Accidents - Tips on how to avoid them (traps for young players)

[Steve D]

For habitual tailgaters - assume the car in front has no working brakelights. You should still be able to stop in time...and it may just be the case one day. "His lights weren't working" may not wash with the insurance company, either.

For cluttered people - watch where you stick stuff in you car. When you stop hard, that item on the "parcel shelf" may just keep going. Actually, I prefer to call it the "missile launcher".

For everyone - do an advanced driving course, as has already been mentioned. Do a search to find at least one specific thread on the worth of doing one!

[Bud Bud]

[QUOTE=Doogstar]

Don't tailgate:
Give yourself enough space so you can stop if the car in front does.Why is this so hard for some people.

When the roads are wet:
Roads are the slippiest when there has been a light shower and it hasn't rained in a while, because of all the oil and grease on the road. Slow down in the wet. You can't corner safely in the wet at the same speed that you would normally.

It is bad enough to tailgate, but to do it on wet roads is just plain stupid, and shows a total lack of understanding of the dangers of this practice in the first place.

I had the misfortune of watching a young female driver learn this on the S.E. freeway in S.A. on Saturday just before the Stirling/Aldgate turnoff. The freeway was down to 80 after the tunnels and right to the top because of the wet conditions and low cloud.

I had just rounded a sweeper heading east when I saw a white EL Falcon coming to a rest against the centre safety rail with steam pouring out of it. I quickly hit my Hazard lights and pulled up with about 5-7 car lengths of the accident. My and my wife’s first reaction was to jump out to see if the occupants were OK, Which they were.

I looked around as I began to notice cars beginning to bank up, and I noticed a rock the size of a large football in the L/H lane. All of the oncoming traffic were begging to steer around the rock and the accident, so I motioned to a driver that I was going to clear the rock. He stopped and held back the traffic so I could pick up the rock (a two handed lump of concrete) and carry it to the side.

Once most of the excitement settled down and before the police had arrived, I looked up to warn other drivers of the obstructions ahead as the also came around the bend. I saw a Toyota Landcriuser coming and waved my arms to alert him and as he slowed, I could clearly see a little white car bouncing off the back of the Cruiser.

Blind Freddy could see that she was far too close to make any type of decision regarding any evasive action if the need arose. It turned out be a young girl in a hurry on her way to work. The car a little Fiestiva did no damage to the Cruiser but received a lot of damage to its front, even to the point of attaching it self to the Cruiser’s towbar.

The Falcon on the other hand was a write-off. The front passenger wheel was laying horizontal to the road surface and the rear wheel on the same side was bent onto the opposite direction. The driverside recieved minimal damage from the gard rail.

The rock was directly under an uncovered pedestrian overpass and the lady driver swerved a little but still managed to hit the rock at the front L/H side. She kept asking me whether I had seen someone throw it over. The rock itself would of been 10- 15 kilos at least and it would of had been too big and heavy for small kids to deliver.

[GCFordChic]

Great thread!
It seems noone on the Gold Coast uses indicators. Not long ago i remember reading in the RACQ mag a guy who wrote in with a sarcastic suggestion to car companies wanting to lower their bottom line. He said that they shouldnt bother installing them on cars which are bound for the Gold Coast, because no-one uses them! BEWARE if you come to the Gold Coast.

My advice, i spose from being on the GC, is that you should assume everybody is a tourist and doesnt know where they are going. Then you tend to give them more room and are not surprised when they slam on the brakes then speed up again.

So much has been covered so well, but i would also say that when merging dont pull into a space which is only 1m bigger than the length of your car! I hate when people do this infront of me because i leave the 3 second gap and people assume it means they can jump in. That is not safe!

I remember being told by my mum that reversing into the normal carparking bays is always best because it is easier to get in and out and means you have a better view when you leave. You also generally seem to park straighter first time and within the lines.

Im going to try the mirrors fully out trick mentioned earlier because im short and in the pursuit the seating position i am in means the quarter window is blocked by the pillar bit in between the windows.

[chief]

Excellant thread guys.

Overtaking on outback highways

I think that when overtaking on an outback highway you should have your headlights on. Some people may not be able to judge distance and know you are on the wrong side on the road. By having your headlights on, they know you are on the wrong side of the road.

