NSW Road fatality comparative statistics.

NSW Road fatality comparative statistics

For the period 01 January to 29 November 2015, 2016 and the average for the same period in 2013, 2014 and 2015
Road user class
2016    2015      +/-      % change        3-year average
Driver           176       142        34          24%                    143.7
Motorcyclist    62        61        1            2%                        60.3
Passenger      48        57       -9          -16%                      45.3
Pedal cyclist    4          6         -2          -33%                      10.3
Pedestrian       66       56        10           18%                      44.7
Motorcyclist & pedal cyclist includes passenger
Gender
2016    2015      +/-      % change      3-year average
Male                   269     222        47           21%               213.0
Female                87     100       -13          -13%                91.3
Excludes unknown gender
Age group
2016     2015    +/-     % change          3-year average
0-16        16      19        -3        -16%                    13.7
17-25        70     50        20        40%                      58.0
26-39       66      55        11        20%                      56.0
40-59     100      92         8          9%                       82.0
60-79      71       71         0           0%                      64.3
80+        32        35        -3         -9%                      30.0
Excludes unknown age
Urbanisation
2016    2015      +/-       % change        3-year average
Metropolitan    119      112        7                6%                   100.0
Country           237     210      27               13%                   204.3

Are you driving blind? Get your hand off it.

Are you driving blind?      Get your hand off it.

Research shows that being distracted when driving, such as by a mobile phone, increases the risk of a crash.
Simply taking your eyes off the road for longer than two seconds, doubles the risk of a crash.
A short lapse of concentration can have lifelong consequences.
See how far you travel when you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds:
Travel speed Metres travelled in 2 seconds
40 km/h     22.22
50 km/h     27.78
60 km/h     33.33
80 km/h     44.44
100 km/h   55.56

Overview
Our original Get your hand off it campaign has evolved to highlight the serious consequences of using your mobile phone illegally while driving, which could cost you or those you care about everything.

We –  NSW RTA,     have adapted the successful ‘Are you driving blind?’ mobile phone distraction campaign launched by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads in March, 2015.

The campaign also encourages drivers to know the rules about mobile phone use.

Dangerous problem
Crash data from 2010 to 2014 showed there were 236 crashes where hand-held mobile phone use by drivers was identified as a contributing factor. This included seven fatal crashes and 116 injury crashes. These crash numbers are considered to be under-reported because of the difficulty of finding evidence of illegal mobile phone use at crash scenes. This suggests the size of the problem could be much greater.

From July 2014 to June 2015, more than 35,300 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for using hand-held mobile phones, showing the problem is still prevalent.

Research shows that males and females aged 17-39 years have the highest rate of claimed use while driving, and the greatest involvement in crashes where hand-held mobile phone use is a factor.

Main messages
It’s not worth it. Get your hand off it
At 60 km/h if you look at your phone while driving for just two seconds, you travel 33 metres blind

NSW Practical driving experience – Learner Driver Log Book

NSW Practical driving experience – Learner Driver Log Book

Research indicates that learner drivers who increase their supervised on-road experience can reduce their crash risk by 30 per cent, in the first two years of solo driving. Learner drivers under supervision have a very low involvement in crashes. It is only when they begin to drive solo that their involvement in crashes increases.

Your learner driver log book allows you and your supervising driver(s) to record your driving experience. Take care of your log book. If you need a replacement log book, you will need to attend a registry or service centre and pay a replacement fee.

You must log at least 120 hours of supervised driving, including a minimum of 20 hours of night driving, before you can attempt the driving test. Night driving hours are between sunset and sunrise.

Driving lessons with an instructor – 3 for 1

For every one hour structured driving lesson you complete with a licensed Driving Instructor, you can record three hours driving experience in your Log Book. A maximum of 10 hours of lessons will be accepted and recorded as 30 hours driving experience.

This doesn’t mean that driving lessons with an instructor are compulsory, or that you should stop having lessons once you reach the 10 hour limit, if you feel you’d benefit from more lessons.

Driving lessons at night (between sunset and sunrise) count for only one hour of night driving. The other two hours are added to your day driving hours.

Log it – Be sure to record these sessions in your Structured Lesson Record Keeper log book insert.

Exemptions
You do not have to complete a Learner Driver Log Book if you:

Are over 25 years old

Previously held a NSW or interstate driver licence, other than a learner licence

Previously held an overseas licence, other than a learner licence

Hold an overseas licence, other than a learner licence, and are issued with a learner licence after failing one driving test

Are specifically exempted by Roads and Maritime Services.

