Something interesting

I found this on the net... very interesting huh..?

In South Australia instructors are also examiners. One of the hardest things I find is, to fail an overseas licence conversion test. There is no distinction between a new driver and someone who has safely driven for 20 years in London, Lebanon or Liechtenstein. A common fault is rolling very slowly through a STOP sign. The authorities give us no leniency; just a slow roll over the line and the examining instructor must mark it as an instant fail.

The odd customer is adamant that they’d stopped at the stop sign, when in fact the wheels were rotating until a clear view was obtained. When it was clear, the applicants see no point in stopping but roll on.

After convincing one young man that he had not completely stopped, he announced: ‘You mean, stop, stop? Another commented: ‘OK then, I stop dead’. A middle aged learner from South Africa enlightened me: Over there everyone must stop for 15 seconds. (I find that hard to believe). The most intelligent response was: ‘So, all four wheels must stop’?

But is slow rolling motion really such a big deal? I have a theory.

Let’s turn the calendar back 50 years or so. Motor cars were not built with synchronized first gear. Mechanically it was impossible to roll very slowly and accelerate away. You were unable to change down to first gear while still moving. Approaching a blind corner meant, stopping the vehicle (all four wheels stop stop dead) then engaging first gear and moving off.

Before signs were introduced, intersections were mainly uncontrolled. As traffic gradually increased, give way and stop signs were introduced. On a blind corner, where a slow speed was called for, a STOP was placed, indicating to drivers, that first gear needed to be engaged, which only was possible after stopping. Corners that were open and could be negotiated faster (in second gear) a GIVE WAY sufficed.

Technology has progressed, thank goodness. Only vintage cars are still without first gear synchronized. Automatic cars are even more convenient, no gear changing at all. Unfortunately, the system of give way/stop signs is very hard to change.

To simplify road rules over a period, why not phase out give ways signs and only use Stop Signs? Psychologically they have a greater effect to slow down motorists. To take the thought even further, the stop signs could be colour coded, like traffic lights, indicating how ‘blind’ a particular corner is: Green visibility reasonable, amber visibility limited and red best ‘obey the stop sign’!

I think most motorists would be intelligent enough to drive through at a safe speed. Don’t we have to do this now at T-junctions, give-ways signs, roundabouts etc? To get fined for barely rolling through a stop sign or failing a driving test only produces an angry motorist not necessarily a safer one.