SA road laws

Submitted: Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 00:01
ThreadID: 109365 Views:3287 Replies:9 FollowUps:12
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Does everybody know about the 25kmh speed restriction while passing any road related accidents or incidents?
Ian
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Reply By: Honky - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 06:49

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 06:49
Isn't called "rubber necking?
Every accident I have passed or been in the opposite lane the traffic has already slowed down to have a look.

Honky
AnswerID: 538491

Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 07:18

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 07:18
Hi Ian

It is exactly as you have posted and came into effect as of yesterday. Prior to that it was 40 kph. It applies to all emergency vehicles that have their lights flashing, eg Police, Fire and Ambulance.

It came into effect a good number of years ago to protect our Emergency workers while on foot and out of their vehicles. You would be surprised that there are still morons that still do not slow down when they see emergency flashing lights.


Cheers



Stephen
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AnswerID: 538492

Follow Up By: Member - Outback Gazz - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:03

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:03
G'day Stephen

I fully support the idea but have reservations about what sort of chaos will occur along the south eastern freeway in the 110 kph zone. Heading to Adelaide yesterday east of Mt Barker in the rain I couldn't help but think about the new law should a police car pull someone over - some people will react very differently to others when seeing the flashing lights with only 200 metres of notice going around some of the bends - these are the same bends the police hide behind when using their safety cameras to catch speeding motorists. Some people will slam on the brakes while others will just back off the pedal - could make for some interesting situations in the wet ! I wonder what time the new law allows you to go from 110 to 25 ?


Happy and safe travelling

Gazz

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Follow Up By: Whirlwinder - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:50

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:50
Hi Stephen,
Yes, you are dead right about clowns who don't/can't slow for flashing emergency lights.
I am in the NSW SES and repeatedly have to wave to drivers to slow down when we are clearing an area of fallen trees. When we close the road so we can work safely we sometimes get abused. I have even had a "P" plater young woman drive between the witches hats despite the presence of police. GGGRRR!!!
Ian
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Follow Up By: Les PK Ranger - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:53

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 08:53
Gazz, the speed limit is or will be shortly down to 90km/hr down the main run on the freeway, previously 100.
The freeway up to Crafers where this take effect is still 110, but is generally more open . . . still many people driving there should leave more gap in front, many drive too close.

Ummm, this new law re 25km/hr.
Must find out for sure, but assume it applies to other services like SES with lights flashing, but possibly council vehicles attending a tree down, drain blocked, etc with their lights going ?
Expect for urgent type situations they don't normally pt out 40k signs etc, but work to get the job done.

Anyway, doesn't hurt to slow to 25 if conditions and situation dictates.
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Follow Up By: Member - KBAD - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:16

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:16
If there are to be changes the powers that be, need to be very clear where and how they expect the changes to take place, and make sure they communicate them effectively, and as I as a interstate traveller have only just stumbled across them by accident, it would appear that it has not been managed very well so far.
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Follow Up By: Freshstart - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:25

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:25
Good point Stephen. And then how do we know that they are acting as an "emergency vehicle". They may have, like said above, stopped to book someone, which I would believe is not an emergency, or stopped to talk on the phone (!!!) and left the orange light flashing as a lot of road maintenance vehicles do.

I want to know when they will start enforcing the old law that every motor vehicle is to be preceded by a man walking and carrying a red flag.Well . . . it looks like we are getting so over regulated and controlled that this could be the way. But bicycles are exempt???? They want us all to ride bikes. So simple. It's an invasion of the flashing light brigade.

Jokes aside I don't mind slowing down but hey . . . . Where will it stop and when do I get my "responsibility" back.
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Follow Up By: Member - KBAD - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:26

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:26
Had a quick look at the story as reported by media
"Other changes mean drivers will have to travel at 25kph past emergency roadside incidents.

