Why do so few people ‘use all of the road’?

[SVS]

Pica-Pica said:

I will continue to assume when people write cars, they only think (and look for) cars.

I don’t wish to get all ‘internet’ and attack anyone, but I agree with Pica-Pica on this. It’s a dog’s life on two wheels

[DoubleD]

SVS said:

Pica-Pica said:

I will continue to assume when people write cars, they only think (and look for) cars.

I don’t wish to get all ‘internet’ and attack anyone, but I agree with Pica-Pica on this. It’s a dog’s life on two wheels

These crazy fools must be crashing into buses, trucks and vans all the time.

[Harji]

GOATever said:

I’m often driving early in the morning, or late at night. The roads are (typically) quieter than at other times of the day. As long as there are no solid white lines, and I can see what’s ahead clearly, I ‘use all of the road’ but I find that most people I know, religiously stick to the left lane, even when it was clear to use the other carriageway, on a twisty for example. Why do they not use the available road, to it’s full potential? I find it odd.

Are you for real? I've hardly come across a road in the UK where it is clear enough to do this, especially as a motorcyclist, I've seen ppl wander across lanes heading towards me. I've only done it Death Valley USA, where you can see clearly, flat land, desert, no vegetation, no junctions and generally fk all traffic.

This just smacks of SMIDSY.

[StressedDave]

Harji said:

GOATever said:

I’m often driving early in the morning, or late at night. The roads are (typically) quieter than at other times of the day. As long as there are no solid white lines, and I can see what’s ahead clearly, I ‘use all of the road’ but I find that most people I know, religiously stick to the left lane, even when it was clear to use the other carriageway, on a twisty for example. Why do they not use the available road, to it’s full potential? I find it odd.

Are you for real? I've hardly come across a road in the UK where it is clear enough to do this, especially as a motorcyclist, I've seen ppl wander across lanes heading towards me. I've only done it Death Valley USA, where you can see clearly, flat land, desert, no vegetation, no junctions and generally fk all traffic.

This just smacks of SMIDSY.

I've emboldened the most important part of GOATever's post. All of the available road does not necessarily equal all of the road. I agree with you that there are relatively few places on the UK roads where one can corner starting from the very edge of the road, clipping the inside edge of the corner and then out to the very edge again. I think within a 10 mile radius of my house there are about 50 corners/bends where you can actually do this compared with the thousands upon thousands of bends in the same area. There are, however, inumerable places where exploring areas on the other side of the white line yields benefits, either in terms of increasing visibility, increasing the radius of turn so that less of the cornering grip is used for a given speed, or simply 'cause it makes it nicer.

It is important not to judge others' driving by your own standards and methods. I've never seen either you nor GOATever drive/ride so I can't comment as to which side of the idiot/lunatic divide (idiot being someone who drives slower than you and lunatic being the opposite) as judged by my own driving standards, so worth about 50p and a conker, either of you are.

My experience, however, over more than a few years of sitting alongside drivers and trying to improve their standard, is that going over to the dark side/crossing the dividing line/offsiding (whatever you choose to call it) is used too frequently by drivers - it's either less safe because the vision isn't there or not increasing forward vision sufficiently to make it worth the while or even because it doesn't really reduce the amount of cornering grip needed. Half the secret is developing the skill to know when that's going to be the case. The other half being looking far enough ahead to have sufficient warning as to when it might be useful.

As for SMIDSY - in a decade of being a forensic scientist specialising in the investigation and reconstruction of RTAs (as it was then, I'm no longer down with the kiddies in regards to the latest TLA used to describe heavy mobile objects colliding with each other, random pedestrians and slightly movable parts of the scenery), I never saw a single head-on or similar between motorcycle and other vehicle created by employing the use of all available road space. I did see an 85mph SMIDSY where what ended up as two halves of an Austin Allegro (sadly not stty brown) pulled out across the front of a motorcyclist travelling down the A5 and innumerable ones in London at much, much lower speeds but I digress.

[meatballs]

Using all of the road is probably more likely to have bad consequences than staying in lane unless done with awareness and concentration, and most of the time the benefits are fairly limited.

