Saturday Reflection: Changing people's lives.

Imagine arriving at a country where in the whole wide world, they are the only country where they do things only they do it that way.
Imagine that it is a serious thing like a traffic rule.
Well, this is precisely what is happening in New Zealand. We have the right hand rule, since 1977. When you are on the road, and at an uncontrolled intersection, you have to give way to the right. Ne Zealand is the only country that has this. Tourists ho come find this ludicrous and dangerous.
So they are changing, but not is a good way.
I had driven in Borneo, Canada, Singapore, so I find the change a bit easier. But people have inertia, they need time, the authorities are not doing it right.
I was at the AA where I saw the rule change brochures. I took them to teach my adult ESOL students.
The new rule comes into effect on 25th March, and I hardly see any ads on TV to educate the people.






Road rules campaign 'too little, too late'
Sarah Robson, NZ Newswire March 17, 2012, 5:06 am



Road rules campaign too little, too late



The campaign to educate drivers about upcoming changes to the give way rules has fallen short, says a motoring commentator.

The changes to who has right of way when turning at intersections will take effect at 5am on March 25.

The tweaks to the rules will require vehicles turning right at intersections to give way to those turning left, while at uncontrolled T-intersections, vehicles from the terminating road will need to give way to traffic on the continuing road.

A $1.2 million publicity campaign by the New Zealand Transport Agency to educate drivers about the changes got underway this week, with television, newspaper and online advertisements, and an interactive website that tests drivers' knowledge of the new rules.

However, Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of car review website dogandlemon.com, says the campaign is too little, too late.

"They're trying to change the attitudes of a lifetime with a very short, couple of week, relatively low budget campaign," he told NZ Newswire.

"They haven't spent enough time thinking this through, nor is the campaign particularly impressive."

The likely result will be a lot of confusion for drivers on the day of the change, Mr Matthew-Wilson says.

"There are vast numbers of people that no longer read newspapers, turn off TV ads and throw away every leaflet that arrives in their letterbox.

"So a percentage of people will simply not know about it."

A survey last week by the Automobile Association (AA) found that a majority of drivers support the changes to the give way rules and most are confident they can follow them.

Right turning vehicles have had the right of way at intersections since 1977.
The changes will bring New Zealand's give way rules in line with the rest of the world.




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