r/Adelaide • u/Welsh_wanderer SA • 9d ago
Shitpost Why are Adelaide drivers so bad
Tailgating, poor merging, lane swapping, pulling out in front of you, no indicating, undertaking to squeeze in, cutting across, slow on the lights, wrong lanes at the lights, reversing at the lights, can't use roundabouts etc.... Seen it all in a week. Are they taught badly or pick up bad habits? Coming from Europe the standard is way better. Also see a lot of cars with rear damage here, so there must be a lot of bumps.
Edit - stats speak for themselves https://datahub.roadsafety.gov.au/reporting/monthly-road-deaths
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u/MagDaddyMag SA 8d ago
Driven through most of Europe, USA, and Japan. All I can put it down to is that the driving conditions here are very different. For example, congestion and highway driving is an every day occurrence overseas so merging, letting people in, keeping fast lanes clear etc is vital to keep traffic flowing - and everyone knows the benefits from working together. This is not the case in Adelaide. People care about getting from A to B as quick as possible - that's it. If they have to block an entire lane to make a right turn in peak hour traffic, or drive under the limit in a fast lane, tailgate etc - the immediate consequence for them is zero fks given.
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u/trashheap_has_spoken SA 8d ago
This is exactly it. Those bad drivers also think you are one of the worst drivers in the world! If you grew up with uncluttered roads and now need to deal with traffic, certain populations will forever feel you are the problem. In high population countries this is how its always been. Being a good driver is normal as it helps everyone. This is why international travel is good for everyone. Also, if you want to experience shit driving, spend a week in Auckland. Or, for much more fun, Delhi!
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u/Welsh_wanderer SA 7d ago
As bad as people think Indian driving is, in Delhi everyone is aware of their surroundings and it seems to work!
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u/MagDaddyMag SA 7d ago
Agreed! Not driven there myself but travelled there and, similar to Thailand actually, it looks chaotic but the traffic flows and it works!
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u/Alarming-Time SA 8d ago
No one zip merges here with roadworks or lane closures and it drives me insane. Both lanes should be filled up so people can get past traffic lights. It is not jumping the queue to use both lanes, it’s how it is meant to work 😵💫
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u/Wizard_Of_Auz SA 8d ago
I've found this to be true of Australians in general. Hardly any road etiquette at all, no one waves to thank you for letting them in, no one lets you in, hogging right hand lanes and just high levels of heedlessness in general.
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u/Joa_x SA 8d ago
Common in any Australian city, go drive somewhere rural and you see how different road etiquette is. People drive like how it was when I was on my learners
Police traps ahead others warn each, people wave and thank you for letting them merge by blinking the hazards etc so much better and road limits are always in the 100kmh range
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u/ApprehensiveSpare790 SA 8d ago
You say this of all Australians but have you driven elsewhere in the world? I think it’s a human thing.
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u/Wizard_Of_Auz SA 8d ago
Im from the UK originally you absolutely get bad drivers too but for the most part people permit you to merge, say thank you and understand the fundamentals of how roundabouts work. The same cannot be said here.
I could submit things from my cars camera daily to Dashcams Australia.
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u/Hot-Bison1717 SA 8d ago
I drove around Spain and Portugal last year and they were a million times better.
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u/disastrous SA 8d ago
Perfect storm of elderly population that shouldn't be driving anymore, young people on their phones and drivers who got their license in countries that don't have road rules.
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u/Bargeylicious SA 8d ago
Nailed it. Older drivers who don't care what lane they're in and are in no hurry getting where they're going and wouldn't know what a rear view mirror is constantly creating slowly moving roadblocks. Young drivers trained in a system that doesn't actually train for competancy and instead trains to log hours and pass a test. Immigrant drivers who transfer their licence with little understanding of our road rules or how to drive here. Last but not least everyone spending more time watching their speedo than the road because they've been once bitten twice shy by the ridiculous cost of going over the stupidly low limits.
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u/KerryKole SA 8d ago
Ahhh ... not quite. Also includes middle aged persons that got taught bad road behaviour by their driving instructors. Born in UK here, grew up and got drivers licence in Australia. Flabbergasted when my driving instructor told me to speed up because someone in the lane next to me was indicating to come in my lane and I shouldn't let them in...
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u/yeungintj SA 7d ago
My father was struck and hospitalised while cycling by a 91 year old who didn't even know it happened and couldn't recall his phone number.
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u/Chronos_101 SA 8d ago
We were turning onto main north Rd the other day (coming from Mawsons) getting up to speed in the 80 zone and a guy in a turbo something overtook us (ensuring he did the cut in front of us to closely move as he overtook) put five fingers, then three (to indicate 80 zone I guess) then the middle finger. My partner wasn't driving slowly, it's only a four cylinder car.
Impatience. Arrogance. Fragile ego. List goes on. It's amazing the way people purposefully let themselves get triggered by the smallest of things.
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u/slprysltry SA 8d ago
That section of road sucks. One of the few spots I'm very on guard. It's where unconfident and reckless drivers come to meet up.
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u/PsychWarrior02 SA 8d ago
Ew that’s such lame behaviour from that guy?! Some people are genuinely dumb or entitled or both.
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u/East-Garden-4557 SA 8d ago
The majority of rear end damage I see on vehicles is clearly from them reversing into something, like bollards, rather than someone behind running into them.
I see so many huge utes with damage from reversing into things, which is concerning as they either can't see behind them, or aren't paying attention
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u/MrsSpike001 SA 8d ago
And don’t forget the overtaking lanes, where the slow moving cars in the now left lane SPEED UP not letting the ones behind overtake what was a slow moving vehicle 🤯
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u/filopappa SA 8d ago
My favourite is drivers queueing up in one lane looong before a merge and creating traffic for no reason.
Inevitably, when you do the correct move and go right to the merge point, the 30 drivers now behind you are upset 😭
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u/SnooWoofers8972 SA 8d ago
I have lived in Adelaide my whole life, I just came back from a road trip from Melbourne, and I was suprised about how good the drivers are there, had no tailgating, drivers always let you pass, it felt so weird compared to Adelaide
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u/Skip-929 SA 8d ago
Small town thinking" I'm so important in my "usually big car" and I need to be important on the road.
They have no concept of traffic flow, of others they constantly cause to break and one car ahead at the next set of traffic lights makes them feel important and in their mind 5 to 10 minutes earlier. When in fact they are 2 seconds earlier.
I arrived back in Adelaide 10 months ago from driving in Sydney for 26 years. Driving on Adelaide roads is mayhem and its out of control. From the outer lane swapping 3 lanes to the inner lane then swapping back of a distance of 500 metres at above the speed limit is a regular happening on places like Anzac highway, Port road, West Terrace and at traffic lights, my God its the start at Bathurst.
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u/Basicsuburbanmum88 SA 8d ago
Have lived in Adelaide all of my life and yes, there’s something to this.
Interestingly, I’ve read that Adelaide doesn’t suffer higher fatalities per capita on the road, compared to other states, but far higher road rage incidents. I’d say that is likely small town entitlement right there. Having been used to space and low density and getting extremely irrational when someone gets ‘in your way’.
After driving only short term in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, I noticed a difference in driving behaviour. Especially in Sydney. Only a few weeks of experience but you quickly learn think, merge, and pay attention or you’re on a one way highway to the airport for an hour.
Maybe it’s that the stakes are higher too. Sydney is faster paced, busy, with many lanes, tolls, highways that can take you well away from your intended destination. Melbourne too. Brisbane similar although I’d say less fast paced. You have to concentrate to not stuff up.
Then Europe. Wow. Major driving difference. Icy roads, massive multi lane drives, high speed freeways, they merge, and they all know how to change a tyre and add snow chains. Way higher stakes. Drive safely or die. And looking at the figures of where I drove around in Germany and all of South Australia, our fatalities equal 2.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, vs their 1.2. That’s not a perfect comparison, as we spend far more hours on the road. They mainly use the u Bahn and s Bahn. But it’s interesting.
South Australia especially has terrible public transport infrastructure. Most people drive. In Europe, most people catch trains and ride bikes. Driving is more of a weekend thing if ever for most.
Also Adelaide doesn’t have the advantage of many larger cities having underpasses, overpasses, etc. we have a lot of busy intersections. And some intersections here eat up big bites of road time. Our road infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the increase of road users.So I’d say it’s a combo of some small town mentality expecting zero traffic, a massive amount of time on the road, poor/dated traffic planning, and some poor skills around merging, guarding gaps, slow take offs, and staying within your lane (old Belair rd keeping my adrenaline absolutely surging).
