Menu Close

Articles on Road laws

Displaying all articles

A cyclist not wearing a helmet can expect to attract the attention of NSW Police – and not always just for that offence. NSW Police/Facebook

Over-the-top policing of bike helmet laws targets vulnerable riders

Bike helmet laws are meant to be about safety. But the hefty penalties and huge number of fines are causing resentment – made worse by some police abusing the law to stop, question and search riders.
Just like teenagers, robot drivers need lots of practice. iurii/Shutterstock.com

Even self-driving cars need driver education

Autonomous cars need to learn how to drive just like people do: with real-world practice on public roads. It’s key to safety, and to public confidence in the new technologies.
Road trauma is already the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. AAP/Alan Porritt

Rethinking the causes of road trauma: society’s problems must share the blame

Wider societal issues are driving road user behaviour, which cannot be fixed by taking a traditional road safety approach.
The relationship between drivers and cyclists is highly unequal, both physically and culturally. Photographee.eu from www.shutterstock.com

Cars, bicycles and the fatal myth of equal reciprocity

The primacy given to the car has shaped our cities, the roads that serve them and our very thinking about the place of driving in our lives. And it’s a mindset that leaves cyclists highly vulnerable.
Tesla has already gone beyond demonstrating its self-driving car to having such a vehicle travel across the United States. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

‘Killer robots’ hit the road – and the law has yet to catch up

Unlike a driver, the way a self-driving car responds to emergencies is programmed –decided in advance. We need to sort out the legal questions of responsibility this raises, and soon.

Top contributors

More