Safe Speed Forums

I received the following email:

Subject: Tailgating
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 20:07:53 -0000
From: "Brian Clifford" <brian@cliffordb.freeserve.co.uk>
To: <psmith@safespeed.org.uk>

I read the article on tailgating on your website with great interest. May I bring to your attention my invention designed to assist drivers
in keeping a safe distance? It is called the Back-off Plate and won a Silver Medal at the recent British Inventors Show: you can learn
about it at http://www.backoffplate.com

I would be most interested to hear your comments and assessment.

Regards

Brian Clifford
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In truth, I'm struggling to find anything positive to say about it, other then it could possibly raise awareness of the issues.

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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

edited

I disagree fundamentally to anything on the back of a car that you are encouraged to read when you are driving. The time it takes to read takes your eye off other potential road dangers far too long. There is enough crap to look out for road side without any more nonsense like this.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Good idea in principle, but you'd have to be 2' off the back of their car to read the small print to see WHY it's there....need I say more.

I too am guilty of wanting to read the punchline to an amusing or intriguing sticker - only at lights & junctions though! Best/worst one...."READ THIS!" with tiny print underneath. No idea what it said....

Its a bit like speed cameras, if you over simplify the solution you risk missing the route cause.

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Speed camera policy Kills

A classic case of a "self fulfilling prophesy"!

I worry that too many drivers are tailgating me. So I put one of these in my rear window, and immediately everyone and his dog is creeping up behind me to read the explanatory text at the bottom.

Barmy!

The most worrying thing is that the RAC actually think it's a good idea!

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

...and if I see a Jap off-roader with a tyre cover with Taz (cartoon character) saying "Back Off!" on it, it's all I can do do stop myself ramming it.

As Marge Simpson said, when hanging a "Baby on Board" sign in her car: "Now people will stop intentionally ramming me"

nah, steel nudge bars and a "your car is my cumple zone" sign works better...

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Don't like it for the reasons already given but have had an idea for quite some time, but have only basic electronics knowledge so bear with me and pick holes in it as appropriate.

Take an LED sign so that it fills half the rear screen of an average car, hook it up to a rangefinder and GPS reciever (infra red or the like) and set it up will need a little playing around but the idea is that it detects the distance from the vehicle behind and compares it with a set distance (correct spacing) according to the speed, if it is above said distance, it does nought, if within then it flashes up 'TOO CLOSE' or similar short message.

It could be used in private cars or in unmarked traffpol vehicles, could (dare I suggest it) take photo's if the tailgating vehicle doesn't back off within a certain timeframe.

I also noticed a thread about civilians noting bad drivers (foriegn scheme I think) but this could be used as it is automated, as a safeguard could be set so that if the monitoring car is pratting around it cuts out.

Thought, feedback anyone ???

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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

The technology is available but i suspect that eventualy they would get ignored, worse still it cound become a form of "sport" to trigger it off. It also would not take much to make it manual device to get drivers busted if you follow your logic about civilian vigilanties.

A better option would be collision avoidance warning that is already being developed to tell the driver that he is too close/too fast. So long as it had an on/off switch. Just think how anoying it would be everytime some one pulls out in front of you on the motorway.

Remember....automated systems lead to automated mistakes.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Your system is more than practical right now, but there is one flaw you have failed to take in to account.........namely, the shit for brains behind you who overrides your warning because they can (aka, a human).


You have just highlighted the number one "gripe" that gets on my tits to the point where I could cheerfully smack the little prick that reduces my "safe" distance from the vehicle in front.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

I still maintain that a good supply of Milk bottles kept on the back seat and dispensed in rapid succession via your sunroof is by far the best way to deal with a tailgater.

IMHO JT said it all "BARMY".
Thought many times of sign in rear window saying "CLOSER YOU GET, SLOWER I GO" then thought better of it as it could provoke etc.
A device to tell us we're too close to the car in front - could be a mod on the reversing sensor-- or the old "Two second rule"

Another of my pet hates on motorway - someone who thinks that the gap i'm leaving is there for his/her convenience.Don't mind if they indicate early ( saying , i'd like to move over as that HGV has pulled out) -- normally i'd have seen the HGV pull out and be easing back and flashing the car etc out- and another pet hate - the one who sees a HGV pull out, don't look in mirror to see whats on outside ( and misses me sitting back, flashing ) --so i'm holding back ,just in case he pulls out and the ones behind are getting upset.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I was thinking more of umarked trafpol cars, but there we go.

Think will stick with the milk bottles !!

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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

Yeah, give it that, it might get tailgating talked about a bit more in public. But IMO it doesn't bear comparison to the tailgating advice on the Safe Speed page. As well as people possibly getting closer to read the thing there's another potential side effect. Some drivers might think having a back off plate fitted takes the place of being aware of what's going on around them . [sarcasm]Why bother learning how to deal with it safely when I can buy a cheap bit of plastic to do the job for me? After all, the speedo is there to make sure I don't drive too fast, right?[/sarcasm]

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Not the best idea in the world, but I would say that about any sticker like this that says "Keep your distance" or "Back off I'm sticking to the limit" as I think they can antagonise some tailgaters and potential tailgaters even more. They just say to me 'self-appointed policeman'. We all hate tailgaters, but if you drive confidently they are only an occasional distraction that can often be delt with by increasing the gap in front until a safe place or roundabout is available to let them past.

I just feel that if a rather angry motorist was being held up by someone displaying the sticker then I don't think the sticker is going to diffuse the situation, only make the driver even angrier as in their eyes, a timid slow driver is trying to tell him or her how to drive.

I'm not in any way trying to shift the blame onto the car in front, as tailgating is very dangerous behavoir that should attract stiff penalties. All I'm trying to do is imagine the effect it will have on some drivers.

Raising awareness of safe following distance must be a good thing, although I am unsure whether the plate is likely to help. What would help, imo, is well produced public information films. All road users gain (reduced congestion/better traffic flow, easier driving, fewer accidents and near misses, easier road crossing etc.) if adequate following distances are maintained and there is very little cost to the individual. In fact, even if nobody else is doing it, the benefit of reduced stress is worth the (possibly) few seconds sacrificed.

As far as the website goes, it makes the common error of assuming that safe following distance equals stopping distance

Is it any better than the old "joke" sticker for the back of the car - "If you can read this you're too f g close!"?

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"Politicians are the same the world over... We build bridges where there aren't any rivers." - Nikita Kruschev

Maybe when HUDs become common there could be some sort of indicator that could appear to show how big the gap needs to be.

Would that be better than a sticker on the back of the Audi?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

It seems to say that the worse your eyesight the closer you should drive.