Courteous and safe driving

Courteous and safe driving behaviour significantly reduces the risk of road trauma. When drivers of government vehicles display good driving habits—both during and outside of work—the wider community benefits and road safety improves.

Driving a government vehicle

Government vehicles are usually easy to recognise, as most Queensland Government vehicles have QG number plates. Therefore, you should always drive responsibly in a government vehicle, including:

• complying with the road rules
• being patient and courteous toward other road users
• using vehicle indicators when turning or changing lanes for long enough to warn other road users
• following other vehicles at a safe distance (i.e. not ‘tailgating’)
• observing all speed limits, including in restricted areas (e.g. around schools, hospitals and roadworks)
• allowing other vehicles to merge and change lanes
• accepting that all drivers make mistakes, and avoiding aggressive or offensive behaviour
• considering pedestrians, cyclists and livestock
• refraining from erratic driving (e.g. excessive or aggressive lane changing, hard acceleration and braking)
• parking legally and with regard for other road users’ needs.

Sharing the roads

Safe drivers have more awareness of other road users, and behave safely and courteously to minimise incidents with other road users, including emergency service vehicles, cyclists, buses, heavy vehicles and trains.

Police and emergency vehicles

Drivers are obligated to give emergency vehicles a clear and uninterrupted passage through traffic when their sirens are sounding or emergency lights are flashing.

When you see an emergency vehicle on the road while you’re driving:

• don’t panic
• reduce your speed and merge left or stay left
• if you can’t move out of the way quickly and safely, remain calm and wait until it’s safe to do so
• don’t risk damaging the vehicle
• don’t create a dangerous situation by moving suddenly or performing illegal manoeuvres
• give way to emergency vehicles at intersections controlled by traffic lights, even if the light is green
• be aware that there may be more than one emergency vehicle
• be cautious of other drivers who could panic and act dangerously.

Cyclists

When you’re sharing the road with a cyclist:

• allow them the following clearance when you pass them:
  • 1m if the speed limit is 60km/h or less
  • 1.5m if the speed limit is more than 60km/h
• watch for cyclists at intersections and roundabouts, as most crashes with cyclists occur at intersections
• watch for cyclists in residential streets, particularly near schools
• check behind your vehicle before opening the car door
• avoid driving in or too close to bicycle lanes
• give way to cyclists in bicycle lanes.

Heavy vehicles

Heavy vehicles accelerate slower and require longer distances to stop than lighter vehicles. Always be patient and drive safely when sharing the roads with heavy vehicles.

To ensure everyone’s safety:

• follow a large vehicle at a safe distance, while still seeing the road ahead of the heavy vehicle
• ensure that your vehicle is visible in the heavy vehicle’s rear-vision mirrors—if you can’t see the heavy vehicle’s mirrors from behind, it means the driver can’t see you
• estimate the length of a large vehicle before overtaking it, and overtake only when there’s enough room and it’s safe, preferably using an overtaking lane
• be very careful when overtaking a truck in a left-hand lane approaching an intersection, as long vehicles displaying ‘Do not overtake turning vehicle’ signs can legally turn left from a right-hand lane
• don’t cut in front of heavy vehicles, particularly when they’re braking, as they need longer braking distances than cars
• maintain a constant speed if a heavy vehicle is overtaking your vehicle—don’t speed up.

If you’re sharing the road with a road train, you should take extra precautions, particularly on remote roads.

To ensure your safety:

1. assess the risk when you need to overtake a road train
2. ensure that you have enough room to overtake at a sensible speed
3. be aware that the road train will normally stay on the sealed section of the road
4. flash your headlights to signal your intention to overtake
5. look out for potholes, poor road shoulders, guide posts and wildlife when you leave the sealed roadway to overtake a road train.

Buses

Buses are considered heavy vehicles, so you should show them the same courtesy as you would to heavy vehicles. Also be aware that you’re legally required to give way to buses displaying a ‘Give way’ sign when that bus has stopped or is moving slowly, and is indicating that it’s re-joining the traffic.

Show extra caution around buses, especially when they’re stopping or entering roundabouts, as they need a lot more space to negotiate a roundabout.

You can identify a school bus by its school bus sign or decal with an image of two children. School buses have flashing yellow warning lights, which the bus driver must activate when picking up or setting down children. Be very cautious when sharing the road with a school bus—slow down and take extra care when its yellow lights are flashing.

Trains

Many level crossings in Australia aren’t controlled by automatic lights or boom gates, particularly in regional and remote areas.

Always remain cautious when you’re driving near a level crossing, and be:

• able to identify a level crossing
• prepared to stop safely and obey any traffic signs at the crossing
• alert and aware that a train might be approaching the crossing
• aware that trains could be travelling in either direction along the same track—and on multiple tracks—so look both ways and be alert for more than one train passing through the crossing at the same time
• able to identify that a train is approaching (and not be fooled by an optical illusion, as trains in the distance are often closer and travelling faster than they appear)
• able to judge the speed of the approaching train and assess a safe gap to cross in front of the train. (Never race a train to a railway crossing!)

Speed

Speeding is a major cause of serious and fatal vehicle crashes in Queensland. Every kilometre per hour over the speed limit not only affects whether a crash will happen, but also how severe it will be.

It’s illegal to drive faster than the posted speed limit, even when overtaking. At times, the safest driving speed may be well below the posted limit.

You should reduce your speed when:

• visibility, weather or road conditions are poor
• many pedestrians are nearby, particularly children
• livestock or other animals are on or close to the road
• your vehicle is heavily loaded or towing a trailer
• you’re driving in or around hospitals, schools or roadworks.

There are many risks involved with speeding. If you’re driving over the speed limit:

• you are more likely to be involved in a crash where someone is injured or killed
• you have less time to react to hazards, such as a child running onto the road
• you are more likely to lose control of the vehicle, such as on a curve
• you have an increased stopping distance – in optimal conditions, a vehicle travelling at 60km/h can come to an almost complete stop in about 45m.

Read more about the impact of speeding on stopping distances.

Following distance

When you drive, you need a safety space or ‘buffer zone’ around your vehicle. If you’re following closely behind a vehicle and the driver brakes suddenly, you might not have enough distance to stop safely, which could result in a rear-end crash.

Use the time-lapse method or 2 second rule to maintain a safe following distance.

1. Select a point on the left-hand side of the road, such as a power pole.
2. When the rear of the vehicle in front passes the object, allow at least 2 seconds between that vehicle and your vehicle.
3. To determine a safe stopping distance, count ‘one thousand one, one thousand two’. If the front of your vehicle passes the object before the count is finished, your vehicle is too close.

The recommended minimum following distance in ideal conditions is 2 seconds. However, in adverse conditions, you might need 4–6 seconds.

If you’re towing a trailer, allow 1 extra second for every 3m of trailer length. Heavy vehicles need a following distance of up to 5 seconds.