Driving in the country can be a risky business. Our guide shows you how to avoid the hazards to make your next trip to the country a walk in the park. By Leigh Robshaw.
There’s nothing like a drive in the country for a bit of peace and quiet, and tranquil car-free streets. But with the R&R could come bolting kangaroos, livestock on the road, no mobile coverage, flooded waterways, an empty tank and getting very lost.
Mike Wynne, NRMA Country Manager, says NRMA’s 204 Country Service Centres attend to 440,000 calls for Roadside Assistance per year, 50,000 of which are tows. NRMA patrols travel 7.7 million kilometres and provide about 250,000 hours of road service for Members in need of assistance in the country.
So unless you’re well prepared and aware of the potential dangers of country driving, your stress-free weekend or holiday drive could end up anything but.
High speeds, gravel roads and overtaking on single-lane country roads can pose problems if you’re not used to them. Vehicles can approach at closing speeds (combined speed of the two cars) of 200 km/h, so overtaking on twisting roads or in heavy rain or fog can be dangerous.
Driving at high speed on a sealed road with gravel or dirt edges can also be risky. If you do edge off the tarmac, gently ease the car back rather than wrench the wheel. Also be aware that dirt or gravel roads give you less grip and therefore it takes longer to stop. Anti-lock braking systems might prove life saving on bitumen, but are nowhere near as effective on loose surfaces. If your vehicle has ABS brakes, give yourself 50 per cent more space to stop on dirt or, particularly, gravel.
Country driving is especially dangerous in the evening, when blinding high-beam headlights shoot towards you and wildlife darts across the road. It’s important to dip your high-beam headlights to low-beam for approaching traffic and if someone blinds you with their high-beams, look at the road immediately in front of your bonnet and use the centre line as a reference. If the glare continues to bother you, slow down and look a little towards the bitumen on the left.
Another thing to watch out for is flooded causeways and waterways. There are many theories on how to get across, but NRMA recommends you stop and turn around unless 100 per cent sure of the depth of the water and what you are doing. Rapid water flow can prove perilous — even fatal — so it’s just not worth the risk.
Getting lost on country roads can be a frustrating and unnerving experience. There are often a few different ways to get to a country town, not all of them well signposted. If you have a map that does not include minor roads, you may find yourself in the dark, without a clue of where you are.
Most people now have mobile phones, so provided you can get mobile coverage, or can find a phone nearby, you can call an NRMA Country Service Centre for directions, though it’s always better to know where you’re going and avoid getting lost in the first place.
“Our call centre [staff] are really good at finding people. They ask them the name of the last town they came through, what direction they’re heading and [if there are any] major geographical landmarks,” says Mike. “We’ve been manually placing major landmarks, such as mobile telephone towers on mountains and service stations on major highways, onto our mapping data. Once we’ve identified where they are, we contact the service provider [patrol] in that area and often connect the Member directly through to [them] — they know the area better than anyone.”
But what do you do if you’re stuck in the middle of Woop Woop and your mobile has no reception? If you’re planning an extended country drive and want to ensure you have mobile coverage all the way, consider buying a CDMA mobile phone.
Australia has two different mobile networks — GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access).
Warwick Ponder from Telstra says GSM networks largely service cities and towns, while CDMA networks are specifically for rural and regional areas. It also has good coverage on highways and in small towns.
In case you’re wondering, GSM phones use SIM cards whereas CDMA phones don’t. Most mobiles displayed in shops are GSM, so that’s what people generally use. In the past, CDMA phones were large and clunky but handsets have now become more streamlined and there is a greater variety of models available.
Telstra is expected to launch a world phone this year — you’ll be able to flick from the GSM network to the CDMA network, which will apparently help alleviate problems of driving in the country with GSM phones.
“CDMA reaches more than 98 per cent of the population of Australia,” says Warwick. “People with GSM phones will have coverage in nearly all towns but shouldn’t expect 100 per cent coverage in the country.”
So, what do you do if you have a GSM phone but don’t want to buy a CDMA phone just for a trip to the country?
“We would encourage people to put up an aerial,” says Warwick. “Fitting an aerial to your [mobile phone] car kit will make a significant difference to your reception. A lot of people do funny things, like use an earpiece and sit with the handset between their legs. It is going to have an impact if you have your legs and the car door in the way of [mobile] reception. Commonsense is involved.”
When it comes to wildlife, kangaroos on the road are a real danger especially at dawn and dusk.
“In times of drought, [kangaroos] tend to come down to the roadside to feed — condensation makes green shoots grow there,” says Mike. “Dawn and dusk are active feeding times so you should leave after dawn and try to take a meal break around dusk.”
Mike suggests you shouldn’t be on the road later than 8pm and ideally stop for the night by 6pm — dusk comes an hour later out west. If you do come across injured wildlife, you can call the Wildlife Information and Rescue Services (WIRES) on 1800 641 188.
You can also have run-ins with animals in broad daylight, especially in droving areas, so it’s important to pay attention to signs warning of sheep or cows ahead.
