I was out this afternoon with a student, peak hour traffic, we’d driven into the Brisbane CBD via the South East Freeway, Turbot Street, Wickham Street, Ann Street and out across the Storey Bridge. Relatively sedate drive, albeit in steadily increasing traffic volumes. We made our way along Shaftston Avenue, through to Coorparoo via Vulture and Stanley Streets, and onto Cavendish Road. The young lady in question was driving very well for someone with 45-odd hours in her logbook, until nearing Coorparoo Junction when we encountered a Range Rover attempting to turn right across our path. A look at the video will show the other driver quickly approach a give way T intersection, slow slightly, then proceed to cross our path. I had no choice but to apply the brake in an emergency stop. We narrowly avoided a collision. The fault lay entirely with the other driver. Crossing oncoming traffic, failing to give way to the right. The situation could have become quite nasty. Kudos to my student for her composure, Brickbats for the other driver for flagrant ignorance of the road rules.
Then, within seconds, the camera caught another driver who was clearly in a rush, seatbelt not done up initially, barge into the traffic flow to turn right, completely unsighted. I tell all of my students the two worst times to be on the road are morning and evening peak hours. In the mornings, everyone is on their way to work, essentially in drone mode, probably half asleep or putting on makeup as they drive. In the evenings, all they want to do is go home. All other considerations become secondary, including their own safety and that of other drivers around them. This evenings events only serve to bear this opinion out.
It’s due to incidents like this, situations like peak hour traffic, and creating an appreciation of the poor standard of road-craft that DriveEasyAs exists. I teach my students to be alert for just such circumstances. To ALWAYS be scanning ahead, behind and around themselves as they’re driving because they and only they can save their own lives on our roads.