Fine - No Right Turn

Yes, Another one of these.

So this afternoon I stopped at a yellow light and braked really hard which cause a road rage incident with the motorcyclist behind me. He became aggressive shouting profanities and kept tapping on my window. So I wanted to get away from him, so I took a right turn at an intersection when he was slightly ahead of me and behold, it turns out to be a no right turn 3-7pm intersection.

The HWP officer pulled me over and issued me with a fine, I am on my P2 with 2 points, so this would end my licence. I am also on good behaviour bond regarding a speeding offence committed last year so ideally I do not wish to return to court in case that gets bought up.

How should I approach this?

Comments

  • +141

    How should I approach this?

    Based on your driving history

    I am also on good behaviour bond regarding a speeding offence commited last year

    and you had been fined by a police officer, which I assume you gave your 'story' of why you had been breaking the law to already, there isn't much you can do about this

    I am on my P2 with 2 points, so this would end my license

    So enjoy the break from 'driving' for a while.

    • +4

      Popular comment award coming your way :)

      • +2

        OMG YAY!!!!

  • +11

    Did you explain to the officer about the road rage incident?

    Sounds like you need to buy a bike..

    • +31

      Road rage isn't an argument.

    • +6

      Or learn how to be a coward who runs away from them legally

    • +2

      That's not very supportive. Why should the OP put themselves at risk to a road rager? They don't need to put themselves through that if they don't have.

      • -3

        Essentially from OPs description, he brake checked the motorcyclist. As a motorcyclist, I can't blame them for raging as the majority of motorcycle accidents involve vehicles with four or more wheels driving inattentively like the OP and brake checking is illegal.

        People need to learn not to panic brake. Don't just hard brake because you see a yellow light, check behind you to make sure it's safe to brake. The amount of idiots I see cut off trucks at the lights and then hard brake and get rear ended is stupidly high.

        • +3

          Braking at a yellow to stop at a light is not brake checking.

        • +2

          It isn't illegal to break. If you're too close its your fault (don't care of you're on a bike, car or walking). Obvious exception of you moving in front of someone then breaking - that is your fault as you have removed their break distance.

      • One of the more dangerous actions on the road, is being unpredictable like OP did by brake checking the rider behind them. Being a rider, they have a lot more to lose in a collision. With cars, its easy to keep the vehicle relatively stable while braking. On a bike, many things can go wrong if the rider lost control, including the rider ending up underneath the bike or being flung to the asphalt.

        So I get the biker wanting a word with OP. Aaaaand, realising they've done the wrong thing and not wanting to face the music, OP couldn't wait to get away from the scene.

        "You must stop on a yellow light, unless it is unsafe to do so". Braking really hard = borderline unsafe action.

  • +6

    MS paint diagram?

    • +46
      • Not sure what else I expected tbh

  • +38

    I stopped at a yellow light and braked really hard

    so I took a right turn at an intersection when he was slightly ahead of me and behold, it turns out to be a no right turn 3-7pm intersection.

    Sounds like you weren't paying attention, twice.

    I am also on good behaviour bond regarding a speeding offence commited last yea

    Maybe it's better you stay off the roads for a bit.

      • +5

        What are the extenuating circumstances? You can't say you feared for your safety when you said you turned when he was ahead of you, so he had already left.

        • Do you want to follow someone you've had a run in with?

          • +21

            @SydEng: Find the first, safest opportunity to exit the road if you don't wish to be on it. You did not do this, instead you picked the first opportunity you saw without paying attention to the intersection you were at or the conditions you should be driving to.

            Why did you brake really hard for the yellow? Attention elsewhere? Take this as a lesson. Don't muck about on the road, you can kill or be killed easily. If you get hit with a ban, take it on the chin and learn from it. Come back a better driver.

          • +6

            @SydEng: The guy had moved on and gone on with his business. He literally had pushed forward and was going on with his business. If you were concerned, you could have slowed and let him progress further away or you could have changed lanes to increase your distance away.

            You are trying to defend yourself by claiming that your safety was on the line, but quite simply, it was not.

            Pay the fine, take the ban and learn from it.

      • +17

        You're shifting blame. HWP is doing their job and rightfully fined you. There would be no issues if you hadn't braked hard at the yellow light or made the right turn.

