Safe Outback DrivingMy mate Don has been outback driving in trucks and 4WD’s and up and down the Stuart Highway long before it was a highway. Here are some of his outback driving tips. Passing another vehicle and being passed in the country can be a hazardous event if some commonsense rules are not followed. Observation, patience and courtesy are key ingredients to safe outback driving. A scanning UHF radio is handy as it enables you to pickup the conversations of others around you in all types of vehicles. People use different channels when outback driving and being able to advise others of your intention to pass them is very handy. Trucks are usually on UHF channel 40. A brief request to the driver "Have you got a copy the northbound (or whichever direction) truck?" When the driver replies, ask to be advised when it is safe to pass. Sometimes a truck driver will flash the right hand traffic indicator a couple of times to indicate that it is OK to pass. It is up to you to then trust the driver’s judgement. In my outback driving experience they have always been right. When the pass has been executed, give a cheery thank you and wish the driver a safe journey. ("Have a good one." is a common expression) This is basic courtesy and manners. Unfortunately the number of people who lack even the most basic outback driving manners is on the increase and is shaping other peoples attitudes negatively towards them on the road. The attitude you portray to others may mean you find yourself well and truly on your own when you really need some help. Mishaps in the bush mean you are very much reliant on the generosity of others, so.... if you haven't any courtesy or manners, it is in your best interests to find some before you leave on your trip. And TAKE THEM WITH YOU. Passing on Bitumen is usually a high speed event in the bush. Remember, the faster you drive the less time you have to react to any unforseen problem, but passing a truck, especially a road train, should be done as quickly and safely as possible. The less time you spend on the wrong side of the road, the better. Make your mind up quickly and DO IT. But if you need to bail out of a manoeuvre part way through because of some problem, make your mind up quickly and DO IT. Never leave other road users in any doubt of your intentions. Use traffic indicators and regularly check that the globes in your indicators and brake lights as well as head lights and tail lights are working, as the vibrations from rough and corrugated roads can destroy the filaments in your globes. Carry spares (choose a good brand, not the cheap ones). They are easy to change. You may need single and double filament globes, (stop-tail). Study your vehicle manual before you leave home. You should have a good one for your vehicle, in addition to the one that comes with it when it is new. They are available at motor accessory outlets.
Outback Driving and passing on dirt roads is another thing altogether. This requires a lot of commonsense from both the person passing and the person being passed. Check your rear-vision mirrors all the time. Knowing what is happening behind you at all times is paramount and just as important as knowing what is going on in front of you. If you notice a cloud of dust in the distance behind you there is a likelihood that you are about to be passed. You should SLOW RIGHT DOWN to reduce the dust which obscures the vision for the passing driver so he can see if it is safe to pass you. It also stops the stones and rocks from hitting his overtaking vehicle. The overtaking vehicle should also SLOW RIGHT DOWN to reduce flying rocks hitting the vehicle being passed and if it is safe to do so, stay on the wrong side of the road for a distance before moving to the correct side. This will minimize rocks being thrown up into the path of the passed vehicle. Broken windscreens, headlights, dents and scratches need not occur if people use a bit of courtesy. Both vehicles can then increase their speed. If you see dust in the distance ahead of you it may mean another vehicle is coming towards you or stock such as cattle or sheep on the move. Whatever it is you need to be aware of it and be ready to act accordingly. When vehicles travelling in opposite directions are about to pass they BOTH should slow down considerably and when they are about 100 metres apart they should BOTH move as far to the left as is safe. This minimizes the dust which will sometimes obscure the vision of one or both drivers and keep the thrown rocks away from the vehicles. If it is stock on the move SLOW RIGHT DOWN. Do not rely on stock staying on the side of the road to let you pass. Sometimes a cow and calf are on opposite sides of the road and a vehicle can scare them, resulting in one or the other running across the road to be together. Cattle and sheep know nothing about outback driving and road rules. No matter how courteous and considerate you are, you will still encounter the idiots who haven't got a clue and don't give a damn about others or their property. If you slow right down even to the extent of pulling over and stopping during passing manoeuvres, you will significantly reduce any damage to your vehicle even if the other driver doesn't slow down. Usually people driving in the same direction in the bush are end up at the same place eventually, and a word to the idiot driver and recording his registration number could be in order. You may consider that another driver is travelling too fast for the road conditions