Get out of my way.

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Mark1978
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Joined: 17 Jul 2012, 8:47am
Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Mark1978 »

Neilo wrote:The instructor (a serving police driving instuctor) asked how many years experience did we have. We all answered 5 years 10 years etc.
He said that we were wrong, and if we hadn't had any training since our test then we all had one years driving experience.


It also makes him a bit of a mistake maker, YOU'RE WRONG AND AN IDIOT" yeah yeah.
Mark1978
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Joined: 17 Jul 2012, 8:47am
Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Mark1978 »

Neilo wrote:I see on a lost of posts, people saying that vehicles should be able to stop in the distance they can see to be claear. I was taught that it is 1/2 the distance you can see to be clear, because the vehicle that is just around the corner that you can't see is probably travelling at the same speed as you, thus reducing your stopping distance. For example if both vehicles stopping distance is 100m and you can only see 100m, then if both vehicles braked ats soon at they saw each other, then they would hit each other at 50m. Simplistic I know, but I hope you get the gist.


Much of risk assessment it thinking about likelihoods, how likely is it that when I go around this corner I'll meet another vehicle coming towards me at the same speed? On a two lane road, not very, you are pretty much safe to assume that anything around the corner will either be stopped, or travelling away. Different matter on single track roads of course where you do have to consider oncoming traffic and factor accordingly.
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Neilo
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Location: Swansea Valley

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Neilo »

Rather overly agressive response.

Didn't quite get it did you?
He was saying that to make the point that if you have not had any more training since you passed your test, then you are not as experienced as you think, and are liable to make the same mistakes again and again.

Neil
If it aint broke, fix it til it is.
Bicycler
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Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Bicycler »

Yeah but apply that definition of experience to anything and nobody can gain any unless they are undergoing formal training. I like to think I still learn when I make a mistake or encounter something new
Mark1978
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Joined: 17 Jul 2012, 8:47am
Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Mark1978 »

Neilo wrote:Rather overly agressive response.

Didn't quite get it did you?
He was saying that to make the point that if you have not had any more training since you passed your test, then you are not as experienced as you think, and are liable to make the same mistakes again and again.

Neil


My objection was not the message but the belittling tone in which it was delivered. It serves only to make the speaker seem good at the expense of his audience.
Vorpal
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Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Vorpal »

MikeF wrote:So even amongst cyclists it seems that the adage that "I'm the only good driver and everyone else is incompetent" pervades! Tolerance seems to be totally disregarded by most sitting behind a steering wheel even on this forum. Just look at some above posts criticising other drivers and saying they shouldn't be on the road! Exactly the same response from many motorists regarding cyclists - holding up traffic, causing tailbacks etc!

Many people will justify all sorts of reasons why they don't want to drive "slowly", ie below the limit, from personal to mechanical (supposedly). These reasons are often trolled out when say 20mph limits are proposed.

Shortly before I retired, possibly 5 years ago, anyone who drove a vehicle in the course of their work had to attend a "Driving Awareness" course which involved a test with giving written answers or drawings and also a drive with an instructor as passenger. I think they were intent on showing us all that we were all poor drivers whatever our driving experience, if only to help us improve!

One point made was always allow enough time for your journey!

A Japanese friend occasionally visits us and he finds our driving far too fast apparently compared with that in Japan. Why is it that in the UK most of regard the speed limit as the speed target? Even exceeding the limit is regarded as a minor offence eg "Have you been convicted of any offence ... except speeding?" is on some forms.


I don't think that anyone said anything like "I'm the only good driver and everyone else is incompetent".

I don't have a problem with slow drivers. I much prefer slow drivers to fast ones. I do have a problem with incompetent drivers. And I was responding specifically to a statement that we should be tolerant of older drivers. That's fine if they are slow, but competent. But I don't like the idea that we should let older drivers continue to drive when they are no longer competent rather than
Stop driving and become a burden on others to do their shopping, trips to doctors etc.?.
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Postboxer
Posts: 1929
Joined: 24 Jul 2013, 5:19pm

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Postboxer »

My problem with slow drivers are the ones you get stuck behind, doing 10-15 below the speed limit, with good conditions but gently bending roads where you never quite get the chance to overtake due to not having a long enough straight, or oncoming traffic. Then when you come to a village, the speed limit drops to 30, they continue at 45. Immediately out of the village, you see them disappearing around a bend at the end of a long straight with no oncoming traffic, where you could have overtaken had they not just sped through a village 50% over the limit! :evil: Hate them! Obviously once you catch them up, you're back to bendy roads and oncoming traffic.
beardy
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Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by beardy »

They no doubt get annoyed that we hold them up by doing 30mph on roads where they would be happier doing their normal 45mph. They probably think that we are stupid changing our speed up and down all the time.

With the lack of traffic police, token enforcement and magistrates who let you drive with over 12 points on your licence, I am not sure that they are wrong.
Tonyf33
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Joined: 17 Nov 2007, 3:31pm
Location: Letchworth N.Herts

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Tonyf33 »

On my circular route today, there's a bit of a hill that reduces me to about 9-10mph, it's not long out of a villages 30 zone https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.03530 ... lP5Wow!2e0 near the top the banks are high & it's twisty too so you can be slightly unsighted from behind and the view aheead is a few metres at best.
Heard a car coming up not fast mind, pulled in and slowed down even more (not that I was catching my breath or anything..lol) and waved them through, got a wave back, for me it massively reduces the chances of any motorist thinking get out my way, it reduces the chance of anyone being frustrated and thus any incident occuring(*) So if as a cyclist I can do it, then so should other vehicles when it's plain and clear their speed is much below everyone else's and a queue is forming behind them.

*I also hope that maybe, just maybe a few might just think twice about getting up the arris of the next cyclist or think that they are impolite red light jumping lycra types (as 99% of the time I wear lycra)
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by reohn2 »

Postboxer wrote:My problem with slow drivers are the ones you get stuck behind, doing 10-15 below the speed limit, with good conditions but gently bending roads where you never quite get the chance to overtake due to not having a long enough straight, or oncoming traffic. Then when you come to a village, the speed limit drops to 30, they continue at 45. Immediately out of the village, you see them disappearing around a bend at the end of a long straight with no oncoming traffic, where you could have overtaken had they not just sped through a village 50% over the limit! :evil: Hate them! Obviously once you catch them up, you're back to bendy roads and oncoming traffic.


How often does that happen though?
I drive 10to12k miles per year and drive at or just under the speed limit generally,unless adverse conditions dictate otherwise,and cycle 6to8k miles I rarely see that kind of driver.
I do encounter dangerous and stupidly impatient ones quite regularly though,overtaking in totally inappropriate circumstances and particularly on blind bends seems to be a growing fashion IME.
There seems to be a lot of ''s/he made me do it'' attitude toward slow drivers,that said I've always pulled over when possible,if I'm holding up traffic,something that when towing a caravan on A roads is a case of common courtesy.
I find the attitude by a growing minority of drivers and IME it isn't one particular group but across the spectrum,is a case of ''get out of my way I've no time to loose'' increases stress for other road users and at worst causes incidents,which sometimes can be fatal.
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Postboxer
Posts: 1929
Joined: 24 Jul 2013, 5:19pm

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Postboxer »

It happens fairly regularly, on a particularly journey I occasionally make, back to my parents house near Bridlington, from Howden, where I leave the M62 but now tend to favour the York way instead, to avoid this problem. I think it's driving through a quiet area, where everyone is going to the same place, so once you're behind a slower vehicle, you either have to pass it, or stay behind it, as they rarely pull off before getting to the same destination.
Mark1978
Posts: 4912
Joined: 17 Jul 2012, 8:47am
Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: Get out of my way.

Post by Mark1978 »

On my drive home there's an 8 mile stretch of single carriageway road, most of which can be driven at the speed limit of 60mph. However; the only occasions I've been able to do that are the odd time I've been down at a weekend. Most of the time my speed due to the car in the front will be down to 40mph before half way.

The probability of my speed being reduced to less than 40mph before the end of the 8 miles is probably about 0.99. It's so likely that I usually drive under the speed limit these days, there's no point in trying to maintain maximum speed if you're just going to be charging up to the inevitable 40mph train.
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