        If you're on 2 points with P2, then you've committed several offence before.

        Stay off the roads and pay the fine. Walk, get a bike or use public transport.

      • +4

        I never knew luck had anything to do with it, regardless of where the HWP base is. If you do not speed or make illegal right hand turns than you will not get booked…… Simples

      • +4

        I've been pretty unlucky with my run-ins with HWP

        No I think you just don't pay attention while driving hence why you keep breaking the rules and getting fined.

      • +5

        As a former cockhead Commodore driver, I assure you it's entirely your behaviour and not luck.

        It's not bingo mate, they can't dick you unless you've done something to deserve it.

        • +1

          Since you're a former cock head commodore driver you may be able to answer this.

          I know motorcycle's are visible at the best of times but when you're about to enter a roundabout do you even bother looking to your right?

          • @Yawhae: Former motorcyclist as well (probably borderline cockhead there too) and current cyclist, headchecks 4 lyf

        • +1

          P2 with a BMW. Almost certainly a (profanity) driver.

  • +16

    Bikies. Oh wait, you already tried that.

  • +18

    Firstly, you should never be burning rubber just to stop at a light; either it turned amber once you were very close (in which it's safe for you to continue), or you misjudged your stopping distance entirely. The motorcyclist was wrong to get aggro, but realise he doesn't have the stopping power of four wheels. Unpredictable manoeuvres like this from bad drivers, were the main reason I stopped riding bikes. Dash Cam Owners Australia videos are packed with this sort of behaviour.

    You also made an illegal and irrational turn because you got flustered and fearful. It sounds like you have a lousy driving record, don't have the temperament or attention to be on the road, and should honestly take some time off and start from the basics again.

    • +28

      Unpredictable manoeuvres like this from bad drivers

      Since when have the rules changed that not allowing enough distance to break safely in a emergency the fault of the vehicle in front?

      Those pesky drivers breaking without checking that someone is tailgating… the nerve.

      • +3

        that not allowing enough distance to break safely

        Not from Sydney, are you ;)

        You're 100% correct, it's just not practical to do all the time in heavy traffic, as people will keep jumping into your gap.

      • +3

        From all accounts, the driver behind did. Otherwise he'd have crashed into the back of the OP's car. He got aggro (which he shouldnโ€™t have), because the OP stopped short (which he also shouldn't have).

        • +6

          I think the keywords in the comment you're replying to are "break safely". The rider was able to brake, but likely not in a safe manner because he got pissed off.

          If people are about to rear end someone at a yellow it's their fault for being too close and not slowing down at least when they see the yellow, people shouldn't expect the car in front of them to run the yellow even if they can objectively do so based on the circumstances.

          There's one yellow light I remember in Sydney specifically that is really short — I believe it's on Hume Highway near Cabramatta and there's a red light camera at the same intersection.

          • @Ghost47:

            The rider was able to brake, but likely not in a safe manner because he got pissed off.

            That's a big assumption.

            I'd argue it was OP who didn't brake in a safe manner - you shouldn't have to brake hard at a yellow. You either have enough time to safely go through or safely come to a stop.

            The rider shouldn't have gotten agro but OP wasn't paying attention and consequently put the rider in danger unnecessarily.

            • @Harold Halfprice:

              That's a big assumption.

              Hmm I don't think so. If the rider got mad enough to scream profanities it's likely because he was going to rear end the OP because he braked hard. I'd say it's pretty black and white — based of course on what the OP has said. Who knows, maybe he cut the rider off earlier, and if that's why the rider got mad then yeah maybe you could say it's a "big assumption".

              I'd argue it was OP who didn't brake in a safe manner.

              I wouldn't say the two are mutually exclusive though. Both persons could have easily braked in an unsafe manner.

              you shouldn't have to brake hard at a yellow.

              Whilst I agree, I think it depends on the light. I have seen yellows that turn red quickly after they turn yellow, as I mentioned there's one specifically in Sydney that I recall.

              The rider shouldn't have gotten agro but OP wasn't paying attention and consequently put the rider in danger unnecessarily.

              I don't think that you can say one person is in the right here. Yes OP shouldn't have braked hard because they weren't paying attention or whatever, but if you are behind someone you're also supposed to leave a large enough gap so that in the case where the person in front does something stupid — like braking hard — you don't rear end them.

