Traumatized

[MichaelW2]

Why should the motoring enthusiast presenters on Britains most dominant motoring entertainment show, watched by 4 million motoring viewers show any more interest in motoring safety than, for example Gardener's World? Let me think...

 

[BoldonLad]

I used to tow a caravan to Weymouth, id do 60 mph, mostly in lane 1 as you say.
Roundabouts, youd see rocket off....and meet them at the next R/A or TLs. Over and over again you'd see the same cars 1 mile up the road, they were probably gulping fuel...getting nowhere faster than me.
Its actually remarkably relaxing to do long journeys at a sensible speed, your brain can relax. Its constant decision making thats tiring.

Very true. We have a Motorhome, i habitually use lane 1 and never exceed 60mph, usually, I set my speed to match that of the trucks in lane 1. Pre-Covid we drove to Spain, each year, to avoid UK winter. We avoided the toll roads, just sat in among the trucks on the N10 through France at a steady 55-60mph. No stress.

 

[Deleted User]

Peer pressure. The kind of people who pull into your braking space dont seek out Dept of Transport safety advice. They do peruse one the the countries most popular car media brands in tv and magazine.

Do they?

How on Earth can you possibly know every crap driver watches Top Gear?

That's a classic mate!

 

[gbb]

I heard about the phrase 'Space, speed and surprise'. This article explains that every crash needs three things to happen before a crash occurs:

• something is moving
• something unexpected happens and
• someone runs out of room.

If someone is up close behind me, then I leave enough room in front for both of us to brake or I change lanes and get out of the way. That has been a game-changer.

I used to find I was getting sucked into behaving like the drivers around me and then I prepared for the Advanced Driving Test and that also helped. I'm constantly watching the road and wondering if a car is about to do something unexpected and what I would do if e.g. they pulled into my safe braking space.

I'm realistic enough to know that every trip could result in a crash but at least I've reduced the odds.

The one thing i advised my DIL as a new driver was, give yourself space...and time to think.
If youre right behind someone, you have less time to react.
If youre going fast, you have less time to react.
Do either and youre vastly increasing the chances you'll come out of a situation badly, its as simple as that.

We all make mistakes, i know i do, we all do and can. Sometimes someone elses mistakes makes you realise....that could be me.
I was nearly taken out one ride by a BMW who didnt see me in his door pillar. No problem, he was genuinely shocked and apologetic. But that made me assess my driving and i realised i too had a large pillar with a big blind spot...ever since, i lean forward at junctions, roundabouts, before i pull off, in case i missed something.
Anyone who thinks they are the perfect driver...is complacent IMHO

 

[Pale Rider]

Anyone who thinks they are the perfect driver...is complacent IMHO

That's true, the safest driver is the one who says he's not very good at it so needs to be extra careful.

The least safe driver is the one who reckons he can throw a car around like Lewis Hamilton.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Does Top Gear ever address poor driving skills on the road ?

Top Gear started off as a motoring magazine programme with sensible and knowledgeable presenters like Chris Goffey and William Woolard. It featured road tests and, almost certainly, safety advice.

Only later, in the Clarkson era, did it get really silly.

When one of the presenters suffered a serious head injury in a speed record attempt they had an opportunity to actually look at driving and brain injury. I've met a lot of brain injured people through my work and cars feature far more than pedal bikes.

But no, just a load of puerile jokes.

 

[byegad]

Top Gear started off as a motoring magazine programme with sensible and knowledgeable presenters like Chris Goffey and William Woolard. It featured road tests and, almost certainly, safety advice.

Only later, in the Clarkson era, did it get really silly.

When one of the presenters suffered a serious head injury in a speed record attempt they had an opportunity to actually look at driving and brain injury. I've met a lot of brain injured people through my work and cars feature far more than pedal bikes.

But no, just a load of puerile jokes.

Yes I stopped watching shortly after the second 'supercar' test by Clarkson. No relation to my world or 99.99% of other drivers.

 

[Drago]

Its an entertainment show with a car theme, not a motoring programme.

 

[DRM]

Once a year on hols to devon
I normally drive on the m42 /m6 to brum for mini cks hospital stuff so im fairly used to motorways but after spending nearly 9 hours to get back home today on the m5 the amount of stupidity had left me dazed and angry by the sheer idiocy and incompetence of the average motorway driver .
Tailgating, jumping into braking zones, nearly ran off the road as someone tried to push into the lane as i was parallel to them, swerving across all 3 lanes to get 2 cars ahead etc .
having a nice beer to calm down

Welcome to my world, this is every day behaviour that I have to contend with 5 days a week, and people wonder why I despise BMW and Audi drivers, the vast majority of them believe the stopping distance at 70 mph is 6 inches, can go from the slip road to lane 3 in one go and stuff anyone else who’s already there, undertaking to push in further forward when traffic is slowing ahead, the speed limit on a motorway is 95 mph, and that it’s acceptable to go from lane 3 to the exit slip road at 85 mph when 75 meters from the exit.

 

[DRM]

And today's prize turnip, towing a caravan, A1M North Yorkshire, car not quite big enough to be towing went into lane 3 to overtake an HGV, managed to just squeeze 70 mph whilst the caravan was wagging and looked like it would start snaking at any moment, had no towing mirrors, so no idea what was behind him, absolute moron

 

[Drago]

Roll on full automation for motor vehicles.

 

[DRM]

Does Top Gear ever address poor driving skills on the road ?

At least they recognized Audi's are driven by self entitled daffodils, christening them c*ck mobiles

 

[PeteXXX]

I once filled out the 'What happened' part of an accident form in 4 words, when someone drove into the back of my truck, and was told it wasn't accurate enough.

All I wrote was "I stopped. They didn't"

Seemed fair enough to me!

 

[DRM]

Well, spotted today’s idiot, Ford tractor with typical badly maintained farm trailer doing about 25 mph along the southbound A194M, hope he took the Washington exit, otherwise it’s straight on to the A1/M, the sudden braking was bad enough on that short stretch of motorway!

 

[Drago]

Is the A194M a motorway class road? If so they were committing an offence being upon it. I hope you dobbed him to the dibble?