8 December 2011

Macarthur Ave poor driving

| Sgt.Bungers
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Caught this one on my dashcam the other week in North Canberra:

Aside from crossing a solid white centre line, I don’t know what is else illegal about this move if anything…

Besides it being a stupid thing to do at a red light of course.

Any police officers or legal experts care to comment?

screenshot

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The Traineediplomat9:55 pm 09 Dec 11

I recall some other idiot pulling this exact same move at the Barry Drive/McCaughey St lights by going into the slip lane and skipping across McCaughey St. A few days later I saw another car try the same move but it was hampered by the sudden arrival of a truck. Not to smarten up and turn left onto McCaughey St and work out a way around on other streets or U-turning, the idiot waited for the truck and other vehicles to go through to the ANU before continue their now absolutely pointless move across McCaughey St.

Peeps are crazy.

But a dash-cam does sound like a great idea….there’s a website just waiting to happen!

ohrid20 said :

How fast were you going to catch her at the next set of lights?? 😉

I think you would need a lot of storage to film bad drivers in Canberra….Dont you just hate it when people pick their nose while driving?

60 km/h @ 16x, so 960 km/h, or approx 267 m/s. 🙂

Karma will eventually get to those who nose pick in a moving vehicle. Nothing like an airbag to the elbow to help them pick a winner.

Classified said :

Erg0 said :

Classified said :

People drive like retards because they are.

Fixed that for you.

This sort of thing happens regularly on ACT roads. People do it because they will almost always get away with it.

This is true, but it still takes a special kind of person to make the leap between “I can do this” and “I should do this”.

How fast were you going to catch her at the next set of lights?? 😉

I think you would need a lot of storage to film bad drivers in Canberra….Dont you just hate it when people pick their nose while driving?

Mang said :

Mysteryman said :

I’ll be he threw his cigarette butt out the window, too. The next person I see doing that while I’m on the bike gets an armoured glove through their rear vision mirror.

…well, probably not, but each time it happens I get closer and closer to doing it.

*Sigh* now I have to start smoking in my car againg with the hope that you will witness it and drive you nuts.

Please don’t! 🙁

Mysteryman said :

I’ll be he threw his cigarette butt out the window, too. The next person I see doing that while I’m on the bike gets an armoured glove through their rear vision mirror.

…well, probably not, but each time it happens I get closer and closer to doing it.

I feel exactly the same. The time a butt (sparks flying) missed my face by about a metre, I found it very hard not to smash something. I did use universally understood hand gestures to express my displeasure though.

Erg0 said :

Classified said :

People drive like retards because they are.

Fixed that for you.

This sort of thing happens regularly on ACT roads. People do it because they will almost always get away with it.

Mysteryman said :

I’ll be he threw his cigarette butt out the window, too. The next person I see doing that while I’m on the bike gets an armoured glove through their rear vision mirror.

…well, probably not, but each time it happens I get closer and closer to doing it.

*Sigh* now I have to start smoking in my car againg with the hope that you will witness it and drive you nuts.

I’ll be he threw his cigarette butt out the window, too. The next person I see doing that while I’m on the bike gets an armoured glove through their rear vision mirror.

…well, probably not, but each time it happens I get closer and closer to doing it.

Classified said :

People drive like retards because they are.

Fixed that for you.

Jivrashia said :

(Party pooper coming through! Please make way!)

Are you REALLY REALLY sure it’s the same car?? I noticed that you seemed to have lost him/her as he had gone way way ahead of you while you where at the red lights at the Macarthur Ave and Miller St. intersection.

From the video all I could attest was that it was the same colour, manufacturer (Mitsubishi?), and model.

Your cam may not have caught it, but if you can testify with your very own eyes that the same car that committed a cross over the double line (which is the only offence he/she did) is the same car your cam caught at the intersection of ABC666, then I have nothing more to say.

So, can you attest that it was the same car?

From your video, I can’t.

Yep. 100% positive. I read out the number plate on video as he did it (in the original)

If you watch the video on youtube in 720p full screen, you can make out the same dents in the back of the car and the same sik wheels that cost more than the car itself.

Holden Caulfield said :

The worst part of that was that he didn’t take the clear lane turning on to Northbourne. You never give up pole position. 😛

+1

It can not be the same Magna, surely nobody who thinks to use that handy traffic beating move would give up pole position!

Could be the same car, you can see the sun glinting off his fully sick rims (on a Magna, really, why would you bother?)

I’m no expert but I’d say the only road rule broken would be crossing a continuous white line. I’m sure the cops would throw in reckless driving as well

(Party pooper coming through! Please make way!)

Are you REALLY REALLY sure it’s the same car?? I noticed that you seemed to have lost him/her as he had gone way way ahead of you while you where at the red lights at the Macarthur Ave and Miller St. intersection.

From the video all I could attest was that it was the same colour, manufacturer (Mitsubishi?), and model.

Your cam may not have caught it, but if you can testify with your very own eyes that the same car that committed a cross over the double line (which is the only offence he/she did) is the same car your cam caught at the intersection of ABC666, then I have nothing more to say.

So, can you attest that it was the same car?

From your video, I can’t.

People drive like retards because they can.

Golden-Alpine8:49 pm 08 Dec 11

I saw a guy driving a white station wagon commodore without plates down Belconnen Way, turn left down Benjamin Way where the lights were red. He then did a u-turn at the first intersection back up Benjamin Way only to have to wait at the slip lane giving way to the cars that then had the green light. I hoped he was in a rush in his un-registered car to the hosptial but no he drove straight past the hospital.

ThatUniStudent8:05 pm 08 Dec 11

Hercsie said :

And where can I get a dash cam?

Ebay is your friend. Just do a search for “dash cam” or if you want GPS tracking and speed read out type “dash cam gps”.

This is the same model I have: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-7-Dual-Lens-Dashboard-Dash-Camera-Car-DVR-black-box-video-recorder-GPS-logger-/280754826597

It’s okay, supplies a good picture and GPS log, but getting your speed from the GPS data is not easy. I ended up using the software from one of these:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2GB-G-sensor-Car-DVR-Camera-Blackbox-Dash-Recorder-GPS-/220837655456
That’s the First Scene unit which IMHO is better than the unit I have, apart from only having a single camera. It has far better picture quality, works better at night and has an emergency button which saves the video file with a heading of ’emergency’ instead of a standard time and date format. Both units though have G metres and GPS and will shoot okay video though not so good at night. And both are under $170.

Sgt Bungers..I like..I have a feeling you won’t be short of material to capture on your dash cam in this town.

Any day now and I’m sure I’ll be witness to a t-bone from someone running or avoiding a red light. It seems in many CBR drivers eyes an orange light means speed up and red means speed up more. This morning was a prime example on Drakeford drive: Light went orange, I had just entered the intersection. Van a good distance behind me braked, van behind it pulled out and floored it and and ran the red light.

An another note, Just got back from Thailand where most traffic light intersections there have large timers above the intersection counting down the time left until the lights change. I thought it was a great idea as it clearly indicates to the driver when the lights are about to change and hence can’t pull the “I wasn’t ready for them to change” line. Pic here

http://www.wrighteous.com/bangkok/hello/36/1074/640/SattahipCountdownLights1.jpg

Chewy …..next. Not enough contempt and no Txt talk. You even used punctuation. *$%^

chewy14 said :

Cool,
thanks for getting footage of my fully sick driving.

Now I can show all my mates how rad I am.

Cool,
thanks for getting footage of my fully sick driving.

Now I can show all my mates how rad I am.

Holden Caulfield12:23 pm 08 Dec 11

The worst part of that was that he didn’t take the clear lane turning on to Northbourne. You never give up pole position. 😛

After having too many near misses as a cyclist and as a car driver, I’ve actually started to consider that these cams should be compulsory for road users. There are jsut way too many d### heads out there and the police can’t be everywhere all the time. I reckon if half the hoons knew that other road users had this technology at their disposal they may actually think twice .. (only half though, the others are just brain dead).

That said, has anyone seen a Magna that hasn’t been driven by a F@#k wit with a shoulder tan lately.

wildturkeycanoe11:53 am 08 Dec 11

I have to admit I have turned left into a slip lane at red lights, gone down the adjacent road till double lines stop, done a u-turn and turned left to continue my journey [only after being stopped at at least a dozen red lights prior, aargh…frustration], all legal maneuvres though. But this takes the cake. At that speed, there is no look right or left option, just do or die. I’m glad nobody got killed or this video may have ended up in court [may still do so on the advice of other posters].

Sgt.Bungers said :

Solidarity said :

I think you need a girlfriend, or a hobby.

I have a hobby:

http://actroads.org

🙂

You have too much time on your hands

jsm2090 said :

The Gopro range of Cameras is great- HD video, small light and cheap, and even comes with a waterproof housing. The motorsport version has a suction mount.
http://gopro.com/

For your average punter wanting to record their commute there are purpose-build dash cams (auto loop recording, etc) on ebay that produce great results for a fraction of the cost of a GoPro.

I originally thought, here we go, another minor offence being complained about, but that was pretty bad and potentially dangerous.

Sgt.Bungers said :

Solidarity said :

I think you need a girlfriend, or a hobby.

I have a hobby:

http://actroads.org

And my girlfriend also just reminded me that I have a girlfriend.

Solidarity said :

I think you need a girlfriend, or a hobby.

I have a hobby:

http://actroads.org

🙂

Hercsie said :

And where can I get a dash cam?

I used to expend too much energy getting upset with Canberra drivers. Now that I don’t let it upset me, I can spend it driving even more defesively.

The Gopro range of Cameras is great- HD video, small light and cheap, and even comes with a waterproof housing. The motorsport version has a suction mount.
http://gopro.com/

Waiting For Godot10:41 am 08 Dec 11

That’s 43 seconds I’ll never get back . . .

Solidarity said :

I think you need a girlfriend, or a hobby.

http://tinyurl.com/7juy4kf

Last week we were travelling north on Miller street and were stopped these traffic lights.

A pedestrian had pushed the pedestrian button and they had a green walk signal. The pedestrian had just made it across to the other side of Macarthur Ave when the lights went green for Miller St traffic.

A dark blue 4 door Astra driven by a young female came down Macarthur ave from the belconnen side and straight through the red light just missing the pedstrian and the south bound car which was starting across the intersection.

What is scary about this is there was no decceleration by the Astra at all – it appeared to be travelling at least 60Kph as though the driver did not even register there was a red light at all.

If the pedestrian had been a bit slower or the cars had started across Macarthur avenue a moment earlier there would have been a different outcome.

WTF is wrong with people!

And where can I get a dash cam?

Burn the footage onto a CD and take it to your local police station. The issue may be in ID, that is is the plate visible on the footage? Is the footage date/time stamped? Would you be prepared to make a formal statement and go to court if necessary?

There would be a few offences that could possibly be applicable including negligent driving, proceed when traffic light red, part of body outside vehicle, drive on dividing strip/traffic island and drive over continuous white line. It may even fit into a higher category such as furious, reckless or dangerous driving for which the driver would have to go to court.

62567777 – ask for Traffic Operations. You will get both the Police and legal opinion.

I think you need a girlfriend, or a hobby.

That is fri*ken awesome.

I would love to get a dash cam, but am afraid I would just end up incriminating myself. 🙁

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