The article mentions that drivers usually fail to apply the brakes fully when attempting a panic stop. Some cars include brake assist systems that automatically apply full brakes when the driver presses the pedal suddenly enough.
I had the opportunity to give such a system a real-world test a couple years ago. I came over a crest on a German autobahn at just under 100 MPH (160 km/h) in a Volkswagen Crafter (a large van) to find a traffic jam in front of me. It's an odd experience; there's a snapping noise, and the pedal pressure is reduced to almost nothing. For an instant, I actually thought something had burst in the hydraulic system and the brakes had failed. The system applied the brakes as hard as the ABS would let it until I released the pedal.
It's completely crazy how fast people will drive vans on the German autobahn, 160 to 180 is no exception. Big problem when you're hit by a gust of sidewind. (that's when being loaded comes in handy again, but you can't really have a good stopping distance and good handling at speed).
I beg to differ. The article did a good job of blending physiological fact, psychological data and accident statistics in a coherent narrative.
As for the stuff making you relate to the guy - well, the whole point is that everybody believes it can't happen to them. The idea is - every fatal crash has a backstory, and yours doesn't protect you from it.
[Edit: the last link in that article might be of more interest to HN too: http://www.zoomsafer.com, which on quick perusal seems to be a service that automatically detects you are driving (presumably my monitoring your speed) and automatically autoresponds to calls by telling them where you are]
Hi, this is Eleanor Jones, marketing manager for ZoomSafer. Frossie, thanks for highlighting how technology like ZoomSafer's safe driving software can prevent tragic crashes by reducing mobile phone use while driving.
ZoomSafer prevents distracted driving by using your phone's GPS to detect when you're driving and automatically activating 'safe drive mode'. In 'safe drive mode', ZoomSafer locks your phone's keypad and screen so you can't text, email, or browse the web while driving - completely eliminating the need to look at your phone when your eyes should be on the road scanning for potential hazards.
The unfortunate situation detailed in the Men's Health article is one that's entirely too common - there were 6,000 deaths from distracted driving in 2008 alone. Visit www.zoomsafer.com to learn more about you can stay safely focused on the road.
I saw this on new, thought it was interesting...but the writing style was just too disconnected. No semblance of narrative, especially coming from a source that gets paid to write.
It's been many years since I took driver's ed but I don't really recall a whole lot of time spent on the subject of emergency maneuvering. It would probably be a really good idea if you have a kid learning to drive, or for yourself, to take a few lessons that include recovering from a skid (actually doing it, not just reading about it), drifting off the road, etc. etc.
I can't remember where or when I heard it but I do recall that the number of accidents increase when the driver believes that they are good enough to avoid a crash through emergency manoeuvring.
Safe driving is being aware and driving in such a was so as to prevent getting into that situation in the first place and if someone is trained to recover from a skid/drifting etc... then they're more likely to take risks.
That being said, if you can handle a car in emergency situations is a good thing as long as that doesn't encourage you to cause those situations.
I agree, but I also think that just getting your driver's license in general (in the US) is way too easy. The test is a complete and utter joke. You could be fucking blind and still pass it. It's pretty depressing. I also think you should be required to take a driving test every time you renew your license (which is every 8 years in most states, I think).
There are way too many really terrible drivers out there, and the government is doing nothing to keep them off the road. It's scary.
> The more accustomed you are to the road, the more difficult it is for you to imagine disaster. And so it is with LaBar. His eyes stop scanning, his attention withdraws, his response time drops from around 450 milliseconds to about 1,300.
I noticed this in my own driving a year or two ago and I've since trained myself to become more alert as I get to intersections near my home. It's really amazing how alert I get. Unfortunately this training makes it difficult to fall asleep quickly after driving home. :)
>You're About to Rear-End the Car in Front of You
>The instinct: Brake hard
>The right response: Brake even harder
This is very dangerous if your brakes aren't in good condition. I did this last week with the SUV I normally drive. I applied the brake at full force to stop at a light.* I slammed on my brakes and on a flat, dry road surface my vehicle skipped 1/4 of the way into the intersect. I should have stopped before it.
Now I had known my brakes were acting a little weird but my dad replaced them today and I found out about 50% of the rotor surface was gone in large patches. Had I known just how bad my brakes were (I don't know anything about cars) I would have had them fixed sooner.
* I was driving the speed limit, not five over. I wasn't distracted. I did see the light change to yellow and started braking. Then the light quickly turned red. The light was way too fast for the intersection. (It's an odd intersect, there are two lights in a row and the traffic is usually heavy enough that you can't get up to 35mph to the second light during that time of day but I had a clear lane through the first intersection)
Brake full force anyway. There is no way that braking full force will cause it to take longer to slow down unless your tires skid.
What does "skipped 1/4 of the way" mean?
What does "50% of the rotor surface was gone in large patches" mean? Have you ever seen a brake rotor? Are you implying you had big holes in your rotor? The rotor does not have a special surface, it's just bare metal. The only way the surface could be gone is if you have a hole in it.
>There is no way that braking full force will cause it to take longer to slow down unless your tires skid.
That's exactly what happened. Because of the way the rotors were worn my brakes would only catch on every few inches of rotor surface which would cause the tires to hop across the road. It was like braking on patchy ice.
>What does "skipped 1/4 of the way" mean?
I was 1/4 of the way into the intersection by the time I stopped.
>What does "50% of the rotor surface was gone in large patches" mean? Have you ever seen a brake rotor? Are you implying you had big holes in your rotor? The rotor does not have a special surface, it's just bare metal. The only way the surface could be gone is if you have a hole in it.
I don't know much about cars so I don't know how to describe it in the correct terms. I saw the rotors, on both of them 50% of the surface was smooth and gray and 50% of it was pitted and black. The pitted sections were lower than the smooth sections so I don't think the brake pads would actually grab on them.
By skipped 1/4 of the way, I take it to mean he skidded 1/4 of the way across the intersection (or, alternatively, 1/4 of his car was in the intersection).
If your pads are worn through you can wear grooves into your rotor surface. Grooves in your rotors reduce braking friction and are very bad.
Grooves are very bad. But they don't reduce friction. It's happened to me, they make the most horrible grinding noise, but they stop the car quite well. Too well.
I had the opportunity to give such a system a real-world test a couple years ago. I came over a crest on a German autobahn at just under 100 MPH (160 km/h) in a Volkswagen Crafter (a large van) to find a traffic jam in front of me. It's an odd experience; there's a snapping noise, and the pedal pressure is reduced to almost nothing. For an instant, I actually thought something had burst in the hydraulic system and the brakes had failed. The system applied the brakes as hard as the ABS would let it until I released the pedal.