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Staying Safe On The Highway Safety And Other Related Driving Tips


Kavvz

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OK, here is it. When I look over the shoulder all I can see is the pillar post. Simply the distance indicated in arrow is too much.

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And I recorded a video today while driving home and just wanted to defend what I said. ( I'm sorry this might be boring) In the video at 00:08 I'm very confidently turning to the right lane quickly. Why?

I was watching the car just passed at 00:08 and the traffic behind it well ahead. And as soon as it pass me there can't be anything on the blind spot.

And when I wanted to take the exit, I targeted a relatively slowly moving van at 03:15. Accelerated to go to safer distance ahead of it and turned to the left lane by just having a glance on the left side mirror (at 03:24). At this time I don't like to take my head away even for a fraction of a second, because there is a car travelling in front of me. This is the most comfortable way for me to switch the lane.

http://www.dailymoti...bh6w_pie_travel

What you say does work. I dont deny it.. But what I'm trying to say is that it still leaves a loophole. Example:

1- You are in lane 2 and you want to get onto lane 1. The last vehicle you saw in your mirror has now passed you. But hidden behind that car was a motorcycle. You didnt see it and hence soon after the car has gone past you move to lane 1, and into the motorcyclist.

2- You are on lane 1 and you wanna move to lane 2 to get off the express way. You overtake the truck in lane 2 and now you know there was nothing in front of the truck so you move to lane 2. But on the other side of the truck on lane 3 was a motorcyclist who decided he wanted to go faster too and switched to lane 2 soon after he overtook the truck too. And again, you meet the motorcyclist.

So rather than go on a system that you deduce that the lane you're moving into is clear I think its safer to actually CHECK if its clear. And if you're following road-rules you should have a 2 second gap between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. That should give you ample time to do a quick glance at your blind spot and still be able to look forward in time to see if the vehicle in front of you has slowed down.

I admit most of the time I use the exact method you use, simply cos its easier; and in general i feel secure constantly looking and knowing who's behind me hence I know when its safe to change lanes. Its the easier way, yes, but still its not the correct way. I almost learn it the hard way in Malaysia when I had done such a lane change. I didnt know till later when a friend who was behind me had seen a car behind a bus having to brake pretty hard to avoid me when I changed lanes right after the bus. When I heard this I almost shat my pants.

Out of curiosity, did you get your license in S'pore or did you get your Sri Lankan license converted?

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What you say does work. I dont deny it.. But what I'm trying to say is that it still leaves a loophole. Example:

1- You are in lane 2 and you want to get onto lane 1. The last vehicle you saw in your mirror has now passed you. But hidden behind that car was a motorcycle. You didnt see it and hence soon after the car has gone past you move to lane 1, and into the motorcyclist.

2- You are on lane 1 and you wanna move to lane 2 to get off the express way. You overtake the truck in lane 2 and now you know there was nothing in front of the truck so you move to lane 2. But on the other side of the truck on lane 3 was a motorcyclist who decided he wanted to go faster too and switched to lane 2 soon after he overtook the truck too. And again, you meet the motorcyclist.

So rather than go on a system that you deduce that the lane you're moving into is clear I think its safer to actually CHECK if its clear. And if you're following road-rules you should have a 2 second gap between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. That should give you ample time to do a quick glance at your blind spot and still be able to look forward in time to see if the vehicle in front of you has slowed down.

I admit most of the time I use the exact method you use, simply cos its easier; and in general i feel secure constantly looking and knowing who's behind me hence I know when its safe to change lanes. Its the easier way, yes, but still its not the correct way. I almost learn it the hard way in Malaysia when I had done such a lane change. I didnt know till later when a friend who was behind me had seen a car behind a bus having to brake pretty hard to avoid me when I changed lanes right after the bus. When I heard this I almost shat my pants.

Out of curiosity, did you get your license in S'pore or did you get your Sri Lankan license converted?

I'm totally aware of what you are saying. To avoid situation like in ( 1 ) I never turn abruptly. I may be first turning a little to the lane 1 and drive with the same speed a while and gradually entering in to lane 1. I do lookout for the vehicles turning in to the same lane, while my head is directed toward the side mirror. With this position I can see both the front and the side just by rolling eyes, while keeping the head still. ( never look over the shoulder ). I do not ignore blind spots, yet avoid them by varying the speed. I might be still wrong, but I still believe that "looking over the shoulder" while driving in highway is not a good advice.

I just found the official DSA guide (UK) in Google Books. Please pay attention to the underlined text. I think it says all I wanted to say. Looking over the shoulder is only valid before moving off

( Mine is a converted SL license to SG )

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I might be still wrong, but I still believe that "looking over the shoulder" while driving in highway is not a good advice.

No offence intended 'whatever' but: That belief / practice is incorrect.

I just found the official DSA guide (UK) in Google Books. Please pay attention to the underlined text. I think it says all I wanted to say. Looking over the shoulder is only valid before moving off

blindspot.jpg

Furthermore, the document you referenced does not support your argument / point. It merely states that you need to check your blind spot when pulling out and that checking blind spots involves a quick sideways glance, not an elaborate head movement.

The document you refer to, is actually quite a good reference book. In it, checking blind spots is clarified pretty well. If you go through those instances in detail you'll see that it does not support your point, but recommends otherwise. In fact, if you took the time to read the VERY TEXT / paragraph you underlined under the title "Checking blind spots on the move" (page 68) in its entirety; you'll see that it starts off stating: "There will be occasions when it will be necessary to check blind spots when on the move." The text goes on to instruct the reader on how to perform a proper blind spot check via a quick sideways glance and discusses blind spot checks when merging, changing lanes etc. See the referenced link for details

In a post above I quoted the recommended procedure from the British Highway code for changing lanes and linked the complete version for reference. Please note that it clearly states that checking your blind spot when changing lanes is necessary.

Whether you chose to check your blind spot before you change lanes or not is your call; however it is indisputable at this point that checking your blind spot when changing lanes is advisable. This fact is stressed in the highway code / official driving guides of multiple countries.

See below for links to the current British, Ontario (Canada), Michigan (USA) and New York (USA) highway codes / driving guides confirming this.

1. British Highway code (current for Apr 2012): See article # 267

Other current government endorsed instruction addressing blind spots and lane changes:

2. Blind spot instruction for the province of Ontario (Canada)

3. Blind spot instruction for the State of Michigan (USA): See page 87

4. Blind spot instruction for the State of New York (USA): See Chapter 6- passing on the left

Edited by Kavvz
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