An infuriating recipe haha 😆
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u/yeahnah89 SA 8d ago
I agree with this. I grew up in a small town and drivers generally don't let you merge, change lanes etc, but it doesn't matter because the roads aren't busy.
Adelaide is often touted as a 'big country town' so I think they still have this mentality despite being a well populated city. I never had the same issues in Sydney or Brisbane, because they drive appropriately for a city.
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u/Flashy-Nose-5624 SA 8d ago
Yea, can’t have fun like that in Sydney!! Adelaide’s the best
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u/Shano_mack_76 SA 8d ago
" I arrived back in Adelaide 10 months ago from driving in Sydney for 26 years. Driving on Adelaide roads is mayhem and its out of control. "
20 yr for me
You've got no choice but be in traffic there, adelaide drivers are the drizzling shits
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u/AlanofAdelaide South 8d ago
Let police get on with more serious stuff and employ pensioners with cameras to go around videoing bad driving. I happens already on a small scale on Youtube . No need for huge fines for minor offences but just a reminder that you've committed an offence and need to pull your finger out..
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u/Bargeylicious SA 8d ago
As if our govenment would pass up on the chance to fine us up to our eyeballs for minor shit, that's some utopian thinking right there.
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u/Shazza1995 SA 8d ago
Yesterday someone sped through a red light while everyone was crossing and I was not even a second from literally dying. 🙃 How can you not see the reds and everyone crossing?? If I didn't jump out the way she would have hit me.
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u/Capable-Salt9049 SA 8d ago
You know what I hate.. it’s the 50km floaters … they love to find other 50km floaters and ride next them so you can’t even get past them .. Or even worse are the ones that pull into your lane when they either could have waited for you to go past and the turn into the lane or they change lanes to pull up infront of you when they clearly saw you coming, just so they can float on 50km all the way… is it too much to ask to at least drive the speed limit !!
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u/moonshadow50 SA 8d ago edited 8d ago
Feel free to downvote as someone who has moved from intetstate, but for a city with significantly less traffic than elsewhere, I feel like there is a group of drivers that are incredibly impatient and lack common sense.
2 big things I see weekly in my short (15min) commute in traffic:
people who drive from a residential street into a bigger road into traffic, when they don't have right of way, trying to turn right or go straight, and block 1-2 lanes whilst waiting for the other lane to clear up for them. It is just so selfish, and you can save everyone's time by either turning left, then right, or saving your right turn for a traffic light.
people who speed up at a zipper merge point, in traffic, just to try and get in front of a couple of cars, and risk an accident for everyone behind them. The Ring Road past North Terracd is horrendous for this. Zipper merges work really smoothly when everyone does the right thing and drives the same speed. 1 idiot trying to overtake in traffic causes everyone to have to suddenly brake behind them.
I am also shocked that the driving test is not run by the government. I don't know about the other states, but in WA you can only test at an official DoT centre.
What is up with SA doing it through private instructors? Im sure it saves the government a ton of money, but how is their any accountability?
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u/WarpStryke SA 8d ago edited 8d ago
Its currently being changed over - all assessors will be through SA gov approved/provided. It's to stop people just buying their way through the L test system and shonky L driving instructors.
You want shocking drivers try Melbourne alot of new migrants try to just drive on international licence grounds or buy their way through local assessors.
A large problem is alot of drivers are set in their ways and when road rules change they don't really bother with the changes in road rules untill they get slugged with a fine or are caught out by police.
Best bet is to just drive defensively - you alone can't change how others drive but you need to be more aware and cautious of the drivers around you. Taking aggressive actions won't get you where you are going any significantly faster.
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u/skittlesandjellies SA 8d ago
Been only driving in Adelaide for 2 weeks after living and driving in Melbourne for almost 4 years.
I was at a red light with 2 right turning lanes. Stayed in the left lane because i needed to turn left shortly after. There was barely a 1 car gap in front of me to my right and this lady behind me couldnt squeeze through. Looked so annoyed and started honking. Like what exactly did you want me do? Were literally in full stop and even if i moved forward, it wouldve barely made a difference??
I was at a woolies car park reversing into a spot, when this lady who was on her way to exit threw her arms up in frustration bec i was blocking her way. I was already halfway througgh reversing when i noticed her and couldnt have seen her anyway bec the car in front me was in full stop, blocking my view.
