So, as a car driver, how did I do with the group of cyclists? VIDEO

[BentMikey]

Anyone who thinks exploring the limits of their car on the public highway is a good idea probably ought not to have a driving licence. There are track days and skid pan training, amongst others, for that sort of fun.

I also don't subscribe to the idea that you could make the black box think you're driving well whilst tailgating. Tailgating will almost inevitably involve a pattern of excessive and rough braking, so should get picked up easily.

 

[donnydave]

Anyone who thinks exploring the limits of their car on the public highway is a good idea probably ought not to have a driving licence. There are track days and skid pan training, amongst others, for that sort of fun.

I also don't subscribe to the idea that you could make the black box think you're driving well whilst tailgating. Tailgating will almost inevitably involve a pattern of excessive and rough braking, so should get picked up easily.

I agree with your first point entirely, people who drive at 10/10ths on public roads are idiots and give people who are into cars a bad name. Inexperienced tailgaters will probably show regular dabs on brakes but I've seen plenty of good (?!) tailgating and intimidation to other road users on motorways and other roads with long stretches of constant speed where there's no sharp braking.

You're making me think properly about my opinion, please keep it going! There's probably hundreds of pages on this topic on pistonheads, its an extremely divisive topic. I will admit as a means of making people actually think about what they are doing and the consequences is a good start, but as explained by myself and others above I'm sure there's a better solution somewhere possibly involving initial driver training. It's a shame that it seems financial consequences (i.e. increased premiums) make people think about their driving rather than concern for the safety of others.

Dave

 

[Browser]

Back to OP, looks spot-on to me. Taking into account road conditions, road markings, hazards, speed limit, speed of cyclists etc your conduct was absolutely correct, well done sir

 

[CopperBrompton]

What have I posted that's nonsense?

Read back through the thread: your ridiculous idea that an app can distinguish good driving from bad. A safe overtake using the performance of the vehicle to minimise the time on the opposing carriageway would be logged as poor driving, while tailgating or simply daydreaming would be logged as good driving.

And stop with the personal attacks

I have made no personal attacks, it's Beano who has done that. I have talked only about your arguments, not about you personally.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Anyone who thinks exploring the limits of their car on the public highway is a good idea probably ought not to have a driving licence. There are track days and skid pan training, amongst others, for that sort of fun.

Agreed 100%. I've done a great many trackdays, and a few skidpan days. All great fun, and the most appropriate places to explore the limits of a vehicle. There is, however, nothing wrong with using the acceleration available to you on the road (short of wheel-spinning).

I also don't subscribe to the idea that you could make the black box think you're driving well whilst tailgating. Tailgating will almost inevitably involve a pattern of excessive and rough braking, so should get picked up easily.

Have you never driven on the section of the M25 covered by average speed cameras? People tailgate all the time, all at constant, legal speeds. This is very, very common on motorways and dual-carriageways. No hard accelerating or braking, just lots and lots and lots of driving stupidly close to the vehicle ahead.

 

[glenn forger]

I have made no personal attacks, .

No, he's not trying to understand my point at all. He continues to post nonsense on a topic he knows nothing about, hence me recommending that he learn something about the topic.

.

You're a pompous speed freak.

 

[campbellab]

I'll try to steer my daydream towards a relevant point then. May I suggest that its safer to have a massive wodge of horsepower, or at the very least to be aware of the full potential of whatever vehicle so you can make better overtake yes/no decisions. It worries me when I read about insurance black boxes that monitor how "safely" you drive so we are breeding a generation of drivers who have no idea what the limits of their vehicle are and even less idea of what it feels like and what to do when things get hairy.

Drivers shouldn't be learning the limits of their vehicle on the highway, so wont be affected by blackboxes. That needs to be learnt in other environments. To learn the limit you have to get to go past it. Statistically young males who do this have a lot more accidents...

You missed my point: these dumb boxes will label much good driving as bad driving.

Take the IAM or RoADA Advanced Driving Test and see how well you do if you fail to make safe progress and use the performance of your vehicle to advantage.

