|
|
|
| Co-Operation, Not Competition |
 |
Though it would be nice if it was otherwise, driving in traffic is a fact of life to the nine out of ten Australians who live in metropolitan areas. So driving should be a co-operative activity, not a competitive one. Invariably in life things work best when everyone works together to reach a common goal.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
05/07/2010
|
| Airbags Save Lives |
 |
Airbags, which began to be fitted to upmarket cars during the early 1990s, and which are common in everything on the market these days, are intended to work in conjunction with seat belts to further improve safety in crashes.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
26/06/2010
|
| The Anti-4WD Brigade Seems To Be Growing |
 |
At a noisy barbecue recently I heard, not for the first time in my career as a motoring journalist, the question, “Why don’t they ban 4WDs from the suburbs?” The angry lady brought up the usual arguments that 4WDs ‘block the vision of others’, ‘are hazardous to pedestrians’, and even complained about ‘threatening driving’ by those behind the wheels of 4WDs and SUVs.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
31/05/2010
|
| Preserving The Oldtimers |
 |
I do love cars. Just about anything with wheels gets me interested and I rejoice in the fact that I have the good fortune to work in the industry. Car shows in particular really interest me. I was at one this morning and enjoyed examined everything from hotted up Holdens, Fords and Chryslers to a restored De Tomaso and stunning Chevrolet Cameo pickup
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
26/04/2010
|
| Two Sets Of Rules: Speed Cameras |
 |
Can you imagine playing a game of football with two sets of rules: one set for one team and a separate set for another? If you can, and you drive a car, that precisely the current state of play. Queensland has just introduced it's latest ploy to reduce the road toll. Vehicles in mufti parked on a road near you and fitted with speed cameras.
Read Full Story |
|
Opinion: MURRAY HUBBARD
23/04/2010
|
| Frightening Car Trip |
 |
I had a truly frightening journey in a car recently. It was down the big Brisbane to Gold Coast M1 motorway beside a driver I had never travelled with before. A pleasant lady in her forties who has been driving for many years so has had plenty of experience behind the wheel in a variety of cars.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
13/02/2010
|
| Misleading Advertising |
 |
The people striving to sell cars, particularly those in the creative centres putting together major marketing campaigns, sometimes get so far away from reality that they begin to twist people’s perceptions. One of their favourite tricks is to make consumers believe that ordinary things are really something very different, special and highly desirable.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
04/02/2010
|
| Daytime Running Lights |
 |
I must admit to being in two minds about having headlights on at all times. Some European countries already require headlights to be switched on by the driver whenever the car is being used. While other countries are soon to mandate that lights come on automatically with the ignition on all new cars.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
31/01/2010
|
| Let The Car Do The Driving? |
 |
Inattention is the biggest killer on our roads according. Forget speeding – it only racks up something like four to eight per cent of the primary cause crashes, whereas not paying attention amounts for around 35 to 50 per cent of crashes.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
24/01/2010
|
| Speed Enforcement Isn't Working |
 |
I’m going to sound like a stuck record in this week’s Opinion piece, but so is everyone else when talking about speed limits, so what’s the point in my being any different? These depressing thoughts struck me as the Christmas Day/New Year weekends ended and the road toll continued to be virtually unchanged – up in some areas, much the same in others, thankfully down in a few places.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
11/01/2010
|
| Some Wise Words, And A Funny Story |
Tony Stanton of Little Grove, the most southerly town in Western Australia, commenting on a pair of recent road-safety pieces I've penned. He really does have a great feel for the important factors in road safety.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
04/01/2010
|
| Dobbing In Drivers |
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.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
07/12/2009
|
| Caring And Sharing Behind The Wheel |
 |
Christmas is coming and a lot of people will be heading out into the great Australian countryside to relax and recharge their brains after a harsh year that has seen much doom and gloom pervading the news.
Typically, two types of driver use country roads – those who are peacefully enjoying the scenery, and those who are simply getting from point A to point B in as short a time as is safely possible.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
30/11/2009
|
| Deadly Signs |
 |
There's absolutely no doubt that inattention causes far more crashes than low-end speeding, yet our governments continue to concentrate on the latter and ignore just about everything else. The trouble is that no-one has yet invented an inattention camera...
