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Merging: still a difficult move for some Sydney drivers
28/05/2010
NRMA Insurance is urging all NSW drivers to take extra care, after new claims data has revealed that over the past three years in Metropolitan and Greater Sydney, collisions involving drivers merging have increased by 11 per cent*.
Areas within Sydney where the insurer saw the highest number of merging collisions were:
- Homebush Bay Drive - the stretch from Rhodes (turning into Concord Road) to Homebush (going across Australia Avenue and the M4);
- Silverwater Road - intersecting with the M4 and Parramatta Road;
- Pacific Highway - intersecting with Ryde Road and Mona Vale Road;
- Victoria Road - Gladesville Bridge intersecting with Burns Bay Road.
NRMA Insurance spokesperson Robert McDonald said the data showed that drivers need to refresh their road rules knowledge and take more caution when merging.
“In the Homebush Bay Drive area, we saw a 56 per cent increase in merging related collisions over the past three years. And at the other areas, merging related collisions accounted for on average 7 per cent of overall collisions,” Mr McDonald said.
Additional research into driver knowledge showed almost 35 per cent of NSW drivers don’t know the correct road rule when two lines of traffic merge into a single line of traffic and almost 20 per cent of NSW drivers don’t know the correct road rule when moving from one line of traffic to another**.
The rules when merging are straightforward - when two lines of traffic become one and there are no marked lines, a driver must give way to any vehicle that is ahead of their own. And if a vehicle wants to move from one marked lane of traffic into another, they must give way to the lane of traffic they are moving into***.
“Being courteous and allowing other vehicles to move smoothly into lanes can help everyone reduce the risk of a collision,” Mr McDonald said.
NRMA Insurance offers the following tips to drivers:
- merge at a similar speed to the traffic you are merging with – this will make merging easier and assist with traffic flow;
- don’t change lanes abruptly, move smoothly into lanes – this can help to reduce the risk of a collision;
- maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you to avoid clipping the car when merging;
- always use your indicators when merging or changing lanes so other drivers are aware of where you are going.
* Based on NRMA Insurance motor comprehensive claims data sourced in May 2010 for the period of 2007 to 2009
** Based on Pure Profile Research, February 2010
*** http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au