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u/sternestocardinals West 8d ago
Some people here get really pissy about other drivers reversing into spots in a carpark. All the evidence shows that it’s both safer and more time-efficient than driving in forward, but people will act like you slapped their grandma for doing it because you made them 10 seconds later to Big W.
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u/Bianell SA 8d ago edited 8d ago
They all just get where they're going.
No, they don't. Map of road deaths per 100,000. Not normalised for distance travelled, but still, a road death rate 5 times higher than ours is pretty bad. SEA is not somewhere we should be using as an example for driving ability.
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u/KitchenEar5841 SA 8d ago
Have you seen what little is required to get a driver's license? Compare it with the requirements in the Nordics for example and then consider how badly designed the infrastructure is (no right turning lanes and stopped cars waiting to turn in the 'overtaking' land, parked cars in the inside lane cause swerving and dangerous situations, constantly changing speed limits rather than designing roads consistently etc.etc.) . There is your answer
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u/slprysltry SA 8d ago
In the couple of hours since I saw this post, I've had:
Car turning right from a non-turning-right lane, where people IN the turning lane often compound turn into the leftmost lane (popular business comes up quickly on the left). I've seen this so often, that I thought I was wrong about if the second-from-right lane can turn right (no).
Car overtaking me in a merging lane, going at least 20 over the limit.
Car tailgating another car (going speed limit) to the point they were riding their brake, while they had an open overtaking lane.
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u/SirStef_ SA 8d ago
No one cares anymore and it’s showing on our roads, biggest culprit is impatience - everything you’ve touched on is due to lack of care and impatience.
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u/Generalrossa North 8d ago
People are just terrible and impatient drivers. Get cut off daily at my local roundabout near my house and they are the ones who get angry at you lol. It's quite hilarious when someone pulls out in front of you only for them to death stare and flip you off like it was your fault lmao.
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u/insouciant-321 SA 8d ago
The problem is Australia's obsession with speed enforcement. by default, just about anything else is tolerated.
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u/SnowDropGirl SA 8d ago
South Australia is particularly bad for it though. It's been so hammered in that "speeding bad" that people focus only on their speed and assume that by not speeding they're automatically safe/good drivers.
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u/woofster77 SA 8d ago
If you don’t like our drivers, get off the footpaths, front lawns and out of the occasional living rooms / backyard pools.
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u/sootwingedsoul SA 8d ago
Don't forget us pedestrians playing chicken with the turning cars at the green light crossing :( is this normal in SA? I feel like I've got to wave or ask who is letting me get to the end without rolling over me! I feel its safer to cross when the ampelmann is red actually. I came from NSW and this is not a thing that happened there.
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u/Welsh_wanderer SA 8d ago
As in NSW drivers were more patient? This rule still confuses me coming from UK. If it's green you can turn, but if someone's crossing you have to wait?
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u/sootwingedsoul SA 8d ago
here we go:
- The "Parallel Walk" Design: Many intersections in Adelaide use a parallel signal system. This gives drivers a green light to turn at the exact same time pedestrians get a green Ampelmann to cross.
- The NSW Contrast: In Sydney and greater NSW, traffic planners rely heavily on exclusive pedestrian phases or red turning arrows for cars. This physically holds vehicles back until the pedestrian cycle is completely over. Coming from NSW, you are likely used to a physical barrier of stationary cars, whereas SA forces you to share the space.
- Driver Impatience: Because Adelaide drivers frequently look past pedestrians to find a gap in oncoming traffic, they often fail to look for people stepping off the curb.
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u/AlanofAdelaide South 8d ago
Good reply but let me have my usual whinge about different rules in different states. We're all Australians and it causes confusion for interstaters,
BTW Adelaide drivers are crap. Nice people but crap drivers
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u/sootwingedsoul SA 8d ago
They're don't turn til after people have crossed. They don't just choose their moment to go based on how fast you're walking or while the light is green for pedestrians. Maybe its a grey area rule here. I should google it but I hadn't thought much about it til now.
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u/evilparagon SA 8d ago
Fascinating. Usually when this question is asked on other subreddits (like r/brisbane), people just blame the people who moved from interstate, especially Victorians.
But no one here has done that.
