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07/12/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Australians hate dobbers more than just about anyone else. Dobbing in is certainly not common in Scotland, from where I immigrated to Australia as a teenage schoolboy many years ago. Yet in comparison with the Aussie attitude it's a mild offence.
I like it the Australian way, there are already enough government controls and restrictions over our lives without our neighbours and strangers being encouraged to dob us in to the authorities over real or imagined wrongdoings.
Yet yesterday a good born-and-bred Australian friend was seriously considering dobbing in another driver for behaving stupidly on the road. That came as a surprise to me because he is one of the most tolerant people I've ever met. He has people of many races, religions, skin colours and sexual persuasions amongst his friends.
Yet he was so angry at the driving of this young brat on P-plates in a car chock full of teenagers that he had scribbled down the registration number and was seriously considering dobbing him in to the police.
The fool was slicing dangerously in and out of the traffic and using extreme tailgating to try and force other cars to move out of his path. You've probably seen that sort of idiotic behaviour on the road yourself and become equally angry.
My friend’s reason for wanting to dob in the idiot was as much a concern about road safety as his anger, but there was no denying the latter.
There have been many suggestions over the years about the driving public being asked to dob in other drivers. I've even heard that an internet site could be set up for just this purpose. But, even aside from the never-dob aspect, this sort of thing is fraught with danger. It would be the easiest thing in the world for a disgruntled employee / neighbour / ex-girlfriend / angry teenage child / workplace bully, or whoever to set up a campaign of false accusations. And the internet is famed for its lack of accountability...
There have been calls for restrictions on P-plate drivers to prevent them from carrying more than a certain number of passengers. Possibly with restrictions being applied during certain times, rather than as a blanket ban. The trouble is, as happens all too often with over-aggressive road rules, the innocent suffer more than the guilty. The ninety-something per cent of teenage drivers on P-plates who do the right thing would no longer allowed to go for a drive with their friends. Or, even more unrealistically, wouldn't be able to transport them home late at night when they are the designated non-drinking driver.
By the way, the fool on P-plates wasn’t dobbed in – but if my friend was to see that number plate on a TV news story of a wrecked car that had been in a fatal crash how would we both feel?
A couple of comments before I finish this Opinion piece: Sadly, some of the people being tailgated bring it on themselves. I've written before about the woeful lack of lane discipline on Australian multilane roads, with far too many drivers refusing to keep left unless overtaking. And those who drive too slowly for the conditions and get a queue of vehicle behind them really should keep an eye on their mirrors and move over to clear the logjam as soon as they get a safe chance to do so.
I must admit I've tailgated myself, though these days it doesn't take long to wake up to my stupidity and back off before getting into strife. (And the aforementioned angry friend has been known to tailgate himself on more than one occasion, though not to the ridiculous extent as the P-plated fool – but don’t tell him I've dobbed him in here!)
Your thoughts on this complex subject are welcome.
ewan@marque.com.au
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