Safety

Thirty years ago, if you had to suddenly avoid an accident it was a terrifying test of driving skill that required something called threshold braking.

Our four-legged furry friends are a big part of our lives, and more and more people are taking their dogs along with them on family days out and other adventures.

Your next new Jaguar or Land Rover could be able to tell when you or a passenger are feeling unwell, and then take steps to cure your motion sickness under a radical new goal outlined today.

When the Australian car manufacturing industry was in 'full swing', both local and imported cars had to adhere to the Australian Design Rules for many decades. Now that the industry has 'closed' I am wondering if these are still
necessary and if so, which specific rules that still apply to imported vehicles really make a significant difference to cars imported into Australia that may not apply to those available in Nth. America or Europe.

There is only one way to truly guarantee getting out of paying a parking fine, and it doesn't involve concocting an awesome excuse

No, there is no specific legislation that outlaws overtaking more than one car at a time, but there are other road rules (not to mention common sense) that suggest it's a bad idea. Whether you're in a serious rush or just stuck behind a group of Sunday drivers, you sometimes want to pull a The Fast and the Furious-style manoeuvre and zip past a queue of slow-moving cars in one fell swoop. But while there aren't any specific laws prohibiting the move, overtaking more than one car at a time can be hard to pull off without breaking other road rules.Read on for some related laws and guidance around overtaking that are worth knowing about. The ACT government's extensive traffic infringement document says you're looking at a $279 fine and two demerit points if you overtake a vehicle when it's unsafe, or overtake a vehicle too closely. While this rule doesn't strictly apply to overtaking more than one car, there's definitely potential for it to be applied to someone overtaking multiple cars in one manoeuvre.A similar rule applies in Queensland; according to the QLD state government's demerit points schedule, you're looking at two demerit points and a $182 fine for overtaking when it's unsafe to do so. And again in Western Australia, failing to overtake at a safe distance can leave you with a whopping $400 fine and a penalty of four demerit points. While we couldn't find any information about overtaking more than one car in South Australia, SA's MyLicence website has a section on overtaking. This educational section reiterates the importance of being able to see oncoming traffic when you overtake - which could definitely be hindered if you make a decision to overtake multiple cars at once.All in all, wherever you are in Australia - on a main road or in the country - you'd be advised to exercise caution whenever overtaking, especially if you're hoping to overtake more than one car at a time. Perhaps most importantly, speeding is speeding, no matter the circumstances. So if you find yourself exceeding the posted limited in an effort to pass more than one car, you're risking a heavy fine. You should always consult your insurance agreement for specific advice, but as a general guide, getting into a collision while trying to overtake more than one car could affect your insurance coverage if it's deemed a risky or unsafe manoeuvre. Any indication that you've been driving carelessly and were at fault in an accident could jeopardise your coverage. This article is not intended as legal advice. You should check with your local road authority to verify any rules you're unsure of.

The ubiquitous photo of a dog travelling in a car, head out the window and tongue lolling in the breeze, is actually pretty far from reality.

A landmark study has tackled one of the biggest philosophical questions surrounding autonomous cars; exactly who the car should choose to plough into in the case of an unavoidable accent.

Yes, it's illegal to park on the gutter in most states and territories of Australia but the enforcement of fines seems to vary according to council area. Many of us have parked on the gutter (also referred to as the kerb, nature strip, or footpath) before, as a courtesy to other cars coming through a narrow street. But the common practice is actually banned across Australia, although fines are enforced irregularly between state police and councils. VicRoads parking information, the Queensland government's information on parking rules and fines, and SA's MyLicence website all clearly state that you're not allowed to stop, park or leave your vehicle on footpaths or nature strips in Victoria, Queensland or South Australia. But QLD's information also specifies that parking fine enforcement is carried out by police in collaboration with some local councils who enforce and regulate some parking fines. This seems to be true for New South Wales as well, as Randwick City Council's parking FAQ's defer to state legislation: according to their site, as per NSW Road Rule 197, you're risking a fine if you park with two wheels on the gutter. In other states and territories, you're also likely to find information about parking infringements on council websites. City of Hobart's website says that stopping on a footpath, bicycle path, nature strip or painted island isn't allowed as parking even two wheels on a footpath can be a hazard for pedestrians. According to The Examiner, Tasmanians who get fines for parking on nature strips aren't being targeted by authorities. Apparently cars parked on nature strips and footpaths are one of the most common complaints made to councils in Tassie, and councils often fine drivers in response to complaints. There also seems to be haphazard patrolling for cars parked on gutters in Western Australia. According to Perth Now, in WA offences like parking on the gutter are targeted unevenly across different council areas. NT News reported similar concerns from residents of the Northern Territory a couple of years ago, after two workers who contested a fine for parking on a nature strip in the Darwin council area lost their appeal. According to NT News, Darwin council had only recently started enforcing fines for parking behaviour that had been common in the area for a decade - suggesting that, like in other states and territories, whether or not fines are being enforced for parking with two wheels on the gutter could vary council by council. This article is not intended as legal advice. You should check with your local road authority to verify the information written here is suitable to your situation before driving in this manner.

Yes, driving a car in public, where people can see you, while naked from the waist down is illegal due to the risk of obscene exposure. If you're wearing underwear or a swimsuit, you could likely get away with it - but maybe ask yourself why it's essential to leave the house without pants on in the first place.While our research into road safety laws across Australia didn't raise any specific red flags for driving without pants on, we found that laws surrounding public nudity exist in all states and territories of Australia. Driving without pants on isn't really a safety issue - like driving without a horn or driving with one headlight out - so it's not something you can search on a road authority website, but it's definitely addressed in other parts of the law. Specifically, the parts that cover decency. The wording and penalties associated with laws on obscene exposure differ for the different states and territories of Australia, but according to FindLaw Australia, obscene exposure is illegal in all states and territories.Having said that, it's also important to note that intent is required for you to be convicted for obscene exposure; as Armstrong Legal advises, if you can prove that you were nude out of necessity or duress and not with the basic intent of exposing yourself to others in public, then you're not guilty in the eyes of the law. While we couldn't find any clear information on how driving without pants could affect your insurance, it's likely that getting caught with your pants down, or off, or nowhere in sight, could make the process of calling up roadside assistance, or dealing with police at a collision, embarrassing at the very least, and quite suspicious at worst.Unless you're a Calvin Klein model showing off the latest season's briefs, maybe just do yourself and everyone else a favour and chuck some jeans on before dashing out the door. This article is not intended as legal advice. You should check with your local road authority to verify the information written here is suitable to your situation before driving in this manner.