'Petrol efficiency experiment; an increase of 20%' blog discussion
Options
Comments
-
"Where safe, allow yourself to slow naturally rather than hitting the brakes. When you press the brake you are effectively converting the energy you've paid to put into the car into heat. Instead, where you can, make the most of the car's momentum – good road positioning is crucial for this. Over the course of a journey if you brake frequently, you'll find you end up having to accelerate more too, which ultimately means using more fuel. "
This is such dangerous advice. Car brakes are connected to lights. Presumably everyone understands the lights are there to let others know you're decelerating? "Where safe, allow yourself to slow naturally" is missed by most people it would seem, given the number of people on the road who slow down in regular traffic without using their brakes. Me and my wife have separately had near misses several times; not from tailgating or being too close to them but suddenly ending up far too close to them with no warning - driving at a steady 50 or 60 a few seconds behind someone ends up being far more dangerous when the person in front takes their foot off the gas with no immediate visible notice.
"Where safe" should really mean "when there's no-one within a few hundred yards behind you". To me, people not using their brakes in traffic is as selfish as not using your indicators. I wonder if there are any stats on people following the "don't use your brakes" advice and getting shunted.0 -
Your offence is driving to close to the vehicle in front and driving at a speed that does not allow you to respond in time .
Not sure if its classed as driving without due care and attention .0 -
Your offence is driving to close to the vehicle in front and driving at a speed that does not allow you to respond in time .
Not sure if its classed as driving without due care and attention .
Congratulations on being entirely predictable and not reading my post at all. You win the internet.
I can be 100 yards behind a car driving at 30 - they lift their foot and within seconds it's a lot less and I'm heavy braking. So that's great for them saving a few drops of petrol - never mind the person behind who has to use their brakes for no other reason than the person in front has decided to lift their foot.
To make it clearer - it's not the advice itself that's at fault. It's that it's not clear enough and people do it regardless of whether it's safe to do so.0 -
I can be 100 yards behind a car driving at 30 - they lift their foot and within seconds it's a lot less
If I lift at 30mph, within a few seconds, yeah, I might have slowed to 27!So that's great for them saving a few drops of petrol - never mind the person behind who has to use their brakes for no other reason than the person in front has decided to lift their foot.
I hardly think anyone speeds up and slows down for no reason, thats not going to save petrol is it - if I look ahead and anticipate the need to slow down then I'll do so.
Equally I'd be looking a few cars ahead and anticipate that they'll slow or brake and hence slow myself to anticipate that and avoid my brakes.0 -
"Where safe" should really mean "when there's no-one within a few hundred yards behind you"
OK then. The advice is not dangerous at all. People who are meant to have passed a driving test, that can't work out what 'where safe' means, are the dangerous bit.
'Don't do it when there's someone close behind you. Display your brake lights if necessary.'I can be 100 yards behind a car driving at 30 - they lift their foot and within seconds it's a lot less and I'm heavy braking. So that's great for them saving a few drops of petrol - never mind the person behind who has to use their brakes for no other reason than the person in front has decided to lift their foot.
The point you're missing here - why are they decelerating in the first place? They won't just do it at random. There's a junction or a red light or something ahead, and you probably should have noticed it.This is such dangerous adviceTo make it clearer - it's not the advice itself that's at fault. It's that it's not clear enough and people do it regardless of whether it's safe to do so.
You contradicted yourself there. People who pick out parts of the advice to follow shouldn't really be driving then, should they? 'Give way to traffic, proceed onto the roundabout WHEN SAFE to do so'. Is that dangerous? Is it encouraging dangerous driving if people proceed onto roundabouts whether it's safe or not?0 -
All drivers including you will do this when driving. The advice is to think further ahead and start to slow early rather than continue at speed then brake. The only times I've had to brake heavily due to the car ahead slowing much faster than expected is where they had no brake lights. This may be what you have experienced.
I can be 100 yards behind a car driving at 30 - they lift their foot and within seconds it's a lot less and I'm heavy braking.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.1K Life & Family
- 247.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards