One of my pet hates, motor homes and caravans on the open road sitting on 80 to 90kmh (in a 100 kmh zone) hugging the centre line, makes it almost impossible to pass em, they are a metre or more off the LH white line and just seem to sit there in their own little world, entirely oblivious to the growing line of traffic behind them, I sometimes wonder if these people know what a rear view mirror is for.

These ignorant/oblivious slow coaches that fail to acknowledge other road users are a blight on our highways.

And before someone indignantly cries trucks are more of a problem, I say rubbish, I have no drama with trucks, fit a UHF radio and talk to the guys driving them, you see a truck coming up behind, call him on the radio, tell him you will let him pass when it's safe to do so, and when your going to let him through let him know what your going to do.

However, if you let him sit behind you unable to pass for 50 or more km, then don't be surprised if he vents some frustration when he finally gets through.

There is no justification for holding up other road users simply because you prefer (for whatever reason) to sit on 90 kmh, let em through.

Agree to big a vans and to small a tugs

brickies wrote:

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Santa 100% right , There are a lot of our kind out there given us a bad name , I always kept up with the flow and when ever I can pull off to let the traffic past I do , After all we are not in a hurry and there are people on the road trying to make a living .

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 Perzactly.

mongrel wrote:

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How true Cloak. I agree. However ,trucks are just as bad with their mirrors..I have followed many a truck at low speeds unable to pass. Must sit there and wait for the right time to do so. Have you seen the signs on the rear of the trucks?.IF YOU CAN'T SEE MY MIRRORS I CAN'T SEE YOU..You have to go over half a lane to be able see their mirrors..,And God help you if something is coming the other way. Why don't trucks have wide veiw mirrors?.In saying that most trucks will pull over if they can see you..Their not all bad and the same is said for MH and C/V drivers...Alan the Mongrel....

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If you can't see the trucks mirrors, it means only one thing, you are travelling too close to the rear of that truck, therefore you cannot be seen by the driver, back off.

Cheers

David

I could not agree more. I would be lying if I said I have never done that but you soon pick it up when next I look in the mirror which make a habit of doing that about every 30 seconds or so. So often when you see a line of traffic behind a caravan or motorhome its pretty obvious that the driver is just not in touch with whats going on behind them. I was trained that if you find yourself in that sort of position, do the right thing and pull over to let the traffic past you and in doing so you may defuse the situation when someone takes the chance they should not have taken and a disaster happens.  After all at the end of the day what does 60 seconds make. It might just saves someones life. The other thing that so many people don"t realize is that the speed limits are just that, speed limits and its ok to travel at 80 or 90 kph if its safe to do so. I have had so many caravans and motorhomes go past us as if there is going to be no tomorrow, its really scary.

Sorry about that but said a bit more than I intended but I have seen so many near misses that have chilled my blood.

drive well with care

briche

Ontos45 wrote:

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Agree with all of the above, BUT, don't forget the speed sign is a maximum limit sign....it is not compulsory to drive at that speed if YOU don't think it's safe to do so. You can drive at 80=90kph if you do not impede traffic flow. I have seen many maxi 4x4s towing maxi caravans towing at a 100 swaying all over the place because of improper loading.
Take your time and smell the roses don't be dead on time.

Peter

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I have no problem with people traveling at speeds below the limit Peter, what I have a major problem with is them sitting on their (LEGAL) 90kmh totally oblivious to what's going on behind or around them.

As I said before, use your rear view mirrors as well as UHF on CH40, talk to trucks behind who want to get through, then let em through.

As far as CH 18 is concerned, forget about it, waste of time.

Zoomtopz wrote:

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 . Most modern cars in Australia are capable of in excess of 200kph . Hypathetical

question , why buy a car that can do 200 But only drive it at 70 or 80 , bot th speed limiot is still 100.

Richo.

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I have a Hi-ace, and normally travel at 90 on the open road, moving over to let traffic pass when it's safe to do so.   The reason I like to travel at 90, is the fact that at that speed, I use 25% less fuel, to cover the same distance, that I would doing 100. 

Proved by the RACQ, and I've tested it myself.

As a pensioner, I need to make every Dollar count.

Cheers,

Sheba. 

