In Australia, we drive on the left hand side of the road, with traffic travelling towards you in the opposite direction, will pass on your driver’s or right-hand side.
On single lane roads, you should drive as far to the left as practical.
On multi-lane roads, where the speed limit is 90 km/h or more, you must drive in the left lane. This also applies where there is a ‘keep left unless overtaking’ sign. In this situation, you can only drive in the right hand lane if:
Overtaking other vehicles can be dangerous, and if you have any doubts, it is best not to overtake and to wait until it is safer to do so. The problem with overtaking is how to judge the space required to complete the manoeuvre safely.
You must overtake on the right unless there is a vehicle in the right hand lane that is turning right, is stationary or if you and the other vehicle are travelling in marked lanes – in these instances you can overtake on the left if safe to do so.
When you overtake, you should
Most regular drivers will say that drivers that clog up the right lane are one of the most annoying issues on the roads – don’t be one of these annoying drivers.
Australia as a country has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, and many pets travel in the family car on a regular basis. Do you have a pet that travels with you in your car and are they appropriately secured when you are driving?
If your pet is unrestrained in your car while you are driving, they may distract you, they may be flung around the car if you have to brake suddenly, or they may even jump out of the car and injure themselves. So many dogs are killed or injured each year while travelling on the back of open and moving vehicles – quite unnecessarily. If the dog jumps out they can also pose a danger to other vehicles.
Various states in Australia have laws that govern the transportation of animals in cars, and although there are differences in the wording, basically all of them require that the animals are not caused unnecessary harm or suffering, or that the mode of transportation is appropriate for the welfare of the animal. If you live in NSW, driving with an animal on your lap is illegal, as is transporting an animal on the open back of a moving vehicle unless it is secured.
There are a number of different options available for securing your dog in the car:
A dog harness seat belt that secures your dog in position with a strap that plugs into the seat belt. This option is not good for a dog that is not well-behaved, or is likely to chew through the straps
A zipline harness works well for active dogs that will not settle in the car, as it restrains them while still allowing them to move around
A dog crate that is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in will work well for relaxed and confident dogs
A plush carry box that provides for a harness to be attached to the carry box is good for small dogs as it will give them a view of their owner and surroundings
A dog guard in the boot will allow your dig to see you, move around and will prevent the dog from being thrown forward in an accident. The dog guard should be bolted to the floor and roof of your car so that it is secure.
A back seat hammock is great for older dogs as it allows them to lie down comfortably, while protecting them from falling off the seat and stopping them from climbing into the front of the car.
A back seat barrier that blocks off access to the front of the car can be used if you have a larger dog that
Do you know how to change a tyre on your car? Have you ever had to do this yourself? If the answer to these questions is no – it’s probably a really good idea to find out and also get a bit of practice in. There is never a good time to get a flat tyre, and if this were to happen to you in the middle of nowhere, you should be in a position to help yourself.
Obviously, some preventative maintenance can help to avoid unexpected flats , although no guarantee. Check your tyre pressure regularly. If the tyre pressure is too low, it is easier for foreign sharp objects on the road to get into the sidewall of the tyre. You should also check your tyres for wear – and also to see whether there are any foreign objects like nails or large thorns, buried in the tyre. Check your spare tyre also – not too much use in a flat spare.
If one of your tyres is punctured while you are driving, you will notice that the steering pulls in one direction – slow down and safely pull off the road. Try to stop in a spot with space between the flat tyre and the road, and where you will be visible to other drivers. If you have roadside assistance – call them. If your car is equipped with run-flat tyres, you can proceed slowly to the nearest service station.
If you are going to change the tyre yourself, put on your hazards, and if you have a high-visibility vest, put this on, and follow the steps outlined below:
Have you ever left one or more of your kids in the car unattended while you quickly pop into a store, or to collect something from a friend, or to pay for your petrol at the petrol station? An intended minute or two that has turned into something longer? Is this safe? Is this legal?
Well, no. Firstly, it’s not legal. While penalties vary depending on which state you are in, the general rule is that children should never be left in a car unattended. The only exception could be if taking them out of the car is more dangerous than leaving them in the car – as in a busy petrol station – but, here you should either get petrol when the children are not with you, or pay at the pump.