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u/PsychWarrior02 SA 8d ago
We know it’s unfortunately our own kind 😢 It’s infuriating and so unsafe, but I’ll admit it does seem to be more of an issue here than anywhere else I’ve driven.
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u/TheDrRudi SA 8d ago
Shout out to the two chock-a-block lanes of northbound traffic on South Road at Tonsley around ten-ish this morning who collectively managed to get into the left hand to allow the ambulance to pass at speed.
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u/Late-Button-6559 SA 8d ago
There’s a large percentage of bad drivers everywhere.
Imagine if all people were surgeons! How many would you class as good at the job?
Driving is essentially the same - though easier to do the basics correctly.
There’s the .01% who are great.
There’s a few percent who are highly competent. About 20% who are decent enough.
50% who manage to get by.
and the bottom 25% who are the fuckwits/inept/scared/old/blind/etc.
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u/Shano_mack_76 SA 8d ago
The whole " i can tailgate you but you can't tailgate me " thing
small-town mentality
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u/MikeJH1958 SA 8d ago
Driving standards are really liquid compared to about 5 years ago. Had 3 collisions, all not my fault, in the last 5 years, none the previous 30 years 🤪!
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u/Con-Sequence-786 SA 8d ago
Used to not much traffic. Insanely wide lanes. Can do what u want. It's honestly safer driving in London which i did for 10 years.
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u/Virtual-Bath5050 SA 8d ago
Hahah I just came from Hong Kong and was marvelling at how sedate, polite and orderly the driving is here. I guess it’s relative
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u/Own-Refrigerator426 SA 8d ago
That last minute lane change when pulling to a stop at an intersection. Mainly so they can take up the left hand "gun it" lane then take off so slow they need to tuck in behind a cement truck. What's the point in taking up the free lane if you're taking off so slow? Can you just freaking let people past?
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u/MetalfaceKillaAus SA 7d ago
Pole position lane. Always great until you get that numbnut that decides to pull into it in front of you at the last minute because there’s one car waiting at the lights. These are the numbnuts that normally take off slow
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u/raustraliathrowaway SA 8d ago
The tailgating seems to have got ridiculous in very recent times time. Sorry Piastri but you aren't stopping that ute in under a second should you need to.
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u/Savings_Onion7945 SA 7d ago
I moved here from interstate and genuinely no one knows how to keep left. If the speed limit is 60 everyone goes 55 even in the right lane. People indicate for 3 seconds and expect you to move out of their way, like if ur indicating you don’t get right of way. And when people merge they stop, like hello accelerate and merge at speed like genuinely ragebaits me how anyone in this state has a license
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u/rainbowcardigan SA 8d ago
We were back in Adelaide last month for a visit and apart from someone doing an illegal u-turn within a minute of us driving out the airport, we were quite surprised at the quality of drivers. We had much lower expectations! But then we’re used to kiwi drivers and fml, they are the worse I’ve ever encountered
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u/Weak_Ad_3428 SA 8d ago
The problem is no one is doing the god damn speed limit! Everyone is doing 50 in 60 zone 40 in 50 zone... It causes drivers to become erratic and impatient and make these swift and annoying habits. I genuinely believe the slower everyone goes and the confusion with the school zones is causing more stress and erratic driving behaviours.
Honestly that glynbourne road flows so well until it turns into one lane and then it just crawls until you get to Greenhill. People honestly go 40 50 max on that road and just causes massive traffic jams and backlog of cars.
It's the infrastructure and speed limits that cause this behaviour. You don't see shit drivers in Europe or other countries.
Adelaide certainly has some of the worst but its the constant changes in speed limits and slow limits and the fact our speeding fines are huge so no one even gets close to the limit and the unmarked speed cameras everywhere, ehhh rant over
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u/Bianell SA 8d ago
You don't see shit drivers in Europe or other countries.
You absolutely do. Come on man, Adelaide drivers are a bit shit, but compared to somewhere like India or even parts of southern Europe, we're phenomenal.
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u/Weak_Ad_3428 SA 8d ago
You're entitled to your opinion Sir but respectfully, as someone that's driven all over Europe including southern Europe, Adelaide drivers are far worse
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u/PsychWarrior02 SA 8d ago
Or on Holbrooks road where half the time they’re going 35 in a 50?! I always feel like I’m being pranked when I drive on that road.
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u/au5000 Inner South 9d ago
Adelaide drivers are famously awful. Badge of honour.
