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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 01:41 
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Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2006 14:06
Posts: 3654
Location: Oxfordshire
Mount kerb, hit light fixture, defininte accident.

Hit brakes, stop at edge of two lane section of road, he either hits you or he doesn't, less than 100% chance of accident.

If you think you made the right choice, thats clearly all that matters. Defend your conviction vehemently.

That is all.

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 08:32 
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Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 01:55
Posts: 235
Location: Bristol
Have put pratnership on ignore now as I want to have a serious discussion here without his argumentative streak spoiling things - his entire intent of joining this forum was to have a go at me at every opportunity. Leave personal vendettas at the doorstep boys and girls. This part of the forum can only work on a "trust" system and pratnership's outbursts are rapidly eroding that trust. Anyone reading this considering posting a near-miss or crash incident to try and learn something from it will be put off by the thought of having a run-in with someone like that. (I happen to know that pratnership was picked on as a kid, so maybe that's an explanation, no excuse for his behaviour though.) Anyway, I digress...

Obviously it's impossible to accurately judge the speed of another vehicle coming towards you in MPH... however... it IS possible to estimate accurately enough to know "do I have time/space to...?".

The judgement call I made on this occasion was that if I'd stayed put and hit the anchors a head-on collision would have been unavoidable. The other guy was going too fast to be able to stop in the space that was available, plus he was on the wrong side of a traffic island.

I couldn't go right to avoid him as the traffic island (with about 3 traffic light poles) was in the way. So the only alternative was to go left onto the verge.

Unfortunately I didn't have quite enough space to get off the verge and back onto the road before wiping out a traffic light. However I'm sure that this was preferable to the alternative - a head-on with a closing speed of at least 60mph (assuming I was down to 30 by the time he hit, it's a 40mph road).

I think the real question here is what warning sign, however small, did I miss? Was there something I could have spotted about that driver's behaviour even a second or two before he began his reckless overtake? I'm satisfied that I made the right choice at the time I became aware of the situation, so really the question is what if anything could I have done sooner to spot the emerging hazardous situation before it became a major threat?

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Magistrates rule #1: "Never let justice get in the way of a conviction."


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:13 
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Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 09:18
Posts: 181
Mad Moggie wrote:

It may well be that you live in some suburban hell hole of numpty galores.


He doesnt, he lives where I do, and its certaintly not that bad.

Which is why I am here.

He is right that I am targetting him, but not for personal attacks. I make no secret that I dislike the guy, but Im not trying to do some character assasination here.

If I was surely I would haunt other websites he uses?

When all is said and done, I am sure that most, if not all of the regulars on here would agree with me that the number of incidents and accidents he has had causes cause for concern.

If he is telling the truth in this incident, then as I said, I think what he did was pefectly understandable. There is no way I am disputing that.

In fact, I agree with him over some of the others on this thread, its all well and good saying you could have done xxx, but if some guy came at me head on, and was straddling both lanes, I cannot see what other action to take.

It appears it was just sheer misfortune that no-one else stopped, the guy was straddling both lanes, and squirrel was at exactly that point to crash into the traffic lights.

Granted, my reasons are entirely selfish. I am only here because he concerns me as he is in my home town where family and friends are, and I genuinely think he is going to have an accident. I honestly do.

Luckily, since I am now on ignore, I can talk to the other members without untrue personal attacks being made about me.

All I can say is please carry on trying to get him to look at his driving attitude.

I dont think there is anything wrong with his actual skills, but given the number of roadrage incidents he has had (from his own words in his posts on here and howmotorwayswork- not me making it up) I think he is both far too agressive, impatient, and overconfidant.

While he does have a percieved knowlage greater than most, the books and extra courses just seem to be adding to the problem, rather than helping.

Its always been my opinion that common sense and courtesy makes for the safest driving on the roads, and I hope some of you can convince squirrel of this.

For referance, here is a list of his posts, on here and howmotorways work.

Its a simple list of his posts - no cut and pasting, no selective comments, just very detailed explanations given by squirrel.

http://www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk/forum ... r=Squirrel

search.php?author_id=2681&sr=posts

Good luck :wink:

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If you think everyone else around you is driving badly, perhaps it's time to examine your own driving.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 15:48 
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Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 23:09
Posts: 6735
Location: Stockport, Cheshire
I have locked this topic as it has clearly degenerated into a personal argument which is not appropriate for a public forum.

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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


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