“I often see people driving much quicker than they should after passing these signs,” says Mike. “They don’t know how to drive in these situations — they either go too fast or too slow. Driving through [a herd of] cattle is different to driving through [a herd of] sheep. Cattle often won’t move out of your way, so people get too close and unsettle them. But the cattle will move out of your way when they’re ready. You just have to be patient. The drovers will be watching and if their herd is holding up traffic, they will get dogs to move them on. Conversely, sheep spook easily. So if you’re driving through them make sure you give them plenty of room and they’ll generally move for you.”
You need to be aware of the fatigue that comes from driving long distances, as it can be deadly. Driving distances are much greater in the country than the city, so taking a break every two hours to avoid fatigue is absolutely crucial.
Country NSW makes up about one third of the State’s population but witnesses more than two-thirds of its fatalities. Worse still, four out of five fatigue-related crashes occur on country roads and fatigue relates to 20 per cent of fatal crashes. Medical experts say that even a ‘fresh’ driver needs to stop every two hours to rejuvenate.
Dawn is the most dangerous time if you’re tired. Your eyelids feel heavy and may involuntarily close to block out the morning sun, leading to a microsleep (a period of loss of attention lasting from a few seconds to several minutes). They can even occur when your eyes are open, and can happen anytime — at night, pre-dawn, even mid-afternoon — times when your body is ‘programmed’ to sleep. For more information visit www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety.
Apart from the obvious mechanical checks you should get before you head off — have a service or an NRMA Vehicle Inspection if it’s a long drive (call 13 11 22) — you should also plot your route and find out where the petrol stations are, and what hours they are open.
“People might know where they’re going and where the major towns are but don’t check to see if the towns have petrol stations open after [a certain time],” says Mike. “They expect country towns to have petrol stations that open 24 hours a day, like the city. Also, people don’t realise how far their car can travel on a tank of petrol. Sometimes they wind up 50 kms short of their dinner stop [or aren’t aware that] there are big distances between petrol stations.”
Mike says major service stations are often located just out of the main towns in country areas, so if you’re low on fuel don’t pass the stations on the outskirts of town unless you’re sure that you know where the next service station is, and that it will be open. Visit their websites for locations.
Running out of fuel is classed as a breakdown, so if you’re in an area where there is NRMA Roadside Assistance, you won’t have to walk to the next service station. If you break down and NRMA Roadside Assistance can’t get to you, NRMA Premium Care allows for 100 kms of free towing (see adjacent box for more details).
NRMA covers all major roads and major regional towns in country NSW and the ACT. Some National Parks are covered, such as the Snowy Mountains, but if you venture down a perilous road and break down in an area that isn’t covered by NRMA, you will have to pay for the cost of towing if you don’t have Premium Care membership.
According to NRMA Public Policy Manager, Hilary Wise, it’s the unknown environment that can catch drivers out in the country. “If you don’t know the roads, be prepared for the unexpected. The whole road environment is different in the country, so if you’re uncertain, drive a bit slower and be alert.”
Patricia Knight of the Southern Councils Group, completed a study of learner drivers in rural areas as part of her PhD, and revealed that many of them learn to drive from as young as eight years old. They are usually taught by a parent on a farm or off-road and tend not to have had any professional driving lessons before getting their driver’s licence. They also have little experience driving in towns or cities, or with other road users. According to Patricia, lack of access to driver training is a big problem in rural areas and she is keen to raise community awareness about the issue.
“It’s a bit limiting if they have to drive several hours [for] a driving lesson and it’s going to cost a fortune,” says Patricia. “[Young country drivers] mainly learn to drive through family. They have vehicle handling skills but not a lot of road handling experience. I think [driving instruction] can give a different perception of what driving on the road is about.”
Patricia says off-road experience should not be devalued. It just needs to be balanced with access to professional driving instruction.
“There needs to be more community awareness of the importance of long and broad-ranging supervised driving,” says Patricia. “If it’s more than the 50 hours that’s fantastic. I also think [driver training] needs to be taught in schools.”
Of the five NRMA Motoring & Services Membership packages, the two that provide the best Member value are Premium Care and Classic Care as you can call for assistance without worrying about call-out limits. A major advantage of Premium Care is that you not only get up to 50 kms of free towing in metro areas, you also receive 100 kms in remote areas while in country areas you are towed back to the closest town with a Country Service Centre. (Your caravan, trailer, box trailer, boat trailer or horse float are also covered for minor repair and towing benefits. Conditions apply. Call 13 11 22 for details.) If your vehicle takes more than 24 hours to get fixed and you are 100 kms away from home, you receive up to $3000 worth of accommodation, car hire and passenger/vehicle transport.
Roadside Assistance is provided by an NRMA patrol officer if you break down. A breakdown means you are unable to drive your vehicle due to a mechanical fault or other problem which makes your vehicle immobile but is not due to an accident, theft, fire, flood or malicious damage.
Breakdowns typically include flat batteries; flat tyres (not due to impact damage through an accident); children, animals or keys locked in the car; running out of fuel; faulty starter motors and alternators; and overheating due to failures to cooler systems.
Membership also gives you access to Roadside Assistance facilities with affiliated motoring organisations in Australia and around the world.
For Roadside Assistance, call 13 11 11 and have your vehicle registration, Member card, the make and model of your vehicle and the location of your vehicle — with suburb (or town), street and cross-street — ready.
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