https://80kph.com/ Are you breaking the law? In Queensland it is an offence to hold up traffic whilst you are travelling at less than the speed limit. You must pull over when it is safe to do so and let traffic pass! Failure to do so can lead you to be charged with "Failing to show due care and consideration" (3 Demerit Points, and a fine of $391).
As you are holding up traffic, you are also being an active hazard to other traffic on the road. If your actions can be shown to have caused an accident, it is possible that you may be charged with "Driving without Due Care and Attention", which has a maximum of 40 penalty units ($5222) and up to 6 months imprisonment.
Is this for real? When can we get it here?
pauldw,
Jul 9, 6:12pm
Already part of the general keep left rule (2)If a driver’s speed, when driving, is such as to impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic, that driver must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, move the vehicle as far as practicable to the left side of the roadway when this is necessary to allow following traffic to pass.
Oh yeah, and who defines "obstructing traffic flow"? You can be towing a trailer or caravan on our open roads at 95-100kph (which you shouldn't be really) and you will still encounter incompetents who won't pass you because they don't want to travel in excess of that or are scared of fines for doing 104kph, and behind them impatient sods in mostly late model SUV's and double cab utes who think it's their right to not have to follow anybody and do at least 110kph, and will resort to dangerous overtaking to achieve this. Sorry I'm not going to be fined because of the impatience and poor judgement of others. The keep left rule is a joke when there are often very few areas, in particular on our secondary state highways that are no more than two lane sealed tracks, where there is room to pull over to let people pass.
whqqsh,
Jul 10, 12:46am
Keeping as far to the left as practicable doesnt seem to be understood by 90%of drivers these days, just watch cars turning left hand or pulling into driveways stay in the middle of the road & when you try to get by they sometimes even do a right hand 'hook' just to give themselves a bit more room & push you into oncoming traffic. Similar to the holdups by cars drifting across lanes when the 'turning into multilane roads' isn't followed. Right turning traffic stays in the right lane & left turning traffic stays in the left lane, then no one has to wait & traffic flows!
saxman99,
Jul 10, 2:24am
We do have the rule here, but it is not enforced, which is the same as not having it.
Back in my day, which was last century, the book said "you must let traffic behind you pass, even if you think they are going too fast."
In theory this meant that even if you were exceeding the speed limit you could be guilty of impeding traffic.
sw20,
Jul 10, 2:30am
There was a cyclist fined for holding up a car on Dyers Pass Road here. He took it to court and still lost.
quite correct. tho not sure if they have kept it or not. i recall it was considered holding up traffic if there was 6 cars behind you.
it might have ok 50 years ago with a lot of slow vehicles and not much traffic. but these days with tons of traffic, a lot faster cars and better roads, its pointless.
socram,
Jul 10, 4:39am
You can't be fined for obstructing traffic if you are already at the maximum speed for your vehicle. However, you could be deemed inconsiderate by not pulling over every now and again, if there was a build up behind you.
But I bet the number of times in NZ where a slower driver has been pinged, either for not pulling over or driving too slowly, is somewhat fewer than the number fined for exceeding 150kph, even if the speeders were on a straight deserted road.
tgray,
Jul 10, 5:49am
No one gets the maximum though aye.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 10, 6:20am
There was a huge song and dance in the Herald 12 months ago about how they were now enforcing this rule blah blah blah. I did the math and they hadn't even written one ticket per patrol vehicle for this in 6 months.
It was a complete and utter joke and just more nonsense propaganda to try and throw people off the scent of their real, warped and self serving priorities.
What really gets up my nose is that stupid lady cop who sits on the eastern link (the one that held me up while rushing someone to hospital). The ony real problem I see on that road is people not obeying the keep in the left lane unless the lanes are full or you are passing rule. Yet there is no money and too much effort in that so she spends all her time trying to catch people who are a little over the speed limit.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 10, 6:23am
Theoretically, but over the top maximums give Cops opportunity to abuse the system. They already have some very dubious practices over there, I watched a poor guy on a motorcycle get swarmed by cops at a petrol station under some sort of nonsense bikie gang law that they were trying to stitch up to somehow apply to him. This is on youtube if someone cares to look. Hope I remember right it was a few years back.
loose.unit8,
Jul 10, 6:45am
Where does it say that?
The law says if you "impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic" you must pull over. there is no reference to *your* maximum speed and if there was a build up behind you, you're pretty obviously impeding the reasonable flow of traffic.
gedo1,
Jul 10, 7:28am
. of course these things happened. no doubt at all. How do I know? 'cos somebody did the math. Must be true. So there!
kwaka5,
Jul 10, 7:40am
Have to say aswell though that the speed limit doesn’t seem to apply to as many people these days either. I do a few miles a year and usually set my cruise control at 103 also checked on GPS and I still get overtaken like I’m standing still. I would have to say holding up traffic is one thing that infuriates most drivers but what I find is that in some ways modern vehicals and petrol prices, mixed in with police pushing the 104 Kph crap are a lot o& times the issue. The amount of times you find a vehicle sitting on the speed limit for that vehicle, let’s say a car and trailer. The vehicle that pulls up behind it, small underpowered run about, has no intention of passing but leaves no room for anyone else to overtake so to overtake the distance is now three vehicles long. It only takes another to start the train building. If people pulled over when they could or left room for others would help ease things, and if police stopped sitting in plain view at the end of the only passing lane for a long stretch we might get a little flow
flack88,
Jul 10, 8:53am
Most are scared of the gungster cops,and they been dumbed down to just follow cause speed kills!
loose.unit8,
Jul 10, 9:37am
Your speedo is probably slow. You're probably going about 95
kwaka5,
Jul 10, 10:19am
GPS checked I think you should read loose.unit8. Not just read off speedo. I know that’s not accurate. In fact nearly 5 kph out when verified. Cheers for the thought though.
ladatrouble,
Jul 10, 12:42pm
In Auckland a couple of weeks ago, I slowed down on the N/W to allow my daughter to catch up as she stopped for gas. I was doing 80 kph in the inside lane. and was passing people in the centre lane ! I don't know why they complain about speeding, more cars are going slow than fast.
mimik3,
Jul 10, 10:32pm
And no one ever gets penalised either. Just like NZ they are more interested if your exceeding the speed limit, that's quick and easy money.
ree6,
Jul 11, 1:49pm
Dead right. The offence is "Impeding the Normal Flow of Traffic" and the fine, I think, is $150. It is enforced sensibly, around here anyway, and with appropriate discretion as it's very subjective.
loose.unit8,
Jul 12, 7:04am
touché
berg,
Jul 13, 1:58am
Cool story, needs dragons tho
billyfieldman,
Jul 13, 6:57am
What happens to "driving to conditions"? Rain, cross-wind, visibility etc.
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