Safe Speed Forums

I think I single-handedly averted an accident yestyerday morning on route into work, while causing another much less serious one.

The traffic was building up behind the dustcart which was alternating between crawl and stop in front of us as the dustmen legged it to and fro with sacks from the ribbon development. Traffic gaps coming towards us were few and far between, and a cul-de-sac on the left was looming as I got to two behind the dustcart. The road was at that point gently curving left. I hugged the left kerb, leaning left - hanging back - to get best view of everything. A white van was rapidly moving up the cul-de-sac, having seen the dustcart holding up traffic on his right and a gap in traffic from his left adequate for him to turn right in to. Sadly (or not) the car immediately behind the dust cart was both too close to the cart and on the crown of the road. He would not have seen white van man. That car was cautiously easing to cross the centre line and when he realised nothing was coming, he booted it - just at the time that the white van decided that I was in pole position to take the dustcart and, because I was hanging back and left, was prepared to let him go. He booted it too. I laid on the hooter for 4 seconds, despite at that time not bring able to see much/any of either of the collision course vehicles. Both evidently slowed - and worked out how to avoid one another.

The accident I caused? A young dustman dropped a sack as my hooter caught him - which in turn spewed its contents over the road. All the dustmen glared at me, thinking I was taking umbridge at their road hogging. Oh well!

Well done Roger. Sounds like yo did the right thing.

I'm sure if you'd gently explained the situation to the dustman he would have understood.

On a similar note there is a bus stop on the route I take to work that must be the worst located bus stop in the country. Its on a NSL A road at the end of a short complex of bends / crests and on the apex of a gentle left-hander just before a dip. When a bus is stopped you have to be about 4 car lengths back to see anything ahead, and even then you can't see down into the dip properly. Its lethal! 100 yards further down the road and it would be absolutely fine.

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

Not surprising: binmen don't care about anyone but binmen

I'm nervous of this idea that we can alert two third parties to a danger by use of our horn.

What if we attract their attention to ourselves? Don't we make the crash more likely? It seems to me to be about 50/50.

- If they are 'sleepwalking' into danger then we might wake them up. That's good.

- But if they are driving into unseen danger then we might make the moment when the danger is seen take place later. That's not good at all.

Is there any way we can make a judgement about which scenario is most likely for events we might witness? I really don't know.

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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

I quite agree generally. However, by the time I started my hoot, NEITHER of the cars on collision course could see me. I therefore made it 90/10 and went for it.

What it did was slow both parties down, and thereafter the white van at least had to proceed cautiously as his visibility to the right was then completely lost. That I contend was good.