Safe Speed Forums

Who pulled out

Someone did that to me the other day (in a Rover 25 ), and when I peeped my horn, indicated that I should slow down, despite the fact I'd been doing no more than 25 at the time he appeared.

Or the numpty mum backing out of her drive straight in to my path of travel looks through passinger front window after she has stopped blocking road in both direction of travel to see to Red Laguna also just stopped (also found out ABS works at about 25mph) then lowers said window and using the f word in front of her kids at least 5 or 6 times and shouts that I must be blind because I could not see her coming, her drive is lined by Laylandi at least 6ft high so only saw her when she started to appear as she crossed pavement and contuined to reverse out without a thought that there might be traffic from my direction because she cant see in that way either because of said trees.

I have to be careful not to come across as primadonna here - that is certainly not the intention. I am writing with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight thanks to all your posts, and trying to explore the matter further to see what there is for us all to learn so that, in a rerun (be ot occurring to the same individual or to another who has read the thread) there is more chance of handling the situation more safely.

Were the above ABS tests, whilst primarily caused by mistakes on the part of the so-called numpty drivers, at least in part telegraphed by some subtle telltale prior action or status?

In the case of the numpty mum, if you could see the car coming down the drive, I'd estimate a good half-second, possibly longer - before the car reaches the pavement curtilege, you should be able to tell if there is a risk of the car continuing to come out by vehicle speed, brakelights, deceleration, angle of driver's head... In any case, I find it a real boon to be covering the brake when ANY vehicle is approaching from drives or side roads. It takes up so little time from the normal progress, requires so little effort to catch up position again if (as is usually the case) it is not necessary to brake, yet saves the eon of time it takes to lift off, move across and plant the brake if the numpty doesn't stop.

In the case of the other two... Is the engine running having just been started up? (almost always a puff of something out the back). What angle are the front wheels at? Is the driver moving his hands on the wheel to give it a yank of right-hand-down? Have the brake-lights flashed - or a tinsy dose of reversing lights as the auto traversed through the unwanted reverse gear position? All these subtleties are signs that there is more likely to be otherwise unexpected cars coming into your trajectory - and any of which IMHO are worth covering the brake for. None are certain indicators, and a complete absence of all these doesn't mean it won;t happen either. It's all about balancing the possibilities of ridk occurrence and preparing accordingly.

Because of the trees there was no way to see up the drive as I approached it (these are Layandi they are like a large hedge also the bottom has a small wall) only saw her as she crosed the pavement at what i consider was not a slow reverse but quite fast for reverse, also I was travelling slow as this road is used at that time of day by alot of kids going to school.
she also caused the car on the other side of the road to stop rather quickly (altho he had a better view of her as no trees on the other side of the drive just a front garden) I stopped a good 15 to 20 feet away from her and both of us got it.
I am not the only one she has cought as I travel this road quite offten at about the same time been, I've been behind at least one other car when she has done exactly the same but I now hold back a lot more when passing her property.

Excellent. You've also highlighted another great (but often overlooked) indication of a problem - the reaction of other drivers - and pedestrians too for that matter. If you see one coming toward you brake for no apparent reason, it's another reason to cover the brake and redouble close-scans for hazards.

The best example I remember reading of this was about the late great Fangio (racing driver). There had been a horrendous pile-up on a race circuit, with driver after driver wellying around a corner and into the increasing pile of debris. Fangio had lapped the rest and was therefore not only in the lead but coming up to this unexpected severe hazard. Despite needing to pick out the turn point, brake point, select the right gears etc... he observed that the crowd were *already* looking beyond the bend he was about to take, put two and two together, braked dramatically hard prior to the normal point.. and was at sufficiently low speed to avoid the pile up.

He was at a grater distance away from her drive Than I he stopped after she had pulled out and stopped accros the flow of traffic. Iam not saying Im perfect not by along way but if you read my post 1 I was already well under the speed limit as I consider 30 for this road at the time of day is excesive due to the school kids you have to be, seen em run out accross this road many times, 2 also was covering the break at time or would I have hit her seen this happen before on this road been behind other cars when she has done this so Iam aware of poss that she might do it to me.
I try to drive with the most care but no matter how careful you are there are some who wont learn been driving for 30 years with only 1 accdent in that time not long after I passed my test but survived that used a triumph pi as emergancy brake going down hill in a 109" Landrover when breaks failed so I will continue to keep trying to drive better and keep learning.

Stackmonkey are you talking about out of a side road? Was taught to look at the vehicles wheels as they where easier to spot the movement of rather than the car itself.

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