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Invisible Defender


Simon Smith

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4 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

And I second that driving around schools (by the parents) is about the worst. My mum's house is near a private school and she's seen SUV's drive up the road on the pavement so the little darlings don't have to walk 200yds from the large, free, public car-park at the end of the road!:rtfm:

Agree, 500% (while that figure is allowed! )

Distracted, sleep deprived, harassed, decaffeinated zombies... the lot of em.

Cough, did I really say that :)

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19 minutes ago, Bowie69 said:

Agree, 500% (while that figure is allowed! )

Distracted, sleep deprived, harassed, decaffeinated zombies... the lot of em.

Cough, did I really say that :)

I'll jump on that bandwagon too.... There's an international school about a mile from work. They do two things which screw the traffic... they sit and left 4-5 cars in and out rather than just one at a time so it backs up and jams the traffic lights in 3 directions but they never seem to look before pulling out either. They just come up to their junction and go. Mate of mine made a good mess of one a few years back... pulled out in front of him in his 110 with a big solid winch bumper on it. 

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My granddad used to cut hedges with a tractor. You wouldn't believe the number of times he'd get to the end of the hedge, look behind him to reverse and there would be a crumpled car on the road behind him that had run into the back of him and he hadn't felt it. They used to put signs up but people didn't seem to register. Every time they claimed £80 to repaint the hydraulic oil tank, I think some days they made more that way than cutting hedges :D

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Have to feel sorry for those fellows driving the trucks on the motorways, usually near where there is a width restriction or something of that nature. You know the ones, with the BIG flashing arrow on the back. Saw one of the drivers being interviewed and he had been hit from behind, 5 times

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Looking again at the first video I think it demonstrates that it's supposed to be something like "look right, look left, look right again and if all's clear, proceed". Every day I approach a junction and turn left into the slightly more minor road. It's amazing how few coming off that road look to their left first and start to pull out before then looking to the right and seeing me.

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21 hours ago, Happyoldgit said:

...we had a house directly opposite a school, some of the antics at drop-off / pickup time were frankly outrageous. 

They park in my parents drive. I mean in it. I've often gone down and asked people [calm and polite] not to do it and generally I get an argument! I asked one guy would he like me to come and park in his drive, he said he wouldn't mind. More recently they've taken to driving up to the house and use the parking area to turn :blink:

Then there's a sense of bewilderment why little Johnny grows up to expect everything right now, no questions, full entitlement.

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On 27/02/2018 at 11:40 PM, neil110 said:

Getting back to the original videos, what sort of damage did your 90 sustain in the collision with the Ka?

 

 

The HD bumper is bent. LH chassis leg bent back at the bumper mount. Pushed the RH wing across a few mm which broke the plastic outer wing where it bolts to the bulkhead (aluminium one this time)   

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On 26/02/2018 at 8:44 AM, 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 :)

Giles - there was nothing xenophobic about that comment. Its a simple fact that different countries have different standards, and differences in the way people drive and what their experience in certain areas are.

I'll give you an example. I live in France, and since roundabouts are a relatively new addition to French roads, a good proportion of people just dont know how to use them, some have never been trained or tested on them. Its not being prejudiced or xenophobic to say that, its simple fact.

And for balance i'll add that i often forget about the unique French 'priority to the right' in towns & villages, and when i'm in Paris or Florence, i'm sure i'm not up to 100% with the local style.

Please we've had enough snowflakes this week.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having done a lot of cycling, one learns to ride/drive like the other drivers are out to kill get them.

One of the first mods I did to my Defender was to put LED lighting all around and to install a third brake light at the rear. Rear fogs can also help warn off tailgaters.

Does the UK have daytime running lights? I drive with my lights on all of the time in any case. Certainly it is no defense against the inattentive, texting millennial, but it helps. 

C

DSCN4556.JPG

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On 28/02/2018 at 3:31 AM, Scotts90 said:

Being of the biking fraternity, it definitely increases your awareness and observations. I got "lifesaver" drummed into me 20-odd years ago when doing the bike test and still do it to this day, in the car, in the van or on the bike.

My biggest pet peeve is those who don't notice Emergency Vehicles...you know the ones with the blinding lights and deafening sirens that were designed to draw attention? The amount of A-holes who have overtaken me as I have pulled in to allow a clear path for the Ambulance/engine/cops (always with a shaking head of disapproval) astounds me.

I don't think the biking is what is responsible - you pay attention to your surroundings, and that is what is important.  I have never ridden a motorbike on the road, but pay similar attention.  It's about your attitude, not qualifications.

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4 minutes ago, Snagger said:

I don't think the biking is what is responsible - you pay attention to your surroundings, and that is what is important.  I have never ridden a motorbike on the road, but pay similar attention.  It's about your attitude, not qualifications.

I'm not a biker but have plenty of friends that are. Being a biker does make you more aware of what is going on around you. You have to otherwise you get killed, simple as that.

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On 05/03/2018 at 5:15 PM, HoSS said:

Giles - there was nothing xenophobic about that comment. Its a simple fact that different countries have different standards, and differences in the way people drive and what their experience in certain areas are.

I'll give you an example. I live in France, and since roundabouts are a relatively new addition to French roads, a good proportion of people just dont know how to use them, some have never been trained or tested on them. Its not being prejudiced or xenophobic to say that, its simple fact.

