The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: devonlady on June 07, 2016, 04:25:14 pm
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Now, I hate being driven and am clutching at handles etc. all the way, whilst trying not to be a "back seat driver" but today Jim and I almost fell out (for the first time in 25 years) as he was driving me to pick up a grandson from school.
Firstly, he went over a pelican crossing and someone had to snatch a wheelchair back to safety. "you could have stopped to let them cross" I said mildly. "The lights were green, it was my right of way" he said. "I thought pedestrians always had right of way, red or green lights" said I. He wouldn't have this so I had to bite my tongue and let it go.
Then, on the dual carriageway, whilst trying to cringe backwards I quoted "Only a fool breaks the 4 second rule!"
"2 second rule" he argued, "if it were a four second rule the traffic would be in chaos"
Now, I know I'm right in both cases but what do you think?
Now Jim is the dearest, kindest man you could wish to meet AND drives a bloody lorry for a living.
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Unfortunately for you it is 2 second rule and on a light controled crossing if the pedestrian is at red and car at green the car has right of way, only if the pedestrian is already crossing when the lights change does the pedestrian have right of way.
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Well you can hardly just squash pedestrians because you have the right of way ???
And surely how long it takes you to stop, and therefore how far you should stay back from the vehicle in front, depends on the speed you are going?
For both the points, I would say that the legalities are fairly irrelevant - you just drive in a safe way for the conditions you find, as long as you don't exceed the set max.
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If you could see a green light, they'll have been looking at a red man. I'm with Jim on this one, sorry!
Also, I think the reason it's called the 2 second rule is that's roughly how long it takes to say "only a fool breaks the two second rule".
Either way, blokes hate having their driving questioned - Mrs Womble knows there's nothing in this world more guaranteed to rile me. She also knows that if I respond calmly, I believe I was in the right, and if I respond defensively and angrily, I already know I was in the wrong! :roflanim:
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My OH knows that the best way to avoid any arguments is to let me drive, I too hate being driven. ;D
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I'm with fw. Having been in "the right" would be little consolation of id hit a pushchair or a pedestrian. I slow down at every crossing. Pedestrians are a fickle and unpredictable species and id rather not take the risk. Fraid its two second rule, tho nothing pees me off more than being tailgated, except for those incapable of flicking that little thing called an indicator
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How long does it take to say "Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule" Womble?
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About 50% of four seconds? :innocent:
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I agree with [member=4333]Fleecewife[/member] and [member=26878]devonlad[/member] on this one. it doesnt matter whether its in the rules if you hit someone thinking that what will be your defence in court? As far as I'm aware if a person steps out into a road in the UK it automatically becomes their right of way; In America it is illegal to cross not on a crossing or when the sign is red. The first being Jay walking. It may be a 2 second rule but you have to think outside the box in terms of safety, what if it was a child running out in front of the car?
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The so-called 2-second rule only allows for the average person's reaction time. There is still a matter of bringing the vehicle to a halt.. your brakes compared to the ones in front and whether you just happen to be travelling faster at that point (as in accelerating to the gap etc). And most folk would get a suprise if they actually measured that gap.
My old Dad taught me to drive..in his way. One trick he used to pull was to bslance a small bag of flour on a stick out of the window and hold a second one. He'd drop the one he held and shout 'stop'. As you hit the brakes the balanced one would fall.....I then had to pace from the point of stop back to both bags...
As to pedestrians... they have no chance against a ton of steel whether they've had a daft moment or not. Driving is all about thinking, observing and defensive, preventative behaviour.
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Regardless of colour of lights.....
..... If I am driving, I have right away, however equally if I am a pedestrian , I have right away :innocent:
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....and cyclists never have the right of way, although they always think they do. They are just as squashy as pedestrians, with a bit of mechanical crunch.
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The full rhyme is Only a fool breaks the two second rule. If the weather is poor, make it four. This was drummed into me when I was doing my advanced driving training. Of course, this is based on the car in front going at the same speed.
I was also taught that I should read the road conditions and only proceed if it was safe to do so. Therefore, if someone is crossing the road, whether on a crossing or not, the driver should allow them to get across not expect them to jump back.
Devonlady was right on one count and Jim on the other. I'm so glad though, that my OH doesn't drive and what's more, can't see what I'm doing when I'm driving so can't comment.
Oh and, yes, I did pass the advanced driving test.
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Always heard it as the two second rule, in good conditions. The crossing was the car's right of way but that doesn't give you the right to squish anyone. I always maintain a constant speed through crossings and junctions so people or drivers waiting don't think I'm slowing down to let them out (leading to a will-they-won't-they situation). If I AM letting them out I do so very clearly.
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Can I squish them if they are looking at their mobile though? :innocent:
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Can I squish them if they are looking at their mobile though? :innocent:
Just gently.......
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personally I dont think enough pedestrians are booked for jay walking in this country. As a carer when I am out with my clients I always use pedestrian crossing where available and it is very annoying when others just walk across not waiting for the green man. It encourages my clients to try the same and then they get upset when told not to cross until then green man comes on. this also goes for for my grandson and he is on;y three. As i said book them if they dont use crossing properly.
