People who drive slowly would let others pass.
People who drive slowly wouldn’t speed up when others could pass.
People in the vehicles behind slow vehicles would pass when they could or keep back far enough to allow others to pass them.
People wouldn’t try passing when they can’t see what’s coming the other way.
Passing lanes didn’t end on the brow of a hill or blind corner.
Arrows on the road now and then (especially after rest areas in isolated places) showed drivers they should be on the left hand side of the road.
Homepaddock 
Our roads would be safer if the highways were four lanes wide with an impregnable median barrier. Solves all the problems above.
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Will – tht would certainly help. But it’s also much mroe expensive and even with the best of roads consideration of other drivers is necessary.
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1. Agree with Will on a decent motorway – National should propose coming into the next election a 30 year plan for a 4 lane highway from Whangarei to Christchurch.
2. Our roads would be safer if we didn’t restrict people in passing lanes to 109 km/h – a lot more people would get past if the police were clear that we have tolerance to 120 km/h in a passing lane / when passing, so long as you slow down again as soon as you’re past. That was the way it used to be, before the heavy hand of the govt overruled common sense.
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I agree with your post Ele, and the comments.
As one who would be sometimes part of the subject of this post may I respectfully make the following observations.
1 When I come to a straight and indicate left and reduce speed that is all I am going to do as the edges of most of the roads I use are not safe for me to pull off the road.
2 I wish people would watch their traveling distances, often small suvs and cars can be out of my vision unless I pick up a shadow or go round a tight curve. “if you cant see my mirrors I probably cant see you” applies.
3 A driver happy to travel at my speed should leave plenty of room for following traffic to move along the line passing safely. My traveling holiday home is nearly 15 meters long so if their is insufficient space between the rear of my vehicle and a following one, that length can soon be over 30 meters.
4 If I have just let traffic past and the next vehicle arrives behind as I am picking up speed, please be patient with me as I don’t feel obliged to let every one pass as soon as they appear.
5 Start a trip a little earlier and accept that Trucks, Semis, Buses, Motorhomes and cyclists are taxpayers too and with the exception of the last group, pay to use the road also and will inevitably cause some holdups.
6 How often is the first vehicle behind me at a passing lane very little faster than me and consumes most of the opportunity for those behind it, by not pulling in front of me as soon as able, but remains in the righthand lane often in a large cloud of emission smoke.
7 A little toot of appreciation from drivers I am able to assist with passing is always welcome as sometimes it is frustrating for me as well with the generally poor conditions along the edges of some of our major roads.
8 Before we gain the utopia of dual unopposed carriageways a lot of work could be done via crawler lanes and passing lanes. On our recent trip back from Picton first week of January one arrogant young man gave me verbal, gesticulatory and horn abuse, I presume for not using one of those shingle storage bays along the Lewis Pass Hwy that was so badly potholed I would have risked the integrity of my vehicle suspension to have used it as a passing bay.
I try to take action as soon as the number following goes to five and at ten get a little more than anxious. Unlike the rather overloaded camper we met soon after Springs Junction traveling west with 38 vehicles behind and blissfully unaware. Mrs GD commented “hope he doesn’t stop at springs for refreshments as it may turn into a knuckle sandwich”.
I am as intolerant as most of inconsiderate driving and we have far too much of it but sometimes the vehicle “holding up the traffic” may be being as considerate as humanly possible and that may seem inadequate to others apparent needs.
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