QLD road rules update.

[2011G6E]

Just got this one from a friend...haven't had time to completely check up on it. I did know some of these were coming but hadn't seen details.

$256 + 0 points Driving with person or animal on lap

$44 + 0 points Reversing for longer than necessary

$256 + 1 point Following another vehicle too closely

$256 + 0 points Driving without a clear view in all directions

$66 + 2 points Driving in right-hand lane of a multi-lane road with an 80km/h or higher limit

$44 + 0 points Entering an intersection when the road beyond is blocked

$44 + 0 points Parking/stopping within 10m of an intersection without a traffic light

$88 + 0 points Making a U-turn at an intersection controlled by lights

$198 + 3 points Making a U-turn across a single or double continuous line

$352 + 2 points Playing loud music

$66 + 0 points Tooting the horn

$330 + 3 points Using mobile phone including use by cyclists

$44 + 0 points Leaving vehicle without handbrake left on
Having Sat Nav in an impeding position - supposed to be in bottom right hand in front of driver
Failing to have a hand on the wheel while stopped at lights

As you can see, there's a few that are sensible...there are some that are a total toss. "Driving without a clear view in ALL directions"...well, apart from the fact that plenty of cars and 4x4's have big blind spots, what about vans? What about trucks with no rear windows?
"Failing to have a hand on the wheel while stopped at lights"...? Really? That's the most serious thing they could think to add to the rules?
GPS not in bottom right corner of windscreen...well, apart from the fact that no car I have yet owned would let me fit one there without two meters of cord and having it halfway up the screen to avoid the dash, that one also sounds like "rules for the sake of rules".
Leaving vehicle without a handbrake on? Hell, I never do, unless I'm actually parked on a hill.
Playing loud music (I'm having flashbacks to the movie "Footloose"...) or "tooting" the horn? I knew they were starting to fine people for "unnecessary use of a warning device" for, say, driving off from a friends house and giving the horn a toot.

"Reversing for longer than necessary" and "entering an intersection when the road beyond is blocked" (most of the time you don't know it's "blocked" until the cars in front of you stop and leave you stuck)...? Oh come on now..way to formulate laws with such a broad interpretation that they become meaningless apart from revenue raising...

[csv8]

In response to the mounting toll, police will target even minor offences - defects, tailgating and drivers hanging an arm out the window.

State Traffic Support Branch Acting Superintendent Paul Fogg told The Courier-Mail that "turned-off" motorists needed to step up and take responsibility.

"A lot of the times police give their discretion or warnings," he said.

"If that's not going to work, we'll have to ensure the message is passed on.

"Perhaps everything has to be enforced instead of some leniency being shown.

"If people don't get the hint by discretion shown by police perhaps we have to go back to zero tolerance in relation to all offences.

"Police won't tolerate any life-endangering offences."

He said there needed to be a shift in community opinions.

"The community needs to realise that we are heading for a very high road toll unless we can find some way to turn it around," he said.

"There will be a maximum effort in relation to road enforcement over this weekend leading into the term of school."

He then confirmed there would be less tolerance for drivers breaking all rules - including minor offences.

"All I can say is it's both frustrating and scary as I have kids that drive and relatives that drive," he said.

A spokesman for Police Minister Jack Dempsey said at this stage there were no plans to enforce harsher penalties for traffic offences and ruled out a targeted blitz of double demerit points outside of the school holiday period.

At the current rate, Queensland will register more than 30 deaths - the highest carnage since 1995, when there were 40 fatalities in the first month of the year.

----------

The Courier-Mail understands the police crackdown will include:

* Speeding motorists who are travelling less than 10km/h over the limit.

* Drivers using mobile phones.

* Distracted drivers eating food, using devices, or hanging their arm out the window of their car.

* Defects such as faulty indicators and worn tyre treads.

* Motorists driving too close to others.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by csv8

* Speeding motorists who are travelling less than 10km/h over the limit.

* Drivers using mobile phones.

* Distracted drivers eating food, using devices, or hanging their arm out the window of their car.

* Defects such as faulty indicators and worn tyre treads.

* Motorists driving too close to others.

If that first one isn't a pointer to "zero tolerance" with speeding, I don't know what is. Totally ignores the fact of life that car speedos aren't a scientific instrument, and if your car is older than, I think, 2005 then the ADR's allowed a 10% variance..."on the fast side preferably", but nothing said it could't read slow...

"Driving too close to others"...tailgating is already an offence...but I've yet to see or hear of anyone being pulled up for it. I'll believe it when I see it...

[TC200six]

Looking through the list and I thought it was funny how strict they are on loud music compared to everything else

[csv8]

Reversing longer than necessary??? how will that be assessed ?????
Tooting the horn !! thats what its for !!!! to warn of danger ????
Police discretion?? depends if he has his monthly quota filled .
All revenue raising

[cheap]

I think this is a subtle message from QPS that they've been told to assist in repairing the states budget. Consider yourselves warned...

