December 29th, 2009 - Safety Tip For Driving Your Australian Rental Vehicle
The best form of transportation, to see the Queensland sights, is by car. If you do not enjoy taking tours, traveling by car is the only way to see the out of the way places. Super, diesel and unleaded fuel is available at all petrol stations and LPG (gas) is available in populated areas but not always in the remote service stations. Depending on place and time the price of gas varies, however it always goes up on weekends and bank holidays.
When trying to choose what rental company to use you should consider a company that gives unlimited kilometers. Larger companies sometimes offer one-way rentals, pick up your automobile in one town and drop it off when you reach your destination, but you need to be sure of any restrictions. 4WD and camper vans are the most popular rentals. A 4WD allows you to get right into the natural wonders that most travelers miss. However, the insurance on these tend to be high and don not cover any off road damage.
Queensland has a few multi lane highways but most major roads are sealed with two lanes. You don’t have to go too far off the beaten track to get onto dirt roads, its quite common if you want to see the countryside. Kangaroos are a common hazard on Australian roads and if you are traveling at any sort of speed, hitting one can make quite a mess of your car, not to mention the kangaroo so be alert when they are most active - dawn and dusk.
When traveling at night you can be faced with many animal hazards. If a large animal appears in front of your car you should hit the brakes, dim your lights and only swerve if its safe to do so. Many travelers have been killed in accidents caused by swerving to miss animals, it is sometimes its safer for you to hit the animal, even though it can be traumatic.
Drunk driving is a serious problem problem along the east coast and in country areas. In attempts to address this issue, there are random breath testing station or booze buses that test for drugs and substance abuse, along the roadsides. If your blood-alcohol level is greater than 0.05% you will have your license taken away and be faced with a large fine. Parking fines are also a danger in major cities and tourist towns, although parking in the right places may cost, it is cheaper then receiving a parking ticket.
If you are ready to vacation in Australia be sure to use the car hire Surfers Paradise has relied on for years. Rent from www.budget.com.au for the best deals available. You can also get a brisbane car rental vacationers have enjoyed while driving from sight to sight.