Changing lanes.

As people have said indicate before you change lanes not as you are changing lanes. Dont turn off your indicator until you are in the lane you aimed for. Dont flick on then flick off your indicator.

[Doogstar]

Thanks everyone for the great response to this thread, I am glad to see so many good posts. I am even learning things myself. Anyway, I thought of a few more. Keep em coming.

Hard emergency braking
If you find you have to brake hard to bring yourself to a stop quickly. It is not a good idea to just stand on the brakes, you are in danger of locking up the wheels and skidding straight into the thing you are trying to avoid. A better idea is the take a couple of long stabs at the brakes, you will find you will stop alot better. ABS, I think is a bit of a different story, as the ABS stops the wheels locking by controlling the amount of brake pressure (correct me please if I am wrong).

Keep your foot on the brake after an emergency stop
If you have had to make an emergency stop it's a good idea to keep your foot on the brake after you stop. You may have braked in time to avoid a collision with the car in front, but if there is a car behind you who cannot pull up in time and he slams into your rear, you could be shunted into the car in front anyway. If you still have your foot on the brake, you may not be shunted enough to hit the car in front of you or at least lessen the damage.

Don't start moving if you cannot see out your windscreen
Seems pretty obvious but I am ashamed to say I did it one frosty morning when I was running late for work, I couldn't see out the windscreen properly but started driving off anyway. I was going fine until I ran into the back of a parked Dump Truck at 40Kph. The Dump Truck won big time. I am still kicking myself over that one.

[MYLO_XR6]

and dont try to run over country road reflector posts in your bush banger....coz you dont know whats behind them **COUGH COUGH** :

[gbright]

Originally Posted by Doogstar

When looking to make a turn:
There is a car in fornt of you as you are coming to a roundabout or you are going to turn into a major road. Watch the car in front of you not the traffic. Just because you can see a gap in traffic big enough for you both to turn, doesn't mean the car in front thinks he can make it, if he brakes and you are looking at the traffic, BANG.

i am all for this thread ive done this and its just so defeating because you know your in the wrong even though there was a gap ra ra ra neways i think its a great idea


neway's heres my input "never expect the car's around you to do what you think they will do i.e. always expect the other guy to do something stupid cause the time you dont will be the time you are over commited and then they will do something dumb " that's a gem from my dad taught me that when i was getting my liscence and i still tell people that today

[gbright]

not exactly dogstar abs wors by sensing when each different wheel locks up and releases that particular caliper and then reapplying the pressure so in that sense yes it does regulate the pressure but it dosnt only let a certain amount of pressure on what erver your applying is what the wheel will get the abs just ovverrides and releases the caliper for a second hence the jumping sensation throught the pedal

[macca13]

Try not to drive in another vehicles blind spot, slow down or speed up a bit to make sure the other driver can see you, hard to do in heavy traffic and a must if travelling beside a truck/van.

[Gunns]

If you find yourself trying to avoid say a light pole couse you have had to swerve for what ever reason, do not look at the pole look at where you want the car to go. If you look at the object that is come towards you, you will 9 times out of 10 hit it. I have seen a car hit the only tree in a padock 30m off the road, only cause the paniced and start looking at it trying to avoid it and not looking at where they want the car to go.

[TheSneakiness]

Roundabout situation

Please indicate your intention on which way you are going (left if you're going left, right if you're going right), also, indicate left if you're going straight, just as you leave the roundabout.

The number of close calls I've had recently with idiots who either indicate as they're going past me, or don't even bother at all is astounding.

Indicators are there for a reason god damn it. Either use them or go back to 1920.

[GCFordChic]

Originally Posted by AUII_SE_Ute

Roundabout situation
Indicators are there for a reason god damn it. Either use them or go back to 1920.

:

However if you have to do that, you may want to be reminded that they had to signal with the arm/hand. That takes more effort than flicking the indicator with your finger! It is takes little effort and you get to have a few blinking orange lights!! :

[Doogstar]

Thought I would bring up this old thread in light of the recent accident pic thread, might be a good read for those who missed it first time around.

