glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Here we go
I am guessing that in 95% of road traffic incidents it is possible that a degree of blame can be assigned to both parties with very few exceptions and YES... There are obviously exceptions but most incidents can be avoided if drivers were more aware of their surroundings.
1. Going through a traffic light controlled junction when we have the green light for our carriageway
2. Being on a roundabout when a vehicle t-bones us.
3. Driving along a main road and an idiot pulls out of a side road.
4. Reversing out of a drive.
5. Overtaking on a three-lane carriageway
The list is no doubt endless but all of the above can be avoided by forward observation and anticipation.
I can hear folks screaming at me regarding some of my examples, but really?
Answers to the above
1. What does a green light mean on a traffic light? As far as I am aware it means, 'Proceed IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO' To highlight this, when I was an advanced motorcycle instructor I would take my students (on foot) to a busy, traffic light controlled junction and we would then watch road users driving through the green light and not EVER bothering to look either to their right or left. 'So what' I hear you say. My point is that when we die, those that meet us at the Pearly Gates, do not give us a free pass to the 'innocent' parties, when we are dead, we are DEAD! No disrespect to HGV drivers but if a truck driver does not see that red light, or is dazzled and simply could not see it, then we do not get a free pass if they collide into us. If the driver of a stolen vehicle goes through a red light, we do not get a free pass. Joy-riders, boy or girl racers, the list is endless, but let's remember, green means proceed IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.
2. Again good observation will usually avoid this type of incident. There I am on the roundabout, minding my own business, picking my nose and watching the world go by when BANG! (did that make you jump?) A car\truck\motorbike joins the roundabout and broadsides me! Not my fault sir! Again, if we were riding a motorbike and picking our nose We are possibly dead! Not my fault sir! A great epitaph but good observation and anticipation would have avoided that collision. When we are on a roundabout, there is a very good chance we can see traffic approaching the give-way junction. All it takes is a very slight lift off the accelerator\throttle, I was going to say we can also slightly accelerate to clear the junction, but the safest option is that VERY slight lift. Once we see brake lights being applied, job done. I am NOT suggesting we slow to a crawl, I am simply saying a very gentle, very slight lift will allow us to see if that oncoming driver has seen us and is aware they have to give way. being in the right, does not make it right. A two-second delay is far better than a collision. Good observation and anticipation.
3. My remarks for point number '2' are the same for road junctions. Never try to position yourself where that vehicle will 'meet' you at the junction. A slight lift on the accelerator and abra- ca-dabra, we see the brake lights being applied. Being in the right is not a 'free pass'
4. As my old driving instructor used to say, 'A good driver reverses into a parking bay, driveway etc and the drives out. YES, there will be exceptions part laziness, part unavoidable but when reversing out from any situation we MUST all be aware that we may well have restricted visibility.
5. BOY do I hate these roads with a vengeance. The meat in the sandwich sums up that middle lane, and guess who the meat is? how many times have we been on a three-lane carriageway overtaking a vehicle and then some 'idiot' coming towards us decides to overtake and move out into the lane we are occupying. PLEASE, please just think about that saying, 'The meat in the sandwich' is it worth overtaking that slower-moving vehicle when there is the risk of an oncoming vehicle wanting to exchange names and addresses with you?
Motorcyclist amongst us. Roundabouts and sharp bends near bus stations and perhaps garages. Diesel does not evaporate like petrol, roundabouts and sharp bends are regular places where over-filled vehicles dump this fuel onto the highway. PLEASE be aware of this. A quick and very sad tale to highlight this and please, if you are in anyway squeamish, ignore the following example
A young man who had only recently got married was on his way to work riding his very nice motorbike. A beautiful day, he was on a busy country lane when he entered into a left-hand bend.... That was where his life ended. as this rider exited the bend, his bike went over some dumped diesel, down the bike went, he slid across the road directly into the path of an oncoming Landrover. This young man's body slid down the side of the landrover but sadly his head was trapped under the offside front wheel.... I apologise for being so graphic and I hope no one knows of this victim because once again, this could have been avoided if we take any type of advanced riding\driving course and then apply what we learn. These courses will NOT teach us to drive faster, they may well teach us to make progress in a much better, more professional manner and that 'making progress' will usually get us from A to B sooner than we would before taking these courses. That poor motorcyclist. sadly if they had done an advanced type motorcycle course or even a course for cars, they might not have been in that position where they slid off. I say this purely because prior to a bend.. IF IT IS SAFE to do so, we go to the crown of the road to get that early view, and then turn in to 'clip' the apex and NO I do NOT mean we drive or ride into that nearside gravel. By this type of riding\driving, we are NEVER near the centre of the road when exiting a left-hand bend. A very sad incident and my thoughts go out to the family of that young man and also the innocent driver of that Landrover who as we can imagine was traumatised by this awful, awful incident.
What I am saying folks is that most incidents can be avoided but YES, some cannot, the most common being when we are waiting at a junction and BLAT, someone rams us up the back... Not much we can do in those circumstances, but if we have not considered some type of driving or riding course, now might be the time to take one and what a nice Christmas present for those we hold dearest to us. sadly we are in the age of coronavirus and car courses might not be possible, but I do not see why motor-cycle courses cannot take place.
The place for fast driving is on the race track. A public highway is a place where we can all hone our driving skills and as my old driving instructor used to say, 'The day we pass our driving test, is the day we start learning bad driving habits!'
