Flaws
in the Law and no order.
I am breaking a road law almost every week.
Yes,
you heard correctly, a driving instructor is breaking the road law? This is why I’m asking for your
opinion. What would you do in this case?
In
South Australia students. who have learned to drive in an automatic car are still
allowed to drive both, auto vehicles and those with manual gear-shift.
Almost
weekly experienced, licenced drivers come to our driving school, who want to simply learn to use
the gears, and how to operate a clutch. Some are very slow in learning this
skill. Many stall on take-off.
This is where
the problem starts. Because
these drivers have a full license, instructors, technically, are not allowed
to display L-plates. But I still do - against the law. These people are
Learners at that time.
The
L-plates, to a degree,
protect us from rear end collisions. If the 'learner' stalls,
those behind are less likely to crash into us. (They will instead wait
patiently, while reading my bumper sticker:
'God loves learner
drivers'.
-
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Another
instance, where the law is a trap, comes to mind. On a narrow country road with
double centre lines (barrier lines) it is illegal to cross these to overtake.
But what
about having to cross these, to overtake a cyclist or very slow-moving farm machinery? There ought to be an
exemption, allowing to cross these lines at very slow speed, if safe to do
so!
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One
of the most crazy laws in South Australia: You are not
allowed to use your mobile phone, even when standing still, stuck in a
traffic jam!
Doesn't
it defeat the purpose? You are held up at a railway crossing or
at road works and want to phone at your destination that you are
arriving late - it's illegal to
make even a quick call. Stepping out of the vehicle to make the call is
breaking another road law - you can't leave your vehicle, unless parked
properly, legally.
The
law can only do so much. Common sense should prevail - in the
interest of safety.
But then, the law would loose it's power over us.
Two professions, starting with the letters *L and P, would lose their grip on those, who simply want to have
the freedom to think for themselves.
*(Lawyers
and Police).