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 Post subject: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:10 
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While this was not a near miss as such it did result in unplanned heavy braking to a stop, also this is the second time it has happened in the last month!

I found myself having to brake suddenly to a stop on the approach to a Zebra crossing, this was not because a pedestrian I was unaware of stepped out but because I failed to notice the crossing until quite late. In both instances I was on a road I was unfamiliar with.

On the approach I was well aware of the pedestrians stood facing the road about 2 -3 feet back from the kerb, if they had stepped out I would have been able to stop, after all I did stop before the crossing in the end. In both cases I was driving around slight right hand bends on moderately busy town centre roads, the peds on the lhs.

Thinking about it what I have come up with is this-

The pedestrians triggered as potential hazards but because they were not at the kerb, i.e. ready to cross, they provided sufficient distraction so that I missed the road markings until quite late and ended up 'panic' braking when I did.

I tend to be pretty good with people trying to cross the road, I do not accelerate to try and beat them to the crossing and I do not wait until they have a foot on the road before stopping. Given that in these cases the pedestrians were well back from the kerb I suppose I did not actually need to stop, spotting the crossing late simply caused a reflex action to do so. I received a nice wave from the pedestrians both times and fortunately there was no vehicles close enough to run into the back of me.

So, on one hand I am allowing myself to be distracted by a potential hazard and becoming one myself, on the other am I being too nice to people trying to cross. The former I was already aware of, however fixing it is not proving to be easy, the latter would mean trying to adjust to a slightly less accommodating style.

This kind of thing does not happen to me very often so twice in a short time is ringing alarm bells, any ideas or suggestions please?

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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:09 
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Just realised that in writing this out I may have found an answer.

I think that what is happening is that on the approach to the crossing I see it but do not register any pedestrians at the kerb or moving towards the kerb or glancing over their shoulders etc. I then notice the pedestrians stood back from the kerb and start to wonder what they are up to, temporarily forgetting about the crossing. It is possible I notice the peds a bit later on the approach because the curve of the road and their distance from the kerb puts them behind the pole for the crossing lights for a while.

Still need to work on the distraction thing or maybe it is building in peds stood well back from the kerb into my zebra crossing scan in this case.

Open to other thoughts though.

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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 21:47 
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I find that because there aren't many zebra crossings around when I come across them I don't always recognise their significance as quickly as maybe I should do.

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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:17 
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toltec wrote:
Just realised that in writing this out I may have found an answer.

I think that what is happening is that on the approach to the crossing I see it but do not register any pedestrians at the kerb or moving towards the kerb or glancing over their shoulders etc. I then notice the pedestrians stood back from the kerb and start to wonder what they are up to, temporarily forgetting about the crossing. It is possible I notice the peds a bit later on the approach because the curve of the road and their distance from the kerb puts them behind the pole for the crossing lights for a while.

Still need to work on the distraction thing or maybe it is building in peds stood well back from the kerb into my zebra crossing scan in this case.

Open to other thoughts though.



Totec :bow: :clap:


You are obviously evaluating your driving and continually looking out to keep improving on it. You are on the right lines .. building in the pedestrians into your COAST and risk assessing the potential hazard which could develop..

:bow:

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Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.


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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 09:09 
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Thanks In Gear.

I found writing it out in order to explain to others what happened actually helped me analyse the situation.

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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 15:15 
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Clue....guess what the Belisha Beacons on top of the black & white striped posts are for.......

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 Post subject: Re: Zebra crossing
PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 19:12 
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Speedy23 wrote:
Clue....guess what the Belisha Beacons on top of the black & white striped posts are for.......


Indicating a crossing, particularly at night when the stripes of the crossing on the road may be less obvious?

Did you have some other function in mind?

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