Do cameras distract you as well ??
Discussion
I used to concentrate quite a lot while driving on, well driving, but with more and more speed cameras I spend a lot of time looking for them and looking out for road signs. And when I do see one I spend between 7 and 10 seconds looking at my speedo. Am I the only one who has become a worse driver since the camera plague has hit the UK???????
lxtwin said:
I used to concentrate quite a lot while driving on, well driving, but with more and more speed cameras I spend a lot of time looking for them and looking out for road signs. And when I do see one I spend between 7 and 10 seconds looking at my speedo. Am I the only one who has become a worse driver since the camera plague has hit the UK???????
No
Id say that with regard to fixed cams I'm not distracted at all and the only thing the alter is my speed immediately prior to them. Other than that they have no bearing, obviously just make sure I dont trigger them!
I think the greatest possibility of being distracted is the scanning for scamera vans but even then I wouldn't call it distraction. I don't think it detracts in a neg way from how I drive. Its just another competing factor in hazard awareness which moves up and down the priority list depending on situation! I'm just more aware of the possibility of being caught and probably factor this into the way I drive. (This doesn't mean I necessarily drive any slower or IMO effect the quality of my driving in a positive/neg way
I think the greatest possibility of being distracted is the scanning for scamera vans but even then I wouldn't call it distraction. I don't think it detracts in a neg way from how I drive. Its just another competing factor in hazard awareness which moves up and down the priority list depending on situation! I'm just more aware of the possibility of being caught and probably factor this into the way I drive. (This doesn't mean I necessarily drive any slower or IMO effect the quality of my driving in a positive/neg way
Edited by llamekcuf on Tuesday 31st October 01:26
It’s the unnecessarily and unnaturally low limits too, not just the cameras.
It used to be that you could drive at a sensible speed (you didn’t know your exact speed, you weren’t bovvered too) on good roads while giving full concentration to the hazards ahead. Now you amble along at 40/30 on the same roads falling asleep from lack of stimulation, compounded by the fact you’re spending far longer on it, with one eye on the speedo because it’s now so easy to exceed the speed limit, especially when dozing off, and be pinged.
It used to be that you could drive at a sensible speed (you didn’t know your exact speed, you weren’t bovvered too) on good roads while giving full concentration to the hazards ahead. Now you amble along at 40/30 on the same roads falling asleep from lack of stimulation, compounded by the fact you’re spending far longer on it, with one eye on the speedo because it’s now so easy to exceed the speed limit, especially when dozing off, and be pinged.
smeggy said:
It’s the unnecessarily and unnaturally low limits too, not just the cameras.
It used to be that you could drive at a sensible speed (you didn’t know your exact speed, you weren’t bovvered too) on good roads while giving full concentration to the hazards ahead. Now you amble along at 40/30 on the same roads falling asleep from lack of stimulation, compounded by the fact you’re spending far longer on it, with one eye on the speedo because it’s now so easy to exceed the speed limit, especially when dozing off, and be pinged.
It used to be that you could drive at a sensible speed (you didn’t know your exact speed, you weren’t bovvered too) on good roads while giving full concentration to the hazards ahead. Now you amble along at 40/30 on the same roads falling asleep from lack of stimulation, compounded by the fact you’re spending far longer on it, with one eye on the speedo because it’s now so easy to exceed the speed limit, especially when dozing off, and be pinged.
What you’re saying here is that you’re falling asleep because you’re unable to drive nearer to the physical limit of the road, which would stimulate by being in danger of running off the road. We have to bear in mind that public roads are not expected to be used as racetracks or for time trials. Perhaps we need artificial stimulants (no not that kind), some device that makes you feel as though you’re driving on the edge? E.g. removing all the sound deadening from inside the car to put us back in touch with the machine, or having a hard seat so we can feel the vibration.
herewego said:
What you’re saying here is that you’re falling asleep because you’re unable to drive nearer to the physical limit of the road, which would stimulate by being in danger of running off the road. We have to bear in mind that public roads are not expected to be used as racetracks or for time trials. Perhaps we need artificial stimulants (no not that kind), some device that makes you feel as though you’re driving on the edge? E.g. removing all the sound deadening from inside the car to put us back in touch with the machine.
I don't think this is as daft as it sounds. If you think back 20 years or so, cars were difficult to drive, they weren't particularly comfortable, they were noisy, ventilation in hot weather was provided by opening the windows, there was no air con, there was no ABS, there was very little air conditioning, no moile phones, no CD players, there were crackly radios frequently only with MW and LW! They weren't as fast or as efficent as they are now, and acceleration was poor (all in general of course as there were exceptions). However the result was you actually had to concentrate when driving. There was also the danger of finding the police operating a speed trap which might well have been hidden!
Now however cars will virtually drive themselves, and they certainly don;t need as much concentration as they did. Of course the changes should be we are able to concentrate better on the road and the hazards, but the accident statistics shows this doesn't happen. What has happened is our feeling of safety has improved, and therefore we believe we can drive faster, until some are driving at speeds which exceed the conditions that apply at the time and therefore throw their cars at the scenery.
herewego said:
What you’re saying here is that you’re falling asleep because you’re unable to drive nearer to the physical limit of the road, which would stimulate by being in danger of running off the road. We have to bear in mind that public roads are not expected to be used as racetracks or for time trials.
I do not act competitively or push the envelope on public roads, I don't need to do that to stay awake; this is about information underload, not overload.
Different people handle this in different ways. Consider pointless meetings: some can stay awake no matter what; others, like me, soon fall asleep. This is because there is not enough stimulation to warrant thought.
herewego said:
Perhaps we need artificial stimulants (no not that kind), some device that makes you feel as though you’re driving on the edge? E.g. removing all the sound deadening from inside the car to put us back in touch with the machine, or having a hard seat so we can feel the vibration.