I drive  a MH very similar to yours Santa and in a strong side wind I do tend to sit near the centre line but i watch my mirrors very carefully. I also vary rearly travel at the 100kph

my husband is an ex trucky

before we started our traveling we fitted a UHF for that reason we also fitted cameras on the back of the van to see what was behind

My husband will call them up and tell them he will pull up or slow up  for them to pass he also lets them know when to come in that way if they no you wont get impatience drivers

my husband also only drives slower if there is no one behind him

be considerate  if you want to crawl get of the road follow the speed limits its not the truckys who are the problom no wonder they hate us on the roads

also we always get a big thank you from them

No need usually to ID yourself by license plate when using a CB, Gary. It has such a limited range, people know you're talking to traffic nearby most of the time. We just stick to business and say what we're going to do when someone with a CB is behind us, wanting to pass. People say 'roger' instead of yes and 'over' when they finish speaking. They also say 'copy that' when they understand/agree with things. 'Breaker' means you want to break in on a conversation/channel but be careful not to interrupt people inconsiderately. Here's a link about the basics:

http://adrianryan.net/caravan/manual/excerpts/cbradio.htm 

There is a whole 'nother language on channel 40 though like Lance says...so turning it off when not in use is a good thing as it doesn't spoil the peace of your drive that way either. I see a CB as a safety tool but it is also nice to connect with others occasionally as it allows you to relate on a whole new level with other CBers.

EDITED: Thanks for the info about making the links live, Gerty. I had to use the hyperlink button instead though.

-- Edited by Shuttlebugs on Saturday 11th of May 2013 10:42:31 PM

Who do you reckon is after you, Santa?

Seriously though, it would be better if all drivers attended to their mirrors more. I have to keep reminding myself. But save me from drivers who make those valiant moves to let vehicles through and risk upsetting their rig or putting their van wheels on the broken verge.  Obey road rules, be predictable, let 'em through as good opportunities arise and smile.

G'day,

           One word sums up this topic AGREE.

Cheers

Kev

I agree with most comments here,,, but back to Santa's OP,,, they drive like that because they have no idea where the LH side is or clearance from objects on the left IMHO.

How they miss objects in city driving, multi lane  etc intrigues me,,, pure good luck OR hog the line.

I talk to the truckies regularly on 40 out bush, let them decide what they want and offer to knock 10kph off when they are in the passing lane ready go,,, they like this and have said they wish more of us would offer to loose some speed for them,,, or pull over, especially road trains with poor accelleration.

Other truckies with wide loads (not the extreme widths with a pilot) often just say follow the fog line with LH wheel and I'll be fine, and they pass OK.

It's a 2 way street and we should try to educate other GN's where possible.

Good thread.

I have said for a LONG time "It is usually NOT the 70 or 80ks somebody is doing , IT IS , up & down

like a whore's drawers . 70 here 82 there , up to 90 , back to 73"

The other thing that intrigues me . Th max speed limit in most of Aussie is 100kph , 110kph in some places .

My intriguing question is . Most modern cars in Australia are capable of in excess of 200kph . Hypathetical

question , why buy a car that can do 200 But only drive it at 70 or 80 , bot th speed limiot is still 100.

I believe th 'over the line thingy , is . most people who only drive a smaller vehicle , or any driver for  that

matter , get used to where they are in a lane , & that is where they sit , some low in th lane , some right up ,

so when they hook up a larger trailer or get into a heavier vehicle  , unless , they acclimatise themselves ,

they sit at they're 'normal spot' .

my 2/- worth.

Richo.

http://adrianryan.net/caravan/manual/excerpts/cbradio.htm  

If you click on the space bar after entering the link it will be clickable.

PS the bad language used by truckies is worse in the cities, we listen on the open road only.

Good question. I've always wondered what the protocol is in addressing a truckie on the road. 

GaryKelly wrote:

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I suspect you're preaching to the converted, Santa. Anyway, I've never used a UHF. Do you select Channel 40 and say something like, "Motorhome (licence plate) calling truck behind me. Come in. Over." Pardon my ignorance.

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GaryKelly wrote:

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I suspect you're preaching to the converted, Santa. Anyway, I've never used a UHF. Do you select Channel 40 and say something like, "Motorhome (licence plate) calling truck behind me. Come in. Over." Pardon my ignorance.

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 Not sure about that Gary, one or two replies here display an attitude of entitlement.

 They are certainly the ones to be concerned about, payed my taxes, obey road rules blah blah blah, what they are really saying is, what I'm doing is within the law so screw you, common sense doesn't come into the equation.