And for balance i'll add that i often forget about the unique French 'priority to the right' in towns & villages, and when i'm in Paris or Florence, i'm sure i'm not up to 100% with the local style.

Please we've had enough snowflakes this week.

Couldn't agree more.  If you think driving standards are bad in the UK, then come down here and try, or Africa, India, Pakistan or pretty much anywhere in the far east except Japan and Singapore.  It has to be seen to be believed how incredibly stupid most of them are, like routinely overtaking at 90mph on a single carriageway in fog with no lights, or driving at speed with flat tyres (missing tyres once they disintegrate).  European driving varies (Italy and Greece can be interesting), but it's brilliant on a global scale...

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Just now, landroversforever said:

I'm not a biker but have plenty of friends that are. Being a biker does make you more aware of what is going on around you. You have to otherwise you get killed, simple as that.

No - a lot of you are suggesting that drivers are incapable of paying attention if they haven't been a biker.  That is patently inaccurate.  It's simply an attitude of paying attention or driving with your head up your behind.

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10 minutes ago, Snagger said:

No - a lot of you are suggesting that drivers are incapable of paying attention if they haven't been a biker.  That is patently inaccurate.  It's simply an attitude of paying attention or driving with your head up your behind.

If you read what I'm saying, I'm not saying they're incapable of paying attention, just that being a biker makes you more aware. I guarantee no matter how good a driver someone is, putting them on a bike will make them more aware. They have to be or they'll end up dead. Riding around on something with no protection and being harder to see will make you pay more attention to everything. Yes there are lots of observant car/lorry/bus drivers out there, but if they miss something the likely hood is they're going to survive; that chance on a bike is FAR less.

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1 minute ago, landroversforever said:

If you read what I'm saying, I'm not saying they're incapable of paying attention, just that being a biker makes you more aware. I guarantee no matter how good a driver someone is, putting them on a bike will make them more aware. They have to be or they'll end up dead. Riding around on something with no protection and being harder to see will make you pay more attention to everything. Yes there are lots of observant car/lorry/bus drivers out there, but if they miss something the likely hood is they're going to survive; that chance on a bike is FAR less.

I still disagree.  You have to be aware riding a bike (though some seem oblivious), and can survive being less vigilant in a car, but it doesn't automatically follow that to be an aware driver you must have ridden a bike.  Like I said, it's about your attitude, not your history, though history can inform attitude in many cases.

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No, i'm with the Bikers on that one. I do both and find that i adopt different styles in car and on a bike. On the (motor)bike i am much more observant, and defensive. This just come from years of experience - (some) people show less respect for bikes and the space they need, less able to see them maybe.
I'm not saying i'm lazy when driving a car, just more careful on a bike. And i'm not saying all car drivers are worse than bikers, just that one tends to adpot an increased level of observation.

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11 minutes ago, Snagger said:

I still disagree.  You have to be aware riding a bike (though some seem oblivious), and can survive being less vigilant in a car, but it doesn't automatically follow that to be an aware driver you must have ridden a bike.  Like I said, it's about your attitude, not your history, though history can inform attitude in many cases.

No one has said you have to have ridden a bike to be an observant driver. Just people saying how being a biker has made them more observant. 

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On 27/02/2018 at 11:31 PM, Scotts90 said:

My biggest pet peeve is those who don't notice Emergency Vehicles...you know the ones with the blinding lights and deafening sirens that were designed to draw attention? The amount of A-holes who have overtaken me as I have pulled in to allow a clear path for the Ambulance/engine/cops (always with a shaking head of disapproval) astounds me.

I actually disagree with people pulling in *and braking suddenly* for emergency vehicles, the number of times it is done inappropriately in front of me nearly causing ANOTHER accident is ridiculous.

Allow them past for sure, move over if you can, even better, but braking/stopping in a stream of traffic doing 60mph is utterly ridiculous. Let the ambulance by in a controlled overtaking maneuver, not a nearly-multiple-pileup.

Perhaps I am biased a little on this, as I drive most country and a-roads which are quite fast.

 

Highway code states:

Quote

Emergency and Incident Support vehicles. You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Incident Support vehicles using flashing amber lights. When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb. Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you.

 

I think that covers it for me.

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Watching that video as an outsider I think in most cases both parties are wrong :rolleyes:

 

On the biker debate, I'm not a biker and have no desire to be. I would agree that they have to be aware of the road surface condition, manhole covers etc etc, however that doesn't mean they automstically make better decisions. I used to spend a lot of time in the peaks and soon learnt the roads to avoid. Trying to navigate narrow windy roads with a car going in each direction, a bike infront of you, one behind you and one on the white line between you and the car coming the other way certainly stops you looking at the sights.

My attitude to bikes on the road is I get them past me as quickly as I can and off into the distance for as otherwise you have to keep one eye permanently on them as they can make an unpredictable move so quickly and they'e so vulerable. 

When I was on the lorries they were like flies around a bison at an African watering hole. By the time you've looked in your 6 mirrors, both sides, blind spot and the road ahead they could've ridden around you twice. They don't help themselves either when they're on a dark bike with dark leathers and a dark helmet. 

Same as anything you get good ones and bad ones... then you get fat kids on mopeds lol

 

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