> "Mortimer"
privacy.net> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
> saying:
>>>>> sad since probably the car driver could do nothing.
>
>>> Rubbish. He could have dived onto the shoulder to get out of the
>>> truck's way when it became clear the truck wasn't going to stop.
>
>> Really? I doubt very much whether there was sufficient time for him to
>> take any avoiding action like this. If the car had to perform an
>> emergency stop for something ahead,
>
> He would already have been aware that the car in front of him was too
> close to the car in front of that.
If the vehicle in front was a lorry, a van or even a large 4x4, he probably
wouldn't have any view of what was in front of the vehile he was following.
>> the driver's attention would be 100%% on stopping in time not to hit the
>> vehicle in front.
>
> Then he was driving too close and not observing properly.
When you are on a motorway where everyone is doing about 70, you can be
further away than the minimum recommended two seconds and still find that
you have to do an emergency stop because it is very difficult to begin with
to distinguish between the car in front braking to slow a little bit and
braking to stop dead. Unless the car in front has deceleration-operated
hazard lights as some Peugeots have - or unless the driver hits the hazard
switch as I usually try to do if there's time.
>> Even if there was sufficient time interval before the lorry came up
>> behind
>
> He would have already been aware if the truck was within a safe distance
> of the rear of his car.
It might be that the truck was initially following further away than the
minimum safe distance. It might still hit him if the lorry driver was't
paying attention.
>> he would have thought that the lorry would stop (after all, 99 times
>> out of 100 they do) and there would be a very short interval of time
>> (maybe a second or) between realising that on this occasion the lorry
>> will not be able to stop and it actually hitting him.
>
> Easy to tell that it's closing at undiminished speed.
No, very difficult to tell until the last minute whether it's approaching
but will be able to stop in time or whether it's approaching and will hit
you. By the time you work out which one it is, there's no time to react.
>> And in that time he has to accelerate from rest
>
> Why?
Because he may already have stopped safely behind the car in front before he
sees that the lorry will not be able to stop in time. If I arrive at the
back of a queue and stop, there may be a gap of fifteen or twenty seconds
before the lorry arrives but he may or may not react to my brake lights and
hazard lights in time.
>> and swing the steering wheel hard left
>
> Again, why?
Because that's what you said - about the car driver pulling onto the hard
shoulder to avoid being hit.
Another problem with taking avoiding action such as pulling onto the hard
shoulder is that you have to second-guess what the vehicle behind will do:
if he also pulls onto the hard shoudl to avoid hitting the car in front
(you) he will hit you whereas he will avoid you if you stay in line. Split
second decision - which do you do?
