23 October 2014

Say ‘pass’ to passing this weekend

Be patient before passing is the AA's message for drivers this Labour weekend.

"People taking crazy risks to get past other vehicles is one of the most dangerous things on the road,” says AA spokesperson Dylan Thomsen.

“The weather is looking good for the long weekend so the roads will be busy. Unfortunately, that also increases the chances of people getting frustrated and trying a risky passing manoeuvre. When they get past, there will probably be more traffic up ahead anyway so it won’t get people there faster.”

The AA’s advice to every driver is to avoid passing and go with the flow this weekend. But if you are going to pass then wait for safe opportunities to do so and remember the road rules:
• You must have at least 100 metres of clear road ahead of you once you have finished passing
• Don’t pass near blind corners or dips in the road that could hide oncoming vehicles
• Don’t pass if there is a solid yellow line on your side of the centreline

As well as checking whether it’s safe to pass, drivers need to be looking ahead and seeing whether it’s worth it.

“If there is a passing lane in a few kilometres wait until then to make your move. If you’re in a line of slower moving vehicles there is no point trying to overtake one or two just to end up sitting behind the others.”

Slower vehicles also have a part to play by not making it harder to pass them.

“AA Members rate slower drivers speeding up at passing lanes as the second most annoying thing on the road,” says Mr Thomsen.

“If you aren’t looking to overtake at a passing lane make sure you keep your speed down so other people can pass if they want.

“Be aware if you have a line of cars building up behind you as well and pull over where it’s safe so they can get past.”

The road toll last Labour weekend was 1 – the lowest since records began – and the AA hopes that we can go even better this year and have no one die on the roads.

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with more than one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay more than $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.

ENDS

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