Driving - when your senses prove right

[diy_fun_uk]

Driving home last night around 8.30-9pm so it was dark. 30 limit A road in built up area. I'm trundling along doing 30 and I see a man and woman on the other side of the road starting to cross. He was walking two or three steps ahead, kind of looking back at her as if in discussion. They weren't crossing directly, they were crossing diagonally and away from me if that makes sense i.e. his back was sort of facing me.

This section of road has two central lines with a gap of around two foot between them and it's not unusual for folk to cross half way and stop in this zone. However as I watched this couple slightly ahead of me, something told me he wasn't going to stop. So I lifted off the gas and positioned my foot over the brake. Sure enough he kept on walking right in front of me. At that point, two or three things all happened at once. I think the woman must have shouted warning him, cause he kind of turned to look back and ran at the same time to get across. I braked and sounded my horn. The woman stopped in the centre and gave me a dirty look as I drove past.

I am generalising when I say this and I could obviously be totally wrong. However the area I was driving through isn't the best and it's not unusual to see people walking around there that are evidently out of it to varying degrees. I suspect they were maybe in that bracket.

Regardless, as I drove on, I thought how easy it must be to find yourself in the horrendous situation of hitting someone. If circumstances had been slightly different e.g. the woman not seeing me and/or me doing something wrong (perhaps looking down to change the AC or radio) the outcome could have been very different.

I sort of sensed he was going to keep on walking. I get this sometimes when going round a roundabout, I see a vehicle and think 'you're going to cut into my lane' so I take evasive action and it turns out to be the right action because that's exactly what they do.

I'm not being an ar5e and talking about having special senses etc, however do you ever get feelings/senses like this that end up being right?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm not being an ar5e and talking about having special senses etc, however do you ever get feelings/senses like this that end up being right?

Yes, often - it's a part of the skill of avoiding accidents, and nowt to do with any second sense, rather it is an understanding/being able to read into a situation - what might happen, or develop.

 

[just pumps]

It comes with experiance.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I think of the riding defensively advice cyclists and motorbikers are given. I drive assuming no one can see my car!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It comes with experiance.

Yep, always look for eye contact, before assuming you have been seen.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Do get this sometimes when you get the sense someone is preoccupied, not paying attention or not noticed my presence - either driving or more importantly when cycling. After a few years of driving you learn to anticipate, read others' signals and be ready to react. Some of the time.

Unfortunately many pedestrians and drivers are far too casual and often vying for today's Darwin Award. See people all the time walk across pelican crossings relying on the green man without checking cars have stopped. Zebras the same - people crossing staring straight ahead without looking to the side for traffic. Another new trend seems to be pedestrians, or even worse cyclists, going around with headphones on. Recently a postumous Darwin was awarded to the young lady who unfortunately went under a Prague tram while crossing the road, because she was wearing headphones and didn't hear it coming.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Do get this sometimes when you get the sense someone is preoccupied, not paying attention or not noticed my presence - either driving or more importantly when cycling. After a few years of driving you learn to anticipate, read others' signals and be ready to react. Some of the time.

Unfortunately many pedestrians and drivers are far too casual and often vying for today's Darwin Award. See people all the time walk across pelican crossings relying on the green man without checking cars have stopped. Zebras the same - people crossing staring straight ahead without looking to the side for traffic. Another new trend seems to be pedestrians, or even worse cyclists, going around with headphones on. Recently a postumous Darwin was awarded to the young lady who unfortunately went under a Prague tram while crossing the road, because she was wearing headphones and didn't hear it coming.

Yeah this is what I'm driving at (pardon the pun) I suppose it is essentially down to experience.

 

[Trazor]

It comes with experience.

Which is why youngsters (especially boys), are a menace on the roads.

 

[motorbiking]

It’s to do with something called myelin which reinforces pathways to previous decisions your brain has taken.

Effectively you brain has worked out that when someone drifts a tiny bit it’s because they are about to change lanes. Etc. it’s also why people don’t even think about clutch control once they’ve mastered it.

And the saying practice makes permanent is true.

 

[johnny2007]

My first few yesr of driving were in a busy Italian city.
You learn to anticipate what mad manoeuvre your fellow car or motorbike driver will do.
Pedestrians don't count over there, they're like the frog crossing the road in that ancient videogame of gone times...
I'm now a sensitive, I can tell what f#ck up road users will do with at least 3 second in advance.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Yeah this is what I'm driving at (pardon the pun) I suppose it is essentially down to experience.

Yes, a big part of it. Wouldn't ever pretend to be the best driver in the world, but as I've got older I've also become more cautious and boring. Also being in less of a hurry gives me more time to observe what's going on.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

My first few yesr of driving were in a busy Italian city.

Never been to Italy, but a couple of visits to New York told me that's one place I never want to drive. The cabs in Manhattan all had big V8s and when they see a gap in the traffic they go from zero to 50 and back to zero in seconds. Quite exciting being in the back - almost as good as a ride at the funfair.

 

[charliegolf]

Yes, often - it's a part of the skill of avoiding accidents, and nowt to do with any second sense, rather it is an understanding/being able to read into a situation - what might happen, or develop.

I think of it as reading body language; and that extends to people driving too. You are just sure they're going to pull out or turn without indicating...

 

[Roy Bloom]

Driving home last night around 8.30-9pm so it was dark. 30 limit A road in built up area. I'm trundling along doing 30 and I see a man and woman on the other side of the road starting to cross. He was walking two or three steps ahead, kind of looking back at her as if in discussion. They weren't crossing directly, they were crossing diagonally and away from me if that makes sense i.e. his back was sort of facing me.
This section of road has two central lines with a gap of around two foot between them and it's not unusual for folk to cross half way and stop in this zone. However as I watched this couple slightly ahead of me, something told me he wasn't going to stop. So I lifted off the gas and positioned my foot over the brake. Sure enough he kept on walking right in front of me. At that point, two or three things all happened at once. I think the woman must have shouted warning him, cause he kind of turned to look back and ran at the same time to get across. I braked and sounded my horn. The woman stopped in the centre and gave me a dirty look as I drove past.

I am generalising when I say this and I could obviously be totally wrong. However the area I was driving through isn't the best and it's not unusual to see people walking around there that are evidently out of it to varying degrees. I suspect they were maybe in that bracket.

Regardless, as I drove on, I thought how easy it must be to find yourself in the horrendous situation of hitting someone. If circumstances had been slightly different e.g. the woman not seeing me and/or me doing something wrong (perhaps looking down to change the AC or radio) the outcome could have been very different.

I sort of sensed he was going to keep on walking. I get this sometimes when going round a roundabout, I see a vehicle and think 'you're going to cut into my lane' so I take evasive action and it turns out to be the right action because that's exactly what they do.

I'm not being an ar5e and talking about having special senses etc, however do you ever get feelings/senses like this that end up being right?

Always give way to pedestrians.

As far as I am aware, double white lines do not constitute a central refuge.

 

[Odds]

I think of the riding defensively advice cyclists and motorbikers are given. I drive assuming no one can see my car!

Twice i've had people step out as though looking right through me tredding on my way...both gave me accusing looks when i asked if they were okay. I had no choice but to run into them, given no time to adjust to their sudden step out into the road.

It left me wondering if i should use my apparent power of invisibility to fight crime...or not.