Also if you are accustomed to town and city and motorway driving then the poor drivers are the ones that can't stay in lane so that mentality feeds through to country roads.

[DoubleD]

meatballs said:

Using all of the road is probably more likely to have bad consequences than staying in lane unless done with awareness and concentration, and most of the time the benefits are fairly limited.

Also if you are accustomed to town and city and motorway driving then the poor drivers are the ones that can't stay in lane so that mentality feeds through to country roads.

True, if you cant concentrate while driving, then its probably better to stay on the left.

[akirk]

DoubleD said:

meatballs said:

Using all of the road is probably more likely to have bad consequences than staying in lane unless done with awareness and concentration, and most of the time the benefits are fairly limited.

Also if you are accustomed to town and city and motorway driving then the poor drivers are the ones that can't stay in lane so that mentality feeds through to country roads.

True, if you cant concentrate while driving, then its probably better to stay on the left.

or preferably at home!

[meatballs]

Note the question is why do so few *people* use all of the road, not why *I* may or may not use all of the road - snarky buggers

[DickyC]

I followed someone using all the road the other day. It didn't look good, it just looked untidy. It certainly didn't look as though the car was being conducted by a driver of superior ability to the rest of us.

[Black_S3]

meatballs said:

Note the question is why do so few *people* use all of the road, not why *I* may or may not use all of the road - snarky buggers

Then I guess the answer will be because in modern cars and tyres there’s really no need.

[DoubleD]

DickyC said:

I followed someone using all the road the other day. It didn't look good, it just looked untidy. It certainly didn't look as though the car was being conducted by a driver of superior ability to the rest of us.

You dont need any extra lessons, its just common sense.


Just waiting for "no one has any common sense"

[SOL111]

meatballs said:

Using all of the road is probably more likely to have bad consequences than staying in lane unless done with awareness and concentration, and most of the time the benefits are fairly limited.

Also if you are accustomed to town and city and motorway driving then the poor drivers are the ones that can't stay in lane so that mentality feeds through to country roads.

I've just spent the last week touring round Cornwall and it confirmed two things.

Using all of the road is really quite feasible and very safe to do, providing you have good visibility and apply some semblance of car control. Done properly it results in a more efficient journey and enjoyable drive.

Idiots also use all of the road but in the worst way possible, exclusively on blind bends and in SUV's/4x4's as they can't be arsed to slow down and change direction properly. Result: near head on collisions with them gesticulating like it's your fault.

Ultimately there's a right and wrong way to do it.

[Dr Jekyll]

DickyC said:

I followed someone using all the road the other day. It didn't look good, it just looked untidy. It certainly didn't look as though the car was being conducted by a driver of superior ability to the rest of us.

The technique isn't about looking good, it's about seeing further ahead.

[DickyC]

Dr Jekyll said:

The technique isn't about looking good, it's about seeing further ahead.

I see that. But the chap I was following looked to me to be fantasizing; using all the road when it wasn't necessary.

"I'm going flat through Eau Rouge."
"You're not, mate. You're going to Homebase."

[lyonspride]

Still I cannot believe how many people chastise others for using all the road, yet seemingly think it's ok straight line a roundabout..................

[DickyC]

lyonspride said:

Still I cannot believe how many people chastise others for using all the road, yet seemingly think it's ok straight line a roundabout..................

You stopping the straight-through-roundabouters to ascertain their views on others using all the road must have led to unpleasantness on occasions, I'd wager.

[Gojira]

DickyC said:

lyonspride said:

Still I cannot believe how many people chastise others for using all the road, yet seemingly think it's ok straight line a roundabout..................

You stopping the straight-through-roundabouters to ascertain their views on others using all the road must have led to unpleasantness on occasions, I'd wager.

Well played, Sir!

[lyonspride]

Gojira said:

DickyC said:

lyonspride said:

Still I cannot believe how many people chastise others for using all the road, yet seemingly think it's ok straight line a roundabout..................

You stopping the straight-through-roundabouters to ascertain their views on others using all the road must have led to unpleasantness on occasions, I'd wager.

Well played, Sir!

Unwittingly proving my point.....

[DickyC]

Gojira said:

Well played, Sir!

Too kind. Too kind.