The problem in metropolitan areas like WDC is that if you leave an opening over one car length or more between you and the guy in front somebody will move into that space. One of the exercises taught at the Bondurant school is where you approach a set of lights at 60 MPH, your light changes to red and you have to immediately switch to another lane which has the green light and you have obstacles in the lane divisions only about 1-2 car lengths in front of you and you have to keep from hitting them. The 2 second rule is a worst case amount based on the 95% of Americans who can't really drive. If you ever looked at the examples of that they pretty much used zero good driving techniques and slowed the reflex response to something approaching what one of these average drivers would be doing who wasn't paying attention. In fact I used to get a laugh out of their time calculation about how long it took from seeing a problem to actually braking. It was many times the measured amount it takes me (something around .15-.18 second for me). In fact in my case in that time frame of .2 seconds or less I can actually decide not to brake. Often I've been in an emergency situation where my foot went to stand on the brakes and by the time the .2 seconds was almost up I analyzed the situation and decided that braking was either the wrong response or not needed just as my foot touched the pedal. The 95% will generally stomp on the brake even if the thought processes are working well enough to correctly gage the situation. Another question on driving ability. How many of you could actually drive your car at speed (55-125 MPH) through a gap only 1 inch wider than the vehicle without ever touching the paint time after time? Very few, even less than the good driving 5% have that experience or ability. It's tied to how spatially you perceive your vehicle. I see the improper side all the time. Like when a person wants to turn right or pass somebody on the right at a stop situation and they have a gap as much as 1 foot wider than their car but they have so little conception of the location of the corners of their vehicle that they can't seem to negotiate the gap. How many remember the old curb feelers people used to put on the corners of their cars in the past (some still do)?
Let's get back to photography as I usually talk about this on my automotive groups. Anybody interested in this stuff will probably find I'm going to do another year of instructing at the Car Guys high performance driving weekends on the East coast this year. Kent Gittings -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of William Robb Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 2:36 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: OT: SUV's - was: Illegal Street Photography? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kent Gittings" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 11:42 AM Subject: RE: OT: SUV's - was: Illegal Street Photography? > Tailgating is sometimes relative. In my case I know exactly what my reflex > time is (uncommonly short) and from racing on an other car's bumper at up to > 140 MPH I've learned how to predict a driver's response based on how they > are driving. On the other hand I never get closer than I know I and my > particular vehicle can respond to an emergency. I also don't look at the > vehicle in front unless we are alone but instead look sort of through it to > vehicles in front of that. Plus I always unconsciously look around for > escape avenues just in case. This has saved me more than once in a car or on > a motorcycle. > Kent Gittings Probably better still to observe the 2 second rule. I have an annoying habit of testing tailgaters reflexes. If you think you may be putting yourself in a position where the escape route is going to be needed, why not just back off? The person ahead whose nerves you are fraying will thank you for it. L8R Bill - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com ********************************************************************** - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
