Using all available road space
Discussion
Here is one for you all,
I train many company car/van drivers in "Eco" driving where I get a driver from a company for only an hour.
I watch them drive for about 4-8 miles (depending on location).....for about 15-20 minutes, normally in a circular route finishing at the place we started from, have a debrief of what i saw, and suggest ways to making them safer, more economical, and then do the same route again with me "coaching" them.
My "average" fuel saving is about 23% as most are not as good as they think.....driving too fast, too close, heavy braking, no forward planning, and poor observation skills etc....
Today whilst on a second lap we approached a roundabout where lane 1 was for left, and lane 2 was marked for turning right.
now I am one for "making progress", as "Eco" driving is not about driving slowly, it is forward planning, using all road space, keeping momentum etc....
So i said to the driver, "There is a large queue in the lane we want to go into, but lane 2 has no cars in it, when it's safe, change lanes, go all the way around the roundabout, and exit the 4th exit, it will mean we over take loads of cars without having to stop/start for a couple of minutes...."
Any way, we did, and I counted 14 cars that we overtook on the approach to the roundabout, went around, exited, and continued on our way.
The bloke I did this with was not impressed, he thought it was "cheating".
I tried to reason with him that I was using local knowledge, we did nothing illegal ....as we did go "to the right" and saved ourselves maybe 1-2 minutes, therefore quicker journey, and less fuel used.
He really did not like it, and said he would never consider doing it
We did nothing aggressive, we used available road space, saved time, did a higher average speed, and made about 14% fuel saving over his first loop with the other pointers I gave him following his "way" .
Why is it that when folk are given "suggestions" as to how to improve their skills, observational awareness, made aware of the risks they they are taking in following distances, clearance to obstructions etc..... that they don't want to try and change. This driver was very happy to drive about a second from the vehicle in front at 60+ mph on a motorway in heavy rain/spray, yet not make safe progress in heavy traffic?
I train many company car/van drivers in "Eco" driving where I get a driver from a company for only an hour.
I watch them drive for about 4-8 miles (depending on location).....for about 15-20 minutes, normally in a circular route finishing at the place we started from, have a debrief of what i saw, and suggest ways to making them safer, more economical, and then do the same route again with me "coaching" them.
My "average" fuel saving is about 23% as most are not as good as they think.....driving too fast, too close, heavy braking, no forward planning, and poor observation skills etc....
Today whilst on a second lap we approached a roundabout where lane 1 was for left, and lane 2 was marked for turning right.
now I am one for "making progress", as "Eco" driving is not about driving slowly, it is forward planning, using all road space, keeping momentum etc....
So i said to the driver, "There is a large queue in the lane we want to go into, but lane 2 has no cars in it, when it's safe, change lanes, go all the way around the roundabout, and exit the 4th exit, it will mean we over take loads of cars without having to stop/start for a couple of minutes...."
Any way, we did, and I counted 14 cars that we overtook on the approach to the roundabout, went around, exited, and continued on our way.
The bloke I did this with was not impressed, he thought it was "cheating".
I tried to reason with him that I was using local knowledge, we did nothing illegal ....as we did go "to the right" and saved ourselves maybe 1-2 minutes, therefore quicker journey, and less fuel used.
He really did not like it, and said he would never consider doing it
We did nothing aggressive, we used available road space, saved time, did a higher average speed, and made about 14% fuel saving over his first loop with the other pointers I gave him following his "way" .
Why is it that when folk are given "suggestions" as to how to improve their skills, observational awareness, made aware of the risks they they are taking in following distances, clearance to obstructions etc..... that they don't want to try and change. This driver was very happy to drive about a second from the vehicle in front at 60+ mph on a motorway in heavy rain/spray, yet not make safe progress in heavy traffic?
Fair points all round really.
In a liveried up vehicle on a small roundabout where everyone can see what your up to it could raise a quizzical eyebrow or two if other road users were actually awake to what was going on. (Or road rage to one or two of you!) lol
I would never do it where trying to come off the roundabout could cause blockage and confrontation with other road users, or if everyone was doing it then the situation is no better, and definitely leads to confrontation.
part of the op was to gauge the views of other "forward" thinking people. But, what puzzled me about this chap was that he was happy to belt along in very wet conditions less than a second from the vehicle in front, and intimidate the car in front when queuing by being that close i could see the pimples on the neck of the driver in front! but believed in queuing!
To further enrage one or two of you there is a slip road/exit I use on a regular basis on the M27 where lanes 1,2,and 3 are near on stationary at times, the slip road is near on a mile long, I enter it, go down to the roundabout, and go around it rejoining the motorway, I must easily save about 4-5 minutes every time, never once seen another car do the same thing, or been followed by anyone doing it. If we all did it, it would not be worth it, but for some of us thinking ahead, we are making progress.
At other times when motorway has heavy traffic you get the 70-90 mph brigade accelerating and braking hard in lanes 2 and 3, and I find just sitting in lane 1 by the time I get from Portsmouth back to Southampton the same cars have over taken me about 2 to 3 times, yet we get to the same place about the same time....me not stressed....just entertained, vehicle with less wear and tear, so I don't bomb it everywhere cutting people up, barging in, I just drive to what the conditions allow, the knowledge I have of the area, and what other road users are doing.
I am always open to suggestions and comments from others, and learn useful "stuff" from this area of the forum. Ta
In a liveried up vehicle on a small roundabout where everyone can see what your up to it could raise a quizzical eyebrow or two if other road users were actually awake to what was going on. (Or road rage to one or two of you!) lol
I would never do it where trying to come off the roundabout could cause blockage and confrontation with other road users, or if everyone was doing it then the situation is no better, and definitely leads to confrontation.
part of the op was to gauge the views of other "forward" thinking people. But, what puzzled me about this chap was that he was happy to belt along in very wet conditions less than a second from the vehicle in front, and intimidate the car in front when queuing by being that close i could see the pimples on the neck of the driver in front! but believed in queuing!
To further enrage one or two of you there is a slip road/exit I use on a regular basis on the M27 where lanes 1,2,and 3 are near on stationary at times, the slip road is near on a mile long, I enter it, go down to the roundabout, and go around it rejoining the motorway, I must easily save about 4-5 minutes every time, never once seen another car do the same thing, or been followed by anyone doing it. If we all did it, it would not be worth it, but for some of us thinking ahead, we are making progress.
At other times when motorway has heavy traffic you get the 70-90 mph brigade accelerating and braking hard in lanes 2 and 3, and I find just sitting in lane 1 by the time I get from Portsmouth back to Southampton the same cars have over taken me about 2 to 3 times, yet we get to the same place about the same time....me not stressed....just entertained, vehicle with less wear and tear, so I don't bomb it everywhere cutting people up, barging in, I just drive to what the conditions allow, the knowledge I have of the area, and what other road users are doing.
I am always open to suggestions and comments from others, and learn useful "stuff" from this area of the forum. Ta
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