Following Distance - Free Stuff That Just Keeps Giving

[AllanB]

I have noticed over the years that a tail tidy on your motorcycle tends to drop following cars back further behind you. Logically due to all the road shit that meaty exposed rear tyre is throwing back at them

[nzspokes]

I have a theory.

Modern vehicles have anti lock brake systems. Their drivers/riders know this. Thus rely upon it too much, as in follow close - anti lock will sort that shit.

You are working on the theory that other road users think.

I believe this theory to be incorrect.

[rastuscat]

As an aside. ...Did you know that in the Netherlands the heaviest possible fine you can collect is for tailgating?

Re enforcement. I did a search of the ticket data in about 2013 for Canterbury District.

Approx 0.01% of tickets werevisdued for following too closely.

Trouble is, most of those arose from nose to tail crashes.

Perhaps that's why there is such a prevalence of that poor driving habit.

[rastuscat]

I have a theory.

Modern vehicles have anti lock brake systems. Their drivers/riders know this. Thus rely upon it too much, as in follow close - anti lock will sort that shit.

Similar with bikes. All the focus is on whether you can stop before hitting the vehicle ahead.

When in fact it's mostly about being able to be seen, and gaining a view forward.

[AllanB]

Re enforcement. I did a search of the ticket data in about 2013 for Canterbury District.

Approx 0.01% of tickets werevisdued for following too closely.

Trouble is, most of those arose from nose to tail crashes.

Perhaps that's why there is such a prevalence of that poor driving habit.

I find Canterbury drivers quite aggressive. They do not like being passed or freely let vehicles into traffic (morning slow grid, someone trying to pull into traffic).

[rastuscat]

Some years back (4 or 5 I think) a crash happened on an 80 kmh road outside Palmerston North.

A Long Wheelbase Nissan Patrol towing a dual horse float along a long, straight 80 kmh road. The Patrol had those big wide mirror extensions, so the driver could see back past the horse float.

Coming the other way was a stream of cars.

The Nissan Patrol guy noticed in his rear view mirror a motorcycle coming up from behind. The motorcycle disappeared into the blind spot behind the horse float. Time went on.

Up ahead, long wheelbase Nissan Patrol guy saw a little yellow Toyota Starlet sitting in the middle of the road, waiting to turn right into a driveway. It couldn't, due to the stream of oncoming cars. It was waiting for a gap in that stream of cars.

Long Wheelbase Nissan Patrol guy decided to let the motorcycle rider know what was happening. So he popped his left indicator on, to tell the rider that they were moving left to go around the Starlet.

The car travelling behind the motorcycle saw the left indicator go on, and saw the motorcyclist move to his right to go past the horse float.

As the driver behind watched, the motorcyclist overtook the horse float as it moved left, and killed himself on the back of the Starlet.

Because following distance is more about being able to see what's up the road ahead of you than it is about following distance.

Now, we can enter into a debate about whether the Starlet should have been there or not, whether Patrol guy should have indicated or not.

But none of that discussion means much to the motorcyclist. Who might still be with us, if he had kept a decent distance back.

[T.W.R]

I find Canterbury drivers quite aggressive. They do not like being passed or freely let vehicles into traffic (morning slow grid, someone trying to pull into traffic).

You should see what goes on out on SH1 pass someone and they think it's an instant "oh ya wanna race do ya!"

Though maybe Rastus could answer this then:

What about the HP cars that tuck in close behind trucks & hug the fog line out on the highway ?? It's a regular event to see that going on particularly between Rakaia & Ashburton and along the Dunsandel & Burnham straights

[rastuscat]

You should see what goes on out on SH1 pass someone and they think it's an instant "oh ya wanna race do ya!"

Though maybe Rastus could answer this then:

What about the HP cars that tuck in close behind trucks & hug the fog line out on the highway ?? It's a regular event to see that going on particularly between Rakaia & Ashburton and along the Dunsandel & Burnham straights

Nothing excuses following too closely.

It's quite easy to "hide" behind a large vehicle without being too close to it. You might call it sneaky and devious.

It's also good patrol technique.

[awayatc]

Nothing excuses following too closely.

It's quite easy to "hide" behind a large vehicle without being too close to it. You might call it sneaky and devious.

It's also good patrol technique.

Taught alongside the infamous " how to do a Fuck u turn....."

flawfully executed daily at a place near you

[rastuscat]

Taught alongside the infamous " how to do a Fuck u turn....."

flawfully executed daily at a place near you

For sure. It needs to be done with a lot of care.

[T.W.R]

Nothing excuses following too closely.

It's quite easy to "hide" behind a large vehicle without being too close to it. You might call it sneaky and devious.

It's also good patrol technique.

The majority of the time they're well inside the safe following distance and hidden quite well so it is pretty sneaky and when other vehicles are bunching up behind it definitely isn't the safest method to catching speeders heading the other direction.
And when a passing bay is entered a vehicle a few places back goes out to pass it'd be pretty close to entrapment
One of the worst & most regularly seen doing it was a female officer the locals nicknamed the Black Widow

[rastuscat]

The majority of the time they're well inside the safe following distance and hidden quite well so it is pretty sneaky and when other vehicles are bunching up behind it definitely isn't the safest method to catching speeders heading the other direction.
And when a passing bay is entered a vehicle a few places back goes out to pass it'd be pretty close to entrapment
One of the worst & most regularly seen doing it was a female officer the locals nicknamed the Black Widow

I know her. She's a lovely woman who lives in the area and gives a toss.

Be careful when using the word entrapment. Entrapment is inducing am offence they would not have normally committed.

Most often people throw the entrapment word out to make their offence look like the cops fault.

[rastuscat]

Posting from a phone. Excuse typos.

[Gremlin]

Here's another good reason to keep your following distance to improve observation (and why lane diving will eventually catch up with you)

[T.W.R]

I know her. She's a lovely woman who lives in the area and gives a toss.

Be careful when using the word entrapment. Entrapment is inducing am offence they would not have normally committed.

Most often people throw the entrapment word out to make their offence look like the cops fault.

If you're talking about Jock Ross's daughter she is a nice woman and I know her too, she got labelled a few things but the current one got transferred to Ashburton not that long ago & has definitely made her presence felt.

I always have a laugh when I see that sort of thing happening because of living out here in the boonies and travelling the main south on a more than regular basis I have seen the worst of what goes more often than what the cops see and it amuses me no end when people say the main south is a boring road....it's anything but boring and a piece of road that'll bite when you least expect it so have no sympathy at all for the whiners they get pinged doing stupid shit