Recognition of log book hours recorded in another state or territory

If you’ve held a learner licence in another Australian state or territory, Roads and Maritime will recognise hours recorded in an interstate learner driver log book, as long as you provide appropriate documentation.

Practice drives planner

The Practice drives planner is available for supervisors, parents and learner drivers to plan on-road driving experiences. The weekly calendar-style planner can be put up on the fridge or on the wall, so that everyone gets a reminder to negotiate dates and times for practice drives.

The planner can also stimulate discussion between the supervisor and learner driver about where to drive, and what skills to practice. It helps when negotiating and developing a driving partnership. Learning goals and learning content can be found in the Learner Driver Log Book.

Remember:

Plan for practice on a variety of types of roads with different levels of traffic
Ensure the learner driver is getting variety in the time of day
Make sure you plan some night drives, preferably later in the process.
Safer Drivers Course

The Safer Drivers Course helps young drivers on their Ls prepare for driving solo when they graduate to provisional licences.

The course teaches learners how to reduce road risks and includes ways to cope when you have your mates in the car or if you’re running late by developing safe driving behaviour.

It’s also designed to help you understand more about speed management, gap selection, hazard awareness and safe following distances, which your parents, supervising drivers or professional driving lessons may not have covered.

Earn credit hours

As well as becoming a safer driver, you can earn a bonus of 20 hours of log book credit once you complete the course, so you only need to finish 100 hours of supervised driving outside the course.

The course has been designed for a learner to attend once, and therefore, the 20 hours of bonus log book credit will only be deducted once.

If you also take 10 hours of professional driving lessons, you’ll receive a further 20 hours of credit on top of the 10 hours you drive during those lessons.

Learner driver Credit Supervised driving hours Logbook total
Safer Drivers Course 20hrs
10hrs of professional lessons 20hrs
Safer Drivers Course and 10hrs professional lessons      40hrs

Professional lessons totalling more than 10 hours will not provide additional credit.

More information

To complete a course, you must be on your Ls , aged under 25 and have completed at least 50 log book hours of driving.

The course costs $140 and includes a three-hour group discussion with other learners and a two-hour in-vehicle coaching session with another learner.

The course is available in almost 250 locations across NSW.

Driver Fatigue STOP, REVIVE, SURVIVE

Driver Fatigue STOP, REVIVE, SURVIVE

Driver fatigue accounts for about 20% of road deaths in NSW. Fatigue is particularly dangerous because it affects everyone, no matter how experienced a driver you are.

What is driver fatigue? Fatigue is a term used to describe the feeling of being ‘sleepy’, ‘tired’ or ‘exhausted’. This is your body’s way of telling you that you need to stop and rest or sleep. The best way to avoid driver fatigue is to make sure you have plenty of sleep before you set off. The only way to treat  fatigue once you have already started driving is to stop and rest until you are refreshed.

Facts about driver fatigue

Fatigue fact 1 Fatigue is associated with the hours when you would normally be asleep. The risk of having a fatal fatigue crash is four times greater between the hours of 10pm and 6am because this is when your body is programmed to sleep. Your temperature falls and your blood pressure drops so that at night and to some extent during the afternoon, your ability to perform tasks can be severely impaired. This includes your ability to drive. Your circadian rhythms (natural sleep pattern) cause this type of fatigue and there is nothing you can do to stop it. So if you drive at night or early in the morning your risk of driver fatigue is increased.

Fatigue fact 2 The average person needs about eight hours of sleep each night to function normally, teenagers need even more. When you reduce the number of hours you sleep at night you start to accumulate what is called a ‘sleep debt’. The only way to treat your sleep debt is by sleeping.

Fatigue fact 3 Fatigue is caused by how long you have been awake. After being awake for 17 hours the risk of driver fatigue is greatly increased.

Fatigue fact 4 You have a high risk of suffering from fatigue immediately after you wake up, when you still feel groggy. This is called ‘sleep inertia’ and generally lasts between 15 to 30 minutes. Wait until you have overcome sleep inertia before you drive. All these factors will increase your fatigue.

Fatigue fact 5 The risk of fatigue increases with the amount of time you have spent driving. To reduce fatigue you should aim to stop for 15 minutes every two hours. But remember, the only cure for fatigue is a good night’s sleep.

