Have you ever heard of P-platers……….? In Australia was the first time we heard the name. It is very simple. These are people with a distinctive plate with a ‘P’ on it attached on the front and the back of their car.
It means they have passed their driving exam successfully (and have the provisional permission to drive, that’s why it is a ‘P’), but are not very experienced drivers yet and need to apply to specific rules.
Young people in WA are mostly trained by their parents, who learnt it from their parents and so on………………. You can understand that some rules tend to be forgotten after several generations…..
But also consider the youngsters themselves think they will never die, so if you see a car crossing the road with less than a second before impact (while you approach them with 70 or 80 km), just have a good look …. Most of the time you will see this sign on their car hanging there, almost like an excuse or an apology ......
But also the more experienced driver might surprise you now and then. Just go to a roundabout and have a look at the signal lights of the approaching cars. One thing is sure; it won’t tell you anything about their planned direction.
And don’t consider yourself safe while walking on the side ways. You would not be the first to be hit be a car spinning out of control (mostly again the P- plater) while the V8 engine is playing its own game…
I am every day looking in amazement when bicyclists are risking their live bicycling on the side skirts of the roads while drivers (and P-platers!) are passing them by with 70 km an hour. They are real heroes!
No it is definitely not very safe on the roads of WA, but on the other hand very relaxed………….
You will always find a place to park, and outside the city you hardly will have to pay for it.
Changing lines is easy peasy. Just switch you signal light and you will see they will extend the gap to give you enough space to move in.
Most of the time you will drive at a speed of about 70 or 80 km an hour. On the freeway 100 km an hour and outside the city (on the highways), sometimes 110 km an hour. But that’s it. No high speeds.
We can imaging the culture shock, when we will be driving in Holland in a couple of years on a holiday.
5 comments:
Nice column Ellen, i recognized all the things you wrote. Looking forward to your next column.
Regards,
Magda
Good column, keep it up, this is the information I need!
Thanks,
Sacha
Hi Ellen, having your own blog will give obligations to maintain it regularly. It is interesting to read your day to day experience that I can mirror in NSW. So keep up with the good initiative. Look forward to your next one. Ewald
Driving in one of the most uninhabited regions in France is, judging from your column, as relaxing as it is in WA. Paris, of course, is a completely different matter.
When we go back to Holland for a visit, we are always shocked by the shere amount of cars on the roads and the rudeness with which people drive, so prepare yourself for the worst.
O by the way, France has the same system with young and/or inexperienced drivers (only with an 'A' instead of a 'P', of course).
Hey Ellen,
How good is that! I had a big chuckle about your V8 spinning out of control and the indicator really not indicating anything. Good to see you and Pete obviously have settled into Australia very good! Enjoy!!!
Kathleen
Ps. is your pool boiling yet :-)
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