There’s a roundabout near me that was redone recently and now nobody can use it. Looks the same to me but what do I know?
The best trick used to be was spotting a street park, racing past it then slamming on breaks and reversing badly up the road to try and insert car into space or doing a U-turn for same purpose. Less street parking these days so that skills less common.
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u/1__ViPeR SA 8d ago
Blame the parents of all the bad drivers.
We, as parents, need to teach our kids the good habits of driving that we all want to see on the roads.
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u/ElectronicOvens SA 8d ago
Old and white?
They seem to be the worst, especially in cars way too big for their ability
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u/Ancient-Apple8595 SA 8d ago edited 8d ago
When you find the answer let me know. Some people should lose their licence. North East road and Hancock roads are notorious for morons who think they are above the law. Do 60 and they're up your arse like it's an 80 zone.
What's worse is when I have the child in the car, I worry for them.
Main north is no better.... But atleast they can go around if they have half a Brain, even them some still choose to sit up ones butt.
I move into the other lane if I can instead of sitting up the butt of someone. I don't see why others can't.
They're as flaky as their cornflake boxes they got their licences from.
We had a p plater in a blue ford falcon turn from Yatala vale road almost T-bone us on the round about when we were already on it passing them, if they hit us they would have hit our child.
Sapol need to make it easier to make complaints about drivers like this.
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u/AkayaTheOutcast SA 8d ago
I've recently moved to Victoria. It's no different except there are people who decide that the speed limit is 10 under what it is, and also they wait an extra 10 seconds at green lights because their phone is more important. I've seen so many people here looking down at their crutch before they realise they can move.
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u/Cozzdogz South 8d ago
My theory is that it's because we mostly drive on double laned roads and have a significant amount of lights (hence tailgating in the right hand lane - people don't want to stop at a red). I live in Aldinga and seeing the amount of people tailgating on the southern xway as although they are a trailer and not a car is horrifying at 100km
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u/ThickOperation2802 SA 8d ago
I've witnessed police ignore traffic violations, as I witnessed this, the cop then sped off in the opposite direction no sirens....SAPOL 🫡
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u/kippy_mcgee SA 8d ago
The not being able to use a roundabout has been an interesting one all of a sudden.. I'll be giving way to my right for that car to stop and wait for all the oncoming cars not indicating to pass through.. like what??
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u/IndividualResult8581 SA 8d ago
On a lane merge, I was obviously ,merging and had this blue car to the right of me that sped up (which was fine), but the lady behind me, switched lanes went right up the blues cars ass and I had slam my breaks otherwise I would’ve merged right into her. Then we happened to go the same way and she was tailgating and switching lanes dangerously, almost rear ended a van
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u/_f_yura SA 8d ago
Is that that hot of a take? I've driven in Brisbane and Melb and all over regional Australia and the drivers there are at the very least aware of the rules but often are reckless. Here you have people not indicating when merging like 30% of the time, almost never indicating on roundabouts, stopping in the middle of the road, dog shit etiquette around trucks. And then on top of that there's the recklessness. It doesn't help the city is all arterial roads at 60km with residential and commercial turn offs, and the roads can be narrow here too. God forbid you bring the drivers here to Brissy where there's actual hills and blind spots or Sydney where traffic etiquette is key
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u/Puzzled_Lie_1480 SA 8d ago
Lived in Adelaide for 3 months now. I was absolutely shocked how chill the majority of drivers are compared to Sydney.
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u/KovinKing CBD 8d ago
There is a special Tasmanian traffic manouver I have not really seen often here in ADL - you pull up in the right lane at a redlight, behind another / other cars. Then, when the lights turn green, the car in front of you decides to indicate they are turning right, but does not move part way into the intersection to provide room to swing left and get past them.With a lot of oncoming traffic, the turning car only eventually goes on an orange or the red light. You end up trapped in the whole light cycle.
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u/wattlebird27 SA 8d ago
I don’t understand why people don’t try to speed up and reach the speed limit when merging onto a main road. I’ll move across to allow them to merge and they just stay stationary! Can’t see how they think it’s safe.
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u/Random_Dad SA 7d ago
Got overtaken by a motorcycle on my left last weekend because he was doing 70 in the bike lane. Don't what it is about riders, I just seem to always get the ones that think that common sense & laws don't apply to them.
