Anyone been exposed to the 'Pledge2DriveSafely'?

[Chris-R]

Do any PHers work for a company taking part in the Brake Pledge2DriveSafely campaign sponsored by Balfour Beatty?

I've been looking at the Brake campaign website and was suprised by this statement on their sign-up page:

"We will not pass your details on to third parties, however we may pass details to your company/employer if they request an update on who has made the Pledge online."

In its bumph Brake claims the numbers of 'pledgers' is in the 1000s at present. That's not very impressive, so could there be a strategy to coerce fleet drivers into signing through fear of employment 'repercussions' if they don't?

I can visualise the headlines already: 'Brake calls for urgent action after 75 percent of company car drivers agree rural speed limits are too high...'

[4Q]

Chris-R said:

I can visualise the headlines already: 'Brake calls for urgent action after 75 percent of company car drivers agree rural speed limits are too high...'

'Brake' in skewed stats shocker!

Another thing I see is their suggestion the best thing you can do is stop driving altogether. Well, that'll do the economy a world of good, that will! Morons.

ETA: I'd feel worse about my OH finding that site on my browsing history than if she found the porn I was surfing earlier. Not as bad as any Mercedes Benz owners should feel though...check the 'corporate supporters' page. Oh dear, I'd expect to see Network Rail there but not a manufacturer of performance cars!

Edited by 4Q on Friday 11th February 00:21

[bigdog3]

Two prime pieces of advice from our friends at BRAKE. Perhaps they should change their name to STOP?

Now I’m driving…
7. Slow Down - the most important pledge for all drivers
I pledge to drive below limits, taking particular care at junctions, bends and in bad weather, avoiding overtaking, and slowing to 20mph or below around schools and homes.

Don’t overtake
Make a policy never to overtake unless it is extremely safe and extremely obvious that you should. For example, if you are overtaking a 5mph tractor on a very straight stretch of road. In most cases you won’t need to overtake because the vehicle in front is going at a perfectly acceptable speed. Instead, hang back and relax. You won’t get there much quicker by overtaking, and you might not get there at all. Many deaths on rural roads are caused in head-on collisions by drivers overtaking at speed who hit a vehicle coming in the other direction. If your policy is to ‘overtake as quickly as possible in case something comes the other way’ then you are a dangerous driver and need to stop overtaking. Breaking a speed limit to overtake is not legal.

[bigdog3]

BRAKE'S policy of DON'T OVERTAKE is worthy of consideration. A work colleague was bumbling along in his Fiesta between two trucks running at the mandatory 56 mph, when the first truck braked sharply but unfortunately the driver of the second truck didn't react. Consequently overall length of the Fiesta was reduced by 70% and my colleague was extruded through the sun roof like toothpaste (including the red stripes). He died later that day in hospital.

Says much for the policy of driving slowly and never overtaking.

Edited by bigdog3 on Thursday 17th February 17:40

Edited by bigdog3 on Thursday 17th February 17:41

[Dogwatch]

Is it safe to overtake on a dual carriageway/motorway? Perhaps not....

One thing about GPS, it does highlight those who are driving below the limit on their speedometers 'to be safe' which are themselves over reading.

[Gaygle]

bigdog3 said:

Don’t overtake
For example, if you are overtaking a 5mph tractor on a very straight stretch of road.

It gives you an idea as to how mental these people are about speed when they use a 5 mph tractor in their example of what they think the only safe overtake is. I don't think they realise how slow 5mph is - most people jog at around 5 mph don't they?

bigdog3 said:

In most cases you won’t need to overtake because the vehicle in front is going at a perfectly acceptable speed.

Really? I'd like to see their figures for this. What do they consider a perfectly acceptable speed? I'm guessing since they used a vehicle moving at 5mph as an example of when you are allowed to overtake, they consider 30-35mph in a 60 limit as "accepable speed". I seem to constantly follow these 35-40mph bds wherever i go. I swear it didn't used to be this bad...

bigdog3 said:

You won’t get there much quicker by overtaking,

Well, i will actually.

bigdog3 said:

and you might not get there at all.

Way to be overdramatic

bigdog3 said:

If your policy is to ‘overtake as quickly as possible in case something comes the other way’ then you are a dangerous driver and need to stop overtaking.

Right ok. Thanks for pointing this out to me "Brake". I am eternally grateful. Instead of overtaking as quickly as possible, i'm going to now take longer to overtake, which means i'm going to spend longer on the wrong side of the road. I see people do this EVERY morning and i tense up. A 1.2 Fiesta taking 10 seconds to overtake something at 40mph is quite a scary sight.

EDIT: I also notice that they don't mention anything to do with not fitting the cheapest POS tyres to your car, which most people i know do. Nor do they mention checking your mirrors frequently. Or keeping left on the motorways.

You just know these people are the ones who travel 40mph everywhere, sit in the middle lane at 50 on motorways and think they are the safest drivers in the world.

Edited by Gaygle on Wednesday 23 February 14:44

[Scraggles]

1 - after 18 months of drunk driving, have been very careful not to drink and drive, esp after a session the night before knowing how easy it is
2- mostly tend to drive refreshed, often had the alarm go off and think bks to this, too tired alarm off and wake up at 9:15 thinking wtf ?
3 - one good eye, one less good eye, optician has no issues as the good eye takes over ?
4 - as and when, usually every other week
5 - quite easy, the beeping noise is really annoying
6 - phone off as not need to speak to the boss, if he needs to speak to me, there is voicemail
7 - find having a clean licence helps a lot, so slow to the road conditions and if they are good, speed up

no pledges

[bigdog3]

How about something more positive than this "BRAKE" emotive nonsense? IAM has the objective of increasing skills for all road users, raising driving and riding standards and helping to save lives on our roads. IAM runs the Drive & Survive course which is focused on occupational driver risk management. Some years back I took this course and it was outstanding.

Before the obvious challenge, I am not a member of IAM and have no vested interests.

When meeting a road hazard, Drive & Survive taught:

SLOW on the approach to hazard.
KNOW potential risks by fully assessing the situation.
GO when circumstances are safe. Minimise exposure to risk by executing manoeuvre without delay.

Positive advanced driving techniques to manage and minimise risk were the focus of D&S mentality. Poles apart from BRAKE'S Drive Slowly and Don't Overtake. Think I know which is the safer policy.

[bigdog3]

Hey BRAKE has brightened my day which I didn't think was possible.

As a safety charity committed to "Stopping the Carnage" and "Caring for the Victims" of road crashes (the term accident is non PC), BRAKE are organising sponsored Parachute Jumps! Their promotion enthuses:

"Imagine standing at the edge of an open doorway in an aircraft flying at 10,000 feet - the noise of the engines and the wind ringing in your ears with only the outline of distant fields below. Now imagine leaning forward out of that doorway and letting go - falling forward into the clouds, diving down through the air as you start freefalling at over 120mph"

There's a maxim amongst pilots that even with a parachute "Only a madman would jump out of servicable aircraft"

So in terms of risk awareness, BRAKE promotes safe prachute jumps to combat the lethal dangers of motoring. Wonder if anything could be more dangerous that horrid cars? What a farce!