Infringing Braking Distance

George Hincapie

George Hincapie

George Hincapie

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So over the last 3 days I had to travel by car from Canary Wharf > Cheshire > Canary Wharf for business. Both journeys were just hideous, with torrential rain making driving difficult and tiring.

What irritated and concerned me was the prevalence of other drivers moving from lane 2 in front of me in lane 3 into my braking distance. In the dry I wouldn't really have thought too much about it, but I thought in the wet, particularly when vehicles are moving < 50 MPH because of the weight of water, it's dangerous and just stupid.

Do I have a valid concern? Or am I just being an old woman? Answers on a postcard please...
 
Come drive here, if you leave a gap big enough for a car.. someone will put a truck in it, every single time.

Just slow down a bit and leave more room (then two more cars go into it :p)
 
I've been on various motorways where the distance at 70mph+ in the rain has been far more than 3-5 seconds...just a horrifying thought that if someone had to stop in a hurry, those following wouldn't stand a change :eek:
 
George Hincapie said:
So over the last 3 days I had to travel by car from Canary Wharf > Cheshire > Canary Wharf for business. Both journeys were just hideous, with torrential rain making driving difficult and tiring.

What irritated and concerned me was the prevalence of other drivers moving from lane 2 in front of me in lane 3 into my braking distance. In the dry I wouldn't really have thought too much about it, but I thought in the wet, particularly when vehicles are moving < 50 MPH because of the weight of water, it's dangerous and just stupid.

Do I have a valid concern? Or am I just being an old woman? Answers on a postcard please...
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You have a valid concern.

Unfortunately it seems like 90% of drivers on the road are unaware of the laws of physics.

Of course the icing on the cake is that when you go into the back of them because moments after they pull into your braking space and slam on the brakes due to traffic slowing, it'll almost inevitably be seen as your fault for driving to close.
 
It always irritates me when people are driving too close but there's very little to be done. I just try to maintain a good gap in front so if the worse was to happen I wouldn't hit more people.
 
Irritates me a lot - used to do the M6 a bit and up around Tebay area not infrequently you'd get torrential rain with limited visibility and still people blasting past at well over 70mph, people pulling into other's braking space and/or slowing down sharply for no reason.
 
Rroff said:
Irritates me a lot - used to do the M6 a bit and up around Tebay area not infrequently you'd get torrential rain with limited visibility and still people blasting past at well over 70mph, people pulling into other's braking space and/or slowing down sharply for no reason.
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This occurred on the M6.
 
Random guess, you work for Barclays bank by any chance ? Canary Wharf and Radbrooke Hall in Knutsford.

You have a valid concern, but in practise you have to suck it up. Leaving more than a hair's width in front of you on the motorway is a guarantee someone will fill that gap. I've seen it happen even when the gap is in front of a car with blue flashing lights on top.

I'm sure someone will suggest a dashcam so you have some evidence to argue when the brakes get slammed on suddenly and insurers say you are the one "caused" the accident.
 
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agree completely - I couldn't count the number of times I've had what I consider a (minimum) safe braking distance effectively cut in half by someone pulling into that gap, leaving me annoyed (and potentially unsafe)... You end up driving with either a gap smaller than you would like, to keep in control of the situation, or having people cut in regularly. Just wait 'til when it's icy and cars are sliding about - people will pull out of side-roads in front of cars as if it's a dry road, completely oblivious of braking distances.

I'm sure it's all happened to us all before - being cut up by someone changing lanes and almost taking off the front bumper, or doing 50ish when changing lane in front of traffic doing 70ish, making them anchor on, etc... It's almost as if a lot of drivers are oblivious of others, can't gauge speeds and/or don't check their mirrors, let alone blind spots... moan... rant... grumble...
 
I drive on the motorway very rarely but I had this a lot on the journey to/from Manchester on Tuesday.

It's almost excusable when people cut in front a bit early because someone behind them is approaching at 90 but in the rain it's surely just stupidity and/or complacency.
 
Don't drive in Belgium. People drive so close they can't see the wheels of the car in front on the motorway, let alone when stationary :p
 
A quick question. What do you think your braking distance is?

The distance it will take for you to brake to a standstill?
 
DereksDontRun said:
It's almost as if a lot of drivers are oblivious of others, can't gauge speeds and/or don't check their mirrors, let alone blind spots... moan... rant... grumble...
Click to expand...

Pretty sure in the Midlands they just randomly give out driving licences without any need to pass a test/display more cognitive capability than a raisin.
 
This happens all the time. But If your honest with yourselves most people also infringe on the person in the left lane AFTER overtaking.

Very few people will wait until they are 2 secs clear before moving back in
 
Surely braking gaps don't need to be wildly different in the wet than the dry - it will take the car in front longer to stop too.
 
Don't ...i went to canary wharf about 2 months ago and everyone was a nightmare compared to the driving i am used to.

Didn't help it was my first time inside of London

I have driven to South Tyneside , Middlesbrough, Oxford and Reading ... Never going into London again
 
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