Such measures could end up being distracting from the real task at hand. It's no good being stimulated if your senses are being directed elsewhere. The brain needs to be engaged on the task, nothing else.
I guarantee there'll be many more sleep related accidents if the hairbrained scheme of '50mph NSL and signs to mean kph' is introduced.
i really don't understand the argument that they are a distraction.
when i drive along i'm looking ahead and assesing what the traffic is doing and looking for potential hazzards, whether its a parked car, a junction or a camera.
the only way they have changed my driving is that now if i see a parked van beside the road or in a lay-by, i tend to do a quick check of my speedo, and ease off if required.
i just wish there was a standard for marking of camera vans or ANPR vans, as some are marked up like a christmas tree and easily visible, but some just have plain old sign writing, and are harder to tell.
when i drive along i'm looking ahead and assesing what the traffic is doing and looking for potential hazzards, whether its a parked car, a junction or a camera.
the only way they have changed my driving is that now if i see a parked van beside the road or in a lay-by, i tend to do a quick check of my speedo, and ease off if required.
i just wish there was a standard for marking of camera vans or ANPR vans, as some are marked up like a christmas tree and easily visible, but some just have plain old sign writing, and are harder to tell.
lxtwin said:
I used to concentrate quite a lot while driving on, well driving, but with more and more speed cameras I spend a lot of time looking for them and looking out for road signs. And when I do see one I spend between 7 and 10 seconds looking at my speedo. Am I the only one who has become a worse driver since the camera plague has hit the UK???????
Me too.
Try driving along the Wirral with 40 mph road that used to be 70 mph, constant changes in limits and cop patrols parked behind bushes waiting to pounce. Speedo watching is madness.
Tafia said:
lxtwin said:
I used to concentrate quite a lot while driving on, well driving, but with more and more speed cameras I spend a lot of time looking for them and looking out for road signs. And when I do see one I spend between 7 and 10 seconds looking at my speedo. Am I the only one who has become a worse driver since the camera plague has hit the UK???????
Me too.
Try driving along the Wirral with 40 mph road that used to be 70 mph, constant changes in limits and cop patrols parked behind bushes waiting to pounce. Speedo watching is madness.
If there are too many changes in limits then maybe we want a satnav device now to tell us when we're exceeding the limit.
herewego said:
Tafia said:
lxtwin said:
I used to concentrate quite a lot while driving on, well driving, but with more and more speed cameras I spend a lot of time looking for them and looking out for road signs. And when I do see one I spend between 7 and 10 seconds looking at my speedo. Am I the only one who has become a worse driver since the camera plague has hit the UK???????
Me too.
Try driving along the Wirral with 40 mph road that used to be 70 mph, constant changes in limits and cop patrols parked behind bushes waiting to pounce. Speedo watching is madness.
If there are too many changes in limits then maybe we want a satnav device now to tell us when we're exceeding the limit.
That wouldn't be the best solution. The best solution is minimal distraction from the worry of cash-extraction devices, myriad other signs and attempts to clog up the flow of traffic and a return to letting the driver look at what's important, i.e. the ever-changing road ahead. That's what we had when the death rate was reducing progressively until cameras were introduced.
Its not the cameras that worry me, its the other drivers. Just last sunday travelling in a 30 limit , quite a bend road so the guy in front is doing 20-25. Very sensible thinks me, and Im hanging back lots of space between us no one in a rush. He comes round a bend at 25 and sees a Truvelo pointing at him and hits the anchors hard, going down to <10 MPH then crawling past at the same speed. Now of course it didnt cause me a problem as I had left a gap but it made me wonder - if someone had been tailgating him instead which is very likely when doing 25 in a 30 and he'd hit the anchors that hard it would surely have resulted in a shunt. And where would the blame lie ? 50/50 ? As it was I braked more gently and had to pull right up to his boot to avoid making a quick stop as the car behind me was very very close.
Do people really think you need to crawl past them ? madness.
Do people really think you need to crawl past them ? madness.
Edited by bigdods on Tuesday 31st October 12:31
Yep. Both speed cameras and speed limit cuts are very distracting for me. 15 years ago you if you drove sensibly without a speedo then you would be unlikely to get done, simply because the speed limits were often set near 85th percentile levels and the police often allowed at least another 10mph over that before pulling you over.
Nowadays, we have panic braking (including drivers who are already observing the limit), slow overtaking on dual carriageways with cameras, lack of observation, tailgating by frustrated motorists who have to follow 9 pointers - all partly due to less police, but more importantly due to councils that have a "cut the speed limit, what's the question" attitude to safety, with limits enforced without discretion.
Road safety has changed into little more than a numbers game these days - and it certainly isn't working.
Nowadays, we have panic braking (including drivers who are already observing the limit), slow overtaking on dual carriageways with cameras, lack of observation, tailgating by frustrated motorists who have to follow 9 pointers - all partly due to less police, but more importantly due to councils that have a "cut the speed limit, what's the question" attitude to safety, with limits enforced without discretion.
Road safety has changed into little more than a numbers game these days - and it certainly isn't working.
vonhosen said:
The amount I look at the speedo doesn't change when cameras are around, because I'm looking to observe the limit at other times, not just at the times cameras are present. It was a basic simple requirement for me in my driving test & that requirement hasn't changed.
But what about those of us that live in the real world von? Unlike you we are not looking to observe the limit at all times. That makes us a target of speed enforcement and when in close proximity to the scam most of us will give the speedo extra attention. No matter how comfortable we are with that, it will always be more of a negative than positive action. Eyes on the road ahead has to be better than eyes on the vehicle instruments.
As I said before von, just imagine if your speedo and GPS failed at the same time. You would be unable to continue your journey as you could not possibly risk slipping over a speed limit
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