and you may be right, but if the speed limit is not being broken, (in most country areas in Australia the speed limit is 100-110km/hour ) they have the right to travel at a speed up to that level no matter how dangerous it is. Just get out of their selfish, inconsiderate way and hope you are not confronted with a major accident in an isolated area involving them and the trauma associated with it for you. REMEMBER.... OBSERVATION..... PATIENCE...... COURTESY. Animals and birds in the bush are also Outback driving hazards. There are large flying birds in the bush and the largest is the Wedge Tailed Eagle. They eat road kill and some usually leave it to the last second to fly off as you approach. Some of them are so used to traffic they don't fly off at all. They can do a lot of damage to your vehicle, especially the windscreen, if you hit them. The slower you hit them the less damage. Because of their size and they are gorged on carrion they may take sometime to get high enough to be out of your way. They usually take off into the wind to get lift like an aeroplane. Depending on the wind direction they may fly into your path. Observe the grass on the sides of the road or which way the dust is blowing to see which direction the wind is coming from as you drive along. This will give you an indication of the likely flight path the birds will use. When you see birds on road kill up ahead keep beeping your horn as you slow down. The speed of sound is much faster than your vehicle (well it should be!) and hopefully they will have flown off before you get to them. Other tips for Courteous Travelling Do not camp on water holes or dams, day or night, as stock will not come in to drink if you are there. ALWAYS leave gates how you find them. Often stock are feeding in one paddock and their water is in another. Shut the gate and you kill them all. Leave it open and the owner may not find them again. Do not enter private property unless you have made PRIOR arrangements with the owner. Most properties DO NOT HAVE public access. Do not drop in to say "hello" to pastoralists or farmers unless you have been invited to do so. How would you like an endless stream of strangers continually knocking on your front door when you are busy trying to run a business. The welcome mat is usually not out on the doorstep. If people have to drop everything and put themselves out to assist you because you have failed to plan, prepare or drive appropriately don't expect beaming smiles or much sympathy when you arrive. Genuinely offer to pay them for their time, fuel and equipment used to get you out of trouble. Unfortunately thousands of tourists who have gone before you have done the wrong thing and have ruined it for everybody. They may have been shooting sheep and cattle, water tanks, signs that could save a life, in fact anything that will or will not move, and not observing the "leave gates how you find them" golden rule. The best thing is to give pastoralists a wave when you see them on the road and do not bother them anymore than that More Outback Driving Safety Tips Many deaths and serious injuries have occurred when vehicles have fallen off all types of jacks onto people underneath the vehicle. This is absolutely preventable with just a smidgeon of common-sense. This goes for all places not only for outback driving. Never ever trust a jack. They can twist and collapse in soft, sandy or muddy conditions. Repairs that involve pulling, pushing and forcing etc. can cause the jack to topple. Windy conditions, even a large truck driving past at speed can cause a jacked up vehicle to topple. Ensure your jack is in tip top condition. Obtain a good solid set of wheel chocks and use them every time a vehicle is jacked up. This as well as, not instead of, ensures the vehicle is blocked up and stable. Never rely on jacks alone. Solid wheel chocks and secure and solid blocking up underneath the vehicle are all integral to your safety. Before you get under a jacked up, and supposedly secure vehicle, give it a good shake to make sure it is in fact as safe as you can make it. Never allow any part of you or others, (this includes arms, legs, head and body), under a jacked up vehicle unless it has been lowered down onto secure objects that form a solid base. Leave the jack in place, holding the weight as well. Even if you are changing a wheel (a common event associated with Outback driving) you should have something else placed under it, near to the jack, in case your vehicle falls off the jack. Once it falls it is very difficult to get a vehicle back up off the ground. There is nowhere to put the jack once the car is flat on the deck. Large rocks that have at least one largish flat side or timber criss-crossed in layers can be used as supports after you have raised your vehicle. Use your spare wheels, (most people carry two spares for outback driving) one on top of the other if necessary. Your spare wheels can also be used to stabilise the front or back of a vehicle if you have to do some work under it. Jack up the axle and place the spares under the wheels then lower the vehicle down until the tyres are sitting on the centre of the spares. Even flat spares can be used for this. A home-made or manufactured BBQ plate made of 5/16" or 3/8" steel plate with detachable or folding legs can be used as a jack plate in soft or sandy conditions. (It is also handy to cook on!) We wish you safe and enjoyable outback driving
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