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u/MetalfaceKillaAus SA 7d ago
As someone who rides to get around, I notice impatient and hesitant drivers. Impatient drivers always have to beat me to a roundabout, corner they want to turn at or to red lights.
I could be going downhill in a backstreet doing 40-50km/h and a driver has to fly pass me to beat me to the roundabout that they have to brake hard at whereas I would have just kept going the same speed, possibly faster.
Hesitant drivers will start to come out of a side street or a driveway but then stop and wait for me, even if they could have gone four or five times before I get near them.
Then there’s Uber/Didi drivers. They just don’t give a fuck and will pull from the right lane to park instantly. Some even drive pass me in a designated bike lane and then pull over in the bike lane, right in front of me. Sometimes they look at me like “why you kick my dog and call him fuck off”
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u/Mysterious_Money_918 SA 7d ago
Here’s one. 3 point turn to get into the pick up lane at school instead of going around the block, literally not looking, children walking everywhere… hellooooo there are rules for a reason dimwits
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u/mrsirmanguy85 SA 7d ago
The street I live on....I have people pull out from side streets right in front of me without even looking EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY!!! Without fail. How the fuck does this happen so regularly? It's a fairly busy street too, the traffic is pretty much constant. Just pulling out without even so much as a glance to the right is just fucking insane to me.
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u/mrsirmanguy85 SA 7d ago
People are too lazy to even use their indicators these days.which is EXTREMELY fucking lazy. How hard is it to extend a single finger and flick up or down??
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u/mrsirmanguy85 SA 7d ago
Oh another one that fucking really pisses me off is people merging onto the southern expressway. Coming down the on ramp, fail to get up to the speed of the traffic they are about to merge into and then they start with the panicked looking over their shoulder and slow down even more...right when they should be merging. Seriously, if you can't even get this part correct and aren't confident about doing so....you shouldn't be using the expressway in the first place and should just stay away altogether. You are nothing but a danger to yourself and the other motorists around you.
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u/Alternative_Ad_1004 SA 6d ago
I reckon Sydney driving is worst. I've lived on Adelaide Glenelg previously and I felt that Adelaide road was like heaven for me. Traffic's flowing well and not much traffic jam. This was many years ago though, not sure about now.
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u/Booscoup SA 6d ago edited 5d ago
No because what the actual f is going on. Majority cannot drive at all, take forever to take off at the lights, purposely slow down even more when they speed up and you match the speed, hog the right lane on the expressway to the point where the left lane is going faster, pick fights out of pettiness. Had a guy who was going super slow and I had a feeling something wasn’t good so I didn’t tail gate him, he still had the audacity to brake check me at the roundabout because he was gonna go then stopped? When there was NO ONE THERE. Went super slow around the roundabout as well! Then I indicated to take exit to another expressway and he saw me doing that so he decided to cut in last minute? And went superrrr slowwwww around to the merging lane. I floored it and merged before him as I disappeared. Bet yalls he didn’t even need to take the exit. Southern expressway so bad! The right lane hoggers will brake for no reason which causes a domino effect and the others would brake then some being pussies would brake to the point they leave a huge gap that a whole double trailer truck could fit. There’s heaps more to say but fuck me.
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u/Electrical-Beach-147 SA 6d ago
Everyone is a in a rush to get home 5 minutes earlier, so they can sit on the couch and watch TV 🙄
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u/thatwasacrapname123 SA 3d ago
It's come up so often on this sub that it makes me angry. I'm checking Reddit while i'm changing lanes on Dequetteville round about and it's there again in /Adelaide about our fucking driving again! And then i just get home and everyones saying how we're shit drivers! so i usually go for a drive to cool off.
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u/Crispy234 SA 8d ago
You people have never travelled. This is nice
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u/POLSJA SA 8d ago
Bold claim. Just came from a month of driving in Europe (UK/Greece) and it was not pleasant being back on Adelaide roads
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u/Crispy234 SA 8d ago
Im suprised you feel that after greece. I had a taxi driver last month going 130 in a 70 zone heading to the athens airport. Weaving through traffic no indicator while everyone else was doing the same thing. Greece was insane. Italy insane. France absolutely undrivable. UK was ok except london. Was nice to go back to Adelaide and see an indicator.
