Thousands of Australian drivers are only now discovering why there are “green stickers” on road signs across the country.
And they could be instrumental in keeping them safe on the roads this Christmas.
Small reflectors, placed on white posts on the side of some roads, indicate that there is a safe place to stop. When drivers are seen, they can signal their intention to stop early and be prepared.
They appear on highways in Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, but not all, as the rollout has been slower than expected.
MP Colin Boyce, federal member for Flynn in Queensland, posted about the informal stopping zones to remind drivers and said the green markers were likely to keep people safe over the festive season.
“About 500 meters from a safe stopping place you will be able to see three green reflectors, at 250 meters you will be able to see two green reflectors and right at the safe place you will be able to see one green reflector,” Mr Boyce explained.
‘The idea comes from road safety advocate and B-double truck driver Rod Hannifey to alert drivers that there is a safe place to exit the oncoming road.
“Although the idea was originally intended for long-distance truck drivers, they can be used by all road users.”
Small reflectors, placed on white posts on the side of some roads, indicate that there is a safe place to stop. When drivers are seen, they can signal their intention to stop early and be prepared.
What I didn’t expect was that few people knew about them.
“A lot more people need to know about this, especially those with caravans,” one woman wrote.
‘I would love this all over Australia! “There’s nothing worse than driving at night with a baby screaming behind you wanting to eat and not knowing if it’s a safe place to stop,” said another.
“This would be great on all highways to give people a chance to prepare to go off the road,” one more agreed.
“Especially when your child gets car sick and you’re on a 100km/hour highway with steep grades on the sides of the road and you’re desperately looking for a place to safely pull off the road before your child throws up.” “.
However, some drivers criticized the method, calling it “primitive.”
“It’s a great idea, but why do we have to resort to this?” a man asked.
‘Why can’t part of the taxes and vehicle registration costs be paid to have passing zones and overtaking lanes properly marked and constructed?’
Another responded: ‘The problem is that it costs as much to build formal parking spaces as it does to design them.
“They need an environmental impact study, they need facilities like toilets, picnic table, water supply, lighting, wastewater management, garbage bins.”
Despite the seriousness of the road safety message, some people couldn’t help but take it as a joke.
“Now we just need a bunch of bright orange reflectors along the road to indicate where all the potholes are,” said one driver.
“It would be easier to put oranges where there are no potholes,” another joked.
“The roads would be much brighter,” one agreed.