[Closed] NZ finally give up their daft traffic priority law

To be fair it really is a daft rule.

When I was over there in February you could tell it caused a lot confusion, especially given that NZ is always full of tourists. It was especially confusing at crossroads where if you are going straight on you are supposed to give way to people turning right!

So whenever I was turning left or crossing a junction I just gave way to everyone!

You have to sort of admire them to hanging onto what is clearly a really stupid rule for so long!

Yeah that rule confwezed me too - I just sat in the car daring not to move as soon as I saw another car near any kind of junction.

As somebody who learnt to drive in NZ I feel I really must rebut. It all makes perfect sense if that is how you are taught, because everybody does the same thing, and has NEVER been a problem apart from dopey tourists who are too arrogant to read the road rules.

It also makes way more sense than the horrifying British method of turning right at an intersection, of pulling out into the middle with indicator on then gunning it across at the red light, and hoping not to hit any pedestrians.... I nearly called the cops the first time I witnessed that top notch piece of roadcraft.

The NZ way, if the left turning person gives way to the right turning person at a crossroads everything flows better. Sorry if it was too complicated for you !!

*...Applause...*

Hear hear!

now somebody get the French to give up priorité à droite, and sort us out with the turn left on a red.

Was there in February, and after the first junction it was fine, it does actually make some sense regarding traffic flow on some junctions.

But I can see it could be a problem with so many tourists not used to it.

You could argue that the UK should start driving on the other side of the road, almost everyone else does

i think it's a good rule, but it didn't work because no-one else did it.

it helps reduce the number of people waiting for a gap to turn left - and holding up everyone behind them.

but never mind, once again 'stupid' wins.

[i]You could argue that the UK should start driving on the other side of the road, almost everyone else does [/i]

I guess you've not travelled much then...

and has NEVER been a problem apart from dopey tourists who are too arrogant to read the road rules.

🙄

Isn't it still the case that you are not allowed to make a phone call whilst driving in NZ but you can send a text message?

Not sure how true this is, think it was my mate's interpretation of the rules...

Mintman - don't know, but I'm sure just like in the UK doing anything which is distracting could be considered 'driving without due care and attention' or 'dangerous driving' regardless of a absolute ban on something.

After driving in NZ, I got used to this and very nearly had a crash as son as I got back to the UK. Ooops...

The great thing about it is that it forces people to use their indicators.

Some argue that the rules encourage civility by allowing cars making the more difficult turn to go first, but defenders are few.

(I had never heard of this law before this thread)

It isn't an issue of not reading the rules or being arrogant, it is a case of having to come to terms with a rule we are not used to. I knew what the rule was before driving in NZ, it didn't make it any easier to have the confidence I was driving correctly.

Precisely. Then, just when you've got used to it, you come back home...

I guess you've not travelled much then...

so 76 countries, most of them small and ex-british empire drive on the left.

and 164 countries drive on the right, of all sizes and across the world, so yes most people do drive on the right, and as most foreign drivers in the UK are from countries driving on the right, i stand by the point that making people drive on the right in the UK would make as much sense as NZ changing the rules to suit foreigners.

It isn't an issue of not reading the rules or being arrogant, it is a case of having to come to terms with a rule we are not used to. I knew what the rule was before driving in NZ, it didn't make it any easier to have the confidence I was driving correctly.

Similar to driving on the right I guess.

They introduced this rule just after I started driving, hugely controversial, but everyone just settled into it.

TBH, NZ has far more significant driving problems that need addressing more urgently than that, as a lot of you can probably testify.

I see they've just upgraded the driving test with interesting results..

[url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/6569646/Pass-rates-plunge-as-driving-test-gets-harder ]pass rate has dropped sharply from about 80 per cent under the old system to 39 per cent[/url]

It also makes way more sense than the horrifying British method of turning right at an intersection, of pulling out into the middle with indicator on then gunning it across at the red light, and hoping not to hit any pedestrians

Not sure I recognise this situation?

The right turn on red in the US does introduce a bit of an issue though in that when you are turning right on red the people at the crossing you are about to enter have a 'walk' sign. So you have to avoid them. Now of course you are meant to give way but it's not always sighted very well and people are often in a hurry...

molgrips - Member

Not sure I recognise this situation?

i just did it on my bike.

i wanted to turn right at a cross-roads, 'my' light was green, but oncoming traffic meant i couldn't proceed.

i had to wait until 'my' light changed to red (and the oncoming traffic stopped also) before i could proceed.

by which time my exit was full of pedestrians trying to scamper across the road before the cars coming from my left/behind me flattened them.

under the NZ system i would only need to wait for an oncoming car which wanted to turn left. there may still be ped's in the middle of the road, but i'd be able to turn right with a green light.

so 76 countries, most of them small and ex-british empire drive on the left.

and 164 countries drive on the right, of all sizes and across the world, so yes most people do drive on the right, and as most foreign drivers in the UK are from countries driving on the right, i stand by the point that making people drive on the right in the UK would make as much sense as NZ changing the rules to suit foreigners.

A significant minority of countries drive on the left. Coverting to the right would be exorbitantly expensive.

One country has the right-turn priority rule. Changing it costs virtually nothing.

[i]so 76 countries, most of them small and ex-british empire drive on the left.

[/i]

Yep; India, Japan, Australia - all pretty uninhabited...

He did say MOST.

under the NZ system i would only need to wait for an oncoming car which wanted to turn left.

Does that still apply at traffic lights?

Anyway seems to me there's always been enough time to clear the intersection if you are waiting to turn right and the lights go red. If oncoming traffic's running a red light or peds are chancing it then that's hardly the system's fault

@ b r

To be fair, although India is the most populous of those countries, you cold hardly say that they drive on the left. I mean, the law says they should but that is mostly beside the point in India.

Does that still apply at traffic lights?

i thought so...

(could be wrong)

don't see why not?

(i remember a few near misses when i [i]didn't[/i] do it at traffic lights...)

It's not just France that has "priorité à droite", it's most of Europe. IMO it's safer becuse it puts the onus on the driver that has the best visibility to stop and slows people down in urban areas.

It isn't an issue of not reading the rules or being arrogant, it is a case of having to come to terms with a rule we are not used to. I knew what the rule was before driving in NZ, it didn't make it any easier to have the confidence I was driving correctly.