Aussie drivers warned to obey neglected road markings or risk $544 fines

Yahoo

4 days ago

Drivers are being warned about a set of eye-catching road markings that serve an important purpose on the road, which some Australians say "most don't seem to care about".
Across the country, there are various road markings in place that play an important role in keeping both drivers and pedestrians safe. In New South Wales, transport authorities warned this week of zigzag markings.
They're widespread across the state, and in fact the country, but their purpose is often forgotten or neglected. "The line might be a zigzag, but what you need to do when you come across one is pretty straightforward," NSW Road Safety said online.
And while the style of zigzag and placement may vary slightly from state to state in Australia, the overall function does not — they serve as a visual warning to slow down near a crossing.
"They're essentially a warning, letting you know that you're about to approach a pedestrian crossing," Transport for NSW said in a similar alert shared this week. Between the two posts, several hundred people responded. "These should be everywhere," one of the responders said.
"Sadly, most motorists don't care," said another. "This is the sort of thing that needs to be standardised throughout the country," a third weighed in. "All this time I've been weaving back and forth along them, trying to keep my car centred on the line," joked a fourth.
What penalties are in place in NSW for failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing?
Across the country, there are steep fines and penalties in place for offenders caught disobeying these road markings.
In NSW, for example, offending motorists can expect to cop a fine of $544 and three demerit points if they do not slow down and stop at a pedestrian crossing.
Elsewhere in the country, another set of markings recently emerged in the south, raising eyebrows. Known as 'dragon's teeth', the road markings aim to alert drivers to a change in the road, such as a reduction in the speed limit.
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They are being trialled in Adelaide as part of a study led by the University of Adelaide's Automotive Safety Research, alongside the Department of Transport.
Making them appear 3D, the triangular blue and white markings may "attract more attention" from drivers and encourage them to slow down as they enter a lower-speed zone, leading road safety scientist at the University of Adelaide, Mario Mongiardini, earlier told Yahoo News.
For travellers exploring between states, it's not unusual to come across a road sign or marking that is unfamiliar, especially as different regions tend to have their own versions. For one Aussie explorer, it was a roadside marker in Western Australia that left them scratching their head.
Posting a photo to Facebook of a black and white striped reflector pole back in May, the woman said she was travelling through the Nullarbor and had seen "a lot" of them, but was unsure of their meaning.
The photo attracted all sorts of answers. But the true reason lay underneath the road.
Posts with diagonal black stripes on a white reflective background are used to signal that a low culvert — a drainage structure, typically a pipe or box, designed to pass water under a road — is nearby, a spokesperson for Main Roads Western Australia confirmed to Yahoo.
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