BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Oct 15 - 12:47 AM

I drove 30 miles on a forest road behind Mount St. Helens in Washington today. Then a sign said Pavement Ends. I should have turned around, but instead I drove another 40 miles on gravel, not sure I was on the right road. I wasn't, but I got to where I need to go. It got scary after it got dark, and I went for 40 miles without seeing a building or another vehicle. For most of the trip, all I could see were trees. A few times, a beautiful volcano popped into view for a few seconds - I think they were Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams.
I think I'll stay off poorly-marked forest roads in the future.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: Bert
Date: 23 Oct 15 - 01:33 AM

A trick I learned while driving in The Middle East was to give myself plenty of room. That extra length or two between you and the car in front can be the difference between a near miss and a fender bender.

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Oct 15 - 01:47 AM

Yes, that's right. It's the Highway Code advice -- a car-length for every 10mph of your speed from the car in front.

BUT what is the solution to the unspeakable idiot who shoves his bonnet right up to your rear bumper, or overtakes to fill up that space you have carefully left between yourself and the car in front?

≈M≈

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: BobL
Date: 23 Oct 15 - 04:11 AM

As any Classic Mini owner will know, when the oil level is seriously low you risk losing oil pressure on right-handers, unless you slow down a lot. If it happens anyway, the procedure is to switch off the engine, coast round the bend, wait a few seconds and then bump-start. This means the car slows sharply, without the brake lights coming on. I did this once in a Mini Scamp (kit car with a square tube-steel chassis that sticks out at all the corners): when I next looked in the mirror the tail-gater was at a safe distance...

BTW there was only one situation on the road I went out of my way to avoid: going round Hyde Park Corner. On a push bike.

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 23 Oct 15 - 05:55 PM

Driving at all.

At current rates of consumption, the world has 38 years of oil left. It's insane to use it on dragging people around one by one in private cars.

It's the bike for me now.

Subject: RE: BS: Driving Situations You Avoid or try to.
From: Midchuck
Date: 24 Oct 15 - 07:21 AM

"There are two kinds of drivers: Idiots (those who drive slower than you) and assholes (those who drive faster than you)."

Yes. And the interesting thing is, that when I was 25 or 30, there were idiots everywhere, and only a few assholes. Now that I'm in my 70s, there are assholes everywhere, and only a few idiots. Why did so many people change?