Secondly, it’s not safe. What happens if your 1-minute errand turns into something more time-consuming? World wide, there are an average of 37 child deaths per year after having been left in hot cars for lengthy periods of time. You cannot assess the temperature outside and make a judgement on whether the temperature inside your car will be safe – a pleasant 20 degrees C outside can reach to up to 60 degrees C inside the car, and can reach 45 degrees C within the first 5 minutes. If it’s a hot day, at say 30 degrees C, you could be looking at 70 degrees C inside the car. Opening the windows slightly will only reduce the inside temperature by a few degrees. The colour of the car, outside or inside doesn’t make a difference to how quickly and to what extent the inside of the car heats up. Even with all of the doors fully open, there are lots of metal fittings inside a car that will heat up, posing a danger to small children.
This is all very scary when you consider that an internal body temperature of 41.7 degrees C is regarded as being lethal for humans. Children’s bodies heat up three to five times more quickly than do adults.
So bottom line – don’t take the chance, even if you believe it will be for only a minute or two – it’s illegal and definitely not safe.
Most of us spend a fair amount of time driving in our cars on a daily basis. We can’t always prevent breakdowns or accidents, but we can be prepared by keeping a few important items in our cars that will help in the event of an emergency.
Make sure that you have your licence, registration, insurance papers, car manual and roadside assistance information on hand. Add a pen and some notepaper should you need to write down details after an accident, and you are good to go.
A basic tool kit and/or multi-tool will come on handy if you need a screwdriver, a pair of pliers of a pair of scissors.
Wire and duct tape will help with workaround repairs such as reattaching an exhaust pipe or holding body panels or bumpers in place after an accident until you can get to a garage for proper repairs.
WD-40 spray lubricant – while duct tape helps with things that move when they shouldn’t, WD-40 can help with things that don’t move that should.
A first-aid kit will help you to deal effectively with any minor injuries or accidents.
LED flares and reflective triangles will help during a breakdown at night, when it is vitally important for other motorists to be able to see you.
A torch and spare batteries will help you to see things at night – don’t rely only on your phone.
Keep a travel map of Australia in your car, for those times when technology fails you.
Food and water – things like nuts, muesli bars, jerky and dried fruit will travel well and will last for a while. In the city, this could be a convenience – but in rural areas this could be the difference between life and death if you are stranded for a long period of time, in summer.
Face wipes will come in handy whether you are in the city or in the bush. In addition to being used to clean up after eating in the car, they are an essential if you are transporting children. They will also help tremendously if you need to clean up after tinkering in the engine or changing a tyre.
Always keep a spare phone charger and power bank in your car – and even a spare basic phone fully charged, would be a great backup should your primary phone fail.
A spare tyre, full size, in good condition and inflated to the correct tyre pressure is an essential to carry in your car, together with a tyre changing kit. Tyre inflators and sealers are also useful should you get a puncture. Many manufacturers supply a space saver spare as standard equipment – this will do in urban areas to help you get to the nearest garage – but if you are in rural areas, especially on roads that are not tarred, it probably won’t get you as far as you need.
Jumper cables can get you going again if you experience a flat battery. Remember positive to positive and negative to negative – having jumper leads handy can help you or another stranded motorist.
Coolant and water – if you are going on a long journey and your car overheats, you will be glad that you packed these.
Put an umbrella or rain proof jacket in your car, to make sure that you are covered for those unexpected rainstorms. Along these lines, sunscreen and a hat – in case you are stranded in the heat.
While depreciation is one of the most talked about costs of owning a vehicle, there are other, less obvious costs that you have more control over, and which could, if managed better, reduce the cost of ownership.
Warming up your car has lost popularity with the advent of the more modern, robust engines. However, it is a really good idea to spend a few minutes letting the oil circulate through the engine, before you speed off in the morning.
Riding the brake pedal will cause unnecessary wear and tear to your brake pads and discs, and the costs associate with replacement more frequently than otherwise. In addition, it is really annoying for the car behind you, who hopefully is leaving a decent following distance.
Driving at speed with the window open will increase drag and you will land up refuelling more frequently, costing you more.
Roaring along in a gear too low is going to apply unnecessary stress and strain on the mechanics of your car. Conversely, driving at too low a speed in too high a gear is also bad for your engine. Both bad habits will cost you over time – choose the correct gear for the speed that you are doing.
Fill up your tank before you hit the reserve warning. It’s really not good for your car to run on a fuel level that is too low as you run the risk of small particles of foreign material that may have settled to the bottom of your tank entering the engine potentially causing damage that could be costly to repair.
Check your dashboard periodically as you are driving – this will ensure that you pick up warning lights as soon as possible. The colour of the indicator will indicate the seriousness of the issue – red, orange, blue/white/green. If the indicator is red or orange – pull over immediately and consult your car’s manual – you may just save yourself a costly repair.
