Safe Speed Forums

As all the bikers out there will know, the overall reaction time on a motorbike is far better than a car because you tend to have your hand and foot over the brakes. (well I do anyway). The split second you see danger you can drop the anchors with no more delay than it takes your brain to react. With the equivalent panic situation in a car, you have to lift your foot up and move across before you can press down. Sounds little effort but milliseconds make all the difference to overall stopping!

So how about an accelerator pedal in a car in the form of a rocker plate. You place your foot in the middle of the plate where spring-loading centralises it by default. You press forward to accelerate and press down on your heel to brake. I'm certain tests would show a significant reduction in overall stopping distance. It wouldn't be difficult to operate once you've become familiar with it. How about it Toyota?

How many out of 10 Paul?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

One. Sorry.

Firstly Volvo have been there. Their experimental single pedal had a turn action for throttle and a press action for braking.

Secondly, we need to concentrate on safety measure that - like normal driving - avoid the need for panic reactions. Once it's down to panic the outcome is in the lap of the gods, clever pedal or not.

Thirdly, experienced drivers will often cover the brake going into potentially risky situations, so eliminating the potential advantage.

Fourthly, the maximum advantage is about 0.2 seconds, and while I agree that every tenth may count on occasion, 0.2 seconds isn't much. Full panic emergency braking will shed around 4mph in 0.2 seconds.

Fifthly, and this might be the most interesting of all, one of the reasons you can brake sooner on a bike is that your hand is closer to your brain and the signal travel time is significant. That alone might be worth something in the order of 0.2 seconds.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Have I got egg on my face or what

Well how about using a modified version of the parking proximity detectors so that if you are travelling too close to the car in front, it reduces your speed to the 2 second distance rule.

We all hate those that are stuck up yer backside.

I'll keep going until you give me more than 3

Willie Coyote

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I agree that tailgating is almost certainly the single most dangerous mistake that drivers make regularly, but I think you'll struggle to find support for anything that takes control away from the driver.

It would be more desirable to eliminate the will to tailgate in drivers, through education and sensible enforcement, than to install a feature that, were it to malfunction, could have disasterous consequence.

Agreed.

Well, here's a very obvious one: compulsory eye tests for road users. It could be a certificate from your optician you have to present, in order to get your road tax or something. I know people out there who are almost flying blind. No wonder us bikers get "sorry, I didn't see you". Some of them would miss a Zeppelin coming up the road.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I see where you're coming from, but personally I try to ride never needing to "emergency" brake... In my youth, I used to believe that all I needed to worry about was my reaction times but now, it's a case of trying not to even get into a 'situation' in the first place...


No, not at all. At least you're thinking about what goes on out there...

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

I also try to have a pre-planned reaction to possible hazard triggers in order to reduce thinking time. I find in some circumstances it allows thinking to proceed in parallel to reaction so that the decision becomes, allow the reaction to continue, stop the reaction or change the reaction rather than initiate the reaction.

Then again maybe this is just part of normal anticipation and I am just being pretentious?

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

Absolutely! With experience we all start to act instinctively. For example, I don't just look at the car in front but the car in front of that, and so on… We could list dozens of things, taught at advanced level, which help prevent the panic situation. The experienced of us are making the odds in our favour, but they can still happen to anyone no-matter who you are.

Of the panic situations I have been in which I didn't foresee comprise: Strong wind blows a branch in my pathway, I've also had a kid throw something at me on my bike. A low flying suicidal barn owl once flew in my face. What a day that was:-) I could go on and maybe there should be another forum for 'most bizarre and unpredictable near misses'? Could be quite humorous.

But seriously, there isn't a single person out there who thinks he/she is going to have an accident yet hundreds do everyday. At times, we can sense the conditions may not be favourable and ride/drive defensively but when the unexpected happens for these 'acts of God' we depend on our good sense and reactions.

STOP PRESS! My colleague just told me there's a program on BBC Radio 4 tonight at 8 o'clock called The Investigation. Sorry if it's mentioned on Safe Speed somewhere. It's about speed cameras. Maybe Paul is on it. I believe all programs are recorded to download for a week afterwards, if you miss it. Can things like this be posted on the main page or somewhere so eveyone can see them Paul regardless of what forum you're on?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Paul posts any media related information in the Safe Speed in the News and Media forum.

I have also had a group of kids throw a branch out in front of me while driving up the road. They didn't realise that I could stop well before hitting it and were very sheepish and apologetic when I shouted at them to stop being so stupid and pick it up.

Surprisingly I didn't end up with the police at my door for assault or something.

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Prepare to be Judged

Don't Jaguar & Mercedes have a radar system that automatically backs off the throttle if you get too close to the car in front? I think it can be over-ridden on both cars though.

Also, most disabled drivers' hand controls work in the way you describe - throttle and brake on the same control - AND closer to your hand!

they more or less have that- radar cruise control.

I suppose you could have a warning light/buzzer that tells a driver he's too close, if for nothing else to annoy him into dropping back, but all that would do is increase peoples reliance on gadgets to look after them as they daydream their way along the motorway. like others have said the answer to poor driving lies in education & effective policing.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction