People who stop at empty roundabouts ?

[J4CKO]

Roads were dry and quiet last night so I nipped out for half an hour, arrive at a fair clip behind a Beetle and backed right off, both approaching a roundabout that is completely empty, no other cars anywhere to be seen, cant go left, no right turn, so basically straight on or right round and back the way you came.

I hang back a bit as I am slowing and I dont like to intimidate other drivers (Do Beetle owners use the mirrors ?), anticipating the car in front being slower but going over the roundabout, however the Beetle does a full emergency stop, full braking and stops half way onto the roundabout, way over the line in the middle of the road, I anchor on as hard as possible and stop with about five/six feet to spare, Beetle then moves off and goes back the way it came, no indicator.

Seriously, this rattled me a bit and it would have been my fault but how often to we make assumptions about what other drivers are going to do and when they dont we are a bit stuffed, I was so lucky that I managed to stop, was kicking myself for it after but I still cant get my head round why the Beetle just stopped like that, honestly it was deserted, am wondering whether they were lost or possibly it was some kind of crash for cash thing due to the violent braking, there were four people in the car by the looks of it. Could be just that Beetle drivers are morons of course ?

So, remember to build in more of a margin of error than I did last night and dont assume anyone is going to do what you think they will !

[kambites]

Does sound like a thoroughly odd thing to do, but since there's always the risk of someone having to anchor up for perfectly sensible reasons, you always need to be able to deal with it. Sounds like you were far enough back to avoid them, so no harm done either way - one day someone wont be and will hit them... I suppose it's a good example of why insurance companies load premiums for "non-fault" accidents.

[jimslops]

J4CKO said:

Roads were dry and quiet last night so I nipped out for half an hour, arrive at a fair clip behind a Beetle and backed right off, both approaching a roundabout that is completely empty, no other cars anywhere to be seen, cant go left, no right turn, so basically straight on or right round and back the way you came.

I hang back a bit as I am slowing and I dont like to intimidate other drivers (Do Beetle owners use the mirrors ?), anticipating the car in front being slower but going over the roundabout, however the Beetle does a full emergency stop, full braking and stops half way onto the roundabout, way over the line in the middle of the road, I anchor on as hard as possible and stop with about five/six feet to spare, Beetle then moves off and goes back the way it came, no indicator.

Seriously, this rattled me a bit and it would have been my fault but how often to we make assumptions about what other drivers are going to do and when they dont we are a bit stuffed, I was so lucky that I managed to stop, was kicking myself for it after but I still cant get my head round why the Beetle just stopped like that, honestly it was deserted, am wondering whether they were lost or possibly it was some kind of crash for cash thing due to the violent braking, there were four people in the car by the looks of it. Could be just that Beetle drivers are morons of course ?

So, remember to build in more of a margin of error than I did last night and dont assume anyone is going to do what you think they will !

Pics of female?

[StottyZr]

The solution is copious amounts of horn.

I've had a few cars in front stop abruptly at clear roundabouts, I always wonder if it was a purposeful attempt at a whiplash claim.

[oldcynic]

Sounds like classic crash for cash to me. Were you closing at a fair pace prior to the roundabout?

[ali4390]

Sounds like you did the right things as a lot of people would have been too close and ploughed straightup the Beetle's chuff.

As for why they did it, I cannot understand why people do half the things they do on the roads so I've given up trying!

[J4CKO]

jimslops said:

J4CKO said:

Roads were dry and quiet last night so I nipped out for half an hour, arrive at a fair clip behind a Beetle and backed right off, both approaching a roundabout that is completely empty, no other cars anywhere to be seen, cant go left, no right turn, so basically straight on or right round and back the way you came.

I hang back a bit as I am slowing and I dont like to intimidate other drivers (Do Beetle owners use the mirrors ?), anticipating the car in front being slower but going over the roundabout, however the Beetle does a full emergency stop, full braking and stops half way onto the roundabout, way over the line in the middle of the road, I anchor on as hard as possible and stop with about five/six feet to spare, Beetle then moves off and goes back the way it came, no indicator.

Seriously, this rattled me a bit and it would have been my fault but how often to we make assumptions about what other drivers are going to do and when they dont we are a bit stuffed, I was so lucky that I managed to stop, was kicking myself for it after but I still cant get my head round why the Beetle just stopped like that, honestly it was deserted, am wondering whether they were lost or possibly it was some kind of crash for cash thing due to the violent braking, there were four people in the car by the looks of it. Could be just that Beetle drivers are morons of course ?

So, remember to build in more of a margin of error than I did last night and dont assume anyone is going to do what you think they will !

Pics of female?