[2011G6E]

The "tooting the horn" one was mentioned some time last year when they were reviewing the rules up here. They specifically mentioned "unnecessary" tooting of the horn such as "when leaving a party or a freinds place or if you see a mate walking along the footpath or other situations like that".

The "reversing for longer than necessary" one really has me stumped...

[LG17]

"$88 + 0 points Making a U-turn at an intersection controlled by lights"

That should be a hell of a lot more!
I couldn't count the number of times I've almost been wiped out by drivers who think it's their God given right to do a dangerous U turn at the lights!
They look at you as if you're stupid.

[zilo]

$66 + 2 points Driving in right-hand lane of a multi-lane road with an 80km/h or higher limit


The wording there is significantly clearer.

Stupid vic roads has ambiguous wording that implies the speed limit must be 81km/h or more.

I am sure they meant to keep left in an 80km/h zone OR above.

[csv8]

This will get $352 + 2 points Playing loud music

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Can they also target people doing more than 20km/h UNDER the posted limit? 70km/h on a busy highway creates more dangerous situations than 10km/h over from my personal experience.

[tweeked]

Driving with a person on your lap - 0 points
Mobile Phone - 3 points

Seriously, how hard is it for the police/gummint to get together to fix these stupid laws - they are forever complaining about stupid drivers, maybe people would have more respect for them if they even slightly appeared to make sense

[grandpa_spec_F6]

You would think that would attract a larger fine, probably get done for passenger not wearing a seat belt either.

Wonder if they could fine you if the seatbelt was around both of you?

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_F6

Can they also target people doing more than 20km/h UNDER the posted limit? 70km/h on a busy highway creates more dangerous situations than 10km/h over from my personal experience.

This ........
Every time i get on that Bruce Highway brissie bound theres always a coupla clowns who hold traffic in the right lane
They stick half a car length behind the next car , wont move along,or fall back and tuck in
If you dont have the power to over take on the highway,theres left lanes for slow people,use them
The out back roads,well there just as bad
100K speed limit, and people think its a sunday drive,"Wow look at the kangaroos,isnt the grass nice out here "
Pull over and admire the view, dont hold up traffic
Theres a handfull of places to round these clowns up,and magically they find the gas every time .......

[noflac52]

Driving with a clear view all round and incorrect placement of GPS unit are both ludicrous!
Some time back the ADRs had a maximum size allowed for the A pillar so as not to inhibit frontal view. Now look at the size of them since airbags became the in thing.

You can't see vehicles approaching from an angle to the left or right anymore unless you move your head around but its quite ok because the airbag will deploy and save you when you hit them.

As a motorbike rider I pay particular attention to this flaw in vehicle design because being smaller a bike and rider can be completely hidden from a drivers view for a number of seconds which mean the difference in getting hit or not!

The law about driving too close to another vehicle. If this is the way the authorities are presenting this to the public it is so ambiguous that they vehicle in front or in an adjacent lane could also be booked for driving too close!

[superfly]

Originally Posted by csv8

This will get $352 + 2 points Playing loud music

Metro Ford posted that on Facebook this morning. Looks fully sick!

[superfly]

It would be nice if this rule gets inforced.

$66 + 2 points Driving in right-hand lane of a multi-lane road with an 80km/h or higher limit

It really annoys me when people just stay in the right hand lane.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by superfly

It would be nice if this rule gets inforced.

$66 + 2 points Driving in right-hand lane of a multi-lane road with an 80km/h or higher limit

It really annoys me when people just stay in the right hand lane.

I wonder how this will go at the Maroochydore "square about" where 2 80km/h 4 lane roads intersect with 2 100km/h 4 lane roads. Are we going to have last second dives from the left lane to turn right cutting in front of others traffic just so some moron who sits behind a desk can feel better about themselves?

Of course this is just up the road from the completly separated 4 lane Nambour connection road with no "official" u turns or any intersections at all the the 90Km/h moron (proabable at the desk next to road rules moron) has stuffed up........

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Ku...ueensland&z=15

[XBROO]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

This ........
Every time i get on that Bruce Highway brissie bound theres always a coupla clowns who hold traffic in the right lane
They stick half a car length behind the next car , wont move along,or fall back and tuck in
If you dont have the power to over take on the highway,theres left lanes for slow people,use them
The out back roads,well there just as bad
100K speed limit, and people think its a sunday drive,"Wow look at the kangaroos,isnt the grass nice out here "
Pull over and admire the view, dont hold up traffic
Theres a handfull of places to round these clowns up,and magically they find the gas every time .......