I am guessing that in 95% of road traffic incidents it is possible that a degree of blame can be assigned to both parties with very few exceptions and YES... There are obviously exceptions but most incidents can be avoided if drivers were more aware of their surroundings.
1. Going through a traffic light controlled junction when we have the green light for our carriageway
2. Being on a roundabout when a vehicle t-bones us.
3. Driving along a main road and an idiot pulls out of a side road.
4. Reversing out of a drive.
5. Overtaking on a three-lane carriageway
The list is no doubt endless but all of the above can be avoided by forward observation and anticipation.
I can hear folks screaming at me regarding some of my examples, but really?
Answers to the above
1. What does a green light mean on a traffic light? As far as I am aware it means, 'Proceed IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO' To highlight this, when I was an advanced motorcycle instructor I would take my students (on foot) to a busy, traffic light controlled junction and we would then watch road users driving through the green light and not EVER bothering to look either to their right or left. 'So what' I hear you say. My point is that when we die, those that meet us at the Pearly Gates, do not give us a free pass to the 'innocent' parties, when we are dead, we are DEAD! No disrespect to HGV drivers but if a truck driver does not see that red light, or is dazzled and simply could not see it, then we do not get a free pass if they collide into us. If the driver of a stolen vehicle goes through a red light, we do not get a free pass. Joy-riders, boy or girl racers, the list is endless, but let's remember, green means proceed IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.
2. Again good observation will usually avoid this type of incident. There I am on the roundabout, minding my own business, picking my nose and watching the world go by when BANG! (did that make you jump?) A car\truck\motorbike joins the roundabout and broadsides me! Not my fault sir! Again, if we were riding a motorbike and picking our nose We are possibly dead! Not my fault sir! A great epitaph but good observation and anticipation would have avoided that collision. When we are on a roundabout, there is a very good chance we can see traffic approaching the give-way junction. All it takes is a very slight lift off the accelerator\throttle, I was going to say we can also slightly accelerate to clear the junction, but the safest option is that VERY slight lift. Once we see brake lights being applied, job done. I am NOT suggesting we slow to a crawl, I am simply saying a very gentle, very slight lift will allow us to see if that oncoming driver has seen us and is aware they have to give way. being in the right, does not make it right. A two-second delay is far better than a collision. Good observation and anticipation.
3. My remarks for point number '2' are the same for road junctions. Never try to position yourself where that vehicle will 'meet' you at the junction. A slight lift on the accelerator and abra- ca-dabra, we see the brake lights being applied. Being in the right is not a 'free pass'
4. As my old driving instructor used to say, 'A good driver reverses into a parking bay, driveway etc and the drives out. YES, there will be exceptions part laziness, part unavoidable but when reversing out from any situation we MUST all be aware that we may well have restricted visibility.
5. BOY do I hate these roads with a vengeance. The meat in the sandwich sums up that middle lane, and guess who the meat is? how many times have we been on a three-lane carriageway overtaking a vehicle and then some 'idiot' coming towards us decides to overtake and move out into the lane we are occupying. PLEASE, please just think about that saying, 'The meat in the sandwich' is it worth overtaking that slower-moving vehicle when there is the risk of an oncoming vehicle wanting to exchange names and addresses with you?
Motorcyclist amongst us. Roundabouts and sharp bends near bus stations and perhaps garages. Diesel does not evaporate like petrol, roundabouts and sharp bends are regular places where over-filled vehicles dump this fuel onto the highway. PLEASE be aware of this. A quick and very sad tale to highlight this and please, if you are in anyway squeamish, ignore the following example
A young man who had only recently got married was on his way to work riding his very nice motorbike. A beautiful day, he was on a busy country lane when he entered into a left-hand bend.... That was where his life ended. as this rider exited the bend, his bike went over some dumped diesel, down the bike went, he slid across the road directly into the path of an oncoming Landrover. This young man's body slid down the side of the landrover but sadly his head was trapped under the offside front wheel.... I apologise for being so graphic and I hope no one knows of this victim because once again, this could have been avoided if we take any type of advanced riding\driving course and then apply what we learn. These courses will NOT teach us to drive faster, they may well teach us to make progress in a much better, more professional manner and that 'making progress' will usually get us from A to B sooner than we would before taking these courses. That poor motorcyclist. sadly if they had done an advanced type motorcycle course or even a course for cars, they might not have been in that position where they slid off. I say this purely because prior to a bend.. IF IT IS SAFE to do so, we go to the crown of the road to get that early view, and then turn in to 'clip' the apex and NO I do NOT mean we drive or ride into that nearside gravel. By this type of riding\driving, we are NEVER near the centre of the road when exiting a left-hand bend. A very sad incident and my thoughts go out to the family of that young man and also the innocent driver of that Landrover who as we can imagine was traumatised by this awful, awful incident.
What I am saying folks is that most incidents can be avoided but YES, some cannot, the most common being when we are waiting at a junction and BLAT, someone rams us up the back... Not much we can do in those circumstances, but if we have not considered some type of driving or riding course, now might be the time to take one and what a nice Christmas present for those we hold dearest to us. sadly we are in the age of coronavirus and car courses might not be possible, but I do not see why motor-cycle courses cannot take place.
The place for fast driving is on the race track. A public highway is a place where we can all hone our driving skills and as my old driving instructor used to say, 'The day we pass our driving test, is the day we start learning bad driving habits!'