the third lane of a four lane motorway? WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING THERE? I understand it’s legal to do it but it’s legal to do a lot of things, that doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it. There should be some element of common sense applied, especially in public spaces like roads, public transport, shopping centres etc.