YOUR VIEWS
AS an ex UK police officer (traffic) living in Australia I find the range of views and opinions regarding road rules, road safety etc quite interesting.
Recently opinions have been expressed in your newspaper about roundabouts and trucks being restricted to the use of the inside lane only.
Training at the Police Advanced Driving Course (a system adopted by some Australian police forces) teaches ‘No right turn at a roundabout’, only left hand signal given on passing the last exit before left turn. The circle of a roundabout is only a band in the road. Right signals only add uncertainty as to a driver’s intentions and in many cases is the cause of collisions.
In the UK vehicles over 3 tonnes of unladen weight are restricted to the inside lane, except when preparing to turn right or to avoid a hazard.
We should adopt a similar rule and include any vehicle, constructed or adapted where through-vision is not possible. Vehicles in these categories cause drivers to blindly overtake in the inside lane.
Many TVprograms show examples of bad driving, including the poor techniques of safe driving displayed by many police officers who don’t seem to have been properly trained.
The continual reference to speed and alcohol as being the cause of collisions is not quite correct – the real cause is the drivers. Our road safety would be better served by promoting driver education. PB COPPER, GOLD COAST
SADLY it has taken an absolute tragedy in London to give Australian authorities a wake-up call re the fire safety of high-rise buildings. (’Death trap lottery’ , GCB Jun 16).
There is no doubt in my mind that all state governments and councils have a black mark against them when it comes to maintaining up-to-date records of building fire safety inspections. It happened in Grenfell so why not here? No doubt the public will be told there are not enough inspectors to do the job efficiently. Surely the answer to that is simple. Are any of Premier Palaszczuk’s extra public service appointments fire safety compliance officers? I doubt it.
Let’s take the bull by the horns and guarantee no blazing inferno here claims innocent lives. KEN JOHNSTON, ROCHEDALE SOUTH
WHAT on earth is going on with this country? We are now shelling out 70 million dollars to asylum seekers. They come here (supposedly) seeking shelter from oppression in their own countries of origin.
They have no rights. They are purely asylum seekers. If they don’t like the rules under which they are admitted then it’s quite simple – they should go back to where they come from.
Why should we, the Australian tax payers, shell out our hard earned to keep a load of Immigrants living here for nothing?
This country is going backwards at 100 mph. FRANK TEWKESBURY, SOUTHPORT