Driver Blamed for Hitting Cows on Road at Night

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Stefan

I don't disagree I've not studied the subject but jeez it sounds like a ludicrously long time to react.

Yeah, honestly, I can't relate to it. I'm not trying to sound like I'm some sort of freak, but maybe I just have remarkably good foot speed, I've never needed anywhere near a second to go from seeing an obstacle to getting my foot on the brake.

It's a fair point that was made above WRT driving while mind occupied with other tasks, I try not to do that, and anticipate others idiocy.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by b0son

Yeah, honestly, I can't relate to it. I'm not trying to sound like I'm some sort of freak, but maybe I just have remarkably good foot speed, I've never needed anywhere near a second to go from seeing an obstacle to getting my foot on the brake.

It's a fair point that was made above WRT driving while mind occupied with other tasks, I try not to do that, and anticipate others idiocy.

You don't think it takes that long...we always overestimate how good we were after the fact, we've all done it. Some people learn the hard way sadly. There was a child killed outside a school in Bundaberg just up the road from where we lived way back in the early 1990's...it was after school time and the zone had gone back to 60kph with no lollipop lady there. Some kid had stayed back for sports lessons or something. The child ran right out in front of the poor driver when their car was just about on the pedestrian crossing, and the skidmarks didn't start until well after the crossing. Police said completely no fault of the driver, it was just normal reaction of a couple of seconds travelling at 60kph between seeing the danger, reacting, moving your foot over to the brake, slamming it on, the car reacting, etc.
Takes way longer than you'd like, believe me.

Originally Posted by Stefan

I don't disagree I've not studied the subject but jeez it sounds like a ludicrously long time to react.

Scary indeed.

That's fallible human beings in a "surprise!" situation for you. as I said, reaction times are way quicker on the drag strip...but you're ready for it, you're expecting what's about to happen and you're all keyed up for it.
Throw the completely unexpected into the mix out on the roads in the real world and christ knows what will happen.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Sorry, but if they do it a couple of seconds away, maybe even up to five or more seconds away depending how occupied you are with other things at the time, chances are you won't even get your foot on the brake pedal.
Real life isn't a drag strip.

Yeah, real life isn't a drag strip, but anything over 2 seconds is starting to push it. 2 seconds is a long time when driving. Watch some dash cam crashes, often from the time the hazard appears to the time the accident is over it is well within a 5 second time frame. If your reaction time is over 2 seconds, you are probably not paying attention to the road, so that is hardly a reaction time delay.

[2011G6E]

60kph is 16 meters per second.
Even with Formula One driver-like reflexes and less than the normal human reaction time of two seconds (yes it is, tests have repeatedly shown what it is in an unexpected situation...you're human), you're going to cover maybe 30 meters before even hitting the brake pedal. Two seconds is a reasonable time if you stare at your watch and notice it tick by, but when you're doing other things (like controlling a car in traffic) two seconds is gone in a flash and you would swear it's way less a time than it is.

Look ahead down the road 30 meters...that's a looong way to travel. One stupid old road safety commercial used to show as one example a person stepping out from between parked cars right in front of a car and getting hit. Shockingly they blamed the car driver, saying "Slow down".
Slow down? Slow DOWN? The trigger to go for the brakes in the instance they showed would have been the thud when the idiot stepped right in front of the car. Your foot would have still been on the accelerator when it happened.

Too many people assume that if the "surprise" moment ever happens to them they will have god like reflexes and be on the brake pedal in a poofteenth of a second and bring the car to an amazingly controlled stop saving everyone!
Drive like that isn't going to happen.
Accept that your reaction time is limited by basic human physiology, failings and weaknesses, and drive accordingly. Look ahead (but not too far ahead, dangers can pop up close to you as well), try to anticipate, but also realise that if someone does do something foolish like step out in front of you, come through a stop sign, or you crest a rise on the highway at 100kph and find some idiot doing a u-turn (as I did a while back on the motorbike...a police camera van actually...) there might just be little you can do about it but try to hit the brakes as best you can and hope for the best.

[Maka]

Driving with a safety margin in the sticks at night saves lives, if you cant react & stop / slow down you are going too fast. Simple physics hey! Drive within your capabilities not your car's capabilities, in most cases the two don't match up imo.

cheer's, Maka

[99AUXR]

Thats easier said than done

I drive at 100km/h in NZ at night. The whole South Island is classed as rural .

[Maka]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

This is easier said than done.

What night driving on a unlit bush road at 7/10's instead of 9/10's? Well, depending on age i can agree with that!!! How much more do young people pay for car insurance again.....

cheer's, Maka

[99AUXR]

See we dont really have much bush road in the South Island.

Also our insurance isnt compulsary here so it apears to be cheaper than similar cases in Aus. Think I get full cover on modified car at age of 22. . . . $1K P.A

But I guess we cannot compare our roads to yours, we don't have roos but have wallabies. Few years back a guy in an older Porsche was traveling late at night came around a corner and hit a deer. Thats just unlucky

[Maka]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

See we dont really have much bush road in the South Island.

Also our insurance isnt compulsary here so it apears to be cheaper than similar cases in Aus. Think I get full cover on modified car at age of 22. . . . $1K P.A

But I guess we cannot compare our roads to yours, we don't have roos but have wallabies. Few years back a guy in an older Porsche was traveling late at night came around a corner and hit a deer. Thats just unlucky

Stupid blind corners

cheer's, Maka

[Harrison]

The 2 - 4 sec reaction time is for a driver cruising merrily along with foot on throttle then an unexpected hazard suddenly presents itself.

That driver in the clip should have been off the gas with his foot hovering (if not lightly pressing) the brake pedal 2-4 secs after noticing the approaching driver frantically flashing his lights.

If you don't agree with this then, to be quite honest, you probably should avoid driving on unlit country roads until you get some common sense.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Harrison

The 2 - 4 sec reaction time is for a driver cruising merrily along with foot on throttle then an unexpected hazard suddenly presents itself.

That driver in the clip should have been off the gas with his foot hovering (if not lightly pressing) the brake pedal 2-4 secs after noticing the approaching driver frantically flashing his lights.

If you don't agree with this then, to be quite honest, you probably should avoid driving on unlit country roads until you get some common sense.

Spot on by the time the guy was flashing his lights in a frenzy I would be lucky if I was still travelling at 50-60km/hr by the time he got to me, and proceeding carefully to work out what the problem was which could have been one of plenty of options, broken down vehicle suck in the dark, road washed away, tree over road, accident, wildlife, etc

Personally I can not comprehend how someone gets an urgent warning like that on a remote stretch of road and chooses to completely ignore it.

I could completely understand this accident happening if there was no advanced warning given well in advance.