Yeap, another post about driving. Most days go without much drama. Some days I get 1 or 2 incidents. This morning, I was hit with a record breaking 5. Started off early into the drive, not even 10 km from home all the way to work. I was a stiffy, all tensed up with adrenaline pumping through my veins until I finally parked in the staff carpark.
P told me occasionally he sees someone overtaking 2 cars at 1 go on a dual carriage way (I'm not sure if it's called that but it's a single lane in each direction with no partition in between). Never has he seen a car overtaking 5 cars like I did several weeks ago. I saw 2 cars that did that this morning. I had this heavy vehicle in front of me & they usually pick up speed slowly but once up to speed, they do keep to the speed limit. 1st car obviously impatient, overtook 4 cars to get in front of the truck even though I was already at 86 kph just behind the truck (with some distance between us of course, I don't do tailgating).
Then we got to a round about, truck got through, I waited for a car coming on the right to pass, took up position behind this car. It was a double white line immediately after the turn which means absolutely no overtaking. But this car didn't want to wait for the truck to pick up speed, immediately drove onto the oncoming lane, only to brake hard, veered back into lane, narrowly missed crashing into the oncoming traffic. That's the reason why it was a double white line!
3rd incident, I was approaching a traffic junction when the lights turned amber. Since I was still a distance away, I chose to stop coz I know I won't clear. I saw in my rear mirror this car behind me immediately signaled right & blew past the junction. Flash, flash, flash. Red light camera went off 3 times. A total of 3 cars decided not to stop for the amber & all of them caught on camera.
4th incident had nothing to do with others. My GPS suddenly shut down on its own, giving me a shock. (No, the battery's not flat coz it's plugged in.) While I know the way to work (mostly), I make use of it to tell me how many more km I am away from my next turn so I can get into position early enough. I was still thinking if I should just find somewhere to stop & have it switched on again when it did by itself. 有惊无险。
Last incident was about 5 km to go before reaching my work place. I was in the left most lane. In the lane to my right ahead, was a heavy vehicle that's not entirely in his lane. So I made the decision not to speed up so I can get ahead, even though I was at 50 kph on a 60 kph road. Behind this heavy vehicle was a car, big 1, probably a 4WD. He was just ahead of me. As we rounded a bend, this car suddenly came into my lane, as if the driver failed to turn his steering wheel & it was a gentle bend! I stomped hard on my brakes to avoid hitting him. Thankfully, the car behind me kept a safe distance or I would have been rear ended.
I think these drivers need to go back to driving school to learn the basics of road safety. They're either going to end up killing someone, themselves or both. How many times can I get lucky? Perhaps 1 day, like everything else, crazy drivers will become a norm & avoiding accidents will become a daily routine to me.
In Oz, amber or yellow traffic light means "stop" unless it is dangerous to do so. Therefore if you are "still a distance away", legally you must stop at the traffic light - it is not a signal to tak yu tak ka liao like in SG.
ReplyDelete(seems same rule both in NSW and WA. FYI :www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/licensing/LBU_DL_B_DriveSafeFull.pdf)
Also driving norm may be different, eg my experience here is; if a on-coming car is high-lighting you, he/she is saying please go ahead to make the right turn, I am slowing down for you.
I think they should send a copy to every household. Everybody drives like demons on the road. I'm beginning to think that I'm the only person following traffic rules. For me, my experience is when they high beam me, they're saying "Stop, I'm not letting you go." The only time they're giving way to me is when they wave for me to go ahead.
DeleteHey, I know this is irrelevant...but,
ReplyDeletehave you heard of people claiming work experience points without a formal opinion from an assessing authority? My agent is suggesting this backup plan after they missed 2 windows to apply for state sponsorship. As angry as I am with the way my application was handled, I've been left with few alternatives. I don't have any post qualification experience as I've only recently completed all the academic requirements necessary for a positive skills assessment.
For me, I needed my manager to write a letter stating my date of commencement with the company & that I'm competent in the following lists of skills & a phone number for them to call if required. So I don't really see how you can fake this. Even if you got through, it'll become a problem when you're trying to look for a job. They will definitely do the reference check & they'll need to speak with your supervisor.
DeleteHow come your commutes are so much more exciting than mine? I must hitch a ride with you some time :)
ReplyDeleteHaha. Ya, I seem to have very "good" luck.
DeleteAh, what I meant was, the assessing authority only acknowledges work experience that is obtained "post qualification". I have close to 6 years of experience in a very well regarded professional accounting firm. My qualifications assessment does not state the date on which I have passed the "qualifications" test. My core qualifications were obtained prior to my work experience. Has the case officer requested you to seek an opinion from your assessing authority on when you are regarded to have obtained post qualification experience? Or is that stated in your skills assessment letter?
ReplyDeleteOic. I didn't have this problem becoz for nursing, our diploma is sufficient for PR application. Just that having a degree will eliminate the chances of them rejecting my application.
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