Share your observation links
Discussion
I thought I'd start a thread where we could share and compare observation links.
The most commonly quoted observation link is spotting the bins out on a road and anticipating that the bin men are somewhere further down the road emptying the bins.
Another relates to vehicles pulling out of a junction in front of you. "Where one emerges, another may follow". In other words, its not the vehicle which pulls out thats the problem - you've already seen and dealt with that one - its the next vehicle which is out of sight and might pull out which is the real problem. I find this is particularly true with children on bicycles. Kids on bikes generally travel in packs and if one pulls out in front of you its a good bet another one, or several, will follow suit.
If you're following a tradesman's van and its displaying a local telephone number, there's a good chance it will turn off or pull over within a short distance.
Following a moving bus, if you spot people waiting at the next stop, or if you see someone standing up on the bus, it's almost definitely going to stop very shortly.
Passed by a police car or ambulance with emergency lights on the motorway? Be ready for the traffic to grind to a halt due to the accident ahead.
Mk1 Citroen Picasso ahead? Likely to be very badly driven.
You get the idea. Lets see your observation links!
The most commonly quoted observation link is spotting the bins out on a road and anticipating that the bin men are somewhere further down the road emptying the bins.
Another relates to vehicles pulling out of a junction in front of you. "Where one emerges, another may follow". In other words, its not the vehicle which pulls out thats the problem - you've already seen and dealt with that one - its the next vehicle which is out of sight and might pull out which is the real problem. I find this is particularly true with children on bicycles. Kids on bikes generally travel in packs and if one pulls out in front of you its a good bet another one, or several, will follow suit.
If you're following a tradesman's van and its displaying a local telephone number, there's a good chance it will turn off or pull over within a short distance.
Following a moving bus, if you spot people waiting at the next stop, or if you see someone standing up on the bus, it's almost definitely going to stop very shortly.
Passed by a police car or ambulance with emergency lights on the motorway? Be ready for the traffic to grind to a halt due to the accident ahead.
Mk1 Citroen Picasso ahead? Likely to be very badly driven.
You get the idea. Lets see your observation links!
Dirty tracks leading into and out of an entrance means you'll see tractors or other agricultural vehicles somewhere up ahead.
Headlights on vehicles coming towards you on a bright day means the weather is about to deteriorate up ahead.
If you've had to scrape ice off your windscreen in the morning, there's a very good chance there will be ice on the road surface (I wish a few more people would clock this fairly obvious one).
Beware of hats. Any type of hat. Honestly - if a driver is wearing a trilby or a baseball cap, or even if there is a hat on the rear parcel shelf - beware.
By the way, does anyone actually carry parcels on their parcel shelf? Or just boxes of tissues?
Headlights on vehicles coming towards you on a bright day means the weather is about to deteriorate up ahead.
If you've had to scrape ice off your windscreen in the morning, there's a very good chance there will be ice on the road surface (I wish a few more people would clock this fairly obvious one).
Beware of hats. Any type of hat. Honestly - if a driver is wearing a trilby or a baseball cap, or even if there is a hat on the rear parcel shelf - beware.
By the way, does anyone actually carry parcels on their parcel shelf? Or just boxes of tissues?
Smells are a good one!
Motorcyclists are particularly aware of the smell of diesel.
Your other senses shouldn't be ignored either. When it's freezing, listen to your tyres. If you drive onto sheet ice (black ice), one of the first things you'll notice is that there is virtually no tyre noise.
Put your windows down at a badly sighted junction and your observations will be assisted by the sound of approaching vehicles.
When you drive a convertible, one of the first things you notice is how much of the outside world you can hear, and how useful some of those sounds can be in your driving plans.
Motorcyclists are particularly aware of the smell of diesel.
Your other senses shouldn't be ignored either. When it's freezing, listen to your tyres. If you drive onto sheet ice (black ice), one of the first things you'll notice is that there is virtually no tyre noise.
Put your windows down at a badly sighted junction and your observations will be assisted by the sound of approaching vehicles.