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
09/11/2009
|
| Speed - The Ongoing Debate |
 |
Every time I even hint at the subject of speed limits I get hounded down by those who are adamant that driving within the limit is the answer to all our road safety woes – and praised by others who are equally convinced that all speed regulation is there purely to raise revenue. Obviously, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
05/10/2009
|
| BMW TV Commercial Banned |
 |
Let's listen into a conversation they didn’t know was being recorded: “Hey stupid! Hey you stupid Australian car driver, can't you hear me? “Ah, there you are, just as well we have found you. We thought you had wandered off again, and slipped back into that dreadful habit of thinking for yourself while behind a steering wheel. You really must learn to do only what we tell you. To obey every instruction we give you blindly and without the slightest deviation from our orders.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
03/07/2009
|
| Traffic Lights At Rail Crossings? |
 |
I received an interesting email from a regular reader this morning, let's call him Tony. He was saddened by the memories of the Kerang level-crossing crash in 2007 which killed 11 people and seriously injured eight more. Memories that were brought back by the recent trial and acquittal of truck driver involved in the crash.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
19/06/2009
|
| Soft And Fluffy Things |
 |
I would like to talk about soft and fluffy things this week. Soft and fluffy toys are wonderful things in their correct place, kids of all ages love to play with them. They can make great displays in bedrooms, sunrooms and suchlike locations. I love them there and admire the displays that are put together at times. But the soft and fluffy things have to be in the right location and that's not in the potentially dangerous environment of the motor car.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
14/06/2009
|
| We Need Faster Turns At Traffic Lights |
 |
I seem to see a lot more drivers making illegal U-turns at traffic lights these days. At first this used to annoy me, because these guys were not only breaking the law, but also displaying anti-social behaviour and apparently putting other road users at risk. But the more I thought about it the more I could see the sense in what they were doing.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
29/05/2009
|
| Cooperation Enhances Road Safety |
 |
Had an interesting talk with a high level policeman the other day. No, I hadn't done anything wrong, at least nothing that he knew about! It was during a break from talks at a road safety function and the policeman was more willing than usual to talk to a journalist. Because he realised I wasn’t out for a sensational story, but that I was genuinely interested in making our roads safer.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
06/04/2009
|
| Drive Day At Albert Park |
 |
Mercedes AMG has a wide range of high-performance vehicles aimed at the enthusiast who demands nothing but the best. Built in a special factory in Germany these ultra-hot models are designed as total packages.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
30/03/2009
|
| Red Light Rules Don't Help Environment |
 |
Last week I was sitting in my car waiting to turn left at a red light. There was nothing unusual about this. Not just for me but anyone else who lives in our urban environment. While waiting for the light to turn green --- and at this set of lights, its a looong wait --- there was little traffic from my right.
Read Full Story |
|
By MURRAY HUBBARD
14/03/2009
|
| Changing Lanes |
 |
Since penning a piece on the failure of too many drivers to ‘Keep Left Unless Overtaking’, particularly on motorways, I've received quite a few emails. The great majority are in complete agreement with my words. With many replies saying that if the police spent more time enforcing this law instead of simply sitting behind speed cameras life would be safer and more relaxed on the road.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
23/02/2009
|
| Driving Like There's No Tomorrow |
 |
The saying “He’s driving like there's no tomorrow” isn’t a new one. Referring to someone who feels their world is about to come to an end, so doesn’t care how they act behind the wheel, it paints a frightening picture in the minds of all other road users.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
02/02/2009
|
| Keep Left Unless Overtaking |
 |
“Keep Left Unless Overtaking” say the signs. It’s a simple instruction that should be easy to obey. So why do so many drivers struggle with the concept?
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
02/02/2009
|
| Lost Souls |
 |
Short of a car crash there can be few things more terrifying to a driver than getting lost in a strange city. Feeling trapped in a crowded traffic situation with vehicles everywhere, street signs that often make sense only to locals, or streets without any signs at all. Then there's the frustration of not being unable to turn in the direction you want because there's no-right-turn.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
14/01/2009
|
| Slow And Dirty |
 |
I walked from a hotel to the domestic terminal at Sydney airport the other day. I could have caught the hotel shuttle bus but I reasoned that 15 minutes of early morning exercise would do me good and tie in with my new-year’s resolution to look after myself better.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
13/01/2009
|
| Take The Sting Out Of Roundabouts |
 |
Roundabouts are one of the most sensible pieces of traffic engineering every devised. Yet they seem to create huge amounts of confusion in the minds of many drivers. Perhaps because the concept of a roundabout is so simple they feel there must be hidden traps. The really good thing about roundabouts is that they eliminate complex turns.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
05/01/2009
|
| Excessive Speed Is Not Particularly Dangerous |
 |
Yet another unbiased and scientifically correct study has come out on the subject of causes of car crashes. And yet again excessive speed has been shown as being the reason for only a small percentage of crashes.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
29/12/2008
|
| Good Time To Buy A Car? |
 |
Right now is a good time to buy a car, indeed a great time to buy just about anything. But beware the messages advising you to do so if they have been issued as press releases by finance organisations, car dealer associations or the like. Therefore they have an ulterior motive. Which is fair enough as long as they disclose their interest in selling more cars.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
22/12/2008
|
| Beware The Missing Motor Show |
 |
Those of you who attended the 2008 Sydney motor show – these days known somewhat grandly as the Australian International Motor Show – would have noticed the event was somewhat less grand than usual.
