Awful driving gets a ‘fail’ from instructor
‘If everybody did the right thing, we wouldn’t have a problem.’
A FAR NORTH driving instructor is calling for patience on the region’s roads after witnessing poor driving habits.
Howard’s Professional Driving School owner Paul James said he had seen “so many people” do the wrong thing on the roads.
“Don’t die in the ditch just to prove a point,” he said.
His call for patience comes after a RACQ survey found teenagers living in regional areas were more likely to get into a vehicle with a driver they knew was over the legal limit.
Mr James said teenage drivers were prone to careless driving, however he said it was all about the mindset regardless of age.
“Someone with over 30 years of driving could become complacent,” he said.
“New drivers tend to be more cautious, given they’ve got the right attitude.”
Mr James said he had seen drivers make tight and sharp overtaking manoeuvres to get around his learner vehicle.
“People take unnecessary risks to get around a slow driver,” he said.
But at the same time Mr James said the onus was also on motorists to drive as close as possible to the posted speed limit.
“People go too slow,” Mr James said. “I was coming up the Captain Cook Highway (yesterday) when I saw a car going 63km/h in the 100km/h zone. People were trying to zoom in and out of the traffic.”
Other bad driving habits Mr James has witnessed included drivers not using indicators correctly, speeding, tailgating and speeding up to beat amber lights.
“Amber is the start of the red, not the end of the green,” he said.
“Drivers will try to put their foot down and beat it.”
Mr James said it all came back to common sense and people abiding by the rules.
“If everybody did the right thing, we wouldn’t have a problem,” he said.
According to the RACQ survey, 44 per cent of Year 11 and 12 students living in regional Queensland admitted to being a passenger with a driver who they believed was drunk.
That’s compared with 36 per cent of metropolitan students surveyed.
RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said it was a serious concern to see how many teens were putting themselves at risk.
“A spur of the moment decision to get in a car with someone over the limit can have devastating consequences,” she said.
“Getting into a car with a drunk driver should never be considered your only option to get home.”
She emphasised young adults needed to feel empowered to speak up and get themselves out of trouble.
Ms Ritchie encouraged family members to discuss a “no-questions-asked” phone call concept as an alternative.
“We know any parent would rather take a phone call in the middle of the night than receive a knock on the door from emergency services,” Ms Ritchie said.
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