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Australian Driving Simulator

Guest ali

By Guest ali
in Kids Down Under

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Guest ali

Guest ali

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Hi Guys,

 

Do any of you know of an Australian driving simulator I could use prior to my move? I think that this could help me and others get oriented to the driving laws and regulations.

 

Cheers,:smile:

 

Ali

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Guest ladyarkles

Guest ladyarkles

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If you are a driver anywhere else in the world, you will not have a problem here.

Things are pretty straightforward.

If you drive in the UK (or on the left), it is more or less the same. No real surprises.

 

If you currently drive on the right, however, you may take some time to remember which side of the road to be on.

It takes about 5 seconds to adjust, generally, as a bloody great truck bears down on you.....a steep learning curve! lol

 

If you don't drive at all, then just learn when you are over here.

 

Here is a link to the Australian Road Rules (all 372 pages) http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/Reports/ARRFeb12.pdf

 

This is the South Australian site for local regulations: http://www.mylicence.sa.gov.au/the_online_drivers_handbook/road_rules

 

Hope this helps,

 

~ Rachel

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Royd Newbie

Royd

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Posted

Woody and Jane have it right!

 

But in all seriousness, the info posted is good. Just a couple of observations.

 

1. Adelaide and SA drivers are generally not that good (I am the exception, I am, of course, perfect....kidding naturally) and tend to have fairly low skills when it comes to driving so it is essential, I mean essential, that you practise defensive driving techniques.

 

2. Adelaide and SA drivers (not so much in the rural areas though) are generally selfish with road space. You may want to change lanes and indicate before you move BUT check your rear vision mirrors (internal and external) to make sure that anyone who is in the lane you want to enter has noticed you and is allowing you to move. Sadly many drivers see someone else trying to move into "their" lane as being (a) in need to discpline; (2) proprietary about road space and the reaction is to speed up to move into the space you had booked for yourself or to sit blithely in a position that is in a blindspot so that when you carefully move over they can take malicious delight in sounding the car horn and doing a lot of yelling and giving you the finger. This, of course, assumes they even noticed your indicator...

 

3. At a red light the first car in the lane you are in will take about two minutes to actually move off when the light shows green. This is why Adelaide drivers will hop into the next available lane at a controlled junction or intersection. They know that the driver in front will take all day to get the car into gear and to find the elusive accelerator. So what will happen is that as you are gliding up nicely to that lovely vacant spot in front of you at the red light, someone in the other land, panicking because they see a stationary vehicle in front of them, will immediately zip into the lane you are in (without indicating of course) to get to the start line.

 

4. Red lights are optional. No, they're really not optional but sufficient numbers of drivers think they are. Thus it is imperative that, once having been given the green, you check right and left for cars and trucks that may be running the red from the other direction. This is imperative again. I am serious about that. Do wait for a second or two (not all day of course) and check right and left is clear before moving into the intersection or junction.

 

5. Following from 4, there is no practical distinction between green and amber traffic lights, for most Adelaide drivers they both look green.

 

6. When you are approaching a controlled intersection or junction you will see the light change from green to amber to red. The law requires drivers to stop when the amber is illuminated, but only if it is safe to do so. This has been interpreted by Adelaide drivers as "speed up before the bloody thing turns red". So, look in your rear vision mirror and see how close the car behind you is to your bumper bar before braking.

 

7. Adelaide drivers believe tailgating is efficient because it squeezes in more vehicles into less roadway. This means that you will frequently look in your rear vision mirror to see it completely full of the car behind you. You can tap your brakes a couple of times to get them to back off. This will likely be followed by the driver behind you flashing their lights and as they speed past you a few moments later there will be the angry sounding of the horn and more hand gestures and angry looks. DO NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN when this happens. This is road rage and it is dangerous. Again, I am very serious. You should definitely not get into a barney over this sort of thing at night either, again VERY dangerous.