They wont measure much good driving as bad, they will only measure a small fraction of good driving as bad driving. Overtaking must take up <1% of the actual time we spend driving on single carriageways. Sure 'good' drivers who accelerate sharply to clear quicker might get slightly penalized for the odd occasions they do this, but the non-risk taker who just sits behind and waits is safer overall. And thats the point, insurance companies want less accidents so the emphasis is on safer behaviour/statistics not good or bad.

I think the blackboxes will improve road safety overall, asthey will affect driver behaviour. But we do need more driver training and education so the roads would be safer still if everyone did IAM etc.

They encourage smooth driving through lateral and longitudinal acceleration limits. You could be ticking all the smooth driving boxes according to their system but driving an inch off the bumper of the car in front.

You are unlikely to ever sit an inch behind someone and not have to brake sharply! You could try and fool the system but by maintaining a good thinking distance you are more likely to be successful at beating it!

 

[campbellab]

Have you never driven on the section of the M25 covered by average speed cameras? People tailgate all the time, all at constant, legal speeds. This is very, very common on motorways and dual-carriageways. No hard accelerating or braking, just lots and lots and lots of driving stupidly close to the vehicle ahead.

But people who aren't tailgating aren't racking up bad points as they can drive smoothly. The tailgaters will eventually be in a situation where they have to brake like their life depended on it!

 

[mr_hippo]

Good driving? Good video? Yes, it is a good video if you want a cure for insomnia, far better than counting sheep! As for the driving, It was filmed in Wymondham, not too far away from Norfolk and in your neck of the woods. I do not know how familiar you are with that location or aware of the traffic pattern.
Some drivers are inexperienced, incompetent, complacent and impatient and maybe all four. You have such a driver behind you and he is familiar with the area and traffic pattern. He sees you and feels it safe to overtake but has failed to spot the cyclists and starts to overtake. From this point, there are a number of possible endings and most do not have a happy ending!
He overtakes and pulls in and then slams the anchors on because he finally sees the cyclists but someone is going to get hurt; it may be you because you cannot stop in time, the cyclists or maybe all three.
Completes his overtake and finally spots the cyclists but still feeling that it is safe to overtake does so but then sees the oncoming car. That will not be pretty!
He overtakes you but the cyclists stop suddenly, maybe the kissing of wheels or a mechanical breakdown. What happens next is anyone's guess!
I bet you want to know what I would do. I can only give you a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question! Move closer to the cyclists and put my hazard lights on, by this time, the bunch may have heard my engine and singled out. If they have then I would wait for a safe place to overtake.
OP, what was the point of your thread? Was it an ego boost, praise, a piece of cake or Brownie points?

 

[CopperCyclist]

Good driving? Good video?

...snip...

A most outrageous what if trying to put 'danger' in Tonys driving where there wasn't any.

You may as well say no one should overtake a cyclist as its dangerous because the driver behind may be inattentive and dangerous and drive straight over them.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Sure 'good' drivers who accelerate sharply to clear quicker might get slightly penalized for the odd occasions they do this, but the non-risk taker who just sits behind and waits is safer overall.

No. Most good drivers make progress where it is safe to do so. Most bad drivers pay little attention to their driving, and fail to spot safe overtaking opportunities the same way they fail to spot hazards.

But I'm on holiday and bored with this thread now, so by all means carry on ...

 

[glenn forger]

I have made no personal attacks, it's Beano who has done that. I have talked only about your arguments, not about you personally.

No, he's not trying to understand my point at all. He continues to post nonsense on a topic he knows nothing about, hence me recommending that he learn something about the topic.

It would be rather like me pontificating on the best torque setting for doing up a stem bolt.

Calm down trikeman, our opinions differ,that doesn't mean I know nothing, it means my opinion differs from yours. Over 200 miles how likely is it that you have to brake sharply for a football as you claimed? I've cycled 80,000 miles in London and never braked sharply for a football, you're inventing hysterical scenarios because you have no real argument.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Calm down trikeman

Perfectly calm, thanks - 27C, wine in hand, mountain driving done. :-)

(Oh, and no invented scenarios - all real-life ones.)

 

[glenn forger]

You know nothing and you're posting nonsense. That's not a personal attack.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The wine is excellent. :-D