People who do U-Turns of freeways!

[Keepleft]

In the past when folk have advocated raising a freeway speed limit beyond 110km/h, I've highlighted my opposition based on a couple of realities native to AUS;

1. Lack of continuous median barrier, for full length.

2. Designated U-Turn bays that 'encourage' people to treat such as 'intersections'. Much danger.

I now need 'modify' point two a little. The remedial answer here is adoption of point one. Sadly for this event, it point one *will* happen as the section is to be upgraded by a lane addition, therafter will be barriered.

In today's F3 example, mistakenly reported by some media to be a 'crossover', is in fact a case of a person, (woman) doing a U-Turn at Berowra. Not at an emergency service designated U-Turn bay which is 'bad enough', but on a 'nice' grassy strip either side of which is bounded by thick native trees and scrub that 'divides' both sides of traffic.

The grassy section 'softens' the visual impact of the median trees.

She drives south and then decides then to turn around and drive north, problem is,- she's done so and impacted a van, killing the male driver.

The crash happened shortly after 6am and at midday it is still being attended, naturally.


Prediction: She could sue because RTA had not had installed barrier from preventing her doing something stupid. Think along the lines of the person diving from a rock ledge resulting in spinal damage suing Wyong Council because they had not erected signs telling him was dangerous to do so.

OR of the bloke who, standing in the sea, dived forward and crashed head first into a sand-bank, he sued - because Council had not warned him of the sandbank. That they should have had signs telling him their was one.

OR of a teen who sued RTA for not repairing a damaged pedestrian barbed wire and similar fence, who suffered life long injury. The 'locals' are in the habit (still) of cutting side fences so they can run across the freeway (M5 Campbelltown) to the other neighbourhood.

I will seek change to NSW legislation seeking to 'drastically' toughen up the existing paltry infringement penalty fordoing U-Turns.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

Prediction: She could sue because RTA had not had installed barrier from preventing her doing something stupid. Think along the lines of the person diving from a rock ledge resulting in spinal damage suing Wyong Council because they had not erected signs telling him was dangerous to do so.

OR of the bloke who, standing in the sea, dived forward and crashed head first into a sand-bank, he sued - because Council had not warned him of the sandbank. That they should have had signs telling him their was one.

OR of a teen who sued RTA for not repairing a damaged pedestrian barbed wire and similar fence, who suffered life long injury. The 'locals' are in the habit (still) of cutting side fences so they can run across the freeway (M5 Campbelltown) to the other neighbourhood.

I will seek change to NSW legislation seeking to 'drastically' toughen up the existing paltry infringement penalty fordoing U-Turns.

Whatever happened to being RESPONSIBLE for ones own actions

[sfr rob]

get a life, geebus!

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by sfr rob

get a life, geebus!

She did!

[Full Noise]

Typical, an innocent motorist pays the ultimate price for another’s impatience and stupidity. I was under the impression that it was already illegal to do a U-turn on a freeway. Maybe if the keystone cops up there got off their backsides and actually enforced the law this accident wouldn’t have happened.

Why doesn’t the RTA install surveillance cameras in known areas so these incompetent morons can be prosecuted?

Let’s face it, the RTA is willing to install video cameras to identify people who vandalise speed cameras, oh sorry, I forgot, they’re a road safety device. Lucky for this stupid women the vehicle she hit wasn’t a B-double.

Danny

[WILDTRAKPX2]

We are already over-governed with rules, regulations and legislation. I'm all in favour of protecting the innocent from the stupid and preventing the stupid from suing for their own stupidity but we should resist any attempts to further legislation protecting the stupid from themselves.

[RG]

Originally Posted by Shockwave XR8

We are already over-governed with rules, regulations and legislation. I'm all in favour of protecting the innocent from the stupid and preventing the stupid from suing for their own stupidity but we should resist any attempts to further legislation protecting the stupid from themselves.

You wouldn't want to end up like us here in the nanny state.

[parawolf]

See, if you are smart enough to get a car drivers licence, smart enough to earn a living to afford a car to drive, you should be smart enough to determine that doing a u turn on a freeway is highly stupid.

If you cannot determine this, then our tests to deploy licences to drivers are too lax.