Though it is the biggest motor show in Australia, the Sydney event wasn’t attended by many of the major marques. Companies such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and quite a few others chose not to make an appearance this year.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
01/12/2008
|
| Hands-On Driving |
 |
Keeping two hands on the steering wheel seems like the most basic of requirements for safe driving. Yet it’s becoming appallingly apparent that people driving with both hands on the steering is increasingly unusual. To make matters worse, having two hands on a steering in something remotely resembling the correct position is an even less common sight.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
24/11/2008
|
| Measure Competency, Not Speed? |
 |
I recently commented that a good driver in an excellent car exceeding the speed limit was far more likely to get booked than a sloppy driver in a bad car travelling within the speed limit. I’ve yet to find anyone who disagrees with my statement, indeed some people to whom I have spoken are becoming increasingly heated on the subject of their speeding tickets, with hidden cameras being universally hated. But what can be done to make things fairer?
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
17/11/2008
|
| A Hard Day At The Office |
 |
Rob McEniry looked awful. The President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia had just suffered through the hardest 12 days of his life. Major meetings with his chiefs in the Japanese head office, talks with the board of Mitsubishi Australia, as well as with top Australian government officials. Then the dreaded talk to the company’s employees at a mass get-together and finally the public announcement of the closure of the Adelaide factory.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
02/11/2008
|
| Aurion Racer Backs V8 Supercars |
 |
For years there has been speculation that Toyota Australia might enter V8 Supercar racing. There are two schools of thought on this, the more broadminded feel that having a third marque join Ford and Holden would further liven up what's already a very popular racing series. The more traditional racegoer likes things just the way they are.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
27/10/2008
|
| Blind Obedience |
Voicing an opinion on road safety matters can almost be dangerous at times. Many have strong ideas on the subject and sometimes become quite abusive when my opinions don't coincide with theirs. I don't have a problem with that, open healthy debate is one of the world’s greatest freedoms. My father and uncle fought in a war for it and let’s hope we always have it.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
29/09/2008
|
| Too Close To Home |
 |
You would think that drivers would take extra care as they entered their home area. After all, their neighbours are close by, as are kids, dogs and all sorts of assorted items like footballs, cricket bats, skateboards and the like. Sadly, my observations show exactly the opposite takes place. The closer people are to their home the more likely they are to drive dangerously.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
22/09/2008, 01:53
|
| Tailgating Can Open Another Gate |
 |
My recent piece on the dangers of tailgating has resulted in a lot of replies from many interesting readers. Which really doesn’t come as a surprise as many surveys from a lot of different sources over the years show this dangerous driving practice sits high on the list of things that drivers dislike. Indeed, it’s often in the number one spot, and the word ‘dislike’ can frequently be replaced by the much stronger one of ‘hate’.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
07/07/2008
|
| Speed Enforcement Isn't Working |
|
I’m going to sound like a stuck record in this week’s opinion piece, but so is everyone else when commenting on the controversial subject, so what’s the point in my being any different? These depressing thoughts struck me as the Christmas Day – New Year weekends ended and the road toll continued to be virtually unchanged.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
01/07/2008
|
| Brake Light Or Breaks? |
 |
There don't seem to be as many brake lights on cars these days as there used to. Sure the lenses are still attached to the rears of cars, but not all of them light up. Indeed it’s not unusual to see a car that should have three brake lights, but only one of them goes on when the pedal is pushed. And I’ve seen a fair few cars with no brake lights at all…
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
30/06/2008
|
| Lighting Up |
 |
Do we need to drive with our vehicles’ headlights on all the time in Australia? It’s becoming quite a common requirement in some European countries, with drivers being told to have the lights on, and some countries are telling makers to design all new models with headlights that come on automatically with the ignition.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
09/06/2008
|
| Keep Your Mind On The Job |
 |
Driver distraction is one of the most difficult factors to determine in any crash, yet is increasingly looking to be a major reason for injury and death on our roads. For whatever reason people are concentrating less and less on the vital task of driving and more on carrying on with the rest of their lives.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
05/05/2008
|
| Shocks From Driver Survey |
 |
Driver attitude and behaviour behind the wheel are the most important aspects of safe driving. Trouble is they can’t be easily measured, certainly not with a machine beside the road as can speed, alcohol and other drugs. So it’s great to see a voluntary survey of drivers conducted by Private Fleet, a car buying service, looking deeply into this vital matter.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
21/04/2008
|
| Stop Getting Lost |
 |
