08/04/2020
This isn't a normal subject for a post from me on here. However, I wanted to add something different; so here goes.
The standard of driving evident on our roads is, in some cases, quite shocking. I am not particularly qualified to share my insight as an 'expert', but then my blog is basically just my opinion anyway. So, where do I start?
Lights
This should be reasonably obvious really. If visibility is restricted, use your lights. But, which lights and when? As the light begins to ebb away, or when the weather conditions (rain, sleet or snow) reduce visibility, you should switch on your lights and this should include dipped, main beam headlights; not side lights. Side lights are pretty pointless on a moving vehicle.
Many cars now have automatic lights, but drivers of these vehicles should also be aware of the need to manually switch on their lights when weather conditions dictate. Drivers, particularly those who don't have cars with automatic headlights, should remember that when driving in towns, where street lights illuminate our way, we still need to turn our headlights on.
On New Years Eve 1988, I was driving from one pub to another early in the evening; visiting friends. I was driving back home, so I could get to my local pub, and as I went through the town centre I spotted a police car and paid special attention to my speed, lane discipline and indicators. Even so, I soon found that the police car had followed me and I was being pulled over. I stopped at the side o the road and got out of the car, shutting the door behind me. The police officer walked up to me and said, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" I responded to say that I didn't, that I had seen him and had been particularly careful with my driving. "You were," he said, "but you might want to turn your lights on."
He did ask me if I had been drinking (I hadn't) and he asked me to 'breathe on him'; the lack of alcohol on my breath meant he didn't bother to breathalyse me and sent me on my way. As I walked to my car, he pulled away. When I tried to open the door I found it locked. These were the days before central locking and my natural action on getting out of the car was to push the lock button down and lift the door handle as I closed it. My keys were in the ignition and I was stood outside.
Believe it or not, this wasn't quite as much of a nightmare as you might think. This might sound completely bonkers now, but in the 1980s and 1990s we used to have a 'gadget' called the Find-a-Key. This was a little magnetic box in which you would place a spare key, before securing it in a wheel arch! You could buy them in car accessory shops. I had one and was soon back o the road.
Fog lights are there for a purpose. One purpose only. It is actually explained in the name.
They are an auxiliary light to be used when fog reduces visibility such that normal lights can't be seen from a safe distance. The obvious measure is, if you can see the ordinary headlights or tail lights of the cars around you, at sufficient distance to enable you to drive safely, you don't need your fog lights on. If however you cannot see the normal lights of other vehicles at a distance of 80-100 yards (because of fog), you should consider whether you need to switch on your fog lights. Just make sure you turn them off again as soon as visibility improves.
Someone I know was driving their family home one Christmas Day. It was snowing. The dad was driving, the mum was in the passenger seat and their four children were sat on the back seat of their small car (this was before the introduction of seat belts).
A police car was behind them and on came the blue lights.
The dad pulled over and the police officer asked if the dad knew why he had been pulled over: "No" answered the man.
"You've got your fog lights on," replied the officer.
"I know," said the man, "it's snowing."
"Yes," responded the officer, "and they're called fog lights!"
Roundabouts
Roundabouts have evolved over the decades I've been driving. I remember the first time I saw traffic lights on a roundabout (back in the early 1990s); in fact I didn't see them in time to comply with them! I am a stickler for following the instructions provided by traffic lights, so that was a bit of a shock.
Many people still don't seem to be too keen on obeying such signals, as almost every time I use the the roundabouts in the town where I live, I see several cars jumping the red lights.
The lane discipline is also quite atrocious. Even on straightforward roundabouts, many people use the wrong lanes. I frequently see people using the left hand lane to travel all the way to the last exit, causing traffic using the roundabout properly to have to take avoiding action.
It is quite difficult to offer simple rules for roundabouts, as there are so many variables. As a basic principle for 'ordinary' roundabouts with two lanes on entry, the roundabout itself and, in some cases, the exit(s): If the exit you require is:
before the 12 o'clock position, use the left hand lane on entry and indicate your intention to depart as you pass the exit prior to the one you intend to use;
after the 12 o'clock position, use the right hand lane on entry, indicating right, and indicate your intention to depart as you pass the exit prior to the one you intend to use; or
at the 12 o'clock position, use either the left or right hand lane on entry, depending on which is safest to use, and indicate your intention to depart as you pass the exit prior to the one you intend to use.
If however the traffic signs or road markings indicate a different approach, they should be obeyed.
On more complex roundabouts, drivers frequently use the wrong lanes because they don't understand the road layout or are just keen to abuse the system to gain a few seconds on their journey. Additional road markings appear to have crept into our roundabouts that many drivers appear to be unaware of.
