Safe Speed Forums

Bearing in mind that most crashes seem to happen at low speeds, and when cars are speeding up it's hard to judge speed, often leading to wrong-side ("I didn't think it was going that fast") errors, perhaps acceleration could be limited in built up areas.

This would also reduce the number of collisions and near misses caused by the (mostly female in my experience) who don't look for other cars or bikes before pulling out.

Naturally this limit wouldn't need to apply on trunk roads with decent junctions.

Presuming for a second that you've developed a magic acceleration limiter...
how exactly would doing so stop someone pulling out of a junction without looking?
Next point... surely limiting acceleration would cause a smidsy to be in your path for longer?

I was thinking it would work under 15mph, which doesn't affect slip road acceleraton.

If it takes 2 seconds to reach 10mph it gives drivers longer to make sure they're not about to be crashed into by a car or worse mow down a bike.

At the moment when I'm cycling I just have anticipate it. If I slow down, encourages them to pull out. I just hope for the best and end up having to emergency brake every so often.

Nearby pedestrians will hear you if you boot it - I find it's a very effective audible warning (especially with my zorst [not that I do that kind of thing in built up areas]).

It would make it far more risky to pull out from a layby or side road on to a busy, fast-moving road, though.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

When people pull out in front of me in urban situations, they usually seem to be in my path for longer than it takes me to stop. i.e. I've stopped and they are still there.

If they are going to pull out, I would have thought that faster would be better than slower. Doesn't that reduce the 'target' window?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

In support of Paul's post...

Many years ago when I was driving in Europe in a R/H drive car I came to a T intersection and needed to turn left. The road I was entering had a fairly short bridge which ended just prior to the intersection and was curved so that the centre of the bridge was higher than the ends of the bridge. In addition the road also dropped off even further before the intersection.

So, I can see about 50 metres to my left and need to turn onto the opposite side of the road (our right turn). The road appeared completely clear and so I started my turn. At about the point that my car was completely blocking the lane I was crossing, a car appeared on my left travelling at fairly high speed.

I am not a trained police officer but a wild guess is that he was travelling at about 60mph or so.

My immediate reaction was to floor the accelerator to get out of his way. Fortunately I was driving an E36 M3 and the result of flooring the throttle was to have the rear end rapidly drift onto the other side of the road, effectively swivelling the rear of the car out of the way on the approaching car.

I swear that he missed us by less than a foot

Had I been limited in the amount of acceleration available, because I was travelling at under 15mph, this situation may have led to the death or serious injury of my wife and at least one of my children, sitting on the passenger side.

So, a resounding N O from me to limiting acceleration at low speeds.

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Ross

Yes I'm a hoon, but only on the track!!!!

Is it true that people have difficulty judging speeds for accelerating vehicles? It's not a problem I've noticed. In fact I suspect that accelerating vehicles tend to attract more attention if anything. Let's suppose for the moment that it is, but not with much conviction:

I don't think that any measure aimed at taking options away from drivers will ever be right all the time, and would have to be considered with extreme caution. Perhaps a more useful approach would be to teach drivers that others may have difficulty judging their speed when they are accelerating hard. If you're accelerating towards somebody who is likely to be making a decision based on your speed, and where underestimating your speed would encourage them to make the wrong decision, then perhaps less acceleration would be safer.

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Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

I've had my acceleration limited by buying a slower car. It makes no difference for pulling out at intersections, I think grip probably the limiting factor for the first few mph. But and this is a big but, overtaking is hard work and requires so much planning I just can't do it most of the time now, where as before it was relatively easy, not that it was a powerfull car.

I think the best thing to limit is limits.

I have two ordenary cars. One a 1300 cc and the other a 998cc. I much prefer the 1300cc one just because it is more able to get to 70 joining the duel carriageway or at motorway roundabouts. It is also quieter and I hear more sirens, earlier and motorcycles too. It also has aircon that clears the windscreen better and quicker. I don't know wethera 1600cc car would be even safer, or worse. But there is a marked difference between the low power and medium power.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

I guess this feature would have too many flaws then.

Any other solutions to the problem of cars pulling out at junctions in front of cars and bikes other than looking and maybe being more patient?

I'm not sure if you were attempting a "dig" at me but in case I did not make myself clear... at the point I began my turn there was no car visible due to the hump in the bridge.