Signs of fatigue

Driver fatigue severely impairs your concentration and judgement; it slows your reaction time. In fact, some of the effects of fatigue are as dangerous as the effects of alcohol on your driving. As you drive, watch for early warning signs of fatigue:

Driver Fatigue STOP, REVIVE, SURVIVE
Driver Fatigue STOP, REVIVE, SURVIVE

NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes

NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes

The officers agree that the big NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes are the small but important things like signalling – either forgetting to indicate or not doing it for long enough and observation – failing to check your mirrors or blind spots. Stop signs can also be troublesome, particularly when it comes to stopping before the line.

Signalling

Don’t just flick your indicator and drive off, you must signal for at a least 5 seconds before leaving a parking space or moving from a kerb. It is also important to signal at the right time because signalling too early, too late or leaving your indicator on can confuse other road users.

Blind spots

Not checking blind spots is another common error. You need to check your blind spots and mirrors when merging, changing lanes and during your manoeuvres. Drivers often forget to check their left hand side blind spot when turning left off wide roads. Think of it this way, if you could fit a car between the kerb and your car, a head check in your blind spot is required before turning left. You never know when something will be travelling up that part of the road. And don’t forget that an observation check is also required to confirm that it is safe to continue before moving off after being stopped at traffic lights.

Stop signs

A common mistake is not stopping at stop signs and just slowly rolling through. You have to stop the whole car behind the line at a stop sign and traffic lights. Stopping behind the line at traffic lights and then creeping forward does not count – you have to stay behind the line. You can move forward at stop signs when the view may be obscured, but only after you’ve come to a complete stop.

Judgement

Another problem is not selecting safe gaps in traffic. It’s a matter of judgement and experience. Sometimes learners will pull out and misjudge the speed of the car coming towards them or, if it’s a truck, you need to take into account that the truck takes longer to stop than a car.

Right turns

Be decisive, learners trying to turn right at lights can take too long to turn – there may be plenty of room but if you hesitate you can get into trouble.

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/geared/your_licence/getting_a_licence/the_big_test.html

 

NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes
NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes

Learning to drive TURNING

Learning to drive TURNING 
Plan your turns early so that you are in the correct part of the road and have
enough time to signal where you want to turn.
LEFT TURNS
You must make a left turn from the left side of the road. When turning:
• Signal left.
• Move close to the left side of the road.
• Keep to the left side of the road you are entering.
• Use a slip lane where one is provided.
When driving on a multi-lane road, you must turn left from the left lane, or from a
lane with a pavement arrow pointing left.
When turning left or right you must give way to any pedestrians
crossing the road into which you are turning.
RIGHT TURNS
When turning right:
• Signal right.
• Move as close to the centre line as possible.
• When turning on a multi-lane road, turn right from the right lane or a lane with
an arrow pointing right. Turn right when it is safe.
• In marked lanes, you must stay in the same lane as you go from one road to another.
• You must give way to pedestrians crossing the road into which you are turning.

Traffic lights
When turning right at traffic lights:
• Enter the intersection as shown in the diagram, unless a sign indicates otherwise
or there is a red right turn arrow displayed.
• Wait until oncoming traffic clears or breaks and then turn safely.
If the lights change to yellow or red while you are in the middle of the
intersection, you are allowed to turn right. You must turn as soon as it is safe to do
so. Be sure your front wheels and car are straight and not blocking the oncoming traffic.

 

Learning to drive TURNING
Learning to drive TURNING

Guide to the driving test

road_users_handbook-english

Book a RTA driving test

SCHOOL BUSES in NSW

SCHOOL BUSES
Be particularly careful when passing stationary buses from 7am–9.30am and 2.30–
5pm. This is when children are travelling to and from school.
SCHOOL BUS LIGHTS
Buses use signs and orange flashing wigwag lights to
warn you that they are picking up or setting down
school children. The lights begin to flash when the bus
stops and the doors are opened. They keep flashing for
about 30 seconds after the doors close and continue
even after the bus moves off. You must not drive past
the bus in the same direction at more than 40 km/h
while the lights are flashing as there may be children
crossing or about to cross the road.
SCHOOL BUS HEADLIGHTS
When buses are dropping off or picking up school children their headlights will
also flash. Be careful when approaching a bus with flashing headlights as there may
be children crossing or about to cross the road.

