Right Turn Rules
Discussion
Just came across this mentioned in another thread and given theres so many expats here it seemed the appropriate place.
I dont understand the problem with the NZ Right turn rule. I know its different to the rest of the world but it makes far more sense...
It means uncontrolled intersections work the same way as a round about.
Plus on a busy road its far easier to turn left than turn right so when both ccould go the one turning right should so both directions traffic flows as smooth as possible.
Plus if its that busy one lot cant go at all it makes more sense for the left turning one to be stalled and pressed hard against the side of the road rather than the right turning one whos sitting in the middle of the road which will always lead to being backed up into the straight ahead lane and causing even more congestion.
Im just intrigued whether anyone actually has an advantage to the rest of the worlds system rather than just "Its what everyone else does and im used to it that way"
Comments...
I dont understand the problem with the NZ Right turn rule. I know its different to the rest of the world but it makes far more sense...
It means uncontrolled intersections work the same way as a round about.
Plus on a busy road its far easier to turn left than turn right so when both ccould go the one turning right should so both directions traffic flows as smooth as possible.
Plus if its that busy one lot cant go at all it makes more sense for the left turning one to be stalled and pressed hard against the side of the road rather than the right turning one whos sitting in the middle of the road which will always lead to being backed up into the straight ahead lane and causing even more congestion.
Im just intrigued whether anyone actually has an advantage to the rest of the worlds system rather than just "Its what everyone else does and im used to it that way"
Comments...
I've already said as much in a previous topic on this thread...
The brutal truth is, people generally don't like change, even if it's for the better, and once you think purely logically about the NZ way of doing it, it is better, and a more consistant/less confusing rule.
However could you imagine the chaos on the roads if the UK tried to implement it? It's far safer to leave the system as it is here as people here are comfortable with it; at least until the oil runs out, then it will be more or less a solved problem anyway!
My £0.02 or $0.06
The brutal truth is, people generally don't like change, even if it's for the better, and once you think purely logically about the NZ way of doing it, it is better, and a more consistant/less confusing rule.
However could you imagine the chaos on the roads if the UK tried to implement it? It's far safer to leave the system as it is here as people here are comfortable with it; at least until the oil runs out, then it will be more or less a solved problem anyway!
My £0.02 or $0.06
Richard Gee said:
It sounds as tricky as the offside rule. 
Can anyone explain it in simpleton-speak??
Can anyone explain it in simpleton-speak??
Basically, give way to anyone that would hit your drivers door in a collision. Straight ahead traffic has right-of-way, if turning right give way to straight-through traffic, if turning left give way to straight-through traffic and right-turning traffic.
It makes sense fine to me because I've grown up with it, and have never driven in other countries to experience different rules.
It's simple enough to swap between the two rules, I quickly got used to the idea in the UK, since I'm a pushy driver anyway it was even better for me!!!
Luckily there is a 24+ hour flight between the UK & NZ, so you can't be accused of just driving over the border/channel and not knowing where you were!
It's a point to split many hairs over...
I'd like to see any related accident statistics to the situation, though honest stat's about anything car safety related can be hard to come by in any country!!!
Luckily there is a 24+ hour flight between the UK & NZ, so you can't be accused of just driving over the border/channel and not knowing where you were!
It's a point to split many hairs over...
I'd like to see any related accident statistics to the situation, though honest stat's about anything car safety related can be hard to come by in any country!!!
NZ didn't always have that rule. My recollection, based on what car Dad had at the time (HR Holden 
), was that we changed in the early 70's.
Watch out for the courtesy turn rule in some places, sometimes called the "first in & take turns" rule. Imagine Kiwi's coping with that
Also the state-to-state variations are a bit tricky to deal with
), was that we changed in the early 70's. GravelBen said:
. . . It makes sense fine to me because I've grown up with it, and have never driven in other countries to experience different rules.
Watch out for the courtesy turn rule in some places, sometimes called the "first in & take turns" rule. Imagine Kiwi's coping with that
Also the state-to-state variations are a bit tricky to deal with
Smilie failure §
Edited by Kiwi XTR2 on Wednesday 12th July 15:53
Seems to me like half the Kiwi's dont understand it either.
It creates confusion where non is needed, I'm turning right, oncoming car is turning left, another car behind that is going straight on, will they get round the other car, can I go or not, do they go if I cant...
I understand why its been brought in, I just dont think it works in practice.
It creates confusion where non is needed, I'm turning right, oncoming car is turning left, another car behind that is going straight on, will they get round the other car, can I go or not, do they go if I cant...
I understand why its been brought in, I just dont think it works in practice.
What a complete load of tosh!
The right-turn rule in NZ is the most stupid and dangerous rule I've ever come across and I've driven in lots of places around the world with some very strange rules! The fact it's only found in NZ (to my knowledge) isn't by chance - if it made any sense don't you think other countries would have adopted it?
How can you justify having two vehicles placed in a dangerous position on a main road when normally you'd only have one?