              If I'm driving and I come to a yellow light without any cars in front of me, I will judge whether or not to stop or continue depending on the distance I am to the intersection and how fast I am travelling. If I'm behind a car coming to yellow light I'll more likely than not start braking immediately (not slam my brakes of course) and let the car in front judge whether they want to go or not.

    • I thought motorcycles can stop faster than cars… Seems like there are too many factors to be able to determine which is true though.

      • +2

        Wrong.

        Based on pure physics. A car contact patch with the floor is several times bigger then a motorcycle's one.

        So even with the weight difference, everything else being equal a car can easily brake in a shorter distance than a motorcycle. And it is safer at doing it too. (mod edited: spelling)

        • Hmm, you first site physics, but donโ€™t back up your countering claims.

          Iโ€™d like to see the maths balanced between the extra momentum of a heavier car with the lesser braking power of a bike.

          • @cloudy: Non sense. Spoken like someone who knows zero about motorcycles. How about you get on a motorcycle and pull on the brake lever as hard as you can? You won't be back on this forum because you will have been thrown forward and possibly died or severely injured.

            You don't need to be a scientist to work out a motorcycle has longer braking distance than cars.

            • +3

              @dji1111111: Then why do motorcyclists tailgate cars?

              Knowing full well it takes them further to stop?

            • @dji1111111: If one starts a sentence based on physicals, but ends it with you don't need to be a scientist, I dunno what to think.

              And yes, I don't ride, and yes I know you can be thrown forward. But that's beside the point.

              We're talking about physics, maths. I'm interested in the numbers.

          • @cloudy: https://motorbikewriter.com/motorcycles-brake-better-cars/

            I have been riding motorcycles longer than I care to remember. Whoever tells you that a notification can outbreak a car is an idiot.

            • @munecito: That a motorbike that should have read.

              Stupid autocorrect.

      • In by far the majority of scenarios, a car is going to stop quicker than a bike. Even if you compare your average family sedan to a supersport - although it'd be a fairly close comparison. Compare a sports car to a supersport and it's no contest.

        That's not to say there aren't bikes that will stop quicker than some other cars on the road - but you'd basically have to compare a modern bike with good braking performance to an older car or to a car with poor braking performance.

        As a rider though, I can definitely tell you it feels like I can brake much quicker. Most likely due to how the force gets distributed through the rider/driver.

        In a car, you're sitting down, hands on a steering wheel, seat belt, no wind. Stop hard enough on a supersport and your back wheel can lift off.

        Edit:
        Here's a list of stopping distances for various vehicles and bikes.
        https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/33sun7/motorcyโ€ฆ

  • Dashcam footage?

    • -3

      My Luck, took the SD card out to view something the night before. Never put it back in.

      • +2

        always put sd card back before driving

      • +4

        Not sure it would've helped you anyway…

      • +23

        You seem to always have an excuse for your "bad luck".

        • What's the quote? If someone always has bad luck, they really make shit decisions.

          • @Caped Baldy: Not familiar with that specific one but the one I have been taught from early childhood is - people who believe in luck are incapable of learning from their mistakes.

        • ^this

  • +7

    May be driving isnโ€™t for you. Pay the fine and use public transport.

    Btw Riders that ride to close are asking for it.

    • -1

      Not paying attention to whether the turn was legal + minutes before not paying attention to the traffic lights causing him to hard brake.

      This is on top on a good behaviour bond for speeding, glad people like this are off the road. What a menace.

      • +1

        Turning right outside the allowed hours is an easy mistake to make and doesn't make someone a menace, even braking too hard at the yellow doesn't, perhaps they were being too cautious and not wanting to risk a red light fine considering their demerit points.

        I drive past one of those turns with specific hours regularly on a busy road (except it's left hand turn, no idea why it's not allowed at certain hours), personally I think many of them are dangerous or impractical, travelling at 70, knowing you need to turn then all the sudden you need slow down to make the turn and read the sign, then be close enough to read it, then make the decision to abort without endangering other drivers, add the stress of a road rage incident and I think you can cut them some slack on that incident, pay the fine and move on, but my god everyone here acts like they have never broken any road rule, ever, even by accident.

