Showing posts with label parking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parking. Show all posts

Friday, 3 October 2014

Dazzled by Headlights or the Sun ? Stop !

There have been many recent cases where drivers that drive while blinded by low sun have been acquitted of dangerous or even careless driving. Judges are ignoring the Highway Code when sentencing, and instructing juries to ignore it when deliberating the verdict.
If nothing else, this is unnecessary tautological duplication.
93 Slow down, and if necessary stop, if you are dazzled by bright sunlight.
6. Hot weather ...
237 ... If you are dazzled by bright sunlight, slow down and if necessary, stop.
It seems that we have no protection when on east-west roads after dawn or before dusk under UK case law. Perhaps there should be a curfew ?

Fog is already an accepted excuse for bad driving, so I wonder which universally-encountered weather conditions will be blamed for bad driving next ? Ice, Snow, Rain, Wind, Night, Cloud ?

The principle used to be Highway Code 126
Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear.
Pro Tip : If a car's number plate appears to be lit up, you are directly between them and the sun, so you are invisible.

Really, I would advise not using the roads when the sun is low. Extreme but safe !

Even slowing down is dangerous.
RAF Northolt Station Commander killed on A40 - [ Road Justice ]
"He was dazzled by sunlight, he slowed down and moved to the slow lane when other drivers were flashing their lights to say has driving too slowly, and that he was looking out for motorcyclists overtaking him at the time of the crash. He drove into the back of Group Captain Tom Barrett OBE, who was cycling"


Tuesday, 29 July 2014

Tragedy of the Commons

According to Wikipedia, The tragedy of the commons is an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, according to which individuals behave contrary to the whole group's long-term best interests by depleting some common resource.

The original example was common grazing land - all the commoners could buy more cattle to graze there, so they all did, resulting in over-grazing resulting in the cattle dying.

I think it now applies to roadspace - anyone can own a car, so too many do. People are reluctant to drive somewhere, if they fear it will be difficult to find a parking space there. Motorists even object to those that use less space, fearing they move more slowly.