[XR8-260]

Originally Posted by Doogstar

When the lights turn amber:
Don't assume the car in front has the same idea as you, that Red means stop, Green means go and Amber means go faster.
If they decide to brake when the lights turn amber and you are up their ar$e, you will be exchanging details in no time. Saw one of these accidents yesterday.

That nearly happend to me when I was on my Ps. I saw an amber light so I stopped. The guy behind me was following too close and going too fast. He had to swerve out of the way to avoid me - he wasn't happy about that lol.

[Airmon]

Good read doug and great idea to post up. I've done my fair share of stupid things and have whitnessed countless others, there are some good points here I can take note of.

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

Your stopped, sitting at a red light , When they turn Green, look both ways before accelerating . You never know who may be running the light that just turned red . That little rule has saved my life more than once !

[normxb]

Stopped in the RIGHT lane to turn right .

If you are in the centre lane (right hand lane) wanting to make a right hand turn , ALWAY's keep your wheels "straight" . If someone hits you up the rear , and your wheels are turned right , it will send you into the oncoming traffic . Much better being pushed down the (hopefully) empty lane in front of you .

Thanks for bringing this thread back up Doogstar .

[Racecraft]

just like the catch line from the X-files:-

TRUST NO ONE


:

[Ives]

Drive with 2 hands on the steering wheel
Your car wont gain an extra 45kW if you're driving fully-hektik Vin Diesel style. Real drivers drive with both hands on the wheel.


Adjust your seat
If your seat cant go high enough, ffs get 2 or 3 phone books to seat on.

[ardei]

If you see a ball or toy on the road

Don't think about ONLY avoiding running over the ball, slow down and keep an eye out between the parked cars for children that will run out onto the road to retrieve the ball!


and as previously mentioned:

Adjust your mirrors to see the lane next to you, not the side of your car!

Originally Posted by Doogstar

Hard emergency braking
A better idea is the take a couple of long stabs at the brakes, you will find you will stop alot better. ABS, I think is a bit of a different story, as the ABS stops the wheels locking by controlling the amount of brake pressure (correct me please if I am wrong).

Actually, you'll find in a car without ABS, you'd want to threshold brake rather than pump the brake pedal. So when the wheels start to lock, lift off the brakes just enough to stop your wheels from locking (usually curling your toes in is enough to do this!) and then slowly apply more and more braking pressure until the wheels start locking again, and then repeat cycle.

With ABS, just foot on the brake pedal to the floor as quick as you can, no questions asked. Don't lift off when you feel the pedal pulsating or you hear the tyres screeching every now and then. Brake and steer around anything you may hit. Eyes on where you want to go.

Also, if you're taking emergency braking action because someone pulled out in front or into you without looking, get on the brakes and the horn at the same time! That way they'll realise that something happened due to them and they can take corrective action, and not just think that you are some 'hoon skidding down the street.'

[xr8-200]

Great tread!
I found the best advice I got when I started out driving was to look as far ahead as possible to give yourself the maximum time to react to any situation that may confront you.

[thefargo]

don't listen to passengers
when reversing out of a driveway once (in a panel van) I asked the passenger "is anything coming?"
the passsenger said "no" so I kept going.

then they added "just a taxi". I don't listen to passengers anymore

[Nappa]

If you are going to pull out into traffic, make sure you get up to the speed limit as quickly as possible, don't just putt along at 20kph.

[Homer1]

Originally Posted by Doogstar

When looking to make a turn:
There is a car in fornt of you as you are coming to a roundabout or you are going to turn into a major road. Watch the car in front of you not the traffic. Just because you can see a gap in traffic big enough for you both to turn, doesn't mean the car in front thinks he can make it, if he brakes and you are looking at the traffic, BANG.

Have to admit, I was guilty of this couple of years ago. Learnt my lesson though.