That means slowing if an emergency vehicle has stopped on the road and flashing red or blue lights are evident."
Makes no mention of Amber lights.
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Follow Up By: Freshstart - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:49

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 09:49
What's the link? I may as well pass it on to my son in SA.
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Follow Up By: Freshstart - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 10:00

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 10:00
Found one already Karl. Thanks mate.
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Follow Up By: Dion - Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 06:42

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 06:42
Plod having pulled a motorist over to book them, despite leaving red and blue flashing lights on is engaged in Law Enforcement, not an Emergency.
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Reply By: Member - BUSH CAMPER - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 10:46

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 10:46
I would like these laws to be brought in across Australia. I have been a SES member for over 38 years and on a number of occasions have nearly been hit, and this is after we have put the prescribed emergency flashing lighting into positions. Some people just don't it. We are volunteers and just want to get home safely after an incident.
On many occasions we are out at night without the police in attendance, and we do not have the right to stop or redirect traffic, this makes it dangerous for us, it is up to common sense for the travellers to slow down when they see the emergency lights. We have distances where we put flashing strobes out to give plenty of warning, note we have had some drivers deliberately drive over these.
The worst situation I had was at a fatal accident, standing next to a female police officer, when a car came thru the scene at over 80 kms per hour , missing the 2 of us by only inches. We had more lights out than a circus with the vehicals parked in the prescribed safety pattern, I've never heard a police woman go off so much, but it all happened so quickly that the motorist was not stopped.
Any way I will keep attending scenes and hopefully laws can be enforced to protect us.
AnswerID: 538496

Follow Up By: Alan S (WA) - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 13:56

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 13:56
I 100% agree, I do find though that with modern hi intensity variable flashing lights that the last accident scene i went past in the dark that there was so many lights flashing on different cycles and colours it was down right dangerous at any speed. It also didnt help that emergency workers were also moving around directing traffic.

I know this is a reason to slow down even more but it was almost unsafe at any speed.

Alan

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Reply By: Robyn R4 - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 12:17

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 12:17
PLEEEASE!!
Understand that vehicles travelling slowly past an accident are not rubber-neckers!
I have been very close behind an accident and what do you automatically do?
You brake/take evasive action!
You don't go "Wow, there's a car that slid out of control and hit the middle post of the highway overpass but I'll continue at 110km/hr because that's the speed limit!" You slow, you check to see if it's safe to pull over somewhere to render assistance, you realise that people are already doing that when you look in your rear vision mirror and you gradually get back to normal speed.
This has had an impact on traffic flow. The people who were able to pull over have slowed traffic even further.
When there is a lot of traffic, that braking is amplified how-many-times because of all the following cars.
Even if it's a gentle nose-to-tail you still have to slow down in case they're not thinking clearly and get out of their car without checking if it's safe to do so.
On a quiet country road, you slow to see if your help is needed and what caused it/do I need to take evasive action/is someone about to step around their vehicle without looking...
When you are the 100th car (or whatever) there is no longer a regular traffic flow and you are in the middle of a snarl (always thinking to yourself "Well, my day is at least better than theirs" of course).
The traffic stays in a demented state for hours afterwards because of rescue vehicles etc and sensible drivers driving slowly when they see people out of vehicles.
Yes, if the traffic is safe enough we have a quick look at the cause (what, you're going to go home and say "Darl, I was caught up in a huge snarl on the Gateway for about 40 minutes but I don't know what it was because I refused to even glimpse in that direction so we'll have to watch the news tonight"?!).
It really frustrates me to regularly read/hear of people accusing you as rubber-necking or "slowing down to have a sticky beak" when all that's happened was caused by the original cars taking evasive action.
I will not read this thread again because I know that there are some who will not be convinced under any circumstances of rational thinking and will have stories to tell of rubber-neckers.
But if I can convince just a few of you that it all happens with the initial braking of the first vehicles, I will be happier when I am next caught up in a snarl and hear on the radio that I am rubber-necking because I have had to slow down with the traffic.
If the traffic is doing 30km/hr I can hardly do 100km/hr past it, can I?

Please drive safely, all of you.
:)
AnswerID: 538499

Follow Up By: Honky - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 17:47

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 17:47
I was mainly talking about multiple divided highways where the traffic going the other way slow down to have a lokkand in a lot of situations create a traffic jam.
There is no danger at the accident scene or that part of the road but some is created in regards to rear enders.
In now way am I condoning speeding near an accident scene.