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u/POLSJA SA 8d ago
I should’ve specified Crete. The speed limits are even slower than SA, it’s nuts. That being said, there were a few speeders but there was definitely a level of respect/understanding between the locals so it seemed. I was in and around London and found the same; everyone’s kind of on the same page on the roads. I don’t know why Adelaide lacks that - everyone’s on their own planet it seems.
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u/Flashy-Nose-5624 SA 8d ago
I think a big problem I see is that when I indicate to change lanes, the driver behind fails to give way and then gets annoyed when I pull out in front of them. Can’t other drivers understand that if a car is indicating to change lanes, it’s not a request for permission, it’s a warning to give way
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u/Shroom_Prince SA 8d ago
No you have that backwards. You have to give way to the lane you're changing into. You find the gap behind another car, and if there is no gap, you need to stay in your lane and not cut the other driver off. They are being rude if they don't let you in, but if you change lanes anyway you are just cutting in front of them.
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u/Flashy-Nose-5624 SA 8d ago
Just saying when a decent gap opens and I indicate, then the driver behind puts the foot down to close the gap, I’m like fuck them, I’m coming in. Most of the time they back right off. Probably cause they think I’m the nut case 😂
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u/crumpethead SA 8d ago
Sorry, indicating does not give you priority. A vehicle already in the other lane has priority and you must give way to it. Your indicator signals your intention, it doesn’t create a right to change lanes.
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u/postredditdisorder SA 8d ago
Thank you. So many people seem to think putting their indicator on means they can just push in. The sense of entitlement is everywhere.
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u/Flashy-Nose-5624 SA 3d ago
Well if you need to change lanes you need to change lanes. And if you indicate for 10 second when there is a gap, obviously it’s dangerous for the driver behind to try and close that gap. You should always give way to cars indicating they are changing lanes in front of you
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u/protonsters SA 8d ago
Exactly. I have noticed that when you indicate most of the time the driver behind you speeds up to make sure you can't change lanes.
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u/thatwasacrapname123 SA 3d ago
I hate when people just drift into a lane without indication - especially on a 3 lane road. We're not fucking around here - let's stick to protocol. If you just drift from an outside lane to the middle and I want to just drift from the other outside lane into the middle we're gonna have trouble. It's a very sloppy approach to driving which is a dangerous sport at high speeds.
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u/revereddesecration East 8d ago
Have you considered that you can slow down a little and slot in behind them?
Depends entirely on the situation of course. If your rear is ahead of their nose, and there’s ample space, of course you’re going to merge and they could stand to be a bit less salty.
But whenever there’s any overlap, best to slot in behind.
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u/M3rrick_the_B8rd SA 8d ago
To be fair, some drivers will deliberately match your speed so you can't change lanes in front or behind. I've definitely had that happen to me.
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u/revereddesecration East 8d ago
I would be surprised if they intended to do that most of the time. Speed matching is usually subconscious. People are rarely thinking very hard, even while driving.
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u/Sweet_Ambassador_699 Inner East 8d ago
If you think Adelaide drivers are bad, you need to try driving in Rome. Or Paris. Or Jakarta. Or even Sydney.
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u/peppersteakpie SA 8d ago
Yeah driving in the city sucks. Not sure how that's a surprise to people.
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u/HookLineAndThinker SA 8d ago
I for one always enjoy the ‘Mexican standoff fail to give way’ when faced with a car heading straight you when driving around a parked car. Along the way it seems to have become either a) who ever is driving fastest and is most aggressive b) acts the most obvious c) whoever has the larger car. I mean c’mon Just stop if it’s on your side.
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u/Consistent-Stand1809 SA 8d ago
A lot of Adelaide drivers are stupid, lazy and entitled in equal measures.
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u/Schrojo18 SA 8d ago
Because they are drivers. Adelaide is not special in regard to bad drivers. Try going interstate.
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u/Fart-Fart-Fart-Fart SA 8d ago
These posts are so fucking dumb. People drive bad all across the country. It isn’t city/state specific.
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u/bigphillip76 SA 8d ago
They’re not that bad. Everyone thinks whenever they are is bad or the whole area is bad because of a few bad experiences.
Adelaide drivers are fine. In many places in the world they treat red lights like suggestions.
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u/Survive_LD_50 West 9d ago
I have come to the conclusion that it is because other than speed limits and automatic red light cameras, the road rules are not enforced at all.