People surely need to take responsability for themselves rather than assume that someone else will protect them.

[Fairlane]

They should be a big no-no, i see guys trying to do U-turn all the time around where Iam, the dangerous ones in trucks and towing caravans are the worst, its pretty obvious that its illegal.

Though i must admit the NSW government should shoulder some of the blame, the F3 is a weird mismash and encourages many (especially non locals to break the law); Keep Left you would know that many of the interchanges on the F3 are only 1 way exits, I can think of the Freemans Drive Interchange, which is only useful from the Southerly direction, the Cardiff/West Wallsend one (which I admit is close to the Newcastle Link Road) and my local one the major Wallarah Interchange is only worthwhile in a Southerly direction (Despite the fact it is a feeder the the uber important SR111 Pacific Highway).

The RTA should get there act together on both counts and tighten up U-turn laws and remove the 1960's 'elcheapo' road planning and build proper interchanges and flyovers and create dedicated 'safe' U turn bays.

*Ill add a rant, man i hate that Wallarah Interchange

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Shockwave XR8

We are already over-governed with rules, regulations and legislation.

We might be, however, this still doesn’t fix the problem. The government spends copious amounts of our money telling us how five kilometres over the limit is on par with walking into a school with an AK 47 and letting off a few rounds, yet serious road safety issues like this fall by the wayside. If I were in charge of the RTA or Vic Roads, I’d put a bloody electric fence through the middle of the freeway to stop these imbeciles.

And before you ask the obvious, yes, I’ve had people do U-turns on freeways in front of me and join the right-hand lane at 20 kmh. It’s great fun trying to avoid these fools when you’re in a B-double petrol tanker. I can see the headline now, Truck kills innocent motorist.

[Outbackjack]

***All the above***

These are some of the reasons I choose to live in the NT. People here (with some notable and obvious exeptions) just seem to have more common sense.

[RG]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

And before you ask the obvious, yes, I’ve had people do U-turns on freeways in front of me and join the right-hand lane at 20 kmh. It’s great fun trying to avoid these fools when you’re in a B-double petrol tanker. I can see the headline now, Truck kills innocent motorist.

Of course it's always the fault of the truck driver, or the oncoming driver or the train driver. Never the fault of the fool who pulled out in front of/into the path of them.

[Focused]

Just make reflective triangles standard equipment!

[Melz]

Originally Posted by marco351

Just make reflective triangles standard equipment!

Ohhhh PLEASE don't start.... :

[RG]

Originally Posted by marco351

Just make reflective triangles standard equipment!

I don't think that was really necessary was it?

[merlin]

So can the women be charged with manslaughter?

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by merlin

So can the women be charged with manslaughter?

I think culpable driving would be one of the first charges.

Cheers, Danny

[EDManual]

She should go to jail for 3 years or something, its no different to drink driving and killing someone. Of course she will just get a fine of 100 bucks or something.

[deesun]

One of the reasons for licence retesting every now and again is the reinforcement of road safety and road rules. Keep them at the forefront of peoples minds and some of these stupid accidents may not occur.

[Black XR6]

Originally Posted by EDManual

She should go to jail for 3 years or something, its no different to drink driving and killing someone. Of course she will just get a fine of 100 bucks or something.

I hardly think that would be the punishment!

Every licence renewal should come with a booklet of discalimers from the gov. Thus, if you do something obviously dangerous and against the law. There should be no recourse against the gov for such an action.

Also, if this woman sues the council and wins, all the money should be confiscated under the prodeeds of crime act.

[Van D]

Instead of trying to make a 100 new rules.. I think anyone who tries to sue for those stupid reasons should just be told by the courts to buy a new brain, one that's learnt common scence for gods sake.

[Auslandau]

....you will never stop people from doing stupid things no matter how much the g'ment tries with regulations, fines, jail terms, death penalties, barriers, keep of the grass signs blah blah blah.

Just some people have no common sense and all the restrictions imposed will never stop someone from doing something totally stupid that will harm others! In fact I dont know the reason of this thread being started and keep lefts intentions as there are a million 'stupid' things that people do everyday........if you think by the g'ment imposing heavier penalties it will stop stupid people????????

