AUSTRALIA’S ROAD RULES CONTINUE to become more and more confusing, less and less consistent.
If you’re driving in an unfamiliar state, there’s every chance you’ll unwittingly break a road rule and suffer the financial consequences. In those states where fines and demerit points are doubled on high-risk days, this can be particularly expensive and potentially licence-threatening. You could even lose your licence for doing something that is completely legal in your home state.
Recently, the South Australian government introduced a new road rule requiring motorists to slow to 25km/h when passing roadside service and recovery vehicles. This rule has applied when passing emergency vehicles since September 2014.
According to the RAA, between 2019 and February this year, there have been 23 reportable incidents when vehicles failed to slow down near breakdowns.
In states and territories other than SA, the requirement is to slow to 40km/h, both when passing vehicles are displaying flashing red and blue lights and now when a recovery or roadside assist vehicle is displaying flashing yellow lights.
Unfortunately, there is any number of vehicles with flashing lights including breakdown assistance vehicles, utility service vehicles, construction vehicles, tow trucks, garbage trucks, street sweepers, school buses, farm vehicles, volunteer service vehicles, private security vehicles, street vendor trucks, state emergency service vehicles.
The rule apparently applies only to breakdown service vehicles, although how you can distinguish which is which is not made clear. And if a vehicle has activated its hazard lights, they also will appear to be flashing yellow lights that could belong to a roadside assistance or recovery vehicle, especially at night.
Another issue with the reduced speed limits when passing such vehicles is that nobody, despite repeated requests for clarification, has been able to explain to seniordriveraus just how far before and after the emergency or other vehicle the reduced speed limit applies. And that lack of clarity can lead to different interpretations of the rule, leaving drivers with very little defence.
On fast moving freeways where the prevailing speed limit is 110km/h, police inevitably pull over drivers as often as not over the crest of a hill or around a bend because that’s where they are most likely to catch them offending. When a following motorist suddenly comes across an emergency vehicle, they may have to slow quite suddenly from 110km/h to 25km/h. I have had a number of readers report near misses when other traffic eighter hasn’t seen the emergency vehicle, or has not been able to stop as quickly as the vehicle in front.
A final concern is that 25km/h is such a low speed limit, that even if you slow quickly (but safely), you may well be apprehended at so far over the 25km/h limit that you face immediate loss of licence and Draconian expiation fees.