 

8. Locals will tell you Adelaide is the "twenty minute city", meaning it takes 20 minuts to get anywhere. That is not true and has not been since about 1975, it's just that we are very slow learners. Adelaide is a very long city, or metro area at least, north to south; it is quite narrow on an east-west axis. Depending on where you are and where you want to get to, it can take you anywhere between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours to get from A to B when the same journey in 1975 took 20 minutes. Leave early for appointments.

 

9. Traffic is poorly regulated when it comes to traffic lights. There are more traffic lights in Adelaide than left-handed people in China, so be aware that they will seriously impede your journey. It appears that, aside from a couple of arterials during rush hours, it is impossible for the authorities to ensure lights are phased properly. Please get used to it, even though it is very frustrating. Learn to chill when meandering from red to red (lights I mean, not cabernet sauvignon).

 

10. Do not drink and drive. Do not take drugs and drive. Every police officer can, without need of a specific cause, direct a driver to stop their car for random breath and drug testing. There are frequently campaigns sprung on Friday afternoons that right the CBD and which haul in lots of people who had a couple of after work drinks and found themselves above .05 bac. It is not worth it. High fines, lengthy licence disqualifications. If you have a prang and are over .05% your insurance is voided; if you get injured then blood will be taken from you at hospital and you will be prosecuted. Taxis are expensive and not enough of them and public transport is poor so sometimes the only option is to have a dry night if you're driving. You will see RBT units out on early mornings, this is to catch the nightclubbers who are going home. They operate anywhere and at any time.

 

11. Do not drive near the Britannia Roundabout. You may be able to handle roundabout traffic but Adelaide drivers don't understand merging, giving way, being sensible, being courteous and avoiding hazards on roundabouts and have no idea what the law is and believe that a fellow called Rafferty wrote the laws that are in place anyway.

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Guest ali

Guest ali

Posted
Posted
If you are a driver anywhere else in the world, you will not have a problem here.

Things are pretty straightforward.

If you drive in the UK (or on the left), it is more or less the same. No real surprises.

 

If you currently drive on the right, however, you may take some time to remember which side of the road to be on.

It takes about 5 seconds to adjust, generally, as a bloody great truck bears down on you.....a steep learning curve! lol

 

If you don't drive at all, then just learn when you are over here.

 

Here is a link to the Australian Road Rules (all 372 pages) http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/Reports/ARRFeb12.pdf

 

This is the South Australian site for local regulations: http://www.mylicence.sa.gov.au/the_online_drivers_handbook/road_rules

 

Hope this helps,

 

~ Rachel

Thank you Rachel for the useful info you've given me.

 

Cheers,:smile:

 

Ali

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Guest ali

Guest ali

Posted
Posted
Woody and Jane have it right!

 

But in all seriousness, the info posted is good. Just a couple of observations.

 

1. Adelaide and SA drivers are generally not that good (I am the exception, I am, of course, perfect....kidding naturally) and tend to have fairly low skills when it comes to driving so it is essential, I mean essential, that you practise defensive driving techniques.

 

2. Adelaide and SA drivers (not so much in the rural areas though) are generally selfish with road space. You may want to change lanes and indicate before you move BUT check your rear vision mirrors (internal and external) to make sure that anyone who is in the lane you want to enter has noticed you and is allowing you to move. Sadly many drivers see someone else trying to move into "their" lane as being (a) in need to discpline; (2) proprietary about road space and the reaction is to speed up to move into the space you had booked for yourself or to sit blithely in a position that is in a blindspot so that when you carefully move over they can take malicious delight in sounding the car horn and doing a lot of yelling and giving you the finger. This, of course, assumes they even noticed your indicator...

 

3. At a red light the first car in the lane you are in will take about two minutes to actually move off when the light shows green. This is why Adelaide drivers will hop into the next available lane at a controlled junction or intersection. They know that the driver in front will take all day to get the car into gear and to find the elusive accelerator. So what will happen is that as you are gliding up nicely to that lovely vacant spot in front of you at the red light, someone in the other land, panicking because they see a stationary vehicle in front of them, will immediately zip into the lane you are in (without indicating of course) to get to the start line.

 

4. Red lights are optional. No, they're really not optional but sufficient numbers of drivers think they are. Thus it is imperative that, once having been given the green, you check right and left for cars and trucks that may be running the red from the other direction. This is imperative again. I am serious about that. Do wait for a second or two (not all day of course) and check right and left is clear before moving into the intersection or junction.

 

5. Following from 4, there is no practical distinction between green and amber traffic lights, for most Adelaide drivers they both look green.

 

6. When you are approaching a controlled intersection or junction you will see the light change from green to amber to red. The law requires drivers to stop when the amber is illuminated, but only if it is safe to do so. This has been interpreted by Adelaide drivers as "speed up before the bloody thing turns red". So, look in your rear vision mirror and see how close the car behind you is to your bumper bar before braking.

 

7. Adelaide drivers believe tailgating is efficient because it squeezes in more vehicles into less roadway. This means that you will frequently look in your rear vision mirror to see it completely full of the car behind you. You can tap your brakes a couple of times to get them to back off. This will likely be followed by the driver behind you flashing their lights and as they speed past you a few moments later there will be the angry sounding of the horn and more hand gestures and angry looks. DO NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN when this happens. This is road rage and it is dangerous. Again, I am very serious. You should definitely not get into a barney over this sort of thing at night either, again VERY dangerous.

 

8. Locals will tell you Adelaide is the "twenty minute city", meaning it takes 20 minuts to get anywhere. That is not true and has not been since about 1975, it's just that we are very slow learners. Adelaide is a very long city, or metro area at least, north to south; it is quite narrow on an east-west axis. Depending on where you are and where you want to get to, it can take you anywhere between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours to get from A to B when the same journey in 1975 took 20 minutes. Leave early for appointments.

 

9. Traffic is poorly regulated when it comes to traffic lights. There are more traffic lights in Adelaide than left-handed people in China, so be aware that they will seriously impede your journey. It appears that, aside from a couple of arterials during rush hours, it is impossible for the authorities to ensure lights are phased properly. Please get used to it, even though it is very frustrating. Learn to chill when meandering from red to red (lights I mean, not cabernet sauvignon).

 

10. Do not drink and drive. Do not take drugs and drive. Every police officer can, without need of a specific cause, direct a driver to stop their car for random breath and drug testing. There are frequently campaigns sprung on Friday afternoons that right the CBD and which haul in lots of people who had a couple of after work drinks and found themselves above .05 bac. It is not worth it. High fines, lengthy licence disqualifications. If you have a prang and are over .05% your insurance is voided; if you get injured then blood will be taken from you at hospital and you will be prosecuted. Taxis are expensive and not enough of them and public transport is poor so sometimes the only option is to have a dry night if you're driving. You will see RBT units out on early mornings, this is to catch the nightclubbers who are going home. They operate anywhere and at any time.

 

11. Do not drive near the Britannia Roundabout. You may be able to handle roundabout traffic but Adelaide drivers don't understand merging, giving way, being sensible, being courteous and avoiding hazards on roundabouts and have no idea what the law is and believe that a fellow called Rafferty wrote the laws that are in place anyway.

 

Wow Royd,

 

Thank you for taking the time and writing all this. So the way I get it its a mad house out there. One reason I never drove in Tehran. But of course Tehran is huge with tiny streets and packed highways from morning to morning. Great advice there, I will certainly brace myself and put my game face on when driving in Adelaide.

 

Cheers,:smile:

 

Ali

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Guest ali

Guest ali

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Just drive up or down Main North road or Main south road between 0800 and 1800 and it beats any simulator..

 

stevo

 

Stevo this sounds like fun. Definitely on my checklist now. Thanks for sharing.

 

Cheers,:smile:

 

Ali

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Guest Guest5035

Guest Guest5035

Posted
Posted
Is there a love fountain somewhere, I can park the car and make it 'When in Adelaide'? :biggrin:

 

Thank you for the support:smile:

 

why would you make love to a car...

:biglaugh:

stevo

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