4 August 8, 2010 THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH www.sundaytelegraph.com.au www.sundaytelegraph.com.au THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH August 8, 2010 5

BE ROAD SAFE BE ROAD SAFE Out and aboutOut and about BE ROAD SAFE BE ROAD SAFE Out and aboutOut and about

6001

10

20

30

40

50

60

65 70 75 80 85

Speed km/h

Rela

tive r

isk

15 km/h

10

Increase yourspeed by and multiply your

risk by

Inspe

FACT

Data source: NSW RTA

Speed km/h Relative risk

60 km/h 1.00

65 km/h 2.00

70 km/h 4.16

75 km/h 10.60

80 km/h 31.81

85 km/h 56.55

Crash risk vs speeding in a 60 zone

Road sign activities

1. What is the purpose of the 40km/h road sign?1. To tell the driver to slow down to 40km/h2. To tell the driver that there will be 40 students up ahead3. To tell the driver they can drive 40km/h or more in this zone

2. How long can you stop in a drop zone at a school?1. As long as you want if there are no other cars2. Two minutes only3. As long as it takes for the driver to fi nish a conversation on their mobile

5. What is the purpose of the speed hump sign?1. To slow the driver down2. To make the road fun and interesting3. To protect pedestrians

6. What do fl ashing traffi c lights mean?1. They are not working, so you must stop and give way2. You can drive at 60km/h3. Rush through because a police car is coming

● How many of these road signs have you seen around your

neighbourhood and your school?● Circle the ones with your fi nger that you know

you have seen● Are there any road signs you are not

familiar with? Where do you think you would see these?

● How would you explain two of these signs to a person whose sight is impaired?● Which sign do you think is the most important? Can you explain why?● Imagine your job is to create road signs. Think about a design for a new road sign. What would be the purpose of your sign?

3. What should a driver do when they hear a police, fi re or ambulance siren?

1. Panic!2. Speed up and get out of the way

3. Give way and pull over to the left so they can pass

4. What does the sign with the kangaroo mean?

1. There is a zoo ahead2. Watch out for native wildlife on

the road3. It is to amuse tourists from

other countries

7. Why do school zones have special speed limit signsand rules?1. To ensure motorists go slower when children are about2. Because roads around schools have lots of traffi c and people at the start and end of the school day3. To make people drive slower so if they have to stop in an emergency there is less chance of a serious crash

Take our safety quiz

1. 12. 23. 34. 2

5. 16. 17. All of these answers are correct

Correct answers

STOP SIGN: One of the most common signs in cities andtowns. Drivers must come to a complete stop and give wayto all traffic in the intersection.

TRAFFIC LIGHTSSAFETY SIGNS:These signs aresometimes foundat the approach totraffic lights. Itmeans that if thelights aren’tfunctioning, youmust stop andgive way to trafficas if you were atan intersectionwith stop signs.

GIVE WAY:Drivers must slowdown, approachwith caution andgive way to alltraffic in theintersection.

TRAFFICLIGHTSAHEAD:Warns driversthere is a set oftraffic lights furtheralong the road. Typicallyfound where the lightsmay be obscured untildrivers are quite close.

ROUNDABOUT:Travel clockwiseon the roundaboutand give way to alltraffic already onthe roundabout.

50KM/H LIMIT:The 50km/h speedlimit applies to allbuilt-up areasacross NSW,unless otherwisesignposted.

PEDESTRIANCROSSINGAHEAD: Thesesigns warnthat there is apedestriancrossing andthat youngchildrenare likelyto be usingit. Often seennear schools.

SHAREDTRAFFIC ZONE:A street that isshared bypedestrians andvehicles. A speedlimit of 10km/happlies anddrivers mustgive way to allpedestrians.

RAISEDPEDESTRIANCROSSINGAHEAD: Thesesigns advisedrivers to slowdown asthere is apedestriancrossing ahead.The speed-humpsign indicates thecrossing is raised,effectively forcingdrivers to travelmore slowly.

REST AREA SIGN: Commonlyseen on highways and majorroads linking cities, thesesigns remind drivers of theimportance of stopping andresting to combat fatigue.There are often a sequence ofsigns indicating how far it is tothe next stop, giving driversplenty of time to plan for theirstop well in advance whentravelling at higher speeds.

KANGAROO: Warns motorists to be on the lookout forkangaroos and other Australian wildlife on the roadahead. Hitting any animal in a car can cause a seriousaccident, resulting in injury to both the animal andpassengers in the vehicle.

SCHOOL ZONE: Thissign warns motoriststhere is a school zoneahead and that theschool zone has a40km/h speed limitduring the timesdesignated on the sign.

The reality of drivingBy RHIANNON KEYTE

A LOT of us get excited aboutthe thought of driving in the realworld when we get our licencebecause of the fun we haveplaying computer driving games.

But although these games arefun and exciting, full of animalsbehind the wheel displayingmagical, out-of-this-worlddriving skills, they don’t giveus the full picture of whatit’s like to drive in real life.

Video games are heaps of fun;we get to drive fast with noconsequences. But on a realroad, going as little as 10km/hfaster can make the differencebetween a safe speed and adangerous crash.

Did you know, for example,that increasing your speed from60km/h to 70km/h in a 60km/hzone makes it four times morelikely that you will have a crash?

If you’re involved in a crash onyour PC or console, you comeout the other side having lost alife or two but are otherwise not

injured. That’s because thephysics of the video world havebeen put together by the gamesdesigners to make it risk-free.

But the physics of the realworld are a lot different. Imagineif you crashed your car in thereal world and injured a familymember or hit a pedestrian. Howwould you feel?

Games are fun, but we haveto remember they ignore thecomplexity of driving in traffic.

Distractions such aspassengers, peak-hour trafficand emergency vehicles oftendon’t appear in games. Cars thatdrive off cliffs are hoisted back onthe road and the game continues.In the real world, cars aren’t self-repairing, nor are human beings.

When you get behind the wheelof a real car, you’ll quickly see it’svery different from a virtual one.

What are the differencesbetween driving in the videoworld and the real world? Discussthis with your family and friendsand find as many differences,and similarities, as you can.