51 replies to this topic

[gav]

If a pedestrian is in the middle of a country road at night then they are asking to be hit imo.

What about at the side of the road when there's no footpath?

D

Still the pedestrians fault imo, i have some unlit roads with no footpaths round my way. If i have to walk down them i climb up the verge if a car comes, simple really. You shouldnt assume they will see you, as we all no what assumption is....

[Hayley]

slow down for corners? It's a mini! lol

[Dev]

why not change this to another i drive like a pillock thread?

A mini speedo's are not exactly accruate
B you have to slow for some corners - FACT
C if you want to drive fast and irresponsibly you could at least do it on a track and therefore not endanger the rest of us and possibly write off a mini that get rarer by the year.

for sale one slightly used soap box.

[Mini_the_Minx]

why not change this to another i drive like a pillock thread?

A mini speedo's are not exactly accruate Yes, we all know this
B you have to slow for some corners - FACT Hmmm, I think we know this too
C if you want to drive fast and irresponsibly you could at least do it on a track and therefore not endanger the rest of us and possibly write off a mini that get rarer by the year. At what point did he say he speeds? Putting your foot down doesn't mean you are necessarily speeding does it?

for sale one slightly used soap box.

[Ethel]

If a pedestrian is in the middle of a country road at night then they are asking to be hit imo.

What about at the side of the road when there's no footpath?

D

Still the pedestrians fault imo, i have some unlit roads with no footpaths round my way. If i have to walk down them i climb up the verge if a car comes, simple really. You shouldnt assume they will see you, as we all no what assumption is....

The law wouldn't see it like that. Though to be fair the distance you need to see ahead to avoid running a pedestrian over and having a head on with oncoming traffic is quite different. Looking at lights, trees, telegraph poles are all useful in reading the road ahead but always ensuring you can stop in the distance you can see ahead, and at most half of it, if there's a chance of meeting oncoming traffic head on is the best maxim.

[sazal]

Woop woop another thread thats turned into an argument!

I personally dont drive fast at night, mainly because I dont want to hit any animals

[jammiedodger26]

IS it just me, or has TMF become rather argumentative lately?? anyone got more popcorn??

[Dev]

I have a strict rule of driving under/at the speed limit in villages/towns & cities, but when I get the chance on roads such as country lanes, a-roads or motorways I'll put my foot down if I can, but never ever in the wet weather (snow, wind, rain etc..) and not in the daylight if I can't see the road ahead, but at night I will put my foot down more along roads if I can't see any headlights ahead and I'm confident I have a chance to speed up a bit.

I beleive stated above drives at speed limits in towns but on backroads etc puts foot down, and has chance to speed up at bit suggests he speeds.

Its not about if you drive at the speed limit or above it its about driving at the correct speed for your ability/car/conditions.

seems to me a lot of people dont do this, and then think its big and clever of them to post sarcastic replies, end of the day all things considered up to you if you speed of drive discourtesly to other road users. But dont come on the board seeking approval for your actions.

the prosocution rests your honour....

[Bevan]

I concur....

It sounds like you are a very responsible driver during daylight hours, and for a young driver I commend your attitude, but night time driving, even though you have the advantage of being able to see round corners to an extent with on coming headlights, there are many more hazards which you will not be able to see...whether it be pedestrians, animals or even road conditions.

There was an insurance policy a few years back ( not sure if it is still available ) which was a 'pay as you drive' basis. Like with phones this had different rates based on the time of use. During the night time the tariff was something like 10 times the amount for daytime. I suspect this was based on some very extensive research which showed a substantial increase in risk when a car is driven at night...

That car insurance still exists, think Norwich Union do it, and its well overpriced. They ran some research and came up for a figure of about 85% of accidents that happen between 17-25 year olds happen in the hours of 11pm-6am. This was why they bump the price up.

Back to the main subject tho, I like your thinking, wish I had the same idea...

[1984mini25]

I personally dont drive fast at night, mainly because I dont want to hit any animals

It doesn’t matter whether it's day or night you can still hit something, i have hit several birds wondering, or flying out of bushes and trees at the last minute both during the day and night. Although buy hitting them cases some minor damage to the car, it was much safer to do so than brake, swerve, lose control or hit an oncoming car etc.

I tend to drive slightly slower at night anyway on unlit roads thanks partly to the *rubbish* candle powered headlamps, I have fitted halogens which are an improvement over standard but still not great.

[Jammy]

If a pedestrian is in the middle of a country road at night then they are asking to be hit imo.

What about at the side of the road when there's no footpath?

D

Still the pedestrians fault imo, i have some unlit roads with no footpaths round my way. If i have to walk down them i climb up the verge if a car comes, simple really. You shouldnt assume they will see you, as we all no what assumption is....

Go and hit a pedestrian and then see if your opinion changes. Regardless of fault or blame, it's an ordeal that no one involved wants to be a part of.

[Nickh_16]

i don't see too many problems with your driving, you obviously think about what could happen in different circumstances and adjust your driving to the conditions. i'm only 17 and i drive in a similar manor to what you said, however when i say put my foot down i only mean it in acceleration terms, not as in doing some silly speeds, it's loud enough at 60!!! haha

but that's the thing, in a mini you don't need to be going fast to have fun

i've done a bronze skid car course the other week which has helped my car handling if a situation where i needed to control the car to avoid an incident arose, i'll be doing a silver and gold shortly, i'd recomend it to anyone, very helpful.

but hey, i'm only 17 so i guess i'm a rubbish driver init

[spaceoctagon]

I obviously can't tell you how to drive, but remember that just because there are no headlights, does not mean there is a hazard ahead. Animals, people, fallen trees, anything...Another thing I am always aware of are animals, particularly deer, if a deer jumps out infront of you, then say goodbye to your mini and maybe youre life...

I once ran over a rabbit!

[spaceoctagon]

Go and hit a pedestrian and then see if your opinion changes. Regardless of fault or blame, it's an ordeal that no one involved wants to be a part of.

I once got run over, it was in town and traffic was only doing 10mph. I thought it was ok to cross the road as I saw the Zebra Crossing, only the car driver didn't!

[oli8925]

I obviously can't tell you how to drive, but remember that just because there are no headlights, does not mean there is a hazard ahead. Animals, people, fallen trees, anything...Another thing I am always aware of are animals, particularly deer, if a deer jumps out infront of you, then say goodbye to your mini and maybe youre life...

I once ran over a rabbit!

i apparently did that on the way to L2B last year. didnt damage the min though so no worries (im going to hell)