Saw a broken down car way later than I'd have liked :o

[Noggin]

Drove quite a bit in the dark on the motorway tonight.

I'm not sure if I'm out of practice or it was dark with cars both sides of me and on coming traffic, but I saw a 'parked' car in the outside lane rather later than I should have done

I was in the middle lane, so I wasn't really affected. But the fact the car that wanted to overtake me also didn't see it until rather later than was good was almost as scary as me not realising it was stopped.

Luckily all was well, but damn! Really horrible to realise how the surrounding lights really do 'cloud' your view

So very lucky that the guy overtaking me realised the car was there as he got about level with my door and slowed down to pull in behind me. Ok, maybe not REALLY close, but far closer than I've have liked it to be.

And now I'm really worried that I didn't see it as soon as I 'think" I should have

* There was a sign on an overhead thingy saying car stopped in 8km, but I just thought it would be on the inside lane! Didn't even occur to me that it would be in the absolutely worst place!!!

[DefTrap]

The Waze app seems to be really good at reporting hazards in real time, and the locations of those hazards is imo deadly accurate with plenty of warning.

[Mr. Dazzle]

It's really hard to spot IME, takes a long time for your brain to clock a stopped car on a motorway isn't moving. It's cause it looks like it's not getting closer until suddenly it's getting closer very quickly!

That's why Police always stop at a jaunty angle and leave the boot/doors open. It's a really obvious visual clue the car ain't moving.

[Horse]

It's really hard to spot IME, takes a long time for your brain to clock a stopped car on a motorway isn't moving. It's cause it looks like it's not getting closer until suddenly it's getting closer very quickly!

That's why Police always stop at a jaunty angle and leave the boot/doors open. It's a really obvious visual clue the car ain't moving.

that saved me some typing

[Noggin]

The Waze app seems to be really good at reporting hazards in real time, and the locations of those hazards is imo deadly accurate with plenty of warning.

I'm still using Google, maybe I have to finally make the change!

It's really hard to spot IME, takes a long time for your brain to clock a stopped car on a motorway isn't moving. It's cause it looks like it's not getting closer until suddenly it's getting closer very quickly!

That's why Police always stop at a jaunty angle and leave the boot/doors open. It's a really obvious visual clue the car ain't moving.

I was seriously horrified at how late I saw it. It was 'parked' where you'd expect it to be if it was driving. Not pulled over or anything. Quite scary, even thinking about it today its worrying!!

[Mr. Dazzle]

If it makes you feel better, those roadworks trucks with the blue blue arrow, flashing orange lights and general "don't hit me" vibe get read ended multiple times a year ISTR.

[Cousin Jack]

If it makes you feel better, those roadworks trucks with the blue blue arrow, flashing orange lights and general "don't hit me" vibe get read ended multiple times a year ISTR.

And yet, on a recent trip to Spain, I saw major roadworks on a fast dual carriageway with advance warning 2 or 3 kms ahead, and then roadworks with minimal (by UK standards) cones and it worked just fine. In daylight though.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I've never seen someone crash in/into roadworks either, but from what I hear it happens all the time....

[Horse]

It's really hard to spot IME, takes a long time for your brain to clock a stopped car on a motorway isn't moving. It's cause it looks like it's not getting closer until suddenly it's getting closer very quickly!

I was seriously horrified at how late I saw it. It was 'parked' where you'd expect it to be if it was driving.

There's a vision thing called 'looming'. It's one of the ways we determine how we are getting closer. Simply, smaller = further away.



But, as you'd expect, it's more complicated than that

When (if!) you see someone relatively small, like a car, it is just a 'dot in the distance' and is unlikely to be moving relative to the background. That's motion (or lack of) camouflage.

As you get closer, it will still be a 'dot' because it is only covering a small part of your retina. But when much closer, it will expand on the retina and 'pop out' - that "oh deary me" moment.

[Horse]

If it makes you feel better, those roadworks trucks with the blue blue arrow, flashing orange lights and general "don't hit me" vibe get read ended multiple times a year ISTR.

Have I hacked your login?

Typically 30-40 every year on the trunk road network. 4.5m high, visible from a (straight) mile away.

[Horse]

I've never seen someone crash in/into roadworks either, but from what I hear it happens all the time....

When doing trials on roadworks, drivers hitting the cone tapers was very common. To the extent that crews didn't usually bother logging them.

