More Rubbish Australian Driving

[addo]

As our Scandinavian cohort would agree, these people couldn't last five minutes on an icy road...

[steve valentine]

He had a blowout, rear left. You can just see a bit of tyre come off and the back corner dip just before he looses it.

[addo]

I didn't see that, but had picked an underpressure NSR tyre.

Idiot, either way.

[Gadgetman]

Frankly, I'm not impressed with any of the drivers.

The trucker should have slowed down much sooner.
Unless he was missing the mirrors completely he should have been aware that a car was overtaking at the same time that he was closing the gap to a car in front. Technically he probably didn't break a law, but...
Here in Norway we have a § in the traffic law just known as §3, which states that everyone should drive with 'aktsomhet og vise hensyn' (translates to something like 'care and show respect' but really means 'don't be an ass in traffic, and don't make trouble for other drivers') It's not very often that its used, but it definitely applies in situations like this.
Slowing down just a little bit to match speed with the car in front wouldn't have cost him more than a second on his trip anyways, and would have made the overtaking less dangerous.

The car in front...
There's TWO vehicles trying to overtake him. The LEAST he could have done was to hit the brakes and drop the speed properly as soon as the one doing the fast overtaking was past him.
He could also have tried to keep the gap open to make if a smoother overtaking, just by adding a little bit of pressure to the accellerator.

The speeder...
In most countries, its NOT LEGAL to break the speed limit even when overtaking.
The gap between the other vehicles is closing, and one of them is a LONG vehicle. What the F! were you smoking, and where can I get it?
Would it have cost you that much to wait behind the truck until it had passed the slower car and THEN overtake the truck?
Didn't you SEE the car up front?

The first think we learn in drivers ed here is to LOOK FAR AHEAD. On a road like this you can see pretty far, and that means lots of time to PLAN before you get to a 'situation'

Also, its the roadworthiness of the vehicle is the responsibility of the driver. Methinks he failed on that point too... Most probably that tire has been damaged for a while, and the sudden zig-zag motion when he changed lanes made it collapse.

In Norway the rule is that a vehicle must be in 'certified state'(all equipment working, tires OK, and all that) before starting a journey, and in a 'roadworthy state'(all critically important bits such as brakes works, headlights if driving at night, stuff like that) during the trip.
I'm pretty certain most countries have similar rules placing the responsibility of the state of the vehicle on the driver?

'But judge, I didn't own the car, I was just renting it' won't get you off the hook if you're caught with bald tires.

[addo]

Did you notice how only one vehicle in the oncoming traffic responded much to what was visible? :lol: Lot of zombies here.

The basic attitude in driving here is closer to that American law in some redneck states of "stand your ground". This concept extends about 200km from major centres, and fades after that.

Or if you wanted to be fairer, the truck driver was overtaking first, and should be allowed to complete his manoeuvre; normally he will then pull to the kerb lane and allow others past without concern.

It's likely that the blue car's driver will be only lightly prosecuted for driving negligently; the camera footage is not usually considered admissible evidence. Also noteworthy is the front vehicle's uncovered load - normally attracts a heavier penalty than negligent driving.

[ffrenchie]

Frankly, I'm not impressed with any of the drivers.

The trucker should have slowed down much sooner.

There's TWO vehicles trying to overtake him. The LEAST he could have done was to hit the brakes and drop the speed properly as soon as the one doing the fast overtaking was past him.
He could also have tried to keep the gap open to make if a smoother overtaking, just by adding a little bit of pressure to the accellerator.

They are driving on the left like UK aren't they ? The lorry was already overtaking the ute and trailer so the car coming up the inside should have followed him not try to undercut him. You should show consideration to other drivers wherever you are but the driver of the accident car was a total knob Oncoming traffic was not affected so why should they respond and cause a problem in the other carriageway much like rubberneckers do ?

[3rensho]

The basic attitude in driving here is closer to that American law in some redneck states of "stand your ground"

LOL, When I lived in California (before moving to Europe over 20 years ago) it was considered prudent to carry a pistol in the vehicle as some motorists would open fire if you drove too slowly for them. There were several shootings on the motorway near where I lived. Some fatal.