WA drivers need refresher on changing lanes
28/05/2010
SGIO is urging WA drivers to take freshen up their knowledge of the road rules after new research* revealed one in five drivers didn't know the correct rules for changing traffic lanes.
SGIO spokesperson Rob Cory said that WA drivers needed to freshen up their knowledge of the road rules and take more caution when merging and changing lanes.
“We recently surveyed WA drivers and found that one in six didn’t know the correct merging rules and one in five didn’t know the rules for moving from one traffic lane to another,” he said.
“The rules when merging are straightforward - when two lines of traffic merge and there are no marked lines you must give way to any vehicle that’s ahead of your own.
“If you want to change lane and move from one marked line of traffic to another, you must give way to the line of traffic that you’re moving into**.
“These findings show that many drivers find merging a difficult move on the roads but a quick refresher of the road rules will help ensure a smoother drive and could help to avoid a crash.”
SGIO claims data*** reveals that the traffic routes in the Perth metro area with the highest number of merging collision claims over the last three years were:
- Albany Highway from Tonkin Highway to McMillan St intersections;
- Canning Hwy from Stirling Highway to Riesley St intersections;
- Freeway from Warwick Road to South Street; and
- Great Eastern Highway from Roe Highway to Ivy Street.
SGIO offers the following tips to drivers:
- merge at a similar speed to the traffic you’re merging with;
- move smoothly into new lanes to help reduce the risk of a collision;
- maintain a safe distance from the car in front to avoid clipping it when merging;
- use your indicators when merging or changing lanes for the benefit of others.
** http://www.slp.wa.gov.au
*** Based on SGIO motor comprehensive claims data sourced in May 2010 for the period of 2007 to 2009.