So, can you give some input into how my situation may have been avoided? If your intention was otherwise then I retract my sarcasm.

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Ross

Yes I'm a hoon, but only on the track!!!!

If the road design is so bad that simply pulling out risks a crash, then the smart thing to do, when possible, is to use another route.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Sorry it wasn't a dig at anyone on this forum, it was a dig against the many (mainly but not always female) drivers who pull out dangerously. Might just be smidsy related then.

M3RBMW - one route out of my estate has me turning right like that - sort of daily occurance , problem is that cars on bridge are doing at least 40 ( 30 limit), i've been up to that in a hurry and had them catch me up.

Had a sort of debate with councillors on making this junction safer ---
Options

1) (First thing thought of , by councillor ) Camera ( yuch) --make junction SAFER said I
2) -Speed bump on approach - no go said councillor - HGV pound canal bridge /get stuck slowing down and can't take away.
3) Traffic lights - HGV problems

My solution - when traffic is heavy , i turn left, go to mini island about 200 yds away, complete 360 turn and over the bridge ( watching out for cars turning right)


Now surprise/surprise - we ain't seen Steve Rumble and his shower of magicians come out to provide a magic cure - but then - surprise /surprise - despite the potential for a major disaster, thanks to good old fashioned driving, there's been very few accidents here

Suppose that's why the camera is placed about 400 yards away on another road ---they're waiting for a lot of accidents at this spot, put up a camera and wait for the RTTM.

bullseye /Eureka - i've got it .


BTW - IF I'M TURNING RIGHT -LAST thing i want is some automoticion playing sill b99gers with my acceleration - my feet can do that ---ta very much - tyres i can buy - lives i can not.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Not sure what you mean by "dangerous" I remember when I took my test I was told that a car is a hazard until it clears the junction so to pull out and get up to speed as quickly as possible. If you pull out slowly you are a potential hazard for longer.

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Speed camera policy Kills

I was on holiday in Europe and so I had no idea that the intersection was that risky. The intersection was close to shops and houses and the speed limit was significantly lower than the car crossing the bridge so I ASS U MEd it was reasonably safe.

The kids in the back enjoyed the power slide but I didn't have time to notice while I was cleaning out my pants...

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Ross

Yes I'm a hoon, but only on the track!!!!

totally agree. i boot it when pulling out. the danger area is the road passing the junction/layby/whatever else is joining the road therefore i want to get out of there and up to speed ASAP.
on top of that, how many of you have been frustrated by some dithering old fart who DOESNT accelerate properly? i had one the other day on the Edinburgh bypass joining from the M8. i was in L1 going up the sliproad in a truck. i caught up with one of the forementioned old farts in L2 which made me slow down to avoid being stuck at the end of the sliproad. the van behind him cut across from the sliproad to L2 to enable me to join safely behind this idiot.
at the next onslip, another one joined. what does numpty in front of me do? slams the anchors on to allow the other to join forcing me to move into L2 earlier than i had planned. fortunately, i was planning to allow the other one to join anyway and so was already aware that nothing was in L2 behind me

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Richie

SSAFA supporter
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126025031585

One of my pet hates - (usually a dizzy blonde /a white haired old lady or a bloke with head bent ) who pull out accelerate up to 45 on NSL and make no attempt to go any faster( on a road capable of more ) and continue like that / 100 yds down road turn left.Especialy when there is nothing behind me.

I agree with the sentiments that the ability to accelerate is a good thing to have for safety reasons.

I'm currently trying to teach SWMBO to drive. I'm trying to get her into the habit of when pulling out at T-junctions, if she's decided she's going to go, then she pulls away as quickly as possible, no faffing. Keep herself out of that danger zone as quickly as possible and upto the previaling speed of the road. I tell her "either you decide you can't pull out, so you stay put; or you can pull out, so you get out as quickly as possible. Nothing in between.". I won't mention how good she is at it though! hmm...

Another thing I tried to introduce is an 'emergency start', rather than an emergency stop. In an empty quiet road we'll sit there stationary, and wait until a tap the dashboard. She then has to get herself away and upto 30mph as quickly as possible. It something she needs to practice on, as is so important to be able to move off quickly and not impede the traffic. I'm sure we've all been behind learners at traffic lights who take 30 seconds to move off after the lights have changed to green.