Had a fascinating talk with the research manager for UBD street directories this afternoon. Directories are an important part of life in my job, I do a lot of travelling in a lot of places, spread over all major Australian cities, many of the minor ones, and even on several other continents. So it’s vital that I have the latest version of a directory beside me in the car and the greater the accuracy and the more attention to the finest of details, the happier I am.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
02/04/2008
|
| Dopey Pedestrians |
 |
A while back I reported on a near miss between my car and a pedestrian. The young lady, who very nearly didn’t get to be a middle-aged lady, stepped off the edge of the footpath just in front of my car in a busy shopping strip. Thank goodness there was enough of a gap between my Peugeot and the kerb for her to fit into.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
24/03/2008
|
| Communication Is Good |
 |
Only about one driver in twenty signals their intentions before changing lanes. That worrying fact became obvious during one of the interminable bus trips that are a fact of life for we motoring journalists.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
21/01/2008
|
| Passengers In The Driver's Seat |
 |
Had a long bus ride the other day and took a look at some of the habits of drivers with whom we were sharing the road. Some of the things I saw were truly horrifying. In particular the people you have to call ‘passengers in the driver’s seat’. Drivers who had left in a bit of a rush, so had brought their meals along with them are a real worry.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
21/01/2008
|
| Backwards Or Upside Down? |
 |
“Way Free” said the traffic sign on the road in front of my car. Having grown up in an era where hippies and beatniks were a colourful part of the social scene, my mind wondered what was so free. The “Way Free” presumably fell into line with phrases like “way out”, “way cool”, perhaps even “way to go, man”.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
12/01/2008
|
| 1.5 Seconds Early – Or Dead On Time? |
 |
I saved a man a lot of money, time and trouble earlier this week, though I’m not sure he is aware of the fact. Let me explain: his BMW 3 Series was a mere car length behind the Volkswagen Golf I was road testing and we were running in a line of traffic, doing around 80 km/h in an 80 zone. He was far too close and tailgating for no reason other than a sense of urgency, an urgency that was possibly real, but much more likely was purely imaginary.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
06/01/2008
|
| Mobile Death |
 |
I recently eavesdropped on a conversation that made my blood run cold. A bloke was proudly describing his latest way of doing business while on the move. Whilst driving his car he would take part in a weekly business conference on his hands free mobile phone.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
31/12/2007
|
| Buzzers And Other Distractions |
 |
A confession: I’m probably more absent minded than most people, at least that’s what my kids are always telling me – at least I think it was the kids, I can’t be sure now… Being on the vague side at times it suits me to have a warning bell in a car to let me know I’ve left the keys in the ignition, the lights switched on, or whatever. But I find all these warning bells are a bit much at times.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
26/11/2007
|
| Don’t Need It? Then Don’t Take It |
 |
“Travel light” is an old piece of advice, but it’s still as appropriate on today’s holiday trips as it has ever been. The trouble with having a car is that it’s tempting to load up everything that you might conceivably need in every circumstance. That’s understandable with beginners, but experienced travellers soon learn to cut their gear to a comfortable (not necessarily Spartan) minimum.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
19/11/2007
|
| Maniacs On Our Roads |
 |
There was a great fuss in our local media on the Gold Coast this morning. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I suspect that either the police must have employed an excellent public relations manager, or it was slow news day. Because a disguised Toyota LandCruiser had just automatically booked hundreds of motorists for speeding on one of the busy through roads. Thus raising tens of thousands of dollars.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
05/11/2007
|
| A Sign Of The Times |
 |
Why are governments so keen to keep motorists in the dark in important things like road safety? In particular in causing distraction on the road. I’m on the record as saying that inattention causes far more crashes than low-end speeding, yet our governments continue to concentrate on the latter and ignore just about everything else.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
09/10/2007
|
| An Apology |
|
I must apologise to my regular readers. A few weeks ago I stated that most drivers had been brainwashed into thinking that if they exceeded the speed limit they are dangerous maniacs so should be punished. In that deliberately controversial opinion piece I suggested that if hundreds of drivers were booked by the same hidden speed camera within a few hours, then perhaps the speed limit was too low, rather than all the drivers were stupid.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
12/03/2007
|
| Eat-Driving |
 |
The National Motorists Association of Australia (NMAA) has expressed concern about the dangerous practice of 'eat-driving'. Jim Wright, the secretary of the NMAA, says that American findings appear to prove that eating behind the wheel is potentially even more dangerous than using a mobile phone. I don’t know if that research can be directly translated to Australia as our habits usually aren't as bad as the American's.
Read Full Story |
|
By EWAN KENNEDY
09/01/2006
|
|
|
|
