Vehicle Safety and Fitness to Drive
Pre-drive checks and maintenance
A safe vehicle is a checked vehicle. Before driving, confirm tyres are correctly inflated with adequate tread, lights and indicators work, mirrors are adjusted, windscreen and wipers are clean, and fluid levels are adequate. Tyre tread depth and pressure affect grip and braking, especially in wet WA conditions, and worn tyres are a common cause of loss of control.
Occupant protection
Seatbelts must be worn by all occupants, and children must use an appropriate restraint for their age and size. Head restraints should be positioned to reduce whiplash. Secure loose items, because unsecured objects become projectiles in a crash. Motorcyclists must wear an approved helmet.
Fitness to drive
You must not drive if impaired by alcohol, drugs, fatigue or a medical condition that affects control. Prescription medicines can impair driving, so read labels and ask a pharmacist or doctor. Vision must meet the required standard, and corrective lenses must be worn if your licence requires them. Report medical conditions that could affect driving.
Traps to watch for
Questions often confuse a legal minimum with a safe practice, such as the minimum tread depth versus the tread you should have for wet weather. Another trap is assuming a seatbelt exemption exists for short trips or reversing, or that a passenger can hold a child instead of a restraint. Watch for wording about who is responsible for child restraints, which is the driver.
Worked example
Before a long country drive, check tyre pressure and tread, test all lights and indicators, adjust mirrors and head restraint, secure luggage, and confirm every occupant is correctly restrained.
Sharing the Road and Driving in WA Conditions
Vulnerable road users
Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and children are vulnerable and deserve extra space and patience. Give cyclists at least a metre when passing at lower speeds and more at higher speeds, and do not crowd them at intersections. At pedestrian crossings, slow and be prepared to stop. Around schools, watch for children near buses and crossings, and obey school zone speed limits during the posted times.
Heavy vehicles and sharing space
Trucks and buses have large blind spots, long stopping distances and wide turning paths. Do not linger alongside a truck, and never pass on the left where it may turn across you. When a heavy vehicle is turning, give it room because its rear wheels track inside the front wheels.
WA-specific conditions
Western Australia presents long distances, regional roads with wildlife, extreme heat, and occasional flooding. In heat, watch engine temperature and tyre condition. On unsealed roads, reduce speed, increase following distance and expect dust and corrugations. In floodwater, do not drive through if you cannot see the bottom or the depth; water can hide washed-out road. At level crossings, never enter unless the exit is clear.
Traps to watch for
Questions test whether you know that a cyclist passing distance is a minimum and that blind spots around trucks are real. Another trap is floodwater, where the safe answer is always to turn back rather than risk it.
Rule of thumb
Give space, give time, and when in doubt about depth, distance or clearance, choose the cautious option.