If you look at the road markings on a major roundabout, perhaps when you are next waiting at the traffic lights, you will may spot additional square markings (rather than the usual long and short dashes). These often show that the single lane you are sat in can be used to continue into more than one lane as you proceed. It may be, for example, that there are two lanes on your entry towards the roundabout, but that this then goes into three or four lanes.
In the same way, there are many examples of where the number of lanes reduces as you leave the roundabout, or very shortly afterwards.
Have a look at the road markings more closely on your future trips and be aware of how other cars around you might be expected to proceed.
Many people fail to indicate properly at roundabouts. This causes issues for other road users, who cannot clearly see their intended direction. This slows traffic, causes unnecessary traffic hold ups and, therefore, increases fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
It is a common courtesy to show others where you are going and allow them to take that into account on their journey.
Motorways
Our motorways have been evolving over the last ten years. The early changes were evident in the Midlands, with the M6 Toll Road and the M42 'smart' motorway. The M42 introduced the ability to open up the hard shoulder for vehicles when traffic volume was high and doing so would ease the flow and improve journey times.
The smart motorway (M42) was a success and I frequently used it when travelling to see clients or when travelling from my Hampshire home to the Altrincham (Greater Manchester) location of my company's head office. It didn't eradicate traffic jams, but it certainly eased them significantly.
As a result, work has happened to introduce smart motorways elsewhere.
For me, in Hampshire, the most significant one of these is the M3. After what seemed like a lifetime of roadworks, but was actually about three years, the M3 though north Hampshire and Surrey was completed in July 2017. This part of the M3 has been widened and converted into four lanes, with variable speed limits and specified emergency points.
However, research from the AA showed that two-fifths (38%) of drivers say they wouldn't drive on hard shoulders converted into running lanes, of which more than a third (37%) said they feared coming across a broken down vehicle while one in ten (13%) said that they believed lane one was ‘the lorry lane’. People have suggested the smart motorways are too dangerous, citing the number of near misses that have happened on them.
I would point out that every motorist has a responsibility for maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front of them and should be constantly alert to the traffic around them. One off the key 'rules' to follow when driving on public roads is; never drive so fast as to be unable to stop safely if something happens ahead of you. The drivers should be looking ahead to what is happening; people changing lane, brake lights, overhead signs and more.
I would also point out that our dual carriageways have the same speed limit as our motorways, but they don't have hard shoulders. It is people's focus that needs to be worked on.
I actually had a discussion with a coach driver a year after the 'new' M3 smart motorway was launched, and he said that he would never take his coach into the new left hand lane. He even said that he would avoid lane two when driving his coach, tending to keep to lane three!
When I suggested he was not just breaking the law, but was creating danger on our roads, he became quite irate, expressing his views with a stream of extremely 'colourful' language.
Sadly, he is not alone. Any journey on a UK motorway will almost definitely bring you into contact with one of the pariahs of our roads; the 'middle lane driver'.
On a three lane motorway, this frequently means that the left hand lane is left empty as drivers travelling at 60-70 mph hog the middle lane. Incredibly, on a four lane motorway, both lanes one and two are often completely empty as the middle lane car drivers (and errant coach drivers, taxis, van drivers...) actually shuffle over even further.
Proper lane discipline isn't just a case of motoring etiquette or polite behaviour, it is an issue of road safety. The lane system we have is based upon the basis of all road users driving in the left hand lane, unless they are overtaking another vehicle. When vehicles travel in the wrong lane, they cause disruption to those driving in all lanes. Overall traffic flow is negatively affected and the likelihood of accidents caused by drivers being forced to cross multiple lanes for straightforward manoeuvres increases significantly.
Another series issue on our motorways is tailgating. This can increase the likelihood of nose to tail shunts and make the outcome far more serious. The reaction time needed for the driver disappears, if they are too close to the car in front.
Tailgating also leads to unnecessary braking, which causes many phantom traffic jams. If traffic is flowing freely and people are maintaining a suitable gap between themselves and the car in front, drivers shouldn’t need to brake at all on the motorway until turning off onto a slip road. The impact of even a slight dab on the breaks can be significant; with the ripple effect involving hundreds of vehicles and stretching back miles.
Dr Eddie Wilson, of Bristol University, who has studied the phenomenon explains; "We've seen individual phantom jams that have travelled over 50 miles down the motorway --- and on Bank Holiday Fridays, the entire M6 from Birmingham to the Lake District is often stop-go the whole way,"
Advanced drivers pay greater attention to the traffic further ahead. On motorways, this allows them to spot situations that might require them to slow down earlier, enabling them to slow down sufficiently by simply easing off the accelerator. They use engine braking and avoid applying the brakes, meaning they do not contribute to the menace of phantom traffic jams.
