There are two big trends in driving that could be working against each another. One is that new vehicles come increasingly equipped with driving aids, such as lane-assist, self-parking and blind spot technology. The second is drivers are becoming lazy and more distracted by gadgets in their vehicles. What is the result? More road deaths and serious injuries and – worse – we forget how to be good drivers. Read More
How many electric vehicles (EVs) have you seen on the road? Probably not many. Sales of EVs in Australia dropped 23% in 2016: only 701 plug-in hybrids and 668 fully electric. In September 2017, Australians bought 100,200 cars and only 93 were pure EVs while 907 were hybrids. No wonder the NRMA and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) wants action to encourage us to go out and buy them. Read More
The NSW government spent $300 million on road safety in the 2017 budget. Sadly, 392 people died in 2017, which was 12 more than in 2016. The road toll has increased each year since 2014 after decades of steady decline. In three years there were 20% more fatal car crashes and 85% more deaths in light trucks. Read More
You might not want to buy a car but it can be fun looking around a dealership to see what’s on offer. That may soon change. Some 85% of leaders in the global auto industry are convinced 20-50% of dealerships will be shut within seven years. So what will local dealerships do then? And how will we buy a car? Read More
Young drivers do take risks while driving. The NSW government works with many sporting bodies to spread road safety messages like Towards Zero and Slow Down. One partnership is with the Western Sydney Wanderers. This is particularly designed to reach men 17 to 29, who are more likely to be injured or die in a crash. Read More
If you want to buy a used car, here are some tips about which models are safest. An Australian study, led by Monash University, gives 1-5 star ratings for nearly 400 models of vehicle. There was a huge difference between the best and the worst. In fact, a driver in the least safe car is 10 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than in the safest car.
One of life’s headaches, especially during holidays, is finding a parking spot. Competition for a parking space seems to bring out the worst in people. So there are two trends that may bring some relief: automatic parking apps that do it for you, or not driving at all.
During 2017, speed cameras in Australia raised $1.1 billion in fines. The highest sum went to Victoria with $363 million, then Queensland with $226 million and NSW with $194 million. It appears cameras are good at catching people who speed. But are they good at saving lives? Read More
Everybody knows driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous. More recently, Australian police started testing drivers for drugs that are known to adversely affect their driving. Now a recent US study finds drivers with a combination of alcohol and marijuana in their body are five times more likely than sober drivers to cause fatal two-car crashes. Read More
Congestion charging could be the future of road pricing in Australia. Road congestion in Australian cities already costs about $16 billion a year, as well as non-economic factors like road rage, frustration and inconvenience. If drivers paid for their own use of roads, it could be fairer – even cheaper – than paying for registration. Read More