The rules are put under even more scrutiny when a new rule is made or an old rule is amended to respond to the changing nature of vehicles, technology and the road itself.

But imagine, for a moment, that you are in charge. You can roll out the rules you want and scratch those that you don’t. Now is your chance to alleviate your frustration, get where you’re going on time and improve traffic flow.

It’s your road, so you make the rules.

If you were given the job of designing a road and the road rules that go with it, what rules would you make? What rules would you keep and which would you discard?

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A survey of 413 supervisors has revealed that only 52 per cent read the RTA learners’ kit and only 37 per cent read the road rules before supervising a learner driver.

NRMA Group CEO Tony Stuart said supervisors should prepare for teaching just as much as learner drivers should prepare for learning.

“Learner drivers need to be taught properly from the start otherwise they may develop bad habits,” Mr Stuart said.

The survey also revealed that just over half of supervisors (51 per cent), thought their experience teaching a learner driver could have been better. They said relationships could be strained by the experience.

Mr Stuart said supervisors who want to have a better driving experience with their learners should take advantage of a keys2drive session. Keys2drive is a free driving session that seats the supervisor and learner in a car with an accredited instructor.

“A free keys2drive lesson provides supervisors with a practical coaching approach they can use with their learner and focuses on teaching young drivers to reflect on what they are doing behind the wheel.”

Supervised learner drivers are some of the safest drivers on the road. But P1 drivers are among the most unsafe – about four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver aged 26 or older.

Are parents good driving teachers? Do you read up on the road rules before supervising a learner?

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Of course, anybody who has been on the road recently will have noticed this being a regular occurrence at pedestrian, or ‘zebra’, crossings everywhere, irrespective of the weather. Nor are near misses always the result of a pedestrian rushing across the road without looking or because a car has failed to slow down.

Rule 81 of Road Rules 2008 states: A driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must drive at a speed at which the driver can, if necessary, stop safely before the crossing. Part 2 of this rule is that a driver must give way to any pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing.

Rule 81 also states that a crossing is an area of the road with white stripes on the surface and marked with a pedestrian crossing sign. All extra signage and road-markings at pedestrian crossings are safety features not required by law.

Should the onus be on drivers to take more care at zebra crossings or should pedestrians be more vigilant? Does more need to be done to indicate to motorists that there is a crossing ahead?

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The RTA recommends the use of snow chains when driving in snowy conditions. They have also identified dangerous sections of road in Alpine Regions with yellow lane line markings and signposting.

National Park regulations state that all vehicles must carry chains if driving through a National Park’s designated ‘snow and ice’ risk sections.

Note that 4WDs are exempt from this regulation (’4WD’ includes SUVs and vehicles with all-wheel drive).

The current designated National Park ‘snow and ice’ risk sections are:

• Alpine Way - Thredbo to Tom Grogin
• Kosciuszko Road within the National Park boundary
• Guthega Road within the National Park boundary

If directed by signs or an authorised officer, chains must be fitted to the vehicle’s driving wheels. This should be done at chain fitting bays located along the route.

The RTA advises that it will carry out random chain inspections along these sections of road during the ski season. Fines of over $300 will be issued to drivers who fail to comply with National Park regulations.

Of course, snow chains must not be relied upon to guarantee safety when driving in snowy conditions. Sensible driving practices appropriate for the conditions must be used.

Visit Stay safe on the road this season for driving tips and information.

Have you had difficulty driving in the snow? Should snow chains be mandatory in snowy conditions?

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In February 2007, the State Government made several commitments “to promote renewable biofuels in New South Wales.” Part of that commitment was to introduce an E10 mandate, which implies that all regular unleaded petrol sold in NSW from 1 July 2011 will contain 10% ethanol – specifically, from that date, “a primary wholesaler must not sell regular unleaded petrol unless the petrol is E10.”

Many service stations across the state are already not selling 91 RON. Before using E10, vehicle owners must check if an ethanol blend is suitable for their vehicle – this information can be found in the owner’s manual, by contacting NRMA Motoring Advice or on the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website.

For cars that cannot use E10, premium-grade unleaded petrol will continue to be available.

What are your thoughts on E10? Will you use E10 or switch to a premium-grade unleaded petrol?

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The crash occurred just before lunch time, however, a contra-flow emergency plan was not put in place until late in the evening. Traffic was backed up for a significant distance during the evening peak hour.

NRMA Motoring & Services President Wendy Machin said the RTA’s traffic management plan for dealing with incidents on the F3 needs a major overhaul.

