Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: STEMO on 26 March 2016, 14:50:20
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Did it this morning. People who'd been on it before told me it was actually quite interesting.....they lied. :)
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My mum said they did nice coffee, and as long as she smiled at the right time, they didn't pay too much attention to her.
I did ask her if she broke the limit on the way home. "Maybe".
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My mum said they did nice coffee, and as long as she smiled at the right time, they didn't pay too much attention to her.
I did ask her if she broke the limit on the way home. "Maybe".
I tried to explain that it is almost impossible to drive without breaking the speed limit. The nice lady went off-script for a very short time but quickly realised she wasn't really intelligent enough to stay there.
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The course I went on was taken by two advanced diving inductors, one of which was quite funny so it made it more enjoyable.
It just goes to show it's not the course, it's the people who take it that makes the difference :y
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The course I went on was taken by two advanced diving inductors, one of which was quite funny so it made it more enjoyable.
It just goes to show it's not the course, it's the people who take it that makes the difference :y
Well...it would be interesting with diving inductors..wouldn't it? ;D
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Sorry...advanced diving inductors. ;D
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How does opps off sound ;D
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Maybe a video of the aftermath of a fatal road accident involving say, a child would be more interesting ?
They could show the efforts of the ambulance crews, the mother screaming her dead child's name, the police officer acting as continuity, watching the tiny broken body placed in the mortuary fridge, the heartbroken parents explaining why the wee bother or sister isn't coming home again, the headmaster telling school friends at a special assembly, the funeral, the heartbreak, the complete and utter heartbreak. All because the driver couldn't stop in time because of excess speed.
Yes, I've seen all that and maybe if speeding drivers sampled it once, just once, they wouldn't regard their actions as acceptable.
Do I stick to speed limits ? Yes, yes I do. I get all kind of abuse for it but having completed 30 years of taking abuse, it means nothing to me.
For those of you of have never witnessed and dealt with above heartbreak, you have no idea. No idea.
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Maybe a video of the aftermath of a fatal road accident involving say, a child would be more interesting ?
They could show the efforts of the ambulance crews, the mother screaming her dead child's name, the police officer acting as continuity, watching the tiny broken body placed in the mortuary fridge, the heartbroken parents explaining why the wee bother or sister isn't coming home again, the headmaster telling school friends at a special assembly, the funeral, the heartbreak, the complete and utter heartbreak. All because the driver couldn't stop in time because of excess speed.
Yes, I've seen all that and maybe if speeding drivers sampled it once, just once, they wouldn't regard their actions as acceptable.
Totally agree, I spent 10 years in the London Ambulance Service & can recall umpteen tragic events linked to excess speed ,unfortunately a lot of folk think it can never happen to them, nothing annoys me more than to see drivers texting & talking on their mobiles why can't people just concentrate on their driving.
Do I stick to speed limits ? Yes, yes I do. I get all kind of abuse for it but having completed 30 years of taking abuse, it means nothing to me.
For those of you of have never witnessed and dealt with above heartbreak, you have no idea. No idea.
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I'm with Paddy and Tilbo on this one, as I was also in the LAS for 20 years and I can say that if you haven't witnessed/ dealt with the really serious stuff and seen the effects of a high speed impact on a human being, then you don't want to go there.My cousin was killed instantly when a artic jackknifed at speed and mounted the pavement crushing him in his baby buggy,my aunt was unscathed, and although now in her seventies she still keeps his small Wellington boots under the kitchen sink where they were on the day of the accident.It wrecked her life from that point on and things were made worse as the truck driver got off a death by dangerous driving charge through lack of witness evidence.I was 17 at the time and had never seen a dead body, and although part of his face and head were deliberately covered due to his injuries I stood watching my uncle tucking his 3year old sons favourite teddy and a small piece of his favourite blanket into that small white coffin,man that really did my head in for months after.
As to speeding,you take your chances and face the consequences if it goes tits up,but if you watch series like Traffic cops then of course there's enough nobheads out there to complicate your life in a heartbeat through their own selfishness.So yes perhaps the shock treatment might work as a trip into the mortuary when they are doing post mortems should help do the trick,because there's something very sobering to see what goes on in a place like that.
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It's a pity all the idiots who slow down on the other side of the road don't get given a guided tour - "That's right come a bit closer, but mind those crunchy bits on the ground, that's what is left of his head", or "Open that door, and all the blood in the door pocket will drip out over your shoes" sort of thing.
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I attended a speed awareness course a couple of year ago, due to travelling across tower bridge at 26 mph, not the biggest crime i will admit but i was in the wrong and took the punishment.
Now the speed course told me nothing i did not already know, but it made me realise the damage that can be caused by speeding. it made me realise that the 2 ton box of metal i am driving is a killing machine in the wrong place at the wrong time and only needs a split second for all carnage to happen.
It made me change the way i drive and made me relax a bit and to give more time behind other vehicles and to reduce the speed i drive at in different places.
Now dont get me wrong i still get a move on but only when the road conditions allow and it is on the motorway. Even then i am always aware that conditions can change in a heart beat,
Anyone who says that they did not learn some thing or take on board that they are in the wrong somehow are morons who will never take resposibility for their actions
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I've recently put cameras (to late) in all my cars after some tosser in a BMW reversed at speed into the front of SWMBO's car,she has been found completely at fault although she was stationary and sounding the horn,the other driver changed his story by saying that she drove into the back of him.This one's going to the insurance Ombudsman without doubt,but it goes to illustrate how people can't take responsibility for their actions and are quick to try and wriggle of the hook.On the upside I've got some blinding footage of one of the most dangerous undertakes I ever seen on our local 2 lane motorway,I estimated his speed north of 130 mph and of course it was a *** driver,now all I've got to do is work out how to download it on to here ::)
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This is all a bit much, I only did 36 in a 30. ;D
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
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This is all a bit much, I only did 36 in a 30. ;D
Agreed ..... ;D ;D
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
Is this from the Highway code? :-\
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I don't know whether that stopping distance is part of the highway code,but it is known that braking to a stop is not a linear progression.A test some time ago using a police vehicle measured the stopping distance[emergency braking]at 70mph and again at 100mph and at the time the car braking from 100 passed the point it had stopped at from 70 it was still doing 70!
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And those results are probably with a well maintained vehicle with excellent tyres etc, unlike many out there.
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
I tried to find the Top Gear clip when they compared stopping distances with a high performace saloon car, sports car & an Anglia ...... couldn't find it though :(
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
I know an Omega has no trouble stopping from a ton at the last of the III/II/I markers.
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
I know an Omega has no trouble stopping from a ton at the last of the III/II/I markers.
Nor did the '86 1600 Cavalier that I learnt to drive in 28years ago.
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
They did tell us on the course that these distances were set in 1947 but said that, even though the braking distance had decreased, the overall stopping distance was left the same because concentration levels were compromised by the amount of tech found in modern cars. So thinking distance and reaction distance increased by the same amount that braking distance decreased.
Ok? ;D
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I don't know whether that stopping distance is part of the highway code,but it is known that braking to a stop is not a linear progression.A test some time ago using a police vehicle measured the stopping distance[emergency braking]at 70mph and again at 100mph and at the time the car braking from 100 passed the point it had