[aslyfox]

Not wanting to drag us off topic, but there are arguably other current matters where the same is true...

a thread on the Pentax Forums going off topic

who would have thought that might happen

[Mooncatt]

I remember back in the citizen band radio days telling truckers:

" you missed me "

to indicate that it was safe [ there was enough room between the vehicles and I was ready for them to return to the lane in front of me ] after they had passed my 4 wheeler

they all said " thank you " as they returned to the right hand lane

Not many run a CB anymore. Between all the crap talk on it, traffic reports available on GPS, better entertainment options, and cellphones, it's almost not needed. I do still run one, but is usually quiet these days. Even if I do try to call out to other drivers, they rarely answer.

---------- Post added 09-16-20 at 10:57 AM ----------

People think they need to second-guess the regulations - here's another example: flashing lights on a school zone sign. You don't need to know whether school's in session or not, all you need to know is whether the lights are flashing (and that's all the cop needs to know, too).

What gets me with these is when school zone signs flash during a school holiday because whoever controls the timing doesn't account for this. So you have school zones with reduced speed, but not a soul around and traffic should be flowing as if not in effect. Or the non-flashing signs that say it's either in effect during school hours (again, how does someone not local know when that should apply), or "when children present" (so does this mean it's a school zone speed limit if you spot one random kid at 6 p.m. on a Sunday despite no school session?). Most regulations are rather straight forward, but the signage is what's confusing. I don't expect anyone to know every regulation front to back, and those regulations differ from location to location. Accurate and clear signage is important so one doesn't have to rely on the regulation itself.

Not many run a CB anymore. Between all the crap talk on it, traffic reports available on GPS, better entertainment options, and cellphones, it's almost not needed. I do still run one, but is usually quiet these days. Even if I do try to call out to other drivers, they rarely answer.

---------- Post added 09-16-20 at 10:57 AM ----------



What gets me with these is when school zone signs flash during a school holiday because whoever controls the timing doesn't account for this. So you have school zones with reduced speed, but not a soul around and traffic should be flowing as if not in effect. Or the non-flashing signs that say it's either in effect during school hours (again, how does someone not local know when that should apply), or "when children present" (so does this mean it's a school zone speed limit if you spot one random kid at 6 p.m. on a Sunday despite no school session?). Most regulations are rather straight forward, but the signage is what's confusing. I don't expect anyone to know every regulation front to back, and those regulations differ from location to location. Accurate and clear signage is important so one doesn't have to rely on the regulation itself.

True, it's them humans, again - they just can't seem to get anything done right.

My father used to comment, "you missed me" to other drivers when they came closer than he was comfortable with, but his wasn't about lane-changes done safely. He'd often follow up with, "You want to back up and try again?"

[tljensen]

The best defensive driving tip I learned was when I failed a motorcycle driving test in New Mexico. I had driven motorcycles for years but did not have an endorsement so I decided to get one. I had the option to take the test without taking the road driving course so I decided to test out. One of the tests was to drive straight ahead at a target at 15 MPH and observe a light on the left and one on the right, and to turn in the direction of the light and drive around it. So I approached as directed, light turned on, I turned in its direction but was unable to drive around it, and failed the test. Now I had to take the road course, and the next time I took the test I knew what to do. As I approached the target, a light changed but instead of turning I braked hard to loose as much speed as possible, then easily drove around the light. That lesson has saved me and my family at least 3 times avoiding accidents and minimized animal impact (elk, moose, and deer). The physics is Kinetic Energy =1/2 Mass * Velocity * Velocity. So if the speed is cut in half the kinetic energy is cut by 4 times. When the moose/elk/deer appeared suddenly in the night the impact could have been fatal if I had tried to steer around first. Instead I applied full brakes straight ahead to loose as much speed as I could as I selected an impact area of the beast then turned what I could at the last fraction of a second. The deer just got knocked over and survived, the Elk and Moose did not.

[aslyfox]

. . . Instead I applied full brakes straight ahead to loose as much speed as I could as I selected an impact area of the beast then turned what I could at the last fraction of a second. . . .

glad that worked for you

however in my case, I had to take evasive action as I braked since the " moose " was on my immediate left and cut right in front of me leaving only inches between " it " and the front of my vehicle as it moved into my lane

my vehicle would not have reduced speed hardly at all had I not changed my course but continued straight

[VSTAR]

The best defensive driving tip I learned was when I failed a motorcycle driving test in New Mexico. I had driven motorcycles for years but did not have an endorsement so I decided to get one. I had the option to take the test without taking the road driving course so I decided to test out. One of the tests was to drive straight ahead at a target at 15 MPH and observe a light on the left and one on the right, and to turn in the direction of the light and drive around it. So I approached as directed, light turned on, I turned in its direction but was unable to drive around it, and failed the test. Now I had to take the road course, and the next time I took the test I knew what to do. As I approached the target, a light changed but instead of turning I braked hard to loose as much speed as possible, then easily drove around the light. That lesson has saved me and my family at least 3 times avoiding accidents and minimized animal impact (elk, moose, and deer). The physics is Kinetic Energy =1/2 Mass * Velocity * Velocity. So if the speed is cut in half the kinetic energy is cut by 4 times. When the moose/elk/deer appeared suddenly in the night the impact could have been fatal if I had tried to steer around first. Instead I applied full brakes straight ahead to loose as much speed as I could as I selected an impact area of the beast then turned what I could at the last fraction of a second. The deer just got knocked over and survived, the Elk and Moose did not.

As the NY state trooper explained to me, after the deer destroyed the front of my loaner Chrysler K car, "you are a lucky guy". Why..."it could have been a male deer and we would not be having this conversation"

[swanlefitte]

I hit my brakes hard and had to go into the extreme edge of the paved road to avoid that vehicle as it continued into my lane

had I not taken extreme action, there was no doubt a high speed collision would have occurred

This is why I slow as soon as I am tailgated. Had you been tailgated you would have been rear ended if you braked to avoid the car in front.

Glad you made it.

[MarkJerling]

glad that worked for you

however in my case, I had to take evasive action as I braked since the " moose " was on my immediate left and cut right in front of me leaving only inches between " it " and the front of my vehicle as it moved into my lane

my vehicle would not have reduced speed hardly at all had I not changed my course but continued straight

Happy that you made it safely Allen. When you're next on a wide open road with no other cars around, do a test: See how fast your vehicle will stop from 120km/hr (75mph). With most modern vehicles, you only need around 50m for a complete stop. Of course, at 120km/hr you're travelling at 33.33m/s (110 feet per second) so you'd be surprised how quickly your vehicle will reduce speed simply by climbing on the brakes hard. (Assuming you have a modern, well maintained vehicle with ABS and ESC.

Swerving onto a soft shoulder, at speed, could cause as many issues as you're hoping to fix and is best avoided if at all possible.

[aslyfox]

. . . .Swerving onto a soft shoulder, at speed, could cause as many issues as you're hoping to fix and is best avoided if at all possible.

but it wasn't a soft shoulder Mark

the shoulder was paved with no gravel on it, no pot holes just smooth pavement

not sure if you are familiar with US Interstate design


the passenger side door of the other vehicle was six inches ahead of my driver's door as the vehicle cut in on us

[MarkJerling]

but it wasn't a soft shoulder Mark

the shoulder was paved with no gravel on it, no pot holes just smooth pavement

not sure if you are familiar with US Interstate design


the passenger side door of the other vehicle was six inches ahead of my driver's door as the vehicle cut in on us

I'm familiar with your roads Allen, but you said:

I hit my brakes hard and had to go into the extreme edge of the paved road to avoid that vehicle as it continued into my lane

Hence my comment. Feel free to ignore my advice.

[aslyfox]

. . . Feel free to ignore my advice.

i do appreciate your advice, Mark

and sorry about any confusion my description caused

knowing only you are from NZ, I was not aware you know about our interstates, I certainly don't know much about about your roads having never driven there and only been on a few tourist buses in NZ

but trust me, simply hitting my brakes alone would not have done the trick

although it was the first thing I did, glad I had antilock brakes

my vehicle never left the paved road

__________________

in the case on the way back to Topeka where the vehicle cut in without leaving me adequate room, I simply reduced speed by braking, no evasive maneuvering needed there

This is why I slow as soon as I am tailgated. Had you been tailgated you would have been rear ended if you braked to avoid the car in front.

Glad you made it.

I do something similar. I figure if someone's driving dangerously right behind me, we're all going to be better off if the collision occurs at 25mph rather than 45.

[ChrisPlatt]

The "Erratic Driver Maneuver" usually works well for tailgaters. Vary your speed, meander in the lane etc.
In extreme cases once you drift onto the shoulder a bit the shower of debris your tires kick up
will really discourage the usually car-proud knucklehead from following too closely.

Chris

[csa]

that drivers of larger vehicles (other than commercial trucks and buses) are in the main woefully unaware of the size of their charges, both in terms of weight and linear dimensions.

Not all drivers of larger vehicles! I drive a heavy 4WD older suburban, usually carrying 100 gallons of water (800 additional pounds of weight). I'm very aware of how long it takes to bring my vehicle to a complete "dynamiting brakes", stop. That's why I allow more than enough room when following other vehicles. If someone wishes to pass me, I'm on the alert for their actions.

[csa]

The "Erratic Driver Maneuver" usually works well for tailgaters. Vary your speed, meander in the lane etc.
In extreme cases once you drift onto the shoulder a bit the shower of debris your tires kick up
will really discourage the usually car-proud knucklehead from following too closely.

Chris

I find that if I tap my brakes at different intervals; they don't know what I'm going to do, so they back off.