If you are driving along a busy road and you want to turn left and someone wants to turn right, you stop in the middle of the road (depending on the road) thus backing-up cars behind you. The person turning right also stops in the middle of the road and backs up cars behind them (potentially). So you have two vehicles in dangerous positions for a length of time when one of them could have turned the corner quickly and easily and been out of any danger. Cars following the car turning left then don't have to run the gauntlet!
There is then the will-he-won't-he hesitation, further complicated by cars behind the vehicle turning left, overtaking and going inbetween the two! Any road rule that causes hesitation and forces drivers to have to consider all directions including behind when turning left is idiotic in the extreme.
It's so dangerous I can't believe it hasn't been abolished. I imagine it results in hundreds of low-speed crashes every year - I wish someone would print a statistic about it.
Then there are overseas drivers who don't know about it or forget it!
I can't see how anyone in their right mind can justify this rule, let alone people who actually enjoy driving!
The right-turn rule in NZ is the most stupid and dangerous rule I've ever come across and I've driven in lots of places around the world with some very strange rules! The fact it's only found in NZ (to my knowledge) isn't by chance - if it made any sense don't you think other countries would have adopted it?
How can you justify having two vehicles placed in a dangerous position on a main road when normally you'd only have one?
If you are driving along a busy road and you want to turn left and someone wants to turn right, you stop in the middle of the road (depending on the road) thus backing-up cars behind you. The person turning right also stops in the middle of the road and backs up cars behind them (potentially). So you have two vehicles in dangerous positions for a length of time when one of them could have turned the corner quickly and easily and been out of any danger. Cars following the car turning left then don't have to run the gauntlet!
There is then the will-he-won't-he hesitation, further complicated by cars behind the vehicle turning left, overtaking and going inbetween the two! Any road rule that causes hesitation and forces drivers to have to consider all directions including behind when turning left is idiotic in the extreme.
It's so dangerous I can't believe it hasn't been abolished. I imagine it results in hundreds of low-speed crashes every year - I wish someone would print a statistic about it.
Then there are overseas drivers who don't know about it or forget it!
I can't see how anyone in their right mind can justify this rule, let alone people who actually enjoy driving!
As was said earlier, if you are used to the rule, it's fine, I never had any problems with it, nor incidentally have I had any problems shifting to the UK system.
Here I have seen cars backing up for ages waiting for a person to be able to turn in to the right, even at traffic lights.
I'm sure the short hesitation that may occur in NZ is probably reducing the risk that someone will plough into the back of your car while you're waiting to turn in to a driveway, this has caused me to hit the anchors and come to a complete stop more than once, not to mention alleviating the road rage building in the drivers behind you...
If the driver who is behind you is actually watching, they will see that you have to let another car across, and slow accordingly - at least they should if they're not a muppet with a corn flakes packet license, which, sadly is prevalent in NZ just as much as here, perhaps more so...
Of course, UK roads (at least near where I live) tend to be a bit more narrow than in NZ, or at least our verges are wider, so it's not so much of a problem if you have to pull over to the left to turn in, and this may have influenced the formation of the rule...
As for the enjoyment aspect of it, I've never found low speed turning exciting at all, unless on ice!!!
Here I have seen cars backing up for ages waiting for a person to be able to turn in to the right, even at traffic lights.
I'm sure the short hesitation that may occur in NZ is probably reducing the risk that someone will plough into the back of your car while you're waiting to turn in to a driveway, this has caused me to hit the anchors and come to a complete stop more than once, not to mention alleviating the road rage building in the drivers behind you...
If the driver who is behind you is actually watching, they will see that you have to let another car across, and slow accordingly - at least they should if they're not a muppet with a corn flakes packet license, which, sadly is prevalent in NZ just as much as here, perhaps more so...
Of course, UK roads (at least near where I live) tend to be a bit more narrow than in NZ, or at least our verges are wider, so it's not so much of a problem if you have to pull over to the left to turn in, and this may have influenced the formation of the rule...
As for the enjoyment aspect of it, I've never found low speed turning exciting at all, unless on ice!!!
I agree with jamie on this one, it's a stupid rule and should be abolished.... as with any road rule however, as long as people follow it and drive defensively there'll be no issues, it's just that with the right-turn rule, the potential consequences of an error of judgement or a lapse in concentration are far greater.
peterpsg said:
Of course, UK roads (at least near where I live) tend to be a bit more narrow than in NZ, or at least our verges are wider, so it's not so much of a problem if you have to pull over to the left to turn in, and this may have influenced the formation of the rule...
They practice this rule in Aussie as well. I found mainly in Melbourne and Sydney. Makes a lot of sense. The only time I use this rule here is of course is on a busy highway which its in the road code anyway? In any case hasn't stopped an asian driver smacking me up the rear at red lights anyway!!! Grrrr
Here in the UK I've often spent disproportionate amounts of time waiting for an oportunity to turn in across a busy road, even missing several sets of lights in some cases, all the while building up large amounts of traffic behind me.