That's why I like riding a bike you just lane split these morons, and blast them with some sound from a V-Twin. Most of the time they get the idea and you see them move over, but only after I've lane split.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

The danger being they decide at the precise moment you lane split. ... to merge back in.... seen it happen a few times now and the bikers nearly got wiped out.

Also, shooting up the left after overtaking a car thus cutting off the car in front of you from merging safely... then overtaking on the left...

nearly wiped people out doing this to me yet they are the ones giving me the finger etc....

[GasoLane]

QLD road rules update.

They have road rules in QLD ??

(sorry, I couldn't resist that)

[Yellow_Festiva]

The fines for playing loud music and right lane hoggers should be swapped.....

[Burnout]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

They have road rules in QLD ??

(sorry, I couldn't resist that)

Yeah, they do..... That's why you have to get out at Gundy.

(Sorry, couldn't resist that!)

[4.0i_SiX]

gotta love having your GPS mounted halfway up the windscreen due to the instrument cluster "hump" with 2 metres of cord tangled in your steering wheel. Good one QLD

[XBROO]

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_F6

The danger being they decide at the precise moment you lane split. ... to merge back in.... seen it happen a few times now and the bikers nearly got wiped out.

Also, shooting up the left after overtaking a car thus cutting off the car in front of you from merging safely... then overtaking on the left...

nearly wiped people out doing this to me yet they are the ones giving me the finger etc....

That's not lane splitting that's weaving, lane spliting is when they are side by side and you go up the middle. They aren't going to merge into the other lane if there's a car there. Dangerous? Maybe, but I only do it when I have sat behind them for about a kay, and they haven't made any attempt to get in front of the other car. Plus been riding bike most of my life, 30 years dirt and 20 years road, so I know how to keep myself alive on these things.

[66GT]

So how many 1 armed drivers out there wait until they are stopped at the lights to have a scratch, change CD's or pick there nose? I guess they they will have to do these things legally whilst negioating a busy roundabout or reverse parallel park. Also my panel van legally has to have windows cut into the sides to give me clear view in all directions - so am I & every one else going to see compensation for the cost of this?
I do get that they are trying up get drivers to be more responsible whilst driving, but some of these rules need a lot more thought put into them.

[ozpacman]

Just from what I see in that first list most of those are existing regulations, albeit with the fine amounts increased. I agree that some of them seem pretty stupid (especially the hands off the wheel while at traffic lights one!) but in most cases they exist for a reason.

Now guys, I don't think think you're all about to start getting tickets because your van hasn't got side windows, or your Commodore 'A' pillars are thicker than the ones on your XY.

This is a regulation aimed at stupid people who who think, for example, that it's great to go to the markets and buy a few four foot tall plants which they then place on the front floor because if you lay them over in the boot, all the dirt falls out! Don't worry about them blocking your vision, it's only a couple of klms to home - she'll be right!

The reversing one is pretty much reserved for the oxygen thieves that reverse waaaay longer than they should. The example here is the moron that cruises down the street and then decides that he's a bit peckish, and hey, we just passed a Macca's only two or three hundred metres back - no worries, we'll just slip her into 'R for race' and see how that back window performs as a windscreen. Yipee!

The 'toot the horn' one already exists as well. I don't think it means that the coppers will sit down the street from Mum and Dad's place waiting to pounce on Uncle Brian and Aunty Fran when Brian toots the horn whilst pulling away in the Camry.

It's for brain surgeons like the guy in Cairns a couple of years ago who, in order to protest about a unit development in his neighbourhood that he deemed inappropriate, would pull up at the job site and sit on the horn of his car, presumably to register his displeasure with the council building approval process. I think if I lived opposite the job site I'd be quite relieved that the coppers could actually do something to stem his behaviour - what do you reckon?

I wouldn't place too much stock in the good old Courier Mail's version of these until something official comes out. Far be it for me to suggest that as a publication, it is ever vigilant as far as ensuring that where possible, the truth should perhaps take a back seat to value of a good yarn!

[Pedro]

$66 + 2 points Driving in right-hand lane of a multi-lane road with an 80km/h or higher limit
$44 + 0 points Entering an intersection when the road beyond is blocked

Govt should be able to clear the budget deficit with those two alone.

[EVLKNEVL]

I'ts the 0 points offences that get me. I would have argued that the individual who earns $210k a year would shrug off a $44 fine with a smile for 'entering an intersection when the road beyond is blocked' where somebody who lives from paycheck to paycheck would find it significantly more inconvenient; if it weren't for the fact that the option exists to set up a SPER account to pay the fine off in miniscule weekly installments. This effectively permits a broad range of people to commit those 0 points offences an unlimited number of times and say, "Just chuck it on my tab."