Honky
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Reply By: BunderDog - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 15:53

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 15:53
Here is what was posted in our local Childers Chitchat Newspaper (in Queensland) this week.

DO YOU TRAVEL TO SA- NEW ROAD LAW

BEWARE..from September 1st, when you see a stationary emergency vehicle with red or blue flashing lights "you must slow down to 25kph". Whether it is an ambulance, MFS, CFS, SES or Police vehicle, It's your responsibility to protect those who are protecting you and others in the community. So be aware of this new law and tell others.

So it is getting play as far away as Childers Queensland
AnswerID: 538508

Reply By: Member - Robert R1 (SA) - Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 22:59

Tuesday, Sep 02, 2014 at 22:59
Ian F (WA)

I read somewhere a couple of weeks ago that it also includes Police booking a driver etc.

Regards,
Bob
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AnswerID: 538540

Follow Up By: BunderDog - Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 10:09

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 10:09
Can just imagine the Police running a tag team..........

One Policeman pulls over a car and the next sits there with a radar booking everyone who doesn't slow down to 25kph.

In the California they tried to implement a law that you had to actually stop when school bus lights were flashing. Yes cars in both directions had to stop even on four lane roads. It caused such havoc it didn't last long.
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FollowupID: 823061

Reply By: allein m - Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 11:33

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2014 at 11:33
what we need in this country is to have Australian drivers license and registration and road rules the same across the board .

be a lot better over all

AnswerID: 538555

Reply By: The Bantam - Thursday, Sep 04, 2014 at 18:09

Thursday, Sep 04, 2014 at 18:09
Here is the problem with this.

25kmh is very slow....are they reducing the speed down to 25kmh because 40 kmh was not slow enough or because people where not slowing down o 40kmh.


There is a very real issue with the over cautious work on roads polocies.

By over cautious they reduce the speed considerably for the slightest reason, and speed very often remains reduced when there is no work or no obstruction on the road at the time.

examples....

Damage to a guard rail or barrier.....there is no change to the road way its self, there is no one working on the road, but because there is damage to the guard rail, speed is reduced.

Road work areas, where none of the roadway is obstructed or reduced, there is no one working on the road its self, there is no construction traffic entering or leaving the roadway AND there are concrete barriers between the road way and the construction area. but the speed limit is reduced by 20 or 40 Kmh.

The above pluss....the construction is actually some distance from the road, there is no construction activity for several days.

and it goes on and on.

traffic flow and speed is reduced where there is actually no additional risk at all.

In the no so distant past, when work was over for the day or when there was no work on week ends the speed restrictions where lifted or reduced.....doese not seem to happen these days.


People are getting frustrated and quite rightly so...people dragging along open unobstructed highway at 20, 40, or 60 KMH under the limit when thet is no reasonable additional risk, because there is no work occuring and no one on the site.

And the stricter, more conservative and rediculous the polocies the less people will comply with them.

AND yess I have work on road works and on the road side, both driving vehicles and on foot.
YES it would be good if people reduced their speed and complied with some sort of speed restriction.....but all to often it is becomming unreasonable.

SO there is an "accident sceen" on an 8 lane road ( 4 each way,)..there is emergency vehicle/s attending to a single vehicle in the far left lane.....there is a bump truck in attendance.....should all traffic be reduced to 25kmh...what are the implications for the traffic flow as a whole...will this stimulate more accidents.


In addition....I don't know if it is this way where you are...but it seems often the police in attendance will make absolutely no attempt to manage traffic at most accident sceens


A bit of common sence and reason on both sides would go a long way.

cheers
AnswerID: 538602

Reply By: Slow one - Saturday, Sep 06, 2014 at 05:26

Saturday, Sep 06, 2014 at 05:26
Well it looks like you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

Recent clip of an accident on the Bruce where vehicles had slowed past an accident, which is pretty normal and someone who didn't see what was ahead,
only maybe what was happening on the side
AnswerID: 538683

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