However, if the NZ rule was the same as the UK's initialy, then I can't see whatever prompted them to change it, as all it really does in my opinion is change what side of the road has to queue up and wait, plus it does enforce a bit of road courtesy, which may otherwise be somewhat lacking.
There are definately things however than NZ needs to copy from the UK, and one is proper roundabout design, as the local council (probably all of them) where I used to live have a predilection for installing traffic lights every few hundred meters, when there was easily ample space available for a roundabout.
Oh, and the other absolute must have from the UK, is absolutly compulsory 3rd party insurance cover as a minimum.
However, if the NZ rule was the same as the UK's initialy, then I can't see whatever prompted them to change it, as all it really does in my opinion is change what side of the road has to queue up and wait, plus it does enforce a bit of road courtesy, which may otherwise be somewhat lacking.
There are definately things however than NZ needs to copy from the UK, and one is proper roundabout design, as the local council (probably all of them) where I used to live have a predilection for installing traffic lights every few hundred meters, when there was easily ample space available for a roundabout.
Oh, and the other absolute must have from the UK, is absolutly compulsory 3rd party insurance cover as a minimum.
Edited by peterpsg on Wednesday 12th July 22:52
peterpsg said:
Oh, and the other absolute must have from the UK, is absolutly compulsory 3rd party insurance cover as a minimum.
Amen to that - plus raise the driving age to at least 17. I don't think I would be alive if I'd learned to drive at 15!
peterpsg said:
Here in the UK I've often spent disproportionate amounts of time waiting for an oportunity to turn in across a busy road, even missing several sets of lights in some cases, all the while building up large amounts of traffic behind me.
If you can't turn right at a set of lights, that's poor road design and there should be a filter arrow there (I've had that experience myself). If no lights and busy, you'd end up sitting in the middle of the road anyway, whilst people tried to decide if they could drive straight on around the car in front turning left!
peterpsg said:
As was said earlier, if you are used to the rule, it's fine, I never had any problems with it, nor incidentally have I had any problems shifting to the UK system.
But that's not true as each situation, depending on how much room has been left or how pushy the driver is, has potential for someone overtaking the car turning left. This is one of the main reasons I think the rule is dangerous, that and the fact that TWO cars have to slow down or stop at the point of danger. I'm used to the rule myself but the simple fact is it's a slower way for road users to negotiate turns.
peterpsg said:
Of course, UK roads (at least near where I live) tend to be a bit more narrow than in NZ, or at least our verges are wider, so it's not so much of a problem if you have to pull over to the left to turn in, and this may have influenced the formation of the rule...
Eh? Sure we have narrow country lanes in the UK but turning right isn't usually a problem then. As for roads in towns, you've got to be kidding! Most of the 'main roads' are wider than state highway 1! I'm not sure anyone pulls over to the left to turn right on a busy road in the UK either - is that even in the Highway code?
Sorry, I'm banging on about this now - I don't want to sound offensive! Suffice to say I think this rule is dumb and it needs to go asap!
I have a cunning way to get around the right hand rule (adopted from the locals I might add), don’t use the indicators. The problem is when you obey the rule people get very confused and end up staring at your car for 30 seconds while they decide wether you are being genuine or just forgot to turn your indicators off.
I find kiwi’s usage of roundabouts to be far more disturbing, I’ve stop believing what the indicators are telling me completely now and just rely on the cars direction of travel as a good indicator. It’s like some irrational fear of the indicators that has spread through society?!!
I find kiwi’s usage of roundabouts to be far more disturbing, I’ve stop believing what the indicators are telling me completely now and just rely on the cars direction of travel as a good indicator. It’s like some irrational fear of the indicators that has spread through society?!!
speedy_thrills said:
I have a cunning way to get around the right hand rule (adopted from the locals I might add), don’t use the indicators. The problem is when you obey the rule people get very confused and end up staring at your car for 30 seconds while they decide wether you are being genuine or just forgot to turn your indicators off.
I find kiwi’s usage of roundabouts to be far more disturbing, I’ve stop believing what the indicators are telling me completely now and just rely on the cars direction of travel as a good indicator. It’s like some irrational fear of the indicators that has spread through society?!!
I find kiwi’s usage of roundabouts to be far more disturbing, I’ve stop believing what the indicators are telling me completely now and just rely on the cars direction of travel as a good indicator. It’s like some irrational fear of the indicators that has spread through society?!!
Agreed.... Kiwis and roundabout protocols are completely foreign to eachother!
Oh I have an incedibly serious question about roundabouts - sometimes when I drive on them after its been raining (or snowing or freezing), they seem to get slipperier, and my car seems to slide sideways on them. does this mean I should indicate in the direction the car is travelling, or the direction it is pointing, or the way I want to go? Or perhaps I should just put the hazard lights on so it looks like I'm indicating both ways, and people might stay out of my way?
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