Like the lady in her 50's - 60's driving down the wrong way on North Rd Clayton the other week? She could have killed someone but she thought she was doing OK. Was she thinking about the penalties? :

All we need is Bracks to make another 'protection' law! :



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[Dezza]

Originally Posted by auslandau

....you will never stop people from doing stupid things no matter how much the g'ment tries with regulations, fines, jail terms, death penalties, barriers, keep of the grass signs blah blah blah.

Just some people have no common sense and all the restrictions imposed will never stop someone from doing something totally stupid that will harm others! In fact I dont know the reason of this thread being started and keep lefts intentions as there are a million 'stupid' things that people do everyday........if you think by the g'ment imposing heavier penalties it will stop stupid people????????

Like the lady in her 50's - 60's driving down the wrong way on North Rd Clayton the other week? She could have killed someone but she thought she was doing OK. Was she thinking about the penalties? :

All we need is Bracks to make another 'protection' law! :

A couple of days ago I pulled up at a set of lights down Centre Rd at Clayton and came face to face with an AU on the wrong side of the road. When he realised his mistake, he drove off... straight through a red light! When the light turned green and I drove off, shaking my head, I saw that most of the other motorists were as shocked as I was.

[XR Martin]

Nothing like driving down a freeway for ages because you took the wrong turn and theres no where to to turn and go back the way you came.
Ill do a U turn if its safe, F@#$ it if its illegal, I aint driving for miles the wrong way because the people who design roads assume everyone knows where they are going.

[Redrum]

Unless barriers were put up between all roads, people will make u-turns and even if they are put up people will just reverse down the wrong side of the road. Or do what some silly woman did last night on the Western Ring Road. She decided to reverse on to the carriageway in order to manouvere her car so she could jump start anther and reversed into a truck. The poor truckie pulled over to see if they were alright and then another female driver panics, hits the brakes. This causes another female driver to run up the back of her car. I arrive there and with the ambos and smokies, try to make sense of the scene. There for barely a minute when a third female hits the brakes hard, speeding through the scene, which cause a fourth female to run up the rear of her car.

Simple fact, there are too many roads, not enough police or money to regulate for all these laws and numnuts will always break them because most people that drive on our roads lack any form of "common" sense.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by Shockwave XR8

We are already over-governed with rules, regulations and legislation. I'm all in favour of protecting the innocent from the stupid and preventing the stupid from suing for their own stupidity but we should resist any attempts to further legislation protecting the stupid from themselves.

Here, here. Which is why KL's 1st point makes sense.

Dont make it illegal for someone to do something stupid. Engineer and build a construction which prevents them from excercising their own demented sense of judgement in the first place!!!

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by ea_silver_ghia

A couple of days ago I pulled up at a set of lights down Centre Rd at Clayton and came face to face with an AU on the wrong side of the road. When he realised his mistake, he drove off... straight through a red light! When the light turned green and I drove off, shaking my head, I saw that most of the other motorists were as shocked as I was.

So the moral of the story is..............unless you are stupid, stay away from Clayton!!!



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[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Dont make it illegal for someone to do something stupid. Engineer and build a construction which prevents them from excercising their own demented sense of judgement in the first place!!!

How are they supposed to do that when they can’t even fix the potholes on the major highways within the state?
These people who run the show aren’t exactly rocket scientists.

Unless the new safety device is a speed camera, there’s probably no money allocated in their budget for further improvements, let alone maintenance.

[NEG]

this must only be a NSW and VIC problem, because iv never seen anyone do a U-turn on a freeway here...

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by NEG

this must only be a NSW and VIC problem, because iv never seen anyone do a U-turn on a freeway here...

Come to think of if , I’ve never seen anyone in Brisbane do this either.

Population and the percentage of idiots is a major factor. The NSW RTA can take their share of the blame for this as they design roads that encourage this sort of stupidity. In Sydney if you miss your turn off on a lot of major roads, you’ll end up going a long way out of you way to get back on track. This is one of the reasons why this is so common. Melbourne’s designed a little better, generally if you’re not sure where you’re going you can usually follow the signs and end up somewhere near where you’re supposed to be. Also in Melbourne, if you miss a turn off you can usually take the next one and work your way back. Brisbane is also a pretty easy place to drive around, especially if you’re new to the area.