It is worth noting that avoiding the use of your brakes, aside from when it is actually necessary, is good driving practice. It isn't just a way of reducing congestion, but also helps to improve fuel economy, cut exhaust emissions and make for safer driving.
Dual Carriageways
Dual carriageways require all of the same cautions as motorways. Dual carriageways can have have more than two lanes, just as some motorways only have two lanes, and both road types have a 70 mph speed limit.
However, dual carriageways typically have much smaller slip roads, don't have hard shoulders or safe refuge areas and can have other features that might offer risks, such as traffic lights and even traffic that crosses both carriageways.
Not only should drivers take the same precautions as they do on motorways, but they should take greater care due to the additional risks.
Speed Limits
Our speed limits are, for the most part, there for very good reasons. Some would argue that the speed limit on motorways was introduced at a time when most cars weren't capable of reaching 70 mph and was, supposedly, introduced as a temporary measure as a result of the oil crisis in the 1970s.
The safety of our vehicles has improved dramatically in the period since then. Air bags, disc brakes, crumple zones, anti-lock brakes, better light technology and improved tyre technology are just some of the ways in which our cars are safer now than they were before.
On the flip side, the flagrant disregard for lane discipline on our motorway network adds risk to the journey, as do distractions such as radios, CD players, music streaming and satellite navigation systems. By far the worst distraction though, is hand held mobile phones.
So, for the moment, the speed limit on our motorways is 70 mph.
The 70 mph limit also applies to dual carriageways, unless otherwise indicated. These roads have added risks to them, including minor road junctions, traffic lights, crossroads and even pedestrian crossings.
20 mph zones are frequently found on housing estates and around schools, but may also be used where previous road traffic accidents suggest the lower limit is necessary on safety grounds. I find it amazing that so many motorists ignore these limits, frequently driving much faster even than 30 mph; even more so that it is often local residents or parents of children at the schools who are driving at such reckless speeds. It is frankly astonishing to see cars coming up behind you at closing speeds of 20+ mph, when you are actually travelling at the 20 mph speed limit; and I've even then had cars trying to overtake at that point!
If you get 'invited' to a Speed Awareness Course, one of the things they will teach you about speed limits is:
It's A Limit, Not A Target...
It's a cliche, but it's true. If you want a reason for sticking t the speed limits that isn't linked to the ability to avoid penalty points, fines and the safety of you, your passengers and other road users; think about improved fuel economy and less Co2 emissions.
Hand Held Devices
I'll admit that this is an issue that I really care about.
When I got my first mobile telephone in 1990, I immediately found a local business to install a professional hands-free system. This cost me an awful lot more than the telephone itself, but I considered it worth it to enable me to handle business calls without having to actually hold the phone. This was 13 years before the law banning the use of hand held phones whilst was introduced, although there was previously the potential to be prosecuted for dangerous driving.
30 years later, 17 years after the introduction of specific laws covering the use of hand held mobiles, there are still people using them illegally; far too many of them.
If you let those numbers sink, I would hope you would be appalled (as I am) that over half of 17-24 year olds and about a third of 25-44 year olds admit to using handheld phones illegally.
When I witness people using hand held devices whilst driving and I am able to legally obtain photo or video evidence, I always report the offender to the police. If they are driving a sign written vehicle, showing their employers name, I will also report the matter to the company concerned. In both cases, I will provide the evidence of the crime.
I'm sure that some people will think I'm wrong to do so, but it is a crime that is inexcusable.
The absolute only time it is acceptable (legal) to use a hand held phone whilst in charge of a vehicle is when you need to make an emergency call to 999 / 112 and it is unsafe or impossible to stop before making the call.
Driving Under The Influence (Alcohol or Drugs)
This is another motoring crime that is inexcusable.
It is also a crime that I have notified the police about a couple of times, and have actively prevented on a couple of other occasions. I have taken keys off a friend to stop him riding his motorcycle and let others know that they had a choice between allowing me to get them home, or them driving away and me immediately calling the police.
Fortunately, they accepted my help both times.
No matter how capable drunk drivers think they are, they will be impaired and much more likely to cause a serious accident. The same applies to those who drive after taking drugs.
There's not much more to say on the subject, aside from:
If you know someone is driving whilst under the influence, or have serious suspicions that they are, don't hesitate. Try and stop them, and if you can't achieve that, report them.
You might just save a life!
I may update this post further.
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