Road Safety Week - The art of stopping
11 09 07 - 21:55We all got taught in driving lessons that you should check your brakes when you start your journey, a great many people don't do this (I'll admit I don't always remember) but if you get into the habit then you are more likely to remember. Most importantly if you think your brakes are faulty don't put it off until the next payday, either stop driving that vehicle until payday or get it seen to straight away. Your brake lights should be treated in the same manner, driving with one brakelight is not acceptable, if the bulb in that one goes, then you are likely to find yourself requiring surgery to remove the vehicle behind you!
I've already mentioned another important factor in road safety, and that is stopping distances. I ride a lot of miles every week, and the main mistake I see people make is not keeping a stopping distance. The simple fact is that if you do not keep an appropriate stopping distance, you will not be able to stop in time. This will lead to a damaged vehicle, raised insurance premiums and quite possibly cost someone else (or you) their life. It is not difficult to maintain a reasonable stopping distance, and if someone should cut into it then you need to ease off the throttle and allow yourself a stopping distance again.
In the dry you should be leaving a two second stopping distance, check it regularly it could save your life. In the wet (ABS or no ABS) you should be leaving a four second gap, this will not only allow you time to brake in an emergency but will also reduce the amount of spray that you receive from the vehicle in front. Finally if its snowing or if there is ice on the road keep a stopping distance of ten seconds, if you have to do an emergency stop and you hit ice, you will not stop in time.
Most people know how to do an emergency stop (hit the brakes and then try and catch the clutch before the engine stalls) but bizarrely it is not a compulsory part of the UK's driving test, it is for motorcycles but not for cars. Given the damage a car can do, this is ridiculous. Practice your emergency stops (somewhere safe) once in a while, you may even notice an issue with your brakes at the same time. Don't risk someone else's life by not refining your skills, a driving license is both a privilege and a responsibility.
One thing I have noticed is that if you are travelling at lower than the speed limit (sometimes you get stuck behind someone who is crawling along) you quite quickly find yourself getting 'tailgated'. how these irresponsible drivers think tailgating you will make you speed up I don't know, but resist the temptation to tap your brakes, it only makes most of them sit even closer. It is far better to pay attention to the vehicle in front and avoid an accident, if the idiot behind you does go into the back of you he will at least be liable for the damage. Don't allow yourself to be distracted by idiots on the road, you may miss something on the road in front of you, if they are being too much of a nuisance then it is far better to pull over somewhere safe and give them a few minutes to be on their way.
Most importantly, don't be one of the idiots who tailgates slow moving vehicles, you may well kill someone and you will certainly be liable for any damage you cause if things go wrong. Give yourself a reasonable stopping distance, it is your vehicle that you are saving after all.
Todays final tip should be an obvious one, but some people neglect to do it. If you are planning on turning, then make sure the road you are turning into is clear, and make sure the road ahead is clear. In other words STOP and check that the situation has not changed, but signal your intentions a reasonable distance before you stop to turn, indicators are there for a reason.
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