A car is one of the biggest purchases many of us make, but it’s not always a satisfying experience. JD Power says 31% of new car buyers consider the deal to be the most important thing. But its recent sales satisfaction survey found buyers focused on deals are less satisfied than the industry average.
More people died on NSW roads so far in 2016 than in 2015. A huge 41% of these tragic deaths were linked with speeding. In the year to June 2016, speed cameras caught 11% more motorists driving more than 45 kmh over the limit and 17% more of us driving 30-45 kmh over the limit. We are speeding up, not slowing down.
There’s a new breed of person on the streets these days. They are called Smombies, iWalkers or Petextrians, and you probably know who you are. It’s also becoming riskier to be a pedestrian. Tragically, 71 pedestrians have died in Australia in the 12 months to mid-October 2016, compared to the 2013-15 average of 40.
We think tailgating is one of the worst driver habits on the road, yet many of us do it. One reason is simply to stop other drivers taking a space in front of us. Of course, it’s not the only reason. When participants in a survey were asked why they tailgated, road rage and anger was the top response.
A recent provocative article in Car Advice describes the frustration of sitting behind drivers who hog the fast lane, even at slow speeds. According to the police, lane hogging is one of the main gripes of motorists. Nobody likes it.
Our last blog, Australians love their motorbikes, failed to mention they love their cars too. 2016 has been a boom year so far for new car sales, up 3.4% higher than last year. This is the best half-year result ever for the new car industry in Australia.
It’s illegal to drive unregistered or uninsured, over the speed limit or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. What if it were illegal to drive at all?
All over the world people have had original, sometimes quirky, ideas about how to slow us down on the roads. England uses smileys, France creates cardboard cut-outs to represent fatalities, India is trialling virtual speed bumps.
Wonky walkers are a familiar sight – somebody walking across the road while stabbing at their mobile phone. Who has not felt frustrated with the pedestrian who is so captivated they don’t look where they are going?
The fact is more pedestrians died on NSW roads in 2015 than 2014. There were 61 fatalities in 2015, compared to 41 in 2014 – 17.5% of all deaths on the road. Sadly, 17-25 year olds have the second highest risk of death as pedestrians (after older pedestrians, 75 years and over).
Nearly 350 people died on the roads in NSW last year, according to preliminary 2015 road toll figures from Centre of Road Safety.