Servicing your car regularly, in line with the intervals indicated in the Owner’s Manual will keep your engine lubricated, and ensure that all engine parts are checked for faults and replaced when necessary. Think of it as preventative maintenance, rather than breaking down in some inconvenient location and having to pay costs of towing and repair, possibly of additional damage caused that could have been avoided.
Leaving your hand on the gearstick as you are driving, could apply pressure that starts to engage the selector forks, leading to wear and tear and possibly expensive repairs.
For those who drive a manual car, riding the clutch is a well known bad habit – heating up the clutch as you drive and potentially burning it out.
Avoiding some of these habits could save you money and ensure that your car lasts longer, and has a higher resale value when you decide to eventually replace it.
Ensuring that your vehicle’s wheels are correctly aligned is a very important maintenance item in order to maintain the safety of your vehicle and its passengers.
What exactly is wheel alignment? Wheel alignment is the measurement, analysis and adjustment of your vehicle’s steering and suspension angles to ensure that the wheels of your vehicle are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.
If the wheels of your vehicle are out of alignment, you will feel that the car seems to be pulling to one side of the road, or your steering wheel is juddering or vibrating. Your wheels can get out of alignment gradually from normal everyday driving, or from any of the following incidents:
When your wheels are not in alignment, you will increase wear and tear on your tyres and will land up having to replace your tyres long before you would have otherwise needed to. It can also cause unnecessary wear on the suspension components of your vehicle, causing problems with the overall vehicle handling, performance and safety.
You should have your wheel alignment checked whenever you rotate your tyres, and also when you replace them. If you think that your car is not handling correctly, or the steering doesn’t feel right – take your car in to have your wheel alignment checked out.
Suspensions systems of today’s front and wheel wheel drive vehicles require precise wheel alignments that can only be delivered by specialised alignment systems. Also – more cars have special features such as stability controls, dynamic stability controls, active stability management or SAS (Steering Angle Sensors) – all requiring different methods of adjustment to the wheel alignment.
There are 5 factors involved in determining the correct wheel alignment:
Prior to the 1980s, seat belts were the only form of passive restraint in our cars, and statistics have shown that the use of seat belts has saved thousands of lives.
In the 1980s the first commercial airbags appeared in motor vehicles. Statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of fatality in a head on collision by about 30%. Nowadays, we also have seat mounted and door mounted side airbags – and some cars have six or even eight airbags. The airbags deploy in the event of a crash, and provide cushioning for the driver and passengers in such a situation.
But how do they work? We know that moving objects have momentum, and cars consist of several objects, including the vehicle, loose objects inside the vehicle and of course, the passengers. When a car is stopped by a collision, the vehicle itself may be stopped, but the other objects inside the vehicle will continue to move at whatever speed the car was travelling, until they too are stopped by the body of the car or the windscreen. When a car crashes, the car’s momentum is changed instantly, but the passengers’ momentum has not changed. The goal of the seat belts and also the airbags is to help to stop the passenger’s momentum while doing as little damage as possible.
SRS airbags supplement the restraining action of the seat belt, and provide a barrier that can reduce the severity of head injuries in a crash. These types of airbags are now standard in most new vehicles, and are located in the hub of the steering wheel (driver airbag), in the dashboard above the glove compartment (passenger airbag), and side airbags are located in the door panel or seat. Curtain side airbags are located above the side doors.
During impact, sensors in the vehicle detect the sudden deceleration. A strong enough impact will initiate a flow of electricity to the inflator which will light the gas generator and the airbag will inflate in milliseconds into the space between the driver and the steering wheel, or between the passenger and the dashboard and between the side door and the driver/passenger. The bag will then deflate quickly when the gas escapes through vent holes or through the fabric – absorbing the energy of the driver/passenger when this occurs.
These days some airbags have different levels of inflation depending on the speed of impact and the distance between the driver and the steering wheel.
It is important to know that certain types of collisions, such as a rear-end collision, or if your car should roll without actually colliding with anything, may not cause the airbags to deploy unless your vehicle is fitted with a rather sophisticated sensor system, and specifically rollover sensors to detect the situation where your car rolls. So it is important when purchasing your vehicle, to check not only how many airbags there are and where they are situated – but also how many and what type of sensors the car has.
Also important to note is that the front passenger airbag should be set OFF if you have a child under the age of 13 or a person less than 153 cm tall in the front passenger seat.