Bad drivers: Victoria’s most annoying driving habits revealed

EXCLUSIVE: FEELING frustrated by people who text while driving or use the bus lane to beat traffic jams? These are the top nine bad habits which drive us crazy.

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FEELING frustrated by people who text while driving, use the bus lane to beat traffic jams, or who park in clearways?

RACV members are, and often report such gripes. So the motoring body has compiled a list of the most annoying driver behaviour.

Top of the list is not keeping left unless overtaking on roads with speed limits of at least 80km/h. That’s followed by drivers not stopping at stop signs, and being distracted by mobile phones.

Members are also fed up with drivers running amber and red lights, and not indicating properly when changing lanes.

Fed up with drivers being distracted by mobile phones? You’re not alone. Melbourne traffic. Picture: Ian Currie

RACV spokesman Dave Jones said that with growing congestion there was a feeling of indignation when people did something wrong to get ahead, or failed to take proper care.

“Often people feel frustrated when they see people not keeping left unless they’re overtaking, or ones that are queue-jumping by driving down bus lanes and other lanes,” he said.

Mr Jones was most concerned about the distraction caused by texting and reading messages on mobiles, which he believed was out of control.

“Just driving around I see so many people at traffic lights looking down at their laps or in some cases holding a mobile device while driving,” he said.

“People seem to be blatantly ignoring the road rules, even though the technology exists to have hands-free use of mobile devices.”

Other gripes include people driving in the middle of two lanes, only indicating at the last moment at a red light that they want to turn right, and when a driver first in line to turn right at lights fails to move to the centre of the intersection until the last second, stopping cars behind from turning at the same time.

Drivers should obey road rules But they often don’t. Picture: Mark Stewart

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said it was crucial that Victorian drivers were both safe and courteous.

“Obeying road rules including observing road signage and traffic lights, not texting while driving, doing a head check when changing lanes and sticking to the speed limit all help to prevent accidents and ensure that traffic flows smoothly,” he said.

Mr Donnellan said the state’s roads were shared by drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. “We’re all in this together so make safe choices, stick within the road rules and be respectful of everyone else, ” he said.

BAD HABITS

Not keeping left unless overtaking on roads with speed limit over 80km/h

Not stopping at stop signs

Being distracted by mobile phones while driving

Driving through yellow and red lights

Failing to check for other drivers and riders and not indicating sufficiently when changing lanes

Parking within clearways

Drivers using bus lanes and other lanes to bypass queues and then squeeze in at the head of a queue

Not slowing to the lower limit in school zones and road works zones

Queuing across Keep Clear markings on roads

Source: RACV

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