When you drive a convertible, one of the first things you notice is how much of the outside world you can hear, and how useful some of those sounds can be in your driving plans.
jaf01uk said:
Never ever trust anyone driving a car with a hat on, any kind of hat...
On page 1 R_U_LOCAL said:
Beware of hats. Any type of hat. Honestly - if a driver is wearing a trilby or a baseball cap, or even if there is a hat on the rear parcel shelf - beware.
Anyway, when driving at pace on an NSL rural road, look out for roofs, church spires etc in the distance which indicate a village or settlement up ahead, which, in turn means you're likely to be approaching a reduced speed limit.School sign? Check the time of the day & the day of the week for the likelyhood of randomly abandoned cars blocking the road and little darlings crossing carelessly.
Keep an eye on road furniture on unfamiliar roads - the line of street lamps can indicate the direction the road is going, clumps of street lights ahead indicate a roundabout and a single, solitary street lamp is often positioned directly opposite a "T" junction. Be careful of telegraph poles though - they sometimes make it look like there is a bend ahead, but then you find that the line actually crosses the road.
If you're on a road which runs parallel to a railway line for any distance, it will almost certainly go over or under the line somewhere up ahead. So if the train line is to your right, expect a right-left double bend ahead, and if it's to your left, expect a left-right double bend.
I've been out over the last couple of weekends playing with my new cameras, developing some stuff for the new YouTube channel. It's been a long time since I posted something on youtube, so I thought I'd pick out a short clip and post it up - otherwise unedited - just to make sure it looks ok on the YouTube format, the sound is ok etc.
I wasn't really giving a full-on commentary when I filmed the below clip - just chunnering on and sharing a few thoughts, but I was quite pleased (probably a bit over-pleased, judging by my reaction!) with the observation link on the old Volvo 440 in front.
It was being enthusiastically driven, visibility was quite poor, but I saw what I thought was a very hefty single windscreen wiper sweeping across it's screen. I quickly realised that it was actually a dog wagging it's tail - have a listen to my thought process and watch to the end to see if my prediction comes true!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YChiNEG_tg
Proper, edited videos will soon be posted - this was just a bit of a test-run.
And yes, before anyone asks, I have changed my username!
I wasn't really giving a full-on commentary when I filmed the below clip - just chunnering on and sharing a few thoughts, but I was quite pleased (probably a bit over-pleased, judging by my reaction!) with the observation link on the old Volvo 440 in front.
It was being enthusiastically driven, visibility was quite poor, but I saw what I thought was a very hefty single windscreen wiper sweeping across it's screen. I quickly realised that it was actually a dog wagging it's tail - have a listen to my thought process and watch to the end to see if my prediction comes true!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YChiNEG_tg
Proper, edited videos will soon be posted - this was just a bit of a test-run.
And yes, before anyone asks, I have changed my username!
FiF said:
Bit of a pity about the camera shake, quite distracting tbh.
Hmm, it's a bit shaky, but I didn't think it was too bad. Its mounted on a bicycle handlebar mount which is clamped to the passenger seat head-rest support.I've got some other mountings - I'll have a play around with them.
At this time of year, rear windows tend to get steamed up, covered in dirt, rain & frost and are generally difficult to see through. Attentive drivers will clear their rear windows using their rear wipers (if they've got one) and their rear demister.
With that in mind, you should watch out for the drivers who leave their rear windows covered in mist, dirt and frost, as they are completely uninterested in seeing what's happening behind.
The relevance is that these drivers are much less likely to signal before making a turn, and are much more likely to change lanes without making mirror checks.
There are similar clues you can pick up when the weather is dry (remember dry weather?) - poorly maintained rear wiper blades, with a section of the rubber hanging off means it hasn't been used in living memory, and when you're stationary in traffic, look to see if you can make out the drivers eyes in the rear-view mirror of the car in front. If you can, they've adjusted it properly and could possibly be interested in what's happening behind. If you can't see their eyes, and their mirror gives you a good view of their lap, or their headlining, then there's a good chance they'll be in the sudden turn without signal club.
With that in mind, you should watch out for the drivers who leave their rear windows covered in mist, dirt and frost, as they are completely uninterested in seeing what's happening behind.
