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> On Jun 13, 2011, at 5:04 AM, Philip Pemberton wrote:
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> On 09/06/11 15:34, PICdude wrote:
>> Depends on where you're at.  I've lived in a number of different
>> places and can clearly see a difference between how people drive.
>> Here in South Florida, people are very rude.  I'd say 99% of the time
>> when I put on a turn signal to change lanes, the driver in the other
>> lane will rush up to ensure I can't get in front of them.  And a cop
>> recently did this to me too.
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> Try Leeds sometime.
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> Drive around Harehills and parts of Roundhay and you might as well be=20
> writing a suicide note. Most people seem to treat driving as a "them vs.=
=20
> us" situation, and act accordingly. Jumping red lights, amber-jumping=20
> (accelerating when the light goes from green to amber), cutting in=20
> without signalling, and tailgating are all commonplace.
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> Last I heard, Harehills had the highest incidence of uninsured and/or=20
> unlicensed drivers in West Yorkshire... (no prizes for guessing where=20
> the main DSA driving test centre for Leeds is!)
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> Even had some little yob throw a bunch of carpet tacks on the road while=
=20
> I was in the middle of a driving test. Blew out the back near-side=20
> tyre... yeesh. "Test failed: vehicle unsuitable for driving test."
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> I haven't had much luck with driving tutors either. =A36k in lessons and=
=20
> tests, four tutors, two theory tests, nine failed practical tests (plus=20
> the "vehicle failure") and I've called it a day. I think I'll stick to=20
> the trains...
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>> Another fear of mine is the traffic-signal cameras that have started
>> popping up everywhere.
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> Geez, those things are evil. And the speed cameras. The contrast in=20
> statistics is quite amusing: the "Safety Camera Partnerships" are=20
> howling about how speedtraps are a good thing, and how they reduce=20
> accidents. Problem is, RTAs have been on a downward trend for years.=20
> Correlation !=3D causation.
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> In some cases, the cameras have actually CAUSED accidents as people slam=
=20
> on the brakes just before reaching them.... Yes you can drop 20MPH in a=20
> couple of seconds, but God help the guy behind you!
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> I'm going to argue that there are plenty of circumstances where=20
> *speeding up* is the correct way to avoid a collision (usually with a=20
> vehicle behind you) or at least buy a few extra fractions of a second.=20
> Indeed, in some road conditions (IIRC ice is one of them) speeding up is=
=20
> the easiest way to regain control of the vehicle -- applying the brakes=20
> will make you spin out.
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> Dealing with tailgaters, however, is easy: slow down. WAY, WAY down.=20
> Somewhere around 20MPH is good :)
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> --=20
> Phil


Phil
What is DSA and What is RTA  ?     I slow down when tail-gated and continue=
 to slow down in an effort to get them to pass me.... I also hold up thumb =
and adjacent finger and indicate an increasingly small gap.=20

Are you slowing down to increase your safety or instead to pssss the bggggr=
 off ?  6K for driving lessons... does the car feel like a dis-connected ex=
tension of your body ?   What do the driving instructors show you or have y=
ou do ?
99guspuppet
--=20
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