[weenie]

Very good thread here. on changing lanes. i always do it slow, im not a fan of looking over the shoulder. i also listen as well when merging. Yes i have had the occasion when there has been a bike or car in the blind spot (a small spot at that) but i have given them time to give the horn a rap or at least see my intentions, i have also heard cars which has alet me avoid the situation. Learn not to grab massive amounts of lock when a situation occurs. with todays power steering it not needed. DONT stop on a merging lane.for the people from wollongong, dont go down ousley in the left hand lane, its a truck lane. i have had so many people pull out in front at the last possible moment because they come around the corner & there is atruck doing 20 in the way.this you can see happening from a mile away. Put the best tyres you can afford on your car before you bling it up with useless garbage. make sure it steers properly.do a driving course.

[ardei]

Originally Posted by weenie

on changing lanes. i always do it slow, im not a fan of looking over the shoulder. i also listen as well when merging. Yes i have had the occasion when there has been a bike or car in the blind spot (a small spot at that) but i have given them time to give the horn a rap or at least see my intentions, i have also heard cars which has alet me avoid the situation.

You have got to be joking me, right? :

I suggest resitting your driving test.

[Keepleft]

[

B]Weenie roast writes: -[/B] ]Vfor the people from wollongong, dont go down ousley in the left hand lane, its a truck lane.

ONLY if it is specifically marked as such, example "SLOW VEHICLES USE LEFT LANE", signified a seperate lane starting off to the left from a two-laned section, otherwise keep left applies.

The section chap refers dear reader is a three laned section.

I have had so many people pull out in front at the last possible moment because they come around the corner & there is atruck doing 20 in the way.

People shouldn't go fast around blind bends or corners, speed for need.

This you can see happening from a mile away.

If you have a mile of sight distance and the left lane is clear, use it, merge out to the middle lane as you approach left lane fraffic.

Put the best tyres you can afford on your car before you bling it up with useless garbage.

With a speed limit maximum of 110km/h AND National Vehicle Standards applying to second hand cars that allow you fit tyres with a speed rating less that the cars top speed potential, bahh, I'll stick to retreads:-) (Cynic alert).

Make sure it steers properly, do a driving course.

My driving course has me steered into a tree, will that do?


Driving in FOG F6 and eslewhere:
IF you have a rear fog light, use it instead of the hazard warning lights allowance, and don't have both lamps functions opererating simultaneously, rear fog only.

[weenie]

Originally Posted by ardei

You have got to be joking me, right? :

I suggest resitting your driving test.

Just because your driving instructer tells you that. they are the people responsible for all the un qualified drivers getting their licences. Ask that question at an advanced driving course. Think about it , if you are looking behind you , whos looking in front???? Keepleft , it is marked trucks must use left lane. it starts as 3 lanes with 2 designated as truck then merges down to 2 with one marked as truck lane. And yes in a perfect world people wouldnt go screaming down the truck lane with out a thought as to how they are going to pull up when they are faced with the rear of a B double. Ohh & make sure you have a set of those plastic reflective triangle thingys :Reverend:

[Doogstar]

Originally Posted by weenie

Very good thread here. on changing lanes. i always do it slow, im not a fan of looking over the shoulder. i also listen as well when merging. Yes i have had the occasion when there has been a bike or car in the blind spot (a small spot at that) but i have given them time to give the horn a rap or at least see my intentions, i have also heard cars which has alet me avoid the situation. Learn not to grab massive amounts of lock when a situation occurs. with todays power steering it not needed. DONT stop on a merging lane.for the people from wollongong, dont go down ousley in the left hand lane, its a truck lane. i have had so many people pull out in front at the last possible moment because they come around the corner & there is atruck doing 20 in the way.this you can see happening from a mile away. Put the best tyres you can afford on your car before you bling it up with useless garbage. make sure it steers properly.do a driving course.

Speaking of of blind spots...

Don't sit in another driver's blind spot if you can help it
Either speed up or pull back.

[Ozfords]

Originally Posted by Doogstar

Speaking of of blind spots...

Don't sit in another driver's blind spot if you can help it
Either speed up or pull back.

Too right, one day you might be shiouletting a complete idiot that is either:

a) Old
b) Drunk
c) Drugged Up
d) Sleepy
e) Clinically Blind (some do still drive)
f) Can't see their blind spot
or
g) Stupid

..and they may end up giving your car a lovely nudge wrecking an entire side, or more importantly push you off the road and into something.

INFRONT OR BEHIND!!
(unless obviously stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, you can't help it!)