        • Turning right outside the allowed hours is an easy mistake to make and doesn't make someone a menace

          No but only having 2 points left means there's been priors as well as a speeding offence that put them on a good behaviour bond.

          If you can rack up all these offences in 1.5 years of driving (OP mentioned they have 6 months left until fulls), then you are a menace no ifs or buts about it especially not considering all the times they weren't caught.

          even braking too hard at the yellow doesn't

          Nope, you should never have to hard brake for a yellow especially when it lasts bloody 3 seconds. Either you're close enough OR going fast enough that braking is not feasible in which case you continue through or you're far enough where you can come to a stop in those 3 seconds. That being said, it's also the bikers fault for being too close.

          but my god everyone here acts like they have never broken any road rule, ever, even by accident.

          No, no one acts like that even when they claim to not have broken a road rule. People are putting this guy on blast because this fella is trying to make excuses and get out of the consequences despite the fact it's an open and shut case. Especially with the ridiculous and tragic traffic record he already has, racking up all these offences in only a 1.5 year period, yet still blaming everyone and everything but himself.

          Own up to your crime, cop it and move on instead of trying to slime your way out of it. I would not want to see all the things he gets up to on the road when the cops aren't around if he was caught for all these things.

  • +1

    Challenge and just show the magistrate your dashcam footage of the road rage incident. Too easy.

    Edit: disregard

    • +1

      Nah just show em an MS Paint diagram, that should fix it.

      • -1

        This one provided courtesy of @Ms Paint? Hmmm… Maybe not.

  • +15

    ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Oh dear, it's everyone else's fault except yours! Had to get away from the bike (who was now ahead in the distance), too many HWP cars in your area, catching you when you fk up.

    Enjoy public transport and hopefully it teaches you about responsibility.

  • -3

    How long before your fulls? This ideally shouldn't affect your good behaviour bond.

    • +6

      A good behaviour bond is a chance to prove you can drive without offending in a case where you say you cant afford a suspension. Itโ€™s not a free pass to keep driving as you were. OP failed, deserves to get a break from driving.

      • doesn't breaking the good behaviour bond just mean that the original offence is revisited and possibly a punishment results. so fine from this event, fine from the good behaviour bond.

        • no. Suspension from the original offence plus whatever penalty applied from the new offence.

    • -1

      This September, I was wondering if i could delay the fine with extensions and court dates till then.

      • delay the fine with extensions and court dates till then.

        While you may delay the fine you'll still lose your licence if found guilty (and you are guilty) and going to court to delay the inevitable will piss the magistrate off and may cause them to increase the fine and add court costs, and you'll still lose your licence.

        Take your medicine like a man and learn from it.

      • -1

        September is 6 months away, itโ€™s going to be fairly difficult to delay for that long unfortunately. I suggest asking service nsw if there is anything they can do like a course to get one more point.

        • No, OP needs to get off the road and learn from their mistakes.

          If they were allowed to keep driving and their absent-minded ways resulted in 1 of your family members being in an accident, how would you feel?

          Obviously the HWP officer saw OP's record and determined they have a lesson to learn!

  • +3

    "How should I approach this?"…………Buy a bicycle

  • +5

    Your poor driving history outweighs every other argument you have.

  • +2

    Good to see the system will work and take you off our congested roads.

  • +1

    You sound like you should be off the road. Please proceed directly to the nearest licence shredder.

  • +2

    On your Ps and already lost all your points… The point system is there for a reason.

    I'd say take this experience (or these experiences leading up to your entire loss of points) as a learning and do what is required to avoid them in future. Eg. Get more lessons or understand that you are the one controlling your vehicle,.. attend defensive driving courses? etc etc, but more simply, just drive in accordance with the road rules.

  • +7

    You're a repeat offender and you're not even on your full license.

    What are the odds something fantastical compelled you to break the law vs behaviour that is reflected by your driving record?

    How should I approach this?

    Sell the car. You're not driving anytime soon.

  • +12

    How should I approach this?

    Either on foot or by public transport.

  • +3

    I stopped at a yellow light and braked really hard

    The yellow light is there so you don't have to brake really hard.

    This is one of those situations where, had there been an accident, it technically wouldn't have been at fault, but you should be found to be at-fault.

  • You can try and write a letter to explain the situation and ask for a warning instead — this is the best course of action for any sort of road infringement. I would have thought that most people would realise this as a next logical step.

