Not So Smart Motorways

[Snetty]

Originally Posted by AndyN01

Hey, a whole can of worms .

If ALL road users maintained a safe stopping distance I wonder how that might affect the collision rate?

I'm not trying to incite a riot from our trucker friends on here, I'm trying to understand the reasons, but what is the reason a vast number of you can't maintain a safe stopping distance?

I don't accept the "we're speed limited" argument. What's the difference between travelling at 56ish mph a cars length behind another vehicle and 56ish mph several hundred metres behind another vehicle? The choice of speed/distance is surely down to the driver? If that means you can't safely stop then erm.....back off. If that adds some journey time then so be it.

As we have just seen perhaps the driver could choose to stay far too close resulting in them killing someone and ending up in prison.

Also, what is the reason that a truck journey (at 56ish mph) is more "important" (or whatever the reason) than any other road users such that the drivers are happy to perform an overtake which results in a vast tailback of other road users who can quite legally travel much faster?

I don't understand the thought process that chooses to perform an overtake that effectively blocks the road, frustrating a large number of other drivers with their own "important" journeys.

I look forward to being educated.

Thanks.

Andy.

Andy,
No journey is more important than any other, and to be honest I don't believe its the intention of any driver to cause a tailback. However there are times when you start an overtake procedure once you are along side the other truck has regained his momentum, personally if I am being overtaken then the cruise is reduced by a couple of mph to allow the other driver to pass . Unfortunately this does not happen with all drivers and there are times when you are hung out to dry and have to reduce speed and abort. Try looking on the trucknet forum for some pretty honest opinions on all drivers.