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Invisible Defender


Simon Smith

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So my white Defender with all LED lighting is apparently invisible. I'm always having people pull out in front of me, including these two in the last fortnight. Seriously thinking of fitting more led strips behind the grill so it glows white. Or maybe just make it look like the Coca Cola truck!

Accident 13-02-18 edit.wmv

Deathwish 23-02-18 edit.wmv

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I have come across this quite a bit; I think this is because a land rover in the mind of the general public means it is a slow vehicle and they can therefore pull out of them quickly. It is obviously just stupid, as most defenders can and will drive the same speed as any other car, and potentially will need more space to stop and create a whole lot more damage and potential for loss of life than any other car. 

Daan

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We have similar issues daily as has been said people pull out regardless. Unfortunately I think British driving standards are appalling now. Native driver are as bad as anyone else. I think there is no consideration or regard for anyone else these days people are so wrapped up in them selves they don't care about anyone else.

Mike

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18 hours ago, Happyoldgit said:

I'm afraid that I find it happens no matter what vehicle I'm driving. There is so much traffic, impatience, poor driving, questionable road sense by those who were not taught to drive in the UK that such behaviour seems the norm these days.

Ok I'll (reluctantly) bite... would it be ok for your to keep your xenophobic (being polite) comments off this forum? Thanks very much :)

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To be honest I don't think it's a defender thing, unless towing and then people are desperate to get in front of you. It's actually way worse in a small car, esp people pushing through when the obstruction is on their side.

But I think the thought process is 'I have waited long enough, I'm going now'.

I was taught that if you pull out and cause someone to brake,  that is a test fail. But I think the instructors don't teach that kind of thing now.

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4 hours ago, Giles said:

Ok I'll (reluctantly) bite... would it be ok for your to keep your xenophobic (being polite) comments off this forum? Thanks very much :)

 

Don't be so silly, just like you I speak as I find.

This isn't going to degenerate into a meta discussion on other matters either.

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26 minutes ago, cackshifter said:

To be honest I don't think it's a defender thing, unless towing and then people are desperate to get in front of you. It's actually way worse in a small car, esp people pushing through when the obstruction is on their side.

But I think the thought process is 'I have waited long enough, I'm going now'.

I was taught that if you pull out and cause someone to brake,  that is a test fail. But I think the instructors don't teach that kind of thing now.

Agreed. I was quite amazed at one or two of the tings that my son was taught by his instructor prior to him passing his test a year or two ago. Traffic flow seems to be the main priority now.

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It is definitely worse in the Defenders than my other cars. People seem to assume you're going slower than you are, not sure if it's down to an assumption that you're going to be travelling slowly or if it's something to do with the design of the front end - like how twin headlight motorbikes and quads are more likely to be in an accident at night because the headlight spacing makes them look much further away than they actually are.

Just like my motorbike days, I just assume people are going to pull out unless their body language says otherwise and prepare accordingly. As for driving standards, I think some people like to find fault and assume things are getting worse when the reality is that nothing really changes. Commuting into Leeds on a motorbike through sun, wind, rain and snow 40 years ago, trust me there were just as many morons on the road then as there are now.

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5 minutes ago, Dave W said:

It is definitely worse in the Defenders than my other cars.

I get the same in my Classic Audi.... but being 1991 it is still pretty rapid, and I don't tend to hang about either. 

They soon realise they shouldn't have :)

My roadworthy Moggie Traveller however, everyone just smiles and watches you drive by!

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14 hours ago, Mo Murphy said:

If they can't see me in a big yellow van adorned with flashing blue lights and a quite loud siren (and believe me they don't), what hope have you got ?

Big yellow vans are very invisible - mate's mum had a bright yellow VW camper and she swore it had a cloaking device fitted, was always being cut up & pulled out in front of!

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I remember one of the drivers who worked for a fuel delivery company. Predominant colour Yellow. A woman pulled out across his bows and thank goodness the barrel was empty or he would never have been able to pull up in time. As it was he came to a standstill with the barrel bouncing around a little bit. She looks at him as though he has just been beamed down by Scotty. The conversation between them goes along the lines of. "Go on then Luv whats the story?" she replies "I didn't see you" a brief pause and he responds "It is 14 feet high, 8 feet wide, 70 feet long, painted bright yellow and you didn't see it." shakes his head and gets back into the cab.

On a personal note, I remember one fellow pulling out, to turn right, across my bows and craning to see around this obstruction that was bearing down on him. I think he nearly fell out of his seat when he realised that the thing he was trying to see around was about to hit him. Still not entirely sure how I didn't.

 

Edited by neil110
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I haven't driven in the UK since 2003 but have to agree that the standards then were very high.  It was quite a shock to get back to New Zealand and have to deal with the self-absorbed drivers here.

That whole thing about people pulling out in front of you has got me quite nervous lately, following two super-close calls in the last few months.  The cars you see can be dealt with but, when someone shoots out of a blind driveway without looking, or even slowing down, and there is another car coming towards you, you can only treat it like a chicane and pray!

It's not just in my 110 either.  The scariest moments have come in the little Mitsubishi my boss pays me to drive.  It's got to the stage that I'm trying to work out how to hide a paint gun on the front...

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3 minutes ago, Daan said:

I have to say, the driving standards in the UK are the best I have ever seen in any country. 

I'm with Daan, although some UK drivers are pants, at least they are better than some others! (Saying that, it is a low bar).

In France once I was attacked by a Clio going the wrong way in a superstore car park. Defender bumpers make a mess of Clios. I was expecting it to be a fight, (language barrier etc.), and NFU Mutual kept the file open but photographs and a good statement meant we never heard anything very again. (Damage to Defender, a bit of orangey paint on a galv. front bumper; I scrubbed it off with a scourer).

I've had a few idiots pull out on me, the dopiest being a driver of an early Ford Focus that pulled out into my passenger front step, yelled at me that I should have given way, (she was not even indicating), then drove off without exchanging details. I understand that the Police offered "words of advice" but they were not willing to prosecute. I hadn't the heart to take it further as it took me about 5 minutes to straighten the step but the Focus looked like it had been chewed by a T. Rex.

Looking at Mr Smith's clips, I guess it is time for a dash cam. 

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You should try driving a tractor on UK roads , some of the overtakes I’ve been subjected to would make you scream , I’ve had to force myself to stop getting so animated about it , deffo time for a dash cam . Personally I think it’s long overdue that everyone takes a re test  every 5 or 10 years , I have been driving tractors on the road for 26 years , cars for 25 , motorbikes for 25 and wagons for 21 years and the standard of driving has fallen massively, no doubt helped by the complete lack of police cars on the road , drivers just hammer it between speed cameras , no worries about being caught drink or drug driving as long as you don’t flash a camera ! My time spent as a motorcycle instructor is definitely what keeps me alive on the road ,treat everyone as if they are trying to kill you ! What other licence can you get at 17 that is valid until you die without a single re test or even a check up ? Crazy . 

And no I don’t think I’m perfect either 

Edited by Ozzy50
Misspelling 🤬
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