    Otherwise, suck it up, yes you were flustered and embarrassed but that doesn't give you a right to drive off.

  • +1

    You are probably better off just wearing the fine - but if you insist on trying to defend it your best option looks to be the defence of necessity.
    While it operates slightly differently depending on the jurisdiction it is a principle of general application.
    You will need to satisfy a court that:
    1. your conduct was to avoid a serious peril,
    2. you believed on reasonable grounds that the threat was real, and
    3. the response was appropriate to the risk.
    Good luck.

    • -1

      I think that's achievable

      • I'm sorry mate, I'm a little confused how you may think that's achievable? The threat to your safety had passed you and was not in front of you, so some could say it had stopped being a risk given they stopped provoking you? How would you justify breaking the law on those grounds?

        • so, Queensland criminal code defines a threat as an act to cause anxiety in another. The bike rider tapping on his window trying to intimidate him is a threat. Which is illegal. I think the penalties act also states something about aggravating as well, which repeatedly doing so might fall under. I'm not a lawyer.

  • +1

    Op, at some point you're going to have realise that YOU are the problem - not the other road users, not the suburb you live in or how close it is to an HWP base, not the HWP officer who fined you, not the judge…etc No, YOU are the problem. You won't change your ways until you accept that.

    The good news is you've come to the right place. We don't mince our words here and we're going to keep telling you you were in the wrong in as many ways as you need us to, until it finally sinks in. We will know when our job is done, when you become a disabled user. You'll thanked us for this someday.

    • -4

      The advice on ozb on these driving issues is useless. It's a demographic that shares a view and reassures itself that the view is correct because of the consensus. this board reassurures and praises views that just frustrates the average Joe on the street.

      • +2

        Average Joe? I'm yet to see one of these posts get created by an 'average joe'. Case in point this thread, which is clearly written by someone who has their head so far in the sand it's probably in Canada

        The "average joe' doesn't lose their license when they're still on their p-plates and then act like it's e eryone else's fault.

        But that's cool, you feel free to condone stupid behaviour! Awesome, you're even in the same city! Enjoy the likely car accident!

        • -1

          Thanks!

        • -3

          dont p platers have a big old sign on their car "p" to show that they are new drivers and you should show caution around them? Did the cyclist not pay attention to the 'p' and stay back an extra distance? Isn't the P plates when you're supposed to make mistakes and learn from them? Should a 'p' plater be expected to respond with perfect composure when an experienced driver rages and threatens them? I don't know, maybe? maybe not? Did OP make a mistake, probably. will they loose their license? probably. Is this person unsure of what to do in this situation because the legal and criminal justice system isn't transparent and is mysterious to all those who don't work in it and asking for advice? It sure seems so.

      • +1

        @grasstown:

        The advice on ozb on these driving issues is useless.

        Yet, you came to us for clarifications regarding that $480 fine you coped :

        grasstown on 23/04/2020 - 21:41
        Is it when the front of the car passes over the line closest to the intersection

        And we answered :

        TEER3X on 24/04/2020 - 11:59
        @grasstown: If camera goes flash, you pay ticket, boom, boom.

        Did you not like our answer? We try to keep it as simple as possible so that the average Joes who violate traffic rules can understand.

        • +1

          I have taught you well, young padawan

        • Wtf? There is some hood advice on here

      • And what view is that again?

    • You're expecting repeat offenders to admit to the fact they are the root of the problem and not the fact that everyone is out to get them?

      That's funny.

  • +3

    I think that's achievable

    You are obviously very young and inexperienced OP, however continue to believe that you know more about the world than the experienced posters here who have attempted to advise you and front up in court with your story and see what the magistrate says.

    Waiting for your next post in which you blame the magistrate for not knowing the law and increasing your fine and length of licence cancellation for wasting their time.

    • -1

      Wow these comments

  • +1

    Good. From the information provided (attitude/knowledge/actions) you should not have a licence.

    The motorcycle rider and the cop were 100% right. Take it on the chin and grow up.

    • Did the motorcycle rider not see the big bold "P" on the back of OP's car? I don't think the cyclist was right in this situation, not that OP was either.

  • 3 month without license is going to be torture :)

    • +7

      Not for the other motorists in Sydney ๐Ÿ˜‰

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