Not sure of the gender of the driver but the car looked full, possibly someone lost round the airport and getting a bag on with the passengers who are offereing "helpful comments" and didnt see me behind, but then its my job to be able to stop regardless, plought into the back of someone, anything you say always sounds like an excuse for "I was too close", which I was and only just got away with it, i cant blame the Beetle driver, all I can wonder is WTF they were doing and learn from it.

[J4CKO]

oldcynic said:

Sounds like classic crash for cash to me. Were you closing at a fair pace prior to the roundabout?

Er, yes but slowed right down so as not to close on the car in front carrying too much speed so was doing the same speed as them give or take 5 mph by the time I was behind them and off the brakes, it just seemed so erratic and unexpected. Luckily the brakes are really good.

[Monty Python]

Since the stories on staged accidents have surfaces, I find that while I'm driving I'm going through a series of "what ifs" when following other cars at junctions/roundabouts/slip roads, and I'm leaving a lot more room to the car in front. I guess I'll have to get rid of the BMW and buy another Honda at the rate I'm going.

[J4CKO]

ali4390 said:

Sounds like you did the right things as a lot of people would have been too close and ploughed straightup the Beetle's chuff.

As for why they did it, I cannot understand why people do half the things they do on the roads so I've given up trying!

I screwed up, it just worked out ok.

[Chris993C4]

J4CKO said:

how often to we make assumptions about what other drivers are going to do

Always assume that all other road users are utter morons.

[jimslops]

J4CKO said:

Not sure of the gender of the driver but the car looked full, possibly someone lost round the airport and getting a bag on with the passengers who are offereing "helpful comments" and didnt see me behind, but then its my job to be able to stop regardless, plought into the back of someone, anything you say always sounds like an excuse for "I was too close", which I was and only just got away with it, i cant blame the Beetle driver, all I can wonder is WTF they were doing and learn from it.

What will they learn?! They probably are not aware they did anything wrong.

[BettySwollocks2]

probably get slated but I find that women (not all, some are no doubt good drivers) dont tend to look at the cars on the roundabout, entering etc until they are 10 ft from the line. whereas most blokes are looking at the state of the roundabout as soon as it is visible to determine whether they need to stop or can Hare straight across it like a pro race driver

not entirely sure why but I asked the ex once why she stopped at empty roundabouts and didnt observe it earlier and she said she had to look forward to ensure she stopped before getting to the line :S apparently she couldnt glance away... although this is the same girl that couldnt read road signs whilst driving on the Mway and had me tell her where to go...

[Prof Prolapse]

It's all because everybody is stupid but you.

That's why anybody does anything.

[J4CKO]

jimslops said:

J4CKO said:

Not sure of the gender of the driver but the car looked full, possibly someone lost round the airport and getting a bag on with the passengers who are offereing "helpful comments" and didnt see me behind, but then its my job to be able to stop regardless, plought into the back of someone, anything you say always sounds like an excuse for "I was too close", which I was and only just got away with it, i cant blame the Beetle driver, all I can wonder is WTF they were doing and learn from it.

What will they learn?! They probably are not aware they did anything wrong.

No, I mean I need to learn from it, they are past redemption by the looks of it.

[KrazyIvan]

Playing Devils Advocate, perhaps they saw something you didn't, like a fox or cat running towards the road. I have had this in the past where latish one night someone's small dog ran across the road, I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting it and the car behind barley stopped, then promptly stood on his horn, pulled around me and nearly hit the woman chasing the dog across the road.

[Liquid Knight]

If it was a fairly new round about the chances are driver was on autopilot and forgot it was there or following the sat' nav'. The number of times there have been roundabouts on the road but not the screen. Stopping and getting his or her bearings. Innocent until proven guilty not necessarily a whiplasher but the Golf in a frock fits the stereotype.

[EDLT]

This is going to sounds crazy, but what if.... they were lost?

[jimslops]

J4CKO said:

No, I mean I need to learn from it, they are past redemption by the looks of it.

This thread raises a reasonably good point.
Most people do not plan enough on roundabouts / junctions. Someone at my work did exactly the same thing - presumed my other workmate was going to pull out and he didn't, he stalled, and she plouged into him...(at a junction). It has made me more observant in terms of: look ahead of you as well as to the right to see if anything is coming.

[J4CKO]

Could have been a random creature of the night, quite rural round there, roundabout has been there since the early nineties. Think part of my problem is I like to straight line that one and perhaps not everybody else does, its a quick left then right shimmy and you barely need to slow down, even most plodders take it at a decent speed as there are no hidden bits, the one road it has was closed when the roundabout was put in, just need to watch for people going right round to go back the way they came.