Keep to the Right if you want to speed

Summary

The author discusses the common disregard for speed limits and driving etiquette in Perth, Western Australia, emphasizing the importance of adhering to traffic rules despite the aggressive behavior of other drivers.

Abstract

The author, a driver with 34 years of experience in Australia, reflects on the driving habits in Perth, Western Australia. They observe that many drivers ignore the speed limit, particularly in the right-hand lane, where they drive aggressively as if they own the road. Despite being tailgated and receiving rude gestures for driving at the speed limit, the author maintains their position in the right-hand lane when preparing for a right turn, adhering to the rules of the road. The author ponders why speeding is prevalent and often unchecked by law enforcement. This narrative is shared as part of a contribution to "A Few Words," a Medium publication that accepts stories under 500 words.

Opinions

The author believes that many drivers in Perth act as if they are above the law, speeding and behaving aggressively on the road.
There is a perception among some drivers that having a powerful vehicle justifies exceeding the speed limit.
The author is critical of the lack of enforcement against speeding, questioning why so many speeders evade tickets.
Despite pressure from other drivers, the author chooses to follow traffic rules and drive at the speed limit, even when it provokes negative reactions from others.

Keep to the Right if you want to speed

I’m an okay driver I think. Well, I have had my Driver’s Licence here in Australia for 34 years. Drivers around Perth, Western Australia, seem to think that they can go at whatever speed they like.

It’s as though they are the King of the Road with an important destination to go to (but my destination is not so important to them) and they will get there by any means possible.

This includes breaking the speed limit in the right-hand lane. We drive on the left side here and our steering wheel is thus on the right-hand side of the car.

Sometimes I drive a 30 minute journey to my sister’s house and this weekend I was in the right-hand lane, going at 60 km per hour or 70 km per hour as instructed by the road signs.

Boy, were there some irate drivers going around me! Some were 4-wheel drives but just because they have a lot of power doesn’t mean they can take over.

One was a sporty red car of which the driver disgustedly waved his arm out the window in a “What are you doing, you dimwit” gesture (replace dimwit with another word though).

I interestedly watched how far this person got ahead of me. We got to the traffic lights of a major intersection, and I couldn’t see him for dust.

I was glad he was well on his way to where he was going, even if at the expense of a speeding ticket.

For the life of me, I can’t work out why so many people speed here and what’s more get away without being given speeding tickets.

Yes we have a rule to keep to the left, but as I have to turn right eventually and don’t like switching lanes on a highway, I take up my position in the right-hand lane soon.

The point is I am going at the speed limit, and the point is that there is no rule “Fast drivers drive in the right lane and drive at whatever speed you like.”

Keep to the Right if you want to speed

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