The NRMA’s analysis of the F3 traffic management plan has found:

The RTA’s traffic management plan was also supposed to enable the RTA and State emergency services to quickly distribute bottled water to stranded motorists.

“Instead, NRMA patrols on the freeway encountered many distressed motorists and provided bottled water of their own accord,” Ms Machin said.

According to the RTA website, the F3 Freeway is the main link between the Central Coast and Hunter regions and Sydney, with more than 75,000 motorists and 7000 freight vehicles using it each day.

What needs to be done to avoid extended delays on our roads? Were you stuck on the F3?

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Consequently these road related areas are covered by parking, speed limit, overtaking and signage rules.

It also means you can be penalised for breaking them. For example, driving over the speed limit could result in being fined and losing demerit points. So, if you are doing 40km/h in a 20km/h zone, you will be eligible for a $197 fine and the loss of 3 demerit points.

You will also be penalised accordingly for not giving way where appropriate, for double-parking and for driving against the direction indicated on a one-way sign.

Shopping centres can enforce parking infringements, however all other rules must be enforced by the police.

View Rule 13 from Road Rules 2008 for more information.

What do you think of driver behaviour in shopping centre car parks? Should there be stronger enforcement of the road rules in ‘road related areas’ like car parks?

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According to a survey conducted by NRMA Motoring & Services, 71 per cent of motorists supported the decision to remove the toll.

There have also been calls for the toll to be kept in place to contain the number of cars that use the motorway. Traffic on the motorway is, according to some reports, predicted to increase, as are travel times.

However, NRMA Director David Bentham said the NSW Government had made the right decision.

“Motorists have paid for the M4 and they deserve to have the motorway returned to them,” Mr Bentham said.

“Calls for the toll to be kept to fund future projects ignore the fact that NSW motorists already contribute billions to the public purse through the fuel excise, registration costs, stamp duty and other taxes and charges.”

The next motorway to come off contract is the Sydney Harbour Tunnel in 2022, followed by the M5 in 2023.

Visit the RTA’s M4 Motorway page for more information.

Do you think removing the toll will have an effect on your use of the M4? Should tolls be kept on motorways to limit the number of cars that use them? 

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In December 2009, the RTA began to combine red-light cameras with fixed speed cameras at 50 locations across the state. The safety camera is capable of detecting speeding vehicles, vehicles running red lights, or both.

No new ‘combined’ offences have been created. Drivers will face a penalty notice and associated demerit points for each offence committed.

Safety cameras are being introduced to make intersections safer and reduce the number of crashes at traffic lights.

According to the RTA, “Evaluations of camera enforcement of red-light offences conducted in Australia and overseas have shown this type of enforcement is clearly effective in reducing casualty crashes at intersections. When the evaluations were considered together it is estimated that camera enforcement of red-light offences reduces the number of casualty crashes at intersections by around 30 per cent.”

Intersections with safety cameras will be signposted accordingly. However, motorists need to be aware that there is only one sign warning of the new safety camera, unlike existing fixed speed cameras which have three warning signs in advance.

For more information, please visit the RTA’s Safety camera page.

Will safety cameras reduce the number of crashes at intersections? Will they make you slow down?

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Convex mirrors are curved mirrors that give a “compressed” view rather than a flat view. As a result, they cover a wider field of view and objects in the mirror appear smaller. This minimises blind spots but also creates the illusion that things in the mirror are further away.

These mirrors can take a little bit of getting used to, especially for those used to flat mirrors – but it is just a matter of becoming familiar with the characteristics of a convex mirror.

Convex mirrors have been fitted to the passenger side of vehicles in Australia for many years, sometimes accompanied by the warning “Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear”, with no evidence that they cause a safety problem. These types of mirrors have also been in use overseas for many years and we are not aware of any reports of increased crash risk due to their use.

The RTA Road Users’ Handbook states that “before you change lanes, give your signal in plenty of time, check your mirrors and look over your shoulder for other vehicles”. The “head check” is necessary to ensure it is safe to change lanes – drivers should not depend on their mirrors alone.

Convex mirrors are becoming more common on new cars and it is likely they will soon be standard across the market. So, when purchasing a new or used vehicle, be sure to read the vehicle owner’s handbook to become familiar with the operating aspects of the vehicle and the equipment fitted.

Have you driven a vehicle with convex mirrors on both sides? Do you find convex mirrors safer or more dangerous?

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