‘Appalling’ driver behavior a daily hazard
Dangerous driving is witnessed daily by truck drivers, claims a lobby group pushing for tougher road rules.
In response to images that emerged on Monday of a campervan crossing well over the double yellow lines on the windy Manawatu Gorge, Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley said such behaviour was seen frequently by its members.
The pictures were taken from a vehicle following the campervan on Sunday evening by a person who said it was the ‘‘scariest 15 minutes of road ever’’ before reporting the incident to police.
Shirley said drifting across double lines and excessive cellphone use were often reported by truck drivers and captured by webcams on the trucks.
‘‘These are typical behaviours you see every day. Truck drivers are exposed to some appalling driving. New Zealand driving habits are far from desired.’’
He advocated a higher standard of driver licence and tougher penalties for those caught breaking the law.
‘‘We need better education and the harder policing.’’
But truckers were not above straying across the centre lines when Manawatu Standard monitored driver habits at two positions at the gorge on Tuesday.
Over 40 minutes, 15 vehicles crossed the double yellow lines, about half of which were large trucks, and one vehicle was a St John health shuttle.
Central District highway patrol Senior Sergeant Kris Burbery said double yellow lines were on the gorge road for a reason and people had to abide by the law.
‘‘In the Manawatu Gorge, or other similar roads, the idea is we want to restrict people from attempting to overtake and also ensure they keep to the left of the centre line. When people start crossing over the centre line, that’s when the risk increases.’’
Burbery said in the past they had run operations targeting driving in the gorge.
‘‘That’s had some great results and that was a result of complaints as well as crashes where people were cutting corners.’’
If they received more complaints of driving through the gorge, like what was displayed in the images provided, he said they would look at running another operation.
His plea to motorists was to recognise the risks.
‘‘It’s a road on the side of a cliff above a river and it requires complete attention when someone is driving through there.
‘‘It’s when people’s attention drifts onto something else or they become casual ... you start putting other people at risk.’’
Anyone who witnessed dangerous
"We need better education and the harder policing." Ken Shirley, Road Transport Forum chief executive
driving should inform police, he said.
AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen said following the road rules should be common sense.
‘‘You shake your head sometimes about having to remind people [about] things that are such common sense like always wearing a seat belt and driving on the correct side of the road.’’
The toughest question was working out how to help improve the issue and Thomsen said there were some things people could do.
‘‘People, if they are in the car behind a vehicle crossing the centre line, their options are limited.
‘‘They can sound their horn, they can flash their lights, call star 555 and also pull back.’’