4 August 8, 2010 THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH www.sundaytelegraph.com.au www.sundaytelegraph.com.au THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH August 8, 2010 5 BE ROAD SAFE BE ROAD SAFE Out and about Out and about BE ROAD SAFE BE ROAD SAFE Out and about Out and about 60 0 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 Speed km/h Relative risk 15 km/h 10 Increase your speed by and multiply your risk by In spe FACT Data source: NSW RT A Speed km/h Relative risk 60 km/h 1.00 65 km/h 2.00 70 km/h 4.16 75 km/h 10.60 80 km/h 31.81 85 km/h 56.55 Crash risk vs speeding in a 60 zone Road sign activities 1. What is the purpose of the 40km/h road sign? 1. To tell the driver to slow down to 40km/h 2. To tell the driver that there will be 40 students up ahead 3. To tell the driver they can drive 40km/h or more in this zone 2. How long can you stop in a drop zone at a school? 1. As long as you want if there are no other cars 2. Two minutes only 3. As long as it takes for the driver to finish a conversation on their mobile 5. What is the purpose of the speed hump sign? 1. To slow the driver down 2. To make the road fun and interesting 3. To protect pedestrians 6. What do flashing traffic lights mean? 1. They are not working, so you must stop and give way 2. You can drive at 60km/h 3. Rush through because a police car is coming ● How many of these road signs have you seen around your neighbourhood and your school? ● Circle the ones with your finger that you know you have seen ● Are there any road signs you are not familiar with? Where do you think you would see these? ● How would you explain two of these signs to a person whose sight is impaired? ● Which sign do you think is the most important? Can you explain why? ● Imagine your job is to create road signs. Think about a design for a new road sign. What would be the purpose of your sign? 3. What should a driver do when they hear a police, fire or ambulance siren? 1. Panic! 2. Speed up and get out of the way 3. Give way and pull over to the left so they can pass 4. What does the sign with the kangaroo mean? 1. There is a zoo ahead 2. Watch out for native wildlife on the road 3. It is to amuse tourists from other countries 7. Why do school zones have special speed limit signs and rules? 1. To ensure motorists go slower when children are about 2. Because roads around schools have lots of traffic and people at the start and end of the school day 3. To make people drive slower so if they have to stop in an emergency there is less chance of a serious crash Take our safety quiz 1. 1 2. 2 3. 3 4. 2 5. 1 6. 1 7. All of these answers are correct Correct answers STOP SIGN: One of the most common signs in cities and towns. Drivers must come to a complete stop and give way to all traffic in the intersection. TRAFFIC LIGHTS SAFETY SIGNS: These signs are sometimes found at the approach to traffic lights. It means that if the lights aren’t functioning, you must stop and give way to traffic as if you were at an intersection with stop signs. GIVE WAY: Drivers must slow down, approach with caution and give way to all traffic in the intersection. TRAFFIC LIGHTS AHEAD: Warns drivers there is a set of traffic lights further along the road. Typically found where the lights may be obscured until drivers are quite close. ROUNDABOUT: Travel clockwise on the roundabout and give way to all traffic already on the roundabout. 50KM/H LIMIT: The 50km/h speed limit applies to all built-up areas across NSW, unless otherwise signposted. PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AHEAD: These signs warn that there is a pedestrian crossing and that young children are likely to be using it. Often seen near schools. SHARED TRAFFIC ZONE: A street that is shared by pedestrians and vehicles. A speed limit of 10km/h applies and drivers must give way to all pedestrians. RAISED PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AHEAD: These signs advise drivers to slow down as there is a pedestrian crossing ahead. The speed-hump sign indicates the crossing is raised, effectively forcing drivers to travel more slowly. REST AREA SIGN: Commonly seen on highways and major roads linking cities, these signs remind drivers of the importance of stopping and resting to combat fatigue. There are often a sequence of signs indicating how far it is to the next stop, giving drivers plenty of time to plan for their stop well in advance when travelling at higher speeds. KANGAROO: Warns motorists to be on the lookout for kangaroos and other Australian wildlife on the road ahead. Hitting any animal in a car can cause a serious accident, resulting in injury to both the animal and passengers in the vehicle. SCHOOL ZONE: This sign warns motorists there is a school zone ahead and that the school zone has a 40km/h speed limit during the times designated on the sign. The reality of driving By RHIANNON KEYTE A LOT of us get excited about the thought of driving in the real world when we get our licence because of the fun we have playing computer driving games. But although these games are fun and exciting, full of animals behind the wheel displaying magical, out-of-this-world driving skills, they don’t give us the full picture of what it’s like to drive in real life. Video games are heaps of fun; we get to drive fast with no consequences. But on a real road, going as little as 10km/h faster can make the difference between a safe speed and a dangerous crash. Did you know, for example, that increasing your speed from 60km/h to 70km/h in a 60km/h zone makes it four times more likely that you will have a crash? If you’re involved in a crash on your PC or console, you come out the other side having lost a life or two but are otherwise not injured. That’s because the physics of the video world have been put together by the games designers to make it risk-free. But the physics of the real world are a lot different. Imagine if you crashed your car in the real world and injured a family member or hit a pedestrian. How would you feel? Games are fun, but we have to remember they ignore the complexity of driving in traffic. Distractions such as passengers, peak-hour traffic and emergency vehicles often don’t appear in games. Cars that drive off cliffs are hoisted back on the road and the game continues. In the real world, cars aren’t self- repairing, nor are human beings. When you get behind the wheel of a real car, you’ll quickly see it’s very different from a virtual one. What are the differences between driving in the video world and the real world? Discuss this with your family and friends and find as many differences, and similarities, as you can.