The relevance is that these drivers are much less likely to signal before making a turn, and are much more likely to change lanes without making mirror checks.
There are similar clues you can pick up when the weather is dry (remember dry weather?) - poorly maintained rear wiper blades, with a section of the rubber hanging off means it hasn't been used in living memory, and when you're stationary in traffic, look to see if you can make out the drivers eyes in the rear-view mirror of the car in front. If you can, they've adjusted it properly and could possibly be interested in what's happening behind. If you can't see their eyes, and their mirror gives you a good view of their lap, or their headlining, then there's a good chance they'll be in the sudden turn without signal club.
I've got a new one!
I spent a few hours walking in the Yorkshire Dales earlier today. Driving back through Settle, I noticed that there was a single car dealer in the town - a Peugeot dealer. The thought occurred to me that there are probably lots of Settle residents who regularly buy cars from this single dealer, and therefore there must be more Peugeots than average in and around Settle.
The car in front of me at the time was a 64 plate Peugeot of some kind (I'm afraid I lost interest in the Peugeot model line-up some time around 1993). I thought to myself "I bet the driver is local. I bet they turn off." No more than 10 seconds later its left indicator came on and it turned onto a local estate.
Fluke? Possibly. But I subsequently saw three other Peugeots within a 10 mile radius of Settle, all of which turned off within half a mile or so.
And yes, my life has come to this!
I spent a few hours walking in the Yorkshire Dales earlier today. Driving back through Settle, I noticed that there was a single car dealer in the town - a Peugeot dealer. The thought occurred to me that there are probably lots of Settle residents who regularly buy cars from this single dealer, and therefore there must be more Peugeots than average in and around Settle.
The car in front of me at the time was a 64 plate Peugeot of some kind (I'm afraid I lost interest in the Peugeot model line-up some time around 1993). I thought to myself "I bet the driver is local. I bet they turn off." No more than 10 seconds later its left indicator came on and it turned onto a local estate.
Fluke? Possibly. But I subsequently saw three other Peugeots within a 10 mile radius of Settle, all of which turned off within half a mile or so.
And yes, my life has come to this!
Out in the Yorkshire Dales this afternoon coaching a gent who is looking to upgrade from a RoSPA silver to a gold.
We're behind an old workhorse of a SWB Landrover Defender pickup with a hard top and a cage door on the rear - clearly a well used farm hack. In the back is a collie dog, relaxed, sitting up and gazing calmly out of the cage door.
We were chattng about observation links and I mentioned the Landrover, how it was clearly a farm vehicle & a working sheepdog, and that it is likely to turn into a farm at some point. But the driver drives past farm, after farm, after farm and really doesn't look like he's going to turn off any time soon.
But then, a mile further along the road, the dog in the back seems to start changing it's mood. Instead of being settled, it stands up, starts pacing around & wagging it's tail - it's getting excited - it recognises where it is and it's clearly close to home (anyne who has ever owned a dog will confirm that dogs recognise when they're getting close to home).
I point this out to my driver, tell him that I think the Landrover is about to turn off because of the dog's change in behaviour, and less than 10 seconds later, the left indicator comes on and it turns into the very next farm.
Best one of the year so far!
We're behind an old workhorse of a SWB Landrover Defender pickup with a hard top and a cage door on the rear - clearly a well used farm hack. In the back is a collie dog, relaxed, sitting up and gazing calmly out of the cage door.
We were chattng about observation links and I mentioned the Landrover, how it was clearly a farm vehicle & a working sheepdog, and that it is likely to turn into a farm at some point. But the driver drives past farm, after farm, after farm and really doesn't look like he's going to turn off any time soon.
But then, a mile further along the road, the dog in the back seems to start changing it's mood. Instead of being settled, it stands up, starts pacing around & wagging it's tail - it's getting excited - it recognises where it is and it's clearly close to home (anyne who has ever owned a dog will confirm that dogs recognise when they're getting close to home).
I point this out to my driver, tell him that I think the Landrover is about to turn off because of the dog's change in behaviour, and less than 10 seconds later, the left indicator comes on and it turns into the very next farm.
Best one of the year so far!
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