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Australian drivers are the some of the worst, angriest and most inconsiderate in the world in my experience. Don't believe me get on the M1 between Brisbane and

by bedobi 5y ago

Australian drivers are the some of the worst, angriest and most inconsiderate in the world in my experience. Don't believe me get on the M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, you're guaranteed to see countless people tailgating with less than a meter distance to the car in front at 120+ kmh, snaking between lanes, abusing each other etc etc. Urban speed limits are too high and planners seem to have zero consideration for the safety of people on foot, bike and alternative transport. Hooning is rampant. I could go on. Speed cameras are woefully inadequate to fix any of it.

porty 5y ago
I'm going to need your home country for comparison - I find what you're saying here sounds a lot more like California (where I live now) than Australia.
- bedobi 5y ago
  I learned how to drive in Stockholm, which isn't great either, but doesn't get close to Australia. By all means I think Vancouver and California drivers suck too :P I used to work in Vancouver CBD and witnessed several accidents people get hit by cars on the corner Robson Hornby. The city never did anything about it, it was just accepted as a fact of daily life. EDIT a quick Google reveals people, including infants, are still getting hit and killed on the corner Robson Hornby, and it doesn't look like there's been any traffic calming or bollards or fencing or anything added to keep pedestrians safe. (people aren't just getting hit when crossing the intersection, they're getting hit by cars coming up on the sidewalks etc, it's crazy)
tiew9Vii 5y ago
I agree on Australian drivers. I’m neutral on Australian urban speed limits, they are similar to parts of the UK. However the standard of driving in the urban speed limits in AU is far poorer, the lower limit the more aggressive the driving gets. Australian drivers are aggressive, tailgate, no lane discipline, if you are a pedestrian/cyclist you are in the way and Australian drivers make it known speeding up, getting close, not giving way. The speed limit doesn’t seem to be the issue, the attitude does. Non urban speed limits seem lower in AU, the flow of traffic generally on the highway seems lower in AU. The UK most people do 80mph on the motorway (limit is 70mph), AU limit is 110km/h (68mph) and most drivers do 100km/h with those speeding doing 120km/h (just under 75mph). Regardless of AU flow of traffic feeling slower on the highway, I’ll almost always see people lane hogging, tail gating, under taking, cutting people up and feel far more at risk than driving in the uk/eu where people are driving faster, but more considerately
- bedobi 5y ago
  Glad it's not just me. Ranting a bit but I feel like in many European countries, if you behaved the way Australian drivers do, you would get ostracized and people would never want to get in a car with you. That kind of behavior is just totally socially unacceptable - there's a widespread understanding that you should stop to let pedestrians cross, you should give way and merge in a cooperative, charitable way etc etc. Whereas in Australia, aggressive driving isn't just taken for granted and perfectly socially acceptable, but in a huge share of the population, it's straight up encouraged as something good and cool. "Having to" stop to let pedestrians across, giving way, being overtaken etc is taken as some kind of personal slight that should be punished or made clear to the "offender" that it's unacceptable, by intimidation or abuse or both. It's a bizarre and childish mentality, like kids racing their bikes and have to arrive first or something.

by bedobi 5y ago

porty 5y ago

I'm going to need your home country for comparison - I find what you're saying here sounds a lot more like California (where I live now) than Australia.

bedobi 5y ago
I learned how to drive in Stockholm, which isn't great either, but doesn't get close to Australia. By all means I think Vancouver and California drivers suck too :P I used to work in Vancouver CBD and witnessed several accidents people get hit by cars on the corner Robson Hornby. The city never did anything about it, it was just accepted as a fact of daily life. EDIT a quick Google reveals people, including infants, are still getting hit and killed on the corner Robson Hornby, and it doesn't look like there's been any traffic calming or bollards or fencing or anything added to keep pedestrians safe. (people aren't just getting hit when crossing the intersection, they're getting hit by cars coming up on the sidewalks etc, it's crazy)

tiew9Vii 5y ago

I agree on Australian drivers. I’m neutral on Australian urban speed limits, they are similar to parts of the UK. However the standard of driving in the urban speed limits in AU is far poorer, the lower limit the more aggressive the driving gets. Australian drivers are aggressive, tailgate, no lane discipline, if you are a pedestrian/cyclist you are in the way and Australian drivers make it known speeding up, getting close, not giving way. The speed limit doesn’t seem to be the issue, the attitude does. Non urban speed limits seem lower in AU, the flow of traffic generally on the highway seems lower in AU. The UK most people do 80mph on the motorway (limit is 70mph), AU limit is 110km/h (68mph) and most drivers do 100km/h with those speeding doing 120km/h (just under 75mph). Regardless of AU flow of traffic feeling slower on the highway, I’ll almost always see people lane hogging, tail gating, under taking, cutting people up and feel far more at risk than driving in the uk/eu where people are driving faster, but more considerately

bedobi 5y ago
Glad it's not just me. Ranting a bit but I feel like in many European countries, if you behaved the way Australian drivers do, you would get ostracized and people would never want to get in a car with you. That kind of behavior is just totally socially unacceptable - there's a widespread understanding that you should stop to let pedestrians cross, you should give way and merge in a cooperative, charitable way etc etc. Whereas in Australia, aggressive driving isn't just taken for granted and perfectly socially acceptable, but in a huge share of the population, it's straight up encouraged as something good and cool. "Having to" stop to let pedestrians across, giving way, being overtaken etc is taken as some kind of personal slight that should be punished or made clear to the "offender" that it's unacceptable, by intimidation or abuse or both. It's a bizarre and childish mentality, like kids racing their bikes and have to arrive first or something.