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 Post subject: confused feet
PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 14:05 
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Location: middlish
not sure about this one... happened to me yesterday morning, never happened before and no idea what was different this time.
but for completeness.

SC 30mph
Following silver audi, which had blue punto in front, maybe another car ahead of that too.

Punto or the car in front seemed happy to do 30 just about, Audi behind not entirely happy with this and tailgating somewhat.
I'm following at a good distance also happy to do not much more than 30 anyway, follow for a good mile to gentle straight downhill to traffic lights.
Plenty of warning traffic light is going to go red.. it does.. i back off throttle and prepare for nice gentle decel to bring me up behind the Audi.

Go to put my (right) foot on the brake pedal, it doesn't seem to be there. Left foot hasn't yet bothered going toward the clutch so I don't have a great point of reference there. Brain is getting a bit worried as my right foot searches for a pedal, eventually finds one but by now i'm completely confused and not sure i know which pedal i'm on. Trying very hard to keep eyes on the road but can't help glance down at my feet to see what the feck is going on, doesnt help much, now in panic mode.

So by now I've lost at least a second of braking time, any braking now is going to be slightly less than gently but no problem.

Decide I'd better press something soon, feel the clutch go all the way to the floor under my right foot, at least it wasn't the accelerator.
Manage to recover right foot to the brake pedal (i hope), check proximity to audi and rear mirror as i go to press it but still in panic mode so virtually floor it.

A rather harder stop than i was planning, but still a good couple of car lengths to spare.




So I'm at a bit of a loss to explain how I managed to lose the brake pedal in such a short period of time.
Possibly the very leisurely sequence of my driving at that point was my enemy, i had plenty of space, had i been closer I may have been more alert ?
Don't know.


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 Post subject: Re: confused feet
PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 14:17 
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I said I wouldn't be posting here again (for reason I cba to discuss, not appropriate for the forum anyway), but to possibly put you at ease...

I am now fairly sure I suffer from a form of dyslexia. I have an astonishingly bad memory which affects certain aspects. For example, I still cannot remember the route to my mothers house (only an hour and a bit away) even though she has been there for about 10 years. I also have issues remembering things, especially in sequence. Like the alphabet, and months of the year. I only found about it recently when I met someone with very similar symptoms. They had a test done, but it costs money and I am not paying hundreds for it. For the record, they are allowed to drive also.

The similarity between this and your post (no, I'm not saying you have dyslexia) is that sometimes I have the same thing. It could be slightly different, like forgetting how to change gear all of a sudden.

Fortunatly, it has never put me at risk, since I am used to it, at no point have I ever dithered, even when getting confused about the pedals. To my recollection that hasn't happened much at all.

Secret is remaining calm. Since I am a very alert and cautious driver anyway (and no you bloody speed freaks who are thinking it, cautious does not have to mean slow - think decent gaps between vechicles etc) I always have the breathing space. I haven't had to use it as yet, as soon as I do I will re-evaluate if I am safe to drive.

To cut a long story short, if you find yourself in that situation again, the priority is keep calm. The reason for this is that it suddenly 'clicks' back much much faster. The worst you can do is try to 'think' about it. By relaxing you are letting the instinct take back control.

Not sure if this was helpful or not, but I hope so.

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If you think everyone else around you is driving badly, perhaps it's time to examine your own driving.


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 Post subject: Re: confused feet
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 00:43 
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Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 02:17
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Location: Highlands
I think from what you say that as you were in a relaxed mode, possibly :
You went to move your foot and did so MORE than expected and you hit the clutch by mistake - hence no braking ....
- you missed all the peddles and hit the 'floor' - or possibly even far enough to hit the (left) foot rest.
As you found the brake and regained control we can likely assume that there was no error with the brake pedal temporary or otherwise.
So if not mechanical then personal.
The nearest I can relate this to is when the brain is 'thinking' something else and you sub-consciously go to 'do' a 'normal/automatic' action, that there is not enough 'thought' into processing properly and 'miss' the precision of control needed.
You immediately went on alert, and then regained control - when the brain was concentrating. During this period you can go through a process of 'lost' a kind of stabbing about to regain positions too.

So pleased that it all turned out all right. A real reminder that your space is for the unforeseen emergencies ! :)

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 Post subject: Re: confused feet
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 08:07 
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Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 13:55
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Location: middlish
cheers... yes no chance of anything mechanical (although i have seen booster failures suck the pedal to the floor... but i dont think id have been moving still if that had happened).

no chance of making it as far as the footrest as my left foot was already there !

not something i can dwell on too much as it'll probably make me paranoid. i drive alot of cars/vehicles of varying performance, lh/rh drive, auto/manual/paddle occasionally several in one day and rarely have any issue. the most normal issue for me is when i get back in my own car 'forgetting' it's not an auto if i get distracted at the first stop.


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