21 December 2010

Preparing your car for the exodus

| johnboy
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This in from ACT Policing:

ACT Policing is urging all motorists who are travelling interstate over the holidays to plan their trips and ensure their cars are in good working order.
“Some drivers become complacent when it comes to their cars. They assume that because the car had a service at one time during the year, the car should be right to go. If you are heading out of Canberra on your holidays, take a few minutes over the next couple of days to check your car,” Superintendent of Traffic Operations Mark Colbran said.

“There are some basic checks that anyone can do. Do all the tyres, including the spare, have a safe amount of tread across the entire surface of the tyre, and are the tyres properly inflated? Check the water and oil levels, including the windscreen washer. Make sure that the front and rear windows are clean and the windscreen wiper blades are in good condition. Finally, check that all headlights, brake and tail lights, and indicators are working correctly.”

To keep yourself safe on your journey, here are some safety tips to follow:

· Plan your trip. Ensure that you are rested before you leave and that you stop every two hours for a rest.

· Always drive to the road and weather conditions. In rain or poor visibility, or if you are on an unfamiliar or poorly maintained road, slow down.

· Obey the speed limits.

· Don’t drink and drive.

· Try to always be aware of your exact location. In unfamiliar surroundings try to remember landmarks and place names around you. In an emergency you will need to tell the emergency operator exactly where you are so that help can arrive in the shortest possible time.

· Finally, be patient. Long distance driving can be frustrating, but that frustration can lead some people to take unnecessary risks. Calm down and arrive alive.

“We have seen a number of Canberrans injured or killed during the year on interstate roads. Taking a few simple precautions can help you and your family to arrive safely and have an enjoyable holiday,” Supt Colbran said.

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Yes. Isn’t it strange that it has come at the same time as “8c off” has appeared…

what a shame petrol prices have gone up for the holiday travel season.

GottaLoveCanberra2:04 pm 22 Dec 10

Hint for those I’m about to overtake, if I’m already up your arse BEFORE the overtaking lane it means I’m going to do it quicker than you so GTFO of my way.

and FFS when overtaking on country roads do NOT lift off the go pedal and revert to your preset cruise control speed when you draw up next to the car being passed. Wait until you rejoin the correct lane. The bloke in the car behind you (or on the sports bike) will have a terrible few moments not running up your clacker.

Plus 1 to all the overtaking advice.

Have just done the trip up from the coast, on one of the region’s B roads (more like a D road, but I won’t start that again).

Got behind a small group of 4 cars, doing about 90 to 95, probably because nobody was game to overtake – you know, the typical clusterfuck of cars slowly gathering moss as each driver dreamily weighs their options against the contents of their wallets and remaining licence points. Was able to get around all four very quickly by not hanging around too long on the wrong side of the road. Which brings me to my point: there have been several posts in the last 6 weeks or so directly or tangentially related to road safety – and no sign of WMC. Where’d he go?

By the way, could not see the dick & balls graffiti on Pooh Corner – but then I couldn’t really look too closely.

Dont sit at 90 then speed up to 100 in the overtaking lanes. That is the reason the Kenworth is sitting up your arse……….

troll-sniffer3:01 pm 21 Dec 10

When overtaking, check you have plenty of room, then pass quickly – don’t jerk around for ages on the wrong side of the road. Use your indicators. Make sure you can overtake in around half the visible distance, in case another vehicle comes the other way. If you aren’t comfortable overtaking, that’s OK, just hang back a bit from the vehicle in front, as others will want to pass and may need to use this space as they pass you. Obviously, don’t pass on corners, crests, or where you aren’t confident in controlling the vehicle while accelerating past. [\quote]

And don’t try and crowd out a driver who has more judgement than you and overtakes a line of cars on a long straight and has to nestle in in front of you towards the end of the straight. He will be gone from your dog-in-the-manger windscreen at the next decent straight anyway.

The key to successful overtaking is being proactive. As you approach a potential straight suitable for overtaking, hang back, and just before rounding the bend, start gaining on the Volvo that’s holding you up, and if the roads clear you can use the extra speed to quickly whip around on even a short straight. (This works against Italian mummy boys who try and speed up in their Lancias to stop you getting past as well). If the straight that appears isn’t suitable or has traffic coming the other way, it’s easy to back off and wait for the next opportunity. Using this slingshot method I can regularly be past the offending slowpoke in as little as 5 seconds after the straight is revealed, and have used it to successfully do over wankers who crawl round corners then flatten their V8s on the straights.

I was abused once by a moon unit on Christmas eve.

I was running a workshop who happened to do registration checks.

We were having a few bangers & beers, I wa on my second beer & this bloke rocks up wanting a rego check.

Him: Hi, cen I get a rego check?
Me: Sorry mate we are closed.
Him: Really, you ahve to do it by law (I think Oh fark here we go).
Me: I dont actually, I have to accept the booking at my convenience.
Him: (getting a bit shirty) I will ring RUS & blah, blah, blah.

I let him finish & then asked him: So when did you book your holidays?
Him: In October, why?
Me: Well maybe you should have sotrted your trailer then……

To that he told me to get effed & screamed off out of the driveway nearly running a customer over at the fuel bowser.

I went back to my beer.

I may have deserved it a little but it had been the end of an extremely busy December & I cant help it if he could not get his crap together.

When overtaking, check you have plenty of room, then pass quickly…

But while keeping an eye on the speedo to make sure you don’t go a single km/h over the posted limit, because that would be extremely dangerous.

I was always taught to think of a GPS as a naviagtion aid only. Fantastic when it works, bad when it is dropped/lost/stolen/no power and that is all you had.

Besides most people cant find the function which tells them the exact location. They only use the ‘Go To’ button

georgesgenitals12:03 pm 21 Dec 10

The main advice I’d offer Canberrans (based on lots of NSW B-grade driving experience) is to be careful overtaking.

When overtaking, check you have plenty of room, then pass quickly – don’t jerk around for ages on the wrong side of the road. Use your indicators. Make sure you can overtake in around half the visible distance, in case another vehicle comes the other way. If you aren’t comfortable overtaking, that’s OK, just hang back a bit from the vehicle in front, as others will want to pass and may need to use this space as they pass you. Obviously, don’t pass on corners, crests, or where you aren’t confident in controlling the vehicle while accelerating past.

Don’t own a GPS Mr Gillespie. So I tend to just try to not what exits I’m between/after and creeks etc I might have crossed recently. 🙂

Mr Gillespie11:34 am 21 Dec 10

A few questions…..

1. Do you have to go away when everyone else is going away? Can’t it wait for another time? Ask yourself, “is this really the only chance I’ll ever get to go away on a holiday”?
2. Doesn’t your GPS tell you your exact location, for emergency services??
3. Do you need to drive such long distances that you’d get tired or frustrated?

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