SCHOOL BUSES
SCHOOL BUSES

Camber Driving School Review

Cameron from camber driving school

Camber Driving School Review

After not being passing my test for 5 times and attending couple of different driving schools, I finally had my driving lesson with Cameron at Camber Driving School today. It was a 2 hour lesson, I was quite nervous but Cameron was very encouraging and calm we went through practising turns and crossing at junctions, parkings. After two hrs we went to rta and then finally i PASSED!!!!
Yayyy I would never have been able to do it without Cameron amazing guidance, he was always calm when I was panicking and gave me confidence in my own judgments.
Thank you so much Cameron.
Cheers
Anum Hammad

Camber Driving School Review
Camber Driving School Review

NSW – DRIVERS HOLDING OVERSEAS LICENCE

DRIVERS HOLDING OVERSEAS LICENCE

If you have a current overseas licence and a permanent resident visa, you are
allowed to drive or ride in NSW on your current overseas licence for a maximum
of three months after arriving in Australia.
To drive with your current overseas licence during the three-month period, you must
not be disqualified from driving or riding and your licence must not be suspended or
cancelled.
You must obtain (not just apply for) a NSW licence within this three-month
period if you wish to continue to drive or ride.

Please note that if your overseas licence is not in English, you must also carry your
International Driving Permit or an English translation with your licence when
driving.

Getting a NSW licence

You must be aged 17 years or over to get a NSW driver licence. If you hold an
overseas licence to drive or ride (including a learner licence) and want to get a
NSW licence, you must go to a registry or service centre and:
• If your licence is in English, present your overseas licence.
• If your overseas licence is not written in English, provide:
– Your overseas licence and an official translation from the NSW Community
Relations Commission or the Commonwealth Department of Immigration
and Citizenship (DIAC).
– Where extra licence information is required (for example, about the first issue
date or the validity period of the licence or where the type of vehicle authorised
to be driven or ridden is not shown) a letter from a relevant consulate or
diplomatic office.
• If you cannot produce your overseas licence, provide:
– A letter from the overseas licence issuing authority confirming your licence
details and status, or,
– A letter from a relevant consulate or diplomatic office, based on information
received from the overseas licence issuing authority, confirming your licence
details and status.
Any letter provided to confirm licence details or status should be in English or
have an official English translation as described above.
Before you first attend the registry or service centre, you may wish to obtain a
letter from the driver licence issuing authority (on its letterhead), or from your
relevant consulate or diplomatic office, confirming your licence details, including
the first issue date.

You must also:
• Prove your NSW address.
• Prove your identity.
• Pass an eyesight test.
• Pass a knowledge test for each class of licence required.
• Pass a driving test for each class of licence required.
• Provide documents proving the first issue date of your licence, if it is not displayed on the licence.
If you fail the driving test, your visiting driver privileges will be withdrawn. To
continue driving in NSW you must then get a learner licence that will allow you to
drive (while supervised by a person who has an Australian full licence) and then go
for another driving test.

Recording overseas licences
Under Australian licensing laws only one licence can be used for driving in
Australia. Before a NSW licence will be issued, you must present your overseas
licence so that the details can be verified and recorded. Your overseas licence will
be returned to you unmarked.

Exemptions from tests
You may be exempt from some tests if:
• You have, within the last five years, held an Australian driver licence which can
be verified by the issuing authority, or,
• You hold a current New Zealand driver licence, or,
• You are applying for a Class C (car), or,
• Class R (rider) licence and you hold a current overseas rider licence, or one that
expired within the past five years, from a country recognised as having comparable
licensing standards to Australia.
Note: Roads & Maritime reserves the right to require a driving or riding test. A licence may
not be issued unless Roads & Maritime is satisfied that the overseas licence is valid.

What NSW licence you are eligible for
The length of time you have held an overseas car or rider licence will determine
the type of licence that you are eligible to hold.
• If you have held your overseas car or rider licence for less than
one year, you will only be eligible for a P1 licence.
• If you have held a car or rider licence for more than one year but less than
three years, you will only be eligible for a P2 licence.
• If you have held a driver or rider licence for more than three years,
you will be eligible for a full licence.
To apply for a class of licence other than one you already hold, you must pass the
appropriate knowledge test and driving test (taken in a vehicle of that class).

TEMPORARY OVERSEAS VISITING DRIVERS

From 18 April 2008, new licensing rules apply to visiting drivers who want to
obtain a NSW licence for the first time.
Information for visiting drivers can be found on our website or in the brochure
Guide for international drivers.

road_users_handbook-english

NSW Driving Test Pass

NSW Driving Test Pass

Hi Cameron

Campbell passed his P test today with flying colours. He had Brian as his examiner, a very competent gentleman. Thanks you and best regards for all of the work you have done for both ours kids, cheers  Alister.