The French have dozens of these hit every year.



https://www.google.com/search?client=ms ... 80&dpr=2.7

[iansoady]

It's also worth remembering that as we age, our eyesight deteriorates in a number od ways - slower response to changing light levels, reduced peripheral vision etc. Not much to be done other than regular checkups / appropriate glasses etc. And of course our general reactions are perhaps not as swift as they once were.

[The Spin Doctor]

There's also the perspective issue... starting from where you first saw it, at half the distance an object only has one quarter of the surface area of what it will be close up... that's effectively the explanation for the 'looming' effect.

[Scootabout]

Typically 30-40 every year on the trunk road network. 4.5m high, visible from a (straight) mile away.

When the mile isn't straight, it can be a problem, as I discovered on a motorway in Italy a few years ago. Sweeping right-hander on a 2 lane m'way. I was overtaking a line of traffic at iirc about 50 mph (not sure how that was possible in Italy, but there you go). A huge flashing right arrow vehicle suddenly appears in my lane. Cue emergency stop. Pretty scary.

[Horse]

suddenly appears

Hmmm ... beamed down from space?

[Mr. Dazzle]

I sometimes think it'd be handy to have a feature which illustrates in real time where your stop point would be

Aircraft have something sort of similar, the HUD can display a "this is where you're actually going" indicator which shows you precisely which bit of the ground you're going to smash into.

Maybe my fancy headlights could project a "this is the closest object you can actually avoid rear ending" line on the ground

[Rockburner]

I sometimes think it'd be handy to have a feature which illustrates in real time where your stop point would be

Aircraft have something sort of similar, the HUD can display a "this is where you're actually going" indicator which shows you precisely which bit of the ground you're going to smash into.

Maybe my fancy headlights could project a "this is the closest object you can actually avoid rear ending" line on the ground

Not a bad idea. Would probably be a bit of an eye opener for most drivers.

[Horse]

I sometimes think it'd be handy to have a feature which illustrates in real time where your stop point would be

Maybe my fancy headlights could project a "this is the closest object you can actually avoid rear ending" line on the ground

In the same way that, at night, drivers are always able to stop in the distance illuminated by dipped beam?

Not a bad idea. Would probably be a bit of an eye opener for most drivers.

When discussing stopping distances, I used to 'use' a row of parked cars. Allow 5m / 15ft per car. Four cars = Highway Code thinking distance at 60mph. i.e., you've travelled that far without even touching the brakes ...

How long is a bus, Vs total stopping distance at 30mph? Especially when someone walks out in front of it.

[The Spin Doctor]

I sometimes think it'd be handy to have a feature which illustrates in real time where your stop point would be

Aircraft have something sort of similar, the HUD can display a "this is where you're actually going" indicator which shows you precisely which bit of the ground you're going to smash into.

Maybe my fancy headlights could project a "this is the closest object you can actually avoid rear ending" line on the ground

I like that! Certainly more useful than telling you who's just WhatsApped you!

Shouldn't be too difficult to project to the screen though it would have to account for the driver's height / eye line. (not eye liner!)

[The Spin Doctor]

I sometimes think it'd be handy to have a feature which illustrates in real time where your stop point would be

Maybe my fancy headlights could project a "this is the closest object you can actually avoid rear ending" line on the ground

In the same way that, at night, drivers are always able to stop in the distance illuminated by dipped beam?

Not a bad idea. Would probably be a bit of an eye opener for most drivers.

When discussing stopping distances, I used to 'use' a row of parked cars. Allow 5m / 15ft per car. Four cars = Highway Code thinking distance at 60mph. i.e., you've travelled that far without even touching the brakes ...

How long is a bus, Vs total stopping distance at 30mph? Especially when someone walks out in front of it.

As I keep reminding folk, it's actually worse than that because the Highway Code stopping distances refer to a PRIMED driver - that is, one who is EXPECTING to encounter a hazard that would force them to stop.

The reality is that most of us DON'T EXPECT to have to brake hard at the moment we encounter a hazard - the cognitive delay whilst we identify the threat and work out the necessary response is often up to THREE SECONDS on top of the HC thinking / braking distances. Even at just 30 mph, that's another 40 metres! That's why so often riders and drivers are determined not to have even begun to brake when they hit something.