Having police on the motorway didn't help!
Discussion
Yesterday mid morning on the M6, it's fairly quiet, we are all nicely spaced out cruising easily at an average speed of about 80.
All of a sudden, brake lights and we're all doing 60 mph bunched two feet from each other.
Of course, the reason is a police car bimbling along the inside lane.
We get past it, everything spaces out again and we go back to cruising nicely at 80.
All of a sudden, brake lights and we're all doing 60 mph bunched two feet from each other.
Of course, the reason is a police car bimbling along the inside lane.
We get past it, everything spaces out again and we go back to cruising nicely at 80.
The motorway limit is a maximum speed (whether too low, that isn't the statement here)
The police car was driving at approximately 56 mph in order for other vehicles to drive past.
If the police car was driving at 70 mph there would in effect be a 70 mph rolling block.
Observation - slow gradual slowing will stop a frenetic brake pushing situation. After all, if you have to brake sharply to avoid the car in front you are either too close or not paying attention.
Besides, isn't 80mph over the maximum speed
A gentle slow to 70 ish would not cause a problem, why did everyone slow to 60???
Naughty naughty police car making people hit the brakes because they are speeding.....
>> Edited by silverback mike on Monday 11th October 12:09
The police car was driving at approximately 56 mph in order for other vehicles to drive past.
If the police car was driving at 70 mph there would in effect be a 70 mph rolling block.
Observation - slow gradual slowing will stop a frenetic brake pushing situation. After all, if you have to brake sharply to avoid the car in front you are either too close or not paying attention.
Besides, isn't 80mph over the maximum speed
A gentle slow to 70 ish would not cause a problem, why did everyone slow to 60??? Naughty naughty police car making people hit the brakes because they are speeding.....
>> Edited by silverback mike on Monday 11th October 12:09
silverback mike said:
The motorway limit is a maximum speed (whether too low, that isn't the statement here)
The police car was driving at approximately 56 mph in order for other vehicles to drive past.
If the police car was driving at 70 mph there would in effect be a 70 mph rolling block.
Observation - slow gradual slowing will stop a frenetic brake pushing situation. After all, if you have to brake sharply to avoid the car in front you are either too close or not paying attention.
Besides, isn't 80mph over the maximum speed
Naughty naughty police car making people hit the brakes because they are speeding.....
I agree with most of that, but can anyone say they've successfully maintained a 2 second gap without getting it 'filled' by someone "in a hurry"
Even if you do manage to get a 2 second gap, and are paying attention you still find yourself standing on the brakes every now and again. Ever tried driving past Clacket Lanes Services on the M25 and experienced the "concertina effect" ?
A slow gradual decrease in speed would create a concertina miles further down the road, no? If car 1 drecreases slowly (ie not braking), car 2 does the same and so on. Eventually, due to the ever increasing effect of the reaction times, someone has to brake, then car 15 has to brake hard, then car 178 miles down the road comes to a grinding halt for no obvious reason.
Does this make sense to anyone else? just an idea.
On the rolling road block, you do find most people too timid to pass a police car, even if they're sub 75ish. More often than not, the kind bib trying to allow people to pass at 56mph, becomes a rolling road block.
sorry for long post, slightly tired and bored at work
silverback mike said:
70 mph no problems at all, so why slow if the police car has no strobes on.
Do people look across, smile & acknowledge you ?
or
Do they have that stare into space I've done nothing wrong, but really I'm a criminal look?
My dad always used to be scared of policeman for some reason, he go all jelly like & give way to plod cars at every possible opportunity, whoevers right of way it was. Caused lots of chaos many a time.
lanciachris said:
Police car = clearly not the problem. Numpties being blind and panic braking = the problem.
I saw it all this morning on the M4. Average of 90 mph in the outside lane. I am pootling along the inside at 65 - 70mph and watching the numpties two lanes away. EVERYONE was too close and as soon as one hit the brakes the wave started down the third lane until it almost came to a stop. As it does lane 2 and 1 are quite happily continuing on our way watching the numpties crawling in the outside lane.
When will people realise that driving that close is at the best only going to stop the outside lane dead and at worst cause a pile up on a Monday morning
silverback mike said:
70 mph no problems at all, so why slow if the police car has no strobes on.
Exactly!
It must be amusing from your point of view, to be sitting there, watching people standing on the brakes and following behind.
Are you allowed to change that dot-matrix display in the back to:
just go past you bumbling idiots!
The problem is neither the police (they have to travel between tea breaks FFS) 
or the numpties.
The problem is drugs.
Tree huggers take drugs. Then they read "the sandalist" and join "right on" protest groups. Politicians listen to them and so far have refused to scrap the "temporary" 70mph limit. Hence you get tossers who used to see you in the rear view mirror and shit themselves therefore never ventured into the outside lane again getting very confident. Over the years the timidity of said tossers has become full confidence safe in the knowlege that the politicians and assorted sandalists are all tripping on right on bullshit so the attitude of "why should I move over I am doing 70?" rules.
Solution, bomb Collumbia.
or the numpties. The problem is drugs.
Tree huggers take drugs. Then they read "the sandalist" and join "right on" protest groups. Politicians listen to them and so far have refused to scrap the "temporary" 70mph limit. Hence you get tossers who used to see you in the rear view mirror and shit themselves therefore never ventured into the outside lane again getting very confident. Over the years the timidity of said tossers has become full confidence safe in the knowlege that the politicians and assorted sandalists are all tripping on right on bullshit so the attitude of "why should I move over I am doing 70?" rules.
Solution, bomb Collumbia.
Raify said:
A slow gradual decrease in speed would create a concertina miles further down the road, no? If car 1 drecreases slowly (ie not braking), car 2 does the same and so on. Eventually, due to the ever increasing effect of the reaction times, someone has to brake, then car 15 has to brake hard, then car 178 miles down the road comes to a grinding halt for no obvious reason.
Does this make sense to anyone else? just an idea.
This is often called the domino effect. This is caused by drivers (especially those minds drift away and mindlessly follow/tailgate the car in front) overbraking, then under-accelerating, leaving a 10 second gap in front of them. I don't think this has anything to do with reaction time, rather a lack of looking ahead and panic breaking!
I remember the very first time I drove a police car on a motorway....
It was 10.30am and I thought..."Very quiet today on the roads...especially for a Monday morning..."..
Then I looked in my mirror and
There were 100s of cars behind me...all at the same speed in all three lanes...
Street
It was 10.30am and I thought..."Very quiet today on the roads...especially for a Monday morning..."..
Then I looked in my mirror and
There were 100s of cars behind me...all at the same speed in all three lanes... Street
I'd prefer the plod to drive at 60 so that I can cruise past and then speed up again, rather than them driving at 71 causing the whole motorway to do the same.
Interesting post about being terrified by police - I was once follwed (and eventually pulled over) by a copper in the middle of the night. I was do busy watching my mirrors I had my headlights on full beam all the time, fluffed every gearchange, braked too late for roundabouts and did 63mph up the A3.
No wonder I got tugged actually.
Bill
Interesting post about being terrified by police - I was once follwed (and eventually pulled over) by a copper in the middle of the night. I was do busy watching my mirrors I had my headlights on full beam all the time, fluffed every gearchange, braked too late for roundabouts and did 63mph up the A3.
No wonder I got tugged actually.
Bill
hedders said:
I remember the very first time I drove a police car on a motorway....
It was 10.30am and I thought..."Very quiet today on the roads...especially for a Monday morning..."..
Then I looked in my mirror and
Street
You don't check your mirrors often enough Street, you Numpty
Oops! Exit DK, hurridly.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
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