One of my pet subjects. Safe Driving.
I used to cycle 5 klms each way to school. I saw many accidents involving cyclists and cars. I was involved in a minor one.
As I saw it, motorists seemed to be blind for cyclists. When I was hit, the women apologetically said, "I just didn't see you until I hit you."
How could she not have seen me? I was right in front of her. She had not waited for the intersection to clear. I did not believe what I saw. She stopped and then proceeded to go through the intersection. Hit the brakes just before she careered into me.
I believe she had seen me but it did not register. She only had partial attention to her driving. Only looking for cars to clear. This is how many people drive. Partial attention and then react so slowly when quick responses are required.
Another story: I was about to enter a main road (I was driving a car).
I noticed a young waman tailgating. It was a few minutes before I joined the flow of traffic. Eventually I came upon the woman's car I saw earlier. She had rear-ended the car in front of her.
I stopped to help. The young lady was abusing the driver in front of her. "He should not stop so fast. Drivers behind you need time to stop."
She further claimed that he was in the wrong and that he is responsible for the damage to her car. (WOW. This girl needs to be licence retested)
The driver in the front car stated that he slowed normally indicating a right turn and stopped waiting for clearance. Witnesses confirmed that.
Again, inattention and driving beyond her means. Tailgating and slow to react.
Even paying the due attention to driving, at 60K/H you travel 12M in 0.7 secs. That is before you even start to slow down.
With out due care, 2 secs puts the car through the intersection, 35M
Idealy I would have liked to see all young drivers do one year on bicycles before being awarded a full licence. It makes you more aware of safety and promotes a defensive attitude. Of-course that is not practicable in the real world.
However I rarely have a close call. The only accidents I have been involved in in the last 20 years have happened while I was stationary at intersections or as a passenger. Where I had no control.
I can quite believe that 2 -3 secs reaction time to be common place. It therefore means we adopt the attitude that all other drivers are half asleep at the wheel and drive accordingly.
Cheers