Pete Burke, the owner and founder of Traveller's Auto Barn, shares his extensive knowledge and experience about driving in Australia and making the most of your roadtrip.
In part 2 of
the road trip tip series, we will discuss road safety and what to avoid doing on
the road. Kangaroos are a road hazard unique to Australia, and thus present a new
challenge for foreign drivers, especially at night. I will also outline a few
other things not to do, if you want to keep your vehicle upright, that is. So,
road warriors, read on before you drive off.
Driving at night
When you live
in outback areas, it is inevitable that at times you will need to drive at
night. As a tourist (with all of your hard earned cash tied up in your car), if
you find yourself driving at night, especially in an area where you see more
dead kangaroos by the roadside than living - you’ve got to ask yourself: “Do I
feel lucky today?” Well, do ya Punk?
If you hit a
kangaroo at night, it is not called an accident, it is called LOSING. You
rolled the dice, and you lost. How do you avoid hitting a kangaroo? It’s
simple, really. DO NOT DRIVE
AT NIGHT (this includes driving at dawn and dusk).
Note: You are
also more prone to hitting a kangaroo on roads where the bush or scrub comes
very close to the roadway and on overcast, dark, cloudy days.
Hitting a Kangaroo
Some boofheads,
ahem, I mean drivers, believe that if you drive extra fast you will avoid the
kangaroo, as by the time it hops, you will have passed. Others believe that if
you tailgate a semi-trailer, its enormity will protect you from hitting a roo.
I believe in Santa.
The whole
country is not riddled with roving populations of roos, but the danger of
hitting one exists on almost all rural, country and outback roads. Some places
are more dangerous than others, but it really just depends upon the roo
population in that area at the time. A good rule of thumb is that if you see a
lot of dead kangaroos by the roadside, you probably should not be driving at
night in that area.
Bull bars/roo bars
will limit the damage and may save your life, but they do not provide some kind
of magical force field. The damage will still be significant, and may be the
end of the line for your car. Because you do not NEED to drive at night, you do
not NEED a bull bar/roo bar. (However, they do look very cool on your car and
if your car has a bull bar/roo bar at selling time, it will probably be the
bull bar that makes the difference.)
How to Roll your Car (or Things to Avoid Doing on
the Road)
- Swerving to avoid hitting an animal
- Swerving to avoid wedge tail eagles
picking over a road kill carcass
- Driving too fast (which may only be
40 km/h) on dirt roads
- Many roads are only wide enough for
one car. When a road train is coming the other way, you will be forced off
the tarmac. If you do this at speed, you may lose control when one wheel
hits the soft edges. Often when passing cars on outback roads, each car
will put one wheel off the tarmac (again speed, soft verges and
inexperience will result in you rolling your car).
- Speeding
- Looking down to adjust the radio,
get a drink, SMS…
Coming soon…
That’s all for now,
intrepid Aussie roadtrippers. In my next installment, stay tuned my tips and
tricks regarding driving dangers, road rules, and vehicle maintenance. See ya on
the road!
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