D
Deleted member 65149
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A newish running thread regarding a member's crash, fortunately without any injuries we know about, prompted me to post the following:
This has led to a bit of discussion on stopping distances and keeping a safe gap to the vehicle in front. Rightly so, another member has suggested that the unfortunate driver (Andy) who has sustained extensive damage to his beloved car and is still probably in shock, doesn't want to hear right now any inferences that it may have been partly his fault. I thought it best to bring such discussions to a new thread, although I'm sure the subject has been brought up before.
I, and no doubt the others who commented in that thread on safe gaps and stopping distances, weren't apportioning any blame to Andy because we weren't there and don't know exactly what happened. What I wanted to do was use use this instance as a reminder to think about the gap we leave to the vehicle in front.
This was one of the responses to the extract from the Highway Code that I quoted:
It's good to hear that there were no serious injuries and I can understand how gutted you must feel.
What we can all learn from this is that the Highway Code published stopping distances that vast numbers of people poke fun at, saying things like "advances in technology have considerably reduced them" and "but the other car takes time to stop too", aren't so silly after all. It sounds like the MR2 driver didn't stand a chance, but PERHAPS the OP could have avoided the shunt if he'd left a larger gap behind the MR2.
It's simple advice in the HC:
126
Stopping Distances. Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. You should
* leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance (see Typical Stopping Distances diagram, shown below)
* allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic and in tunnels where visibility is reduced. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads.
IME most drivers fail to observe this piece of common sense, mostly citing their fear/belief that if they leave too big a gap someone else will fill it!
This has led to a bit of discussion on stopping distances and keeping a safe gap to the vehicle in front. Rightly so, another member has suggested that the unfortunate driver (Andy) who has sustained extensive damage to his beloved car and is still probably in shock, doesn't want to hear right now any inferences that it may have been partly his fault. I thought it best to bring such discussions to a new thread, although I'm sure the subject has been brought up before.
I, and no doubt the others who commented in that thread on safe gaps and stopping distances, weren't apportioning any blame to Andy because we weren't there and don't know exactly what happened. What I wanted to do was use use this instance as a reminder to think about the gap we leave to the vehicle in front.
This was one of the responses to the extract from the Highway Code that I quoted:
Yes, it's huge isn't it. But you need to be aware that at 70mph you will travel 103 feet (31.3 metres) in just one second! So that's just three seconds to cover the typical overall stopping distance from 70mph. Is it really worth risking your life and that of others, or even a smashed front end to your car, by driving closer than this?The quoted stopping distance from 70 mph is 315' / 96 metres - that's a huge gap to leave ...