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Can I squish them if they are looking at their mobile though? :innocent:
Just gently.......
My insurance form..... well Fleecewife said I could.
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Can I squish them if they are looking at their mobile though? :innocent:
Just gently.......
My insurance form..... well Fleecewife said I could.
:bow:
Something else is cyclists who wear head phones with blasting music filling their ears. That must affect their awareness of their trafficky surroundings. My eldest grandson does it, and says it's because the lorries are so loud he wants to shut out the sound ::) What an idiot :dunce:
So many accidents seem to result from road users trusting other road users to act in a predictable way. As a motorcyclist I know that is simply not true. The way to survive on the roads is to assume that everyone is out to kill you, or to die themselves.....and that half of them have deficient eyesight, or are discussing last night's East Enders with their cronies. Cynical? Me? Take a look at my Xrays to see why I take that attitude.
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As a motorcyclist I know that is simply not true. The way to survive on the roads is to assume that everyone is out to kill you, or to die themselves.....and that half of them have deficient eyesight, or are discussing last night's East Enders with their cronies. Cynical? Me? Take a look at my Xrays to see why I take that attitude.
When I first started learning to drive, my dad said to me, "You can be the best driver in the world. It's the other idiots you have to watch out for."
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As a motorcyclist I know that is simply not true. The way to survive on the roads is to assume that everyone is out to kill you, or to die themselves.....and that half of them have deficient eyesight, or are discussing last night's East Enders with their cronies. Cynical? Me? Take a look at my Xrays to see why I take that attitude.
When I first started learning to drive, my dad said to me, "You can be the best driver in the world. It's the other idiots you have to watch out for."
So true MGM and isn't it heart breaking that as often as not it's the good driver plus family who are injured in the inevitable crash caused by a drunk, or someone texting as they drive :rant:.
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"Here lies the body of Jonathan Gray
Who died defending his right of way.
He was right, dead right, as he sped along
But he's just as dead now
As if he was wrong."
2 second rule, certainly and the pedestrian shouldn't have been on the crossing if the lights were against her, but personally, I wouldn't make someone jump back (or hit them). Under other circumstances, where there are no lights, pedestrians do always have the right of way as they're squishy.
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As a motorcyclist I know that is simply not true. The way to survive on the roads is to assume that everyone is out to kill you, or to die themselves.....and that half of them have deficient eyesight, or are discussing last night's East Enders with their cronies. Cynical? Me? Take a look at my Xrays to see why I take that attitude.
When I first started learning to drive, my dad said to me, "You can be the best driver in the world. It's the other idiots you have to watch out for."
So true MGM and isn't it heart breaking that as often as not it's the good driver plus family who are injured in the inevitable crash caused by a drunk, or someone texting as they drive :rant: .
That's true, FW. I often wonder how the guilty driver copes with knowing that, through their own stupidity, someone else is dead.
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I watched an ad about driving safely once and it was a welsh advert. long and short of it is the woman driver survived, all her mates died and all a young family, including a baby, excelt the youngest lad died. it was just his granny sat next to him in hospital and the female driver who was txting at the time had killed all 3 plus her 3 friends who were just as bad as her by txting whilst driving. disturbing and saf but very true and really tolf people the consequences of their actions. All actors were superb.
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That's true, FW. I often wonder how the guilty driver copes with knowing that, through their own stupidity, someone else is dead.
I know someone who killed a little girl. The girl ran into the road, but the driver had had a couple of drinks and he knew that his reactions hadn't been as sharp as they should have been.
It ruined his life; he never got over it.
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I once asked a police officer to justify high speed pursuits in built up areas then wished I hadn't when he told me that he had hit a pushchair on a zebra crossing "I have to live with that baby's death for the rest of my life" he said.
(and I still maintain it's 4 seconds, on some major roads they have chevrons and you are told to keep 4 chevrons apart, if you count the chevrons as you're driving you will count 4 seconds!)
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Devonlady, its definitely 2 seconds. I went on a speed awareness course and they were very pleased that I was able to quote it correctly from the TV ad
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The roads I've used with chevrons have stated 2 chevrons apart... can be quite difficult to do if the next car is miles ahead. I mean which rule do you obsevre... 2 chevrons or the national speed limit :roflanim: ?
There would be an argument for a minimum speed limit, no A&E for road accidents and let natural selection breed out stupidity......... (yeah, that is tongue in cheek)...plus a few rotting corpses on the hard shoulder and flocks of crows as a deterrent.....
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Yes, you and Jim were right and I was wrong, I've just checked with my son in law, a traffic cop. Two second rule it is though I think it should be four seconds (if only so I can be right for once!)
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.... and all the men gathered to watch the sacred occasion of the only time in history, when the legend that is Jim was shown to be right..........
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The b####rs always right!!
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Husbands usually are..... but that is a good thing to have, a wise partner in our lives to help us, you sound like a very lucky lady [member=89885]devonlady[/member]
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Husbands usually are..... but that is a good thing to have, a wise partner in our lives to help us, you sound like a very lucky lady [member=89885]devonlady[/member]
Still took 3 days and 47 second opinions :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: