Safe Speed Forums

This is to an extent an extension of the 'Corner Cutting' thread, and that might actually be one explanation...

I've noticed more and more that people waiting to emerge from side roads at give way lines tend to wait anything up to 6 feet or more behind the give-way line. I'm not just talking about junctions where visibility might actually be improved by doing so either. I can understand that doing this at a junction with a fast road might be a good plan, just in case, but I mostly see it in town.

Now, on the whole if I see traffic waiting to emerge and its safe to do so, I'll let them out if I can, especially around town in heavy traffic. Trouble is, if somenone's waiting so far back from the line, you don't necessarily realise that they are trying to pull out.

I can't see the logic behind it. Is it that people have no concept of how long their cars are, is it to avoid corner cutters, or is it just p*ss porr driving again?

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Perhaps it's due to what i've been on about in the other thread - corner cutting by right turners - safer to stay back a few feet .
However over the years i've noticed that when trying to get out, chances are that the person holding things up to let you out will be a female.

As a singer said "thank hevens for little (and not so little girls)"

Makes a change for someone to have a kind word for female drivers!

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Would second Botach, find that too many drivers can't be bothered to turn right properly, I can understand a bus or a HGV doing it - they have a long vehicle to contend with that doesn't bend in the middle.

Likewise find that I get let out more often by the ladies - less macho territorialism perhaps??

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

for the record..... my car doesn't bend in the middle either

I would hope that your car isn't 30' long though....

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

You've won the coconut.

These are the 'little' items the cops should be pulling people for and having a quiet word, as they could prosecute for DWDCA.
I've found I'm having more and near misses approaching give ways, finding a car turning right off the main road heading straight for me, and from the looks I get for being in their way.

Whats the point of power steering if they don't use it.

fatboytim

Yes and they are involved in a prang because of this piss poor driving, and like the muppets that hit me they will insist they are safe because they were within the speed limt.

Was down in Kent yesterday (near Tonbridge) and saw a car a couple of car lengths ahead go across the dividing line into an oncoming car. Her comment was 'I just drifted' WTF she looked ok no sign that she'd had any sort of epileptic or diabetic episode, didn't smell of drink and was quite coherent.

Yet she just drifted at 40mph across the road and stuffed her car into the side of an oncoming car.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

So I take it that you have now learned to approach that 'contested road space' with sufficient extra caution that you will be more or less safe from the risk of collision?

I'm not intending to excuse or condone the corner-cutters, but as a driver there's nothing you can do to make it less likely that they will do that. You can however avoid the consequences of their bad driving.

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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

[quote="fatboytim




I've found I'm having more and near misses approaching give ways, finding a car turning right off the main road heading straight for me, and from the looks I get for being in their way.

Whats the point of power steering if they don't use it.

fatboytim[/quote]

So it's not just here then ?? -but then i suspect little chance of finding them if they hit you and scarpered.

That's the 'defensive' or 'advanced' driver's nightmare. If an oncoming vehicle swerves into you at the last second there really is nothing you can do.

- You can't anticipate it (unless perhaps the vehicle has been 'waving about.')
- You can't plan for every oncoming vehicle to swerve at you. (i.e. the preconditions are virtually continuous).
- It's possible for an oncoming vehicle to get into your path so fast that you have absolutely no time for any reaction.
- Such crashes can be enormous

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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

As well as preparing for the corner cutters, another reason to sit back would be to get a bit more speed up before crossing the give way line.

I don't do it myself, but if you are doing 10-15mph when crossing the line then you can fit into a smaller gap without causing the driver behind to have to alter speed or direction.