Those interesting drivers are still out there!

[ps2fixer]

Road Hero is an interesting site, might have to look into that further . Thanks for the link!

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by ps2fixer

Did mr state patrol car turn around? I assume so.

His lights were on before he hit the shoulder.

[kingsway]

Interesting thread! I'm a driving instructor, so can you imagine what I sometimes have to put up with?!

Tailgating has become a big problem in the UK. The number of cars on our mostly windy and narrow roads has doubled over the past 20 years or so, and it seems like everyone is in a hurry!!

I've lived in countries where 4 way stop intersections are the norm, and they do have certain advantages... but.. and I almost hate to admit this.... Traffic Circles or 'round-a-bouts' as they are called here, do seem to have the edge when it comes to keeping traffic moving.

I live in the city of Cambridge, and can only remember seeing 2 stop streets in the entire city. But traffic circles are everywhere. Most T junctions also have been converted into 'mini round-a-bouts'.

The craziest one I've ever seen though, is in the south-west of the country - take a look at the 'Magic Roundabout'...


More details here!


Scary stuff!! You can go multiple routes around it - either clockwise or anti-clockwise.... Just the sign can strike fear in a stranger in town!

If nothing else, the crazy ones have to slow down to go around the circle, so 'T bone' accidents are rare, and much less likely to be serious or fatal when they do happen.

Regarding overtaking - its obviously one of the most dangerous things we ever have to do as drivers. Sadly, it's something that is not so easy to teach. We instructors mainly concentrate on getting people to look ahead, think and plan what they need to do.

When being passed, the big thing is to be aware (by using mirrors) that you are being overtaken, and to either keep your speed steady, or back-off to save the idiot from having a head-on!

I wonder how long it will be until cars become autonomous - will a human even be allowed to drive themselves??

[ps2fixer]

I'm 99% sure that cars will not drive their self with out an option to over ride. No system or programming is flawless, if there is a bug in any way, a human should be able to over ride it. Making a law removing this option would seem to not be possible.

Don't get me wrong, I would love a car to drive me to work (and get good mpg :P), but most likely I won't be buying a car with that ability for several years, if ever once they are introduced.

[99metro]

I have a Looxcie 2 that I love - also doubles as a cell phone bluetooth. Not the prettiest thing in the world. I have recorded lots of no-passing zone events as wells as dangerous driving. The problem is that unless there is an accident, all you can do is report it. I have been meaning to upload some of those videos to YouTube. I have been "meaning to do" a lot lately!

[8307c4]

That's why I have a BMW so that when the idiots get all crowded up around me I can get away from it all and the hell with the fe.

Tailgaters, aggressor forces, slow drivers, extremists and texters, the first bunches up on the last and I get caught in the middle of this effing PACK of ridiculous BS when not two minutes ago I was clear, why folks can't drive civilized.

No sir.
I don't put up with that.

Want to try and pass illegally?
I don't recommend that either, unless someone has at least a 350cid
turbocharged V8 and are ready to ROLL, in that case I'll let it go.
Mostly because I have to.

[jtbo]

Originally Posted by 8307c4

That's why I have a BMW so that when the idiots get all crowded up around me, I got the power to get away from it all and the hell with the fe.

I have just healthy self-esteem so I can ignore anyone around me

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by kingsway

The craziest one I've ever seen though, is in the south-west of the country - take a look at the 'Magic Roundabout'...

I've driven over the one near Swindon, going to Cirencester, without any problem at all.

I wonder how long it will be until cars become autonomous

It'll take a bloody long time.

Think of the liability to start with.
Who will be to blame for an accident ?

Think of the problems associated with it :

- most countries can't even keep a dumb road network in good shape or implement legally correct traffic signs everywhere ;

- a smart road network will take ages to implement; so who's going to do the driving on the dumb stretches of road in the meantime ?
The ever less experienced human error machine ?

- making the cars intelligent, means it'll take ages for all cars to use the system, but what with the dumb cars in the meantime ? how do you compensate for these ?

- the DARPA challenge showed that even the biggest companies and the smartest universities didn't come up with fail-safe / fail-proof soft- and hardware.

- the traffic priority rules were simple US 4-way stops; any idea how tough it'll be to implement the entire world's traffic rules ?

- how is the system going to react to superfluous / left-behind traffic signs, that any human will discard as nonsense ?

[ohioeric]

maybe he had to get to the hospital!

maybe mom had a heart attack and is dying.

maybe his kid is sick, lost , hurt...

i have had to drive like that , unfortunately , twice in my life...

and you are farting around on a two lane road going under the speed limit???

that is risking your life unnecessarily... saving gas is great, dont get me wrong. but there is a time and a place for everything...

[jtbo]

Originally Posted by ohioeric

maybe he had to get to the hospital!

maybe mom had a heart attack and is dying.

maybe his kid is sick, lost , hurt...

i have had to drive like that , unfortunately , twice in my life...

and you are farting around on a two lane road going under the speed limit???

that is risking your life unnecessarily... saving gas is great, dont get me wrong. but there is a time and a place for everything...

I don't think those reasons are enough to drive with high risks, There are police, there are ambulances, kids are usually within school etc where are trained people, most of those needs to get fast somewhere are just emotion based illusions, there are better ways, official ways to get help fast on location and most importantly without such high risks.

We here have mostly two lane roads, we have tractors, moped cars limited to something like 40kph on roads where limit is 80kph and dynamic career persons driving over 90kph.

Going under speed limit is not risking of life, poor judgement and overtaking based on emotion instead of logic is what is risking lifes. Going slower you can also do a lot to help those, poor souls that have not understood what time is, to overtake safely and let them continue their pointless rushing without logical reason.

Surely one must not cause traffic jams and not slow down needlessly in heavy traffic, but even if one would do that it would not be risking lifes, unless hitting brakes middle of street all of sudden.

Being good driver is to adapt to situation, foresee events and be calm making decisions with reason, rushing does not belong to roads.