Safe Speed Forums

Roger, just to clarify both accidents have occoured in daytime with good light so haven't had lights on, I'm now putting my main beam up at night rather than the dipped and other cars, whilst they can't see me can see my beam. So haven't even come close to a near miss at night or in low light conditions.

The turn is effectively an inverted 'U' with an internal radius of approx 5-10 metres so is a very tight turn. most traffic tends to take it at 5-10mph, those that cut the corner tend to accelerate up to the corner and brake hard so they exit at about 5-10mph.

Both drivers were convinced that they were safe as they were within the limit.

The second driver initally refused to give details and only when I told him that I would be contacting the police did he pass details over. Have heard from our fleet company that the he was contesting liability saying that I was on the wrong side of the road, they have pointed out that the damage isn't consistant with that and also I took photos just after the accident which clearly shows both car on the same side of the road.

The map circle is on the bend I'm describing Location the map is a little out of date as the road does extend beyond that point.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

I'll look at the map.

What is the visibility like of the approaching traffic in the 5 - 20 seconds leading up to your taking the bend?

If it's really blind, how about a warning honk?

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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

Ignore my comments above - which apply to faster bends on open roads, not the residential street to which you refer.

In my experience, people in cul-de-sacs can be very complacent.

Yeah. Perhaps a convex mirror on the outside of the bend for earlier vision?

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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

:yesyes: - or just trim the hedge.

Slightly O/T but on the subject of corners being cut.
Noticed whilst waiting to turn right at road junctions ,and on occasions turning left, that a lot of right turners into the minor roadcross the white line into the opposite side of the road and on some occsasions turning left, i've had to take evasive action as they consider that the road mouth ( all of it ) is theirs to use.

I got hit last year by a 'corner cutter'. Its a tricky section of road actually... see here for aerial photo.

I was approching the 90 deg. left hander from the bottom of the photo and the van that hit me was approching from the left. The road and the corner are plenty wide enough for two cars to pass comfortably, but there are no line markings at all. I know myself (because I've almost done it before) that the angle of the corner is such that as you're approching from the left, traffic approching from the bottom can be masked by your a-pillar completely, so I DO understand how it happened, athough its no excuse. We both got to the corner at the same time, he cut and I didn't see him in time - it was pouring with rain and I admit I was a bit tired. My F/O/S wing went into his O/S side panel, just behind the driver's door. Thankfully he was really good, admitted fault and the claim was about as easy as it gets.

I think on the whole it just sums up the laziness and bad attitude of most drivers. Also, there seems to be no understanding of basic good practice - i.e. not going into something too fast to be able to stop in the distance you know to be clear. Drivers seem to have little or no understanding of safe distance - they can see that the road immediately ahead of them is clear, but there's no concept of how far they can ACTUALLY see and whether a vehicle travelling at speed in the oposite direction will appear in the area they can see within the time that they are at danger. (Bit waffly, but I hope it made sense...)

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Bit to add to my previous post - i was always taught when turning right to turn round the "imaginary " policeman ( or is that policeperson ) in the middle of the road.
Perhaps that's whats wrong - today policemen are "imaginery" ( except in the NE)

Sixy, know exactly what you meant !!

I was travelling at a speed that enabled me to see rat brains coming towards me and I was able to stop, they weren't and they hit me. If they had been driving at a speed that allowed them to stop in the distance they could see to be clear we wouldn't have collided !!

I have been out this afternoon at two roads near me that are favorite cutting corners, however, standing on the pavement with a camera really got some reactions, most stopped cutting, whilst one actually stomped on the brakes. I wasn't wearing a hi-viz as I was in place of safety. So I decided to stop lest I cause an accident.

Was thinking about borrowing a tripod and using my zoom, should be far enough away that I don't 'spook' any drivers.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk