Hi-Vis

[Errin Paddywack]

My husband had an accident which technically was his fault. He was turning right out of a side turning onto a bigger road. To the right the road went slightly uphill and round a bend. The road has a 50 limit on it and on the approach to the bend there are rumble strips and a warning about a side turn. Sensible speed round that corner would be 40 or less. He stopped, checked the road then started to pull out, only just stuck his nose out when a car whipped round the corner. He slammed the brakes on and you could see the nose of the car had dropped as the oncoming car ran straight over the end of his bonnet. It carried on up the road without any deviation and stopped about a 100yds up. No brake marks at all. That driver had to have been travelling at well over the speed limit in order to do the damage it did to our car without even deviating from its line. Police were called, however noone was hurt so it was just a car on car incident and dealt with by the insurance companies. Had my husband been slightly further out into the road he would have been badly injured or killed. The driver was an older man with a car load and was late for a bowls match. My husband did know him slightly. We lost a lot of money on our car but feel very lucky it wasn't a worse outcome. Pictures attached of where the other car ended up and one of the front of our car where you can clearly see that he ran over the nose. That was 2017 still feel very bitter about it.

 

[Hanno Verian]

This sums it up perfectly. Its great to be on the defensive and be seen in hi viz from a long way off, but it shouldn't be necessary to avoid being hit! A driver just needs to be able to see whether the road is clear in the distance he needs to stop, which is not from light years away. IMHO a driver who is unable to see that something the size of a horse and rider/motorcyclist/invalid carriage/party of ramblers is in the road at 100m (which is the average stopping distance even at 70mph) is seriously at fault! And if he cannot see that far ahead due to light conditions/weather/bends in the road, he needs to slow down until the distance he can see to be clear is no less than his stopping distance. Many drivers are dangerously complacent on a daily basis. It usually doesn't matter because there isn't an obstruction, but occasionally there is and drivers need to to be expecting the unexpected, not assuming all is well even out of their sight line. I'd really like to see much more publicity about this. The roads are not race tracks or video games, they are rights of way for many types of users who all have equal rights to use them and all need to have consideration for each other's vulnerabilities.

Absolutely agree

 

[Errin Paddywack]

https://www.portsmouthctc.org.uk/a-fighter-pilots-guide-to-surviving-on-the-roads/

I found this fascinating, explains a lot of anomalies. For instance when clearing my lawn of dog poo every morning, I often I think I have finished then see another pile right where I have been clearing that I have inexplicably missed. Also my sister and I regularly go out clearing spear thistles in our field. You can be absolutely convinced you have dealt with every one then turn round and find several you have missed. The description of how your vision 'jumps' when you scan explains that precisely. Very useful piece of information.

 

[MissTyc]

Fascinating link, thanks for sharing! I recently pulled (carefully) out onto a roundbout only to realise I was about to hit a car in the side! I managed to slam on the brakes and the other car zoomed off. I was very shaken. That car was invisible to me, like it suddenly turned up right in front of me. I really don't want to experience that again, and am very grateful I wasn't going any faster.

 

[scats]

That link was really interesting and explains what I like to refer to as ‘ragwort blindness’! When I scan a part of the field and am convinced that I’ve got it all and then the next day in the same area I see huge bushes of the stuff and have no idea how I missed them!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Having just watched the video, how you could possibly place any blame on the motorcyclist is beyond me.

Agree.

This is exactly same circumstances that killed my brother-in-law two years ago. A clear sunny day with excellent visibility and a truck turned in front of him.

I’ve also been a key witness to a double fatality motorcycle accident when a car pulled out of a T-junction into the path of a motorcycle with pillion passenger. Although the driver was technically at fault and pleaded guilty, as a witness I always felt that the motorcycle could have anticipated better and slowed down as the junction was known to be a difficult one and the longer view somewhat obscured by the incline of the road. It’s since been changed to a mini roundabout with a slower speed limit.

Hi-viz wouldn’t have made any difference in these incidents.

 

[scats]

On a slightly different note, this morning I was driving home from the shore with the dogs. I turned off the road that runs alongside the beach and was now driving into the glare of the sun. I caught sight of two horse riders coming towards me on the other side of the road, I could barely make them out to be honest, but the movement of their legs made me realise what they were. It’s so easy to be completely blinded by the sun.
As I got alongside them not one had any hi viz on and both were dark horses and riders in dark clothing. I don’t think hi vis would have helped with the sun glare but I still can’t understand why people don’t just stick at least one item of hi viz on when out on the roads.
One of the ladies thanked me, the other absolutely scowled at me (riding 2 abreast and she was nearest me) as I went past. It got my back right up and I started ranting to my poor mother who was in the car about hi viz and lack of manners. It’s no wonder riders get such a bad name around here with people like that about.