OTHER TRAFFIC ISSUES

Merging is only one part of the process. There are other issues which arise, that not only cause frustration and foster road rage amongst our freeway users, but they cause traffic jams and general congestion.

TAILGATING

Not only is tailgating downright annoying and anger-inducing, but it is the number one cause of overall freeway traffic jams or slow downs. Big call, of course, but I'll explain how.

As mentioned earlier, there should be a good distance between vehicles on the freeway. When this distance is compromised, all sorts of problems ensue, such as chain reaction braking. As mentioned earlier, if a huge line of vehicles have no distance between them, a vehicle braking at the front means that the rest of the vehicles have to brake also. This slows down the vehicles on the freeway, to below the speed limit. At its most extreme, it can even get to the point where the vehicle at the front is accelerating again after braking, and vehicles towards the back of the line are STILL braking in the chain reaction. This causes massive build ups of traffic, and the problem of crawling along the freeway at 20km/h and having to brake to a complete stop every 100m or so.

If everyone kept their distance, this wouldnt happen! Why? Because the distance between the vehicles is a buffer zone. If for some reason the vehicle at the front of the line has to brake (and I'll address the problem of unnecessary braking a bit later), then the vehicle behind them shouldnt have to brake. The distance between them should allow a buffer zone, and the vehicle behind the braking vehicle merely closes that gap and builds it again once the vehicle at the front starts moving at the correct speed again. If the 2nd vehicle has to slow down a bit, a lift of the throttle should be enough to wash off enough speed to not require any application of the brakes. In this way, every vehicle in the line will continue to move at a decent speed even if a vehicle has to slow down or brake momentarily.

Even one vehicle following this technique can free up the flow of traffic for hundreds of metres behind them. Try it next time you're on the freeway, and you'll notice that all the vehicles behind you are moving smoothly also, because they aren't having to brake simply because you aren't. It really works!

UNNECESSARY FLOW DISRUPTIONS

Its all well and good to keep a buffer zone between vehicles to prevent traffic jams, but there is often the situation where the vehicle at the front of the line has no choice but to brake or slow down, to a point where the buffer space is completely removed. This again causes a chain reaction of braking, and traffic problems ensue.

In this situation, rather than alleviating the problem, the problem itself needs to be addressed so it doesnt arise in the first place. 99.9% of the time, this problem is caused by other users disrupting the flow of the freeway unnecessarily. The freeway is called a freeway, because its meant to be a free flowing movement of vehicles. Disrupting this free flow causes traffic problems.

To explain the plethora of flow disruptions that can occur on our freeways, I've outlined some scenarios where traffic flow is disrupted, and a possible solution to the scenario. It will help you understand what should and shouldn't be done on the freeway.

1. A vehicle changes lanes, and the driver of the vehicle brakes or slows down as they change into the new lane, or they are already travelling slower than the lane which they are changing into. This causes the existing drivers in that lane to have to brake to prevent themselves from hitting that vehicle.

Solution: The driver should have changed lanes without slowing down, rather, it should have been a smooth transition into the next lane at the same speed as the rest of the traffic in that lane. If they are travelling slower than the traffic in the new lane, the driver should have sped up to the same speed as the new lane, before they changed into it, and if there was no room to do this, they should have accelerated the instant they moved into the new lane.

2. The driver of a vehicle isn't watching what they are doing i.e. on the phone, changing radio stations, looking for loose change under the seat. When they do look up and find a situation on the freeway that they weren't expecting, their first reaction is to hit the brakes, causing the driver behind to have to brake also.

Solution: The driver should have kept their eyes on the road, to prevent this situation from occurring. Simple as that!

3. In peak hour traffic when the freeway is crawling along, a driver in the middle lane swerves suddenly into a tiny gap in a faster moving lane, which means that the driver behind needs to brake to prevent themselves from hitting that vehicle.

Solution: The driver should not have swerved into a faster moving lane. This lane was moving faster at that point in time, but would more than likely have slowed down again, at which point another lane would have been moving faster momentarily. Staying where they were would have gotten them to the same point at the same time, as they did when they changed lanes.

4. The driver of a vehicle slows down to have a look at an accident or a breakdown on the side of the freeway, which causes everyone else on the freeway to brake and drive slowly also, whether they want to or not. This is also known as rubbernecking.

Solution: Whatever was happening on the side of the road, was the business of whoever was standing on the side of the road, and no one elses. The driver should have minded their own business and kept driving normally. Not only is this annoying for all road users, but its dangerous too because those who are looking to the side of the road need to take their eyes off the road, and it can cause other accidents.

5. The driver of a vehicle is sitting on 80km/h in a posted 100km/h zone. This slows the traffic down behind them to the same speed.

Solution: DO THE SPEED LIMIT!!!! If the driver can't handle that, take the bus or train instead. If they don't like that, they can write a letter, Today Tonight will love to hear from them.

6. The driver of a vehicle changes lanes 5 times in the space of 10 seconds. In the process, they cut off other road users and are normally driving erratically in this period of time. This causes other road users to slow down to prevent having an accident.

Solution: The driver should not have been driving erratically. It wouldn't have gotten them to their destination any quicker, and it made them look like an idiot in the process. Rather, they should have put themselves in a smooth flowing lane, and only changed out of that lane to move around a slower vehicle, at which point they should have moved back into that lane to prevent any further flow disruptions.

7. A driver in the right lane has realised they are about to miss their exit and decides to swerve across 3 lanes of traffic to get off at the exit. This causes all the other vehicles in their path to slow down to prevent having an accident.

Solution: The driver should have pre-empted the exit, and placed themselves in the left lane with plenty of time to spare. If they miss the exit, they should get off at the following one and head back onto the freeway in the opposite direction.

As you can see, there are many situations which can upset the flow of traffic on the freeway by causing other road users to have to brake. This also leads to accidents, which of course causes the biggest traffic jams of all.


HOGGING THE RIGHT LANE

This could have come under the above category, but I believe it warrants an entire section of its own. In my opinion, it is the number one frustration inducing road event that could possibly happen to any Perth driver. Its also illegal. As outlined in our state road laws,

Keep left

You should drive in the left lane of a multi-lane road where:
- The speed limit for that road is 90 km/h or more

In these instances, it is only permissable to use the right lane when:
- Overtaking a slower vehicle.
- Getting ready to make a right hand turn.
- The road is heavily congested with traffic.


Rules aside, the worst cases of right lane hogging occur when a vehicle "paces" another vehicle at below the speed limit.

Scenario: A vehicle in the left lane is doing 80km/h and a vehicle in the middle lane is also doing 80km/h. Another driver decides to place his vehicle in the right lane and do 80km/h also next to the other vehicles, blocking all the traffic behind.

Solution? The driver of that vehicle should have stayed behind one of the other slower moving vehicles in the left or middle lane, rather than pacing them in the free moving right hand lane. That lane should have been free for other road users to overtake at the speed limit.

Remember folks: The right lane should only be used to overtake, or drive at a higher speed than slower moving vehicles in the other lanes.

A final hint on right lane thieves. If you get anyone giving you the usual comeback of "Oh but we were doing the speed limit in the right lane, and you shouldn't be speeding anyway", give them the reply of "Driving for extended periods of time in the right lane is a traffic offence that incurs penalty units and a fine, so jokes on you!"

To finish off, here are some words of advice from our government's official Drive Safe handbook.

Although freeways are designed for high-speed travel, they do demand special care. It is wise to:
- Stay within the one lane and keep as far left as possible.
- Plan your journey and know which exit you need to take well in advance.
- Increase following distances and take note of pavement arrows at exits