July 2010 Eureka 4WD Training Newsletter

Don't forget the BIG news. We have a new course added to our scope of registration. The new course is RIIVEH305A "Operate & Maintain A 4WD Vehicle". This is a new unit from the Resources & Infrastructure Training Package and supercedes the old MNMEGS312A. To read more about it go to our web site and have a gander

G’day again everyone, hope life is treating you all well. Thinking outside the square this month people & will have a chat about on road instead of off road, we all love to get away off road but getting there safely is half the challenge at times and unfortunately let’s face it most of our driving is done on the blacktop in our 4wd vehicles.

It’s possible quite alot of our readers may be from overseas or interstate & having a sound knowledge of some basic road rules is of upmost importance as road regulations differ from state to state. On our defensive driving course which is held for the commercial, mining & resources sector one of the subjects we touch on are basic road rules which we do daily on our travels to and fro, it can be quite interesting at times to have a classroom of say 12 students with 2 to 4 different interpretations of the same simple road rules. Now if there can be a few different interpretations of said road law between 12 drivers imagine how many different interpretations there are between the hundreds of thousands of drivers out on our roads. Even drivers who have been driving for decades can get caught out as from time to time road laws do & have changed, so I will run through some basic laws & you can see how you go J

First one is one of my favourites being the humble roundabout; roundabouts were introduced to increase traffic flow significantly but quite frequently become hazards due to some misunderstandings.

Firstly who do we give way to on a roundabout? The road Law states that you MUST give way to any vehicle that has already entered the roundabout or has any portion of their vehicle already on said roundabout.

Indicating? Now this can get interesting, the correct procedures are:

To turn left – approach the roundabout with your left indicator on, check if it is safe to proceed and turn left.

Going straight on - Think in terms of a clock. If you’re coming in at number 6 and looking to exit at number 12, then providing it’s safe to proceed, enter the roundabout (no signal needed). When you get to number 9 or about 90 degrees before you exit, put your left signal on.

Turning right – if you’re going to turn at number three, or go out the way you came in, you put your right indicator on as you approach and providing it’s safe to proceed you make your turn. When you get to 90 degrees before your exit, turn your left indicator on and away you go.

Making a U Turn – The same rules apply as making a right hand turn.

Next one, the blood boiling road rage inducing Merge lanes;

Simply put – You MUST give way to any other vehicle that has any portion of said vehicle is ahead of yourself, this applies to any merge lane that has either merge left or merge right. You SHOULD indicate that you are merging by using you’re indicator. The only time that this does not apply & goes back to give way to your right is if the merging lane has a broken line leading to the kerbside.

How are you all going so far J Keep left law? Varies from state to state but in Western Australia;

If the speed limit that applies to a road is 90km/h or higher or there are ‘KEEP LEFT

UNLESS OVERTAKING’ signs installed, you are not permitted to drive in the right lane

Of these roads unless:

■ You are turning right or making a ‘U’ turn and giving a right turn signal;

■ You are overtaking another vehicle;

■ the adjacent left lane is a special purpose lane such as a bus lane or bicycle lane;

■ the left lane is a left turning lane and you are travelling straight ahead; or

■ the other lanes are congested with traffic.

What about continuous (Unbroken) lines, can we cross over them? In Western Australia you MUST NOT cross these lines to overtake but you CAN cross them to turn right at an intersection, U Turn or enter and leave a road if it safe to do so.

Also were you aware that you MUST indicate for a minimum period of 5 seconds before pulling onto a road from a stationary position, Busses are meant to do this also J otherwise indicating law is quite vague in WA, Law states you MUST give SUFFICIENT warning to other road users of your intention to change lanes, turn right or left or overtake another vehicle.

So there you go folks some pretty basic rules which many have misunderstood but we do many times daily, also while we are on road keeping a safe distance between ourselves & other road users is very important when we are driving our 4wd vehicles which of course have a greater mass & a much longer stopping distance than most conventional vehicles. A good rule of thumb is the 2 second rule;

When the vehicle in front of you passes a streetlight or other clear marker, start saying to yourself

"Only A fool breaks the two second rule."

If your vehicle passes the same marker before you have finished the sentence then you are driving too close.

There is also an extended version of the two second rule to say to yourself in poor driving conditions:

"Only a fool breaks the two second rule; in cold rain and snow at least doubly so."

Effectively, you are reminding yourself that the standard two second rule only applies in optimum driving conditions. Once the weather closes in you must be at least twice the distance to ensure the safety of the drivers and passengers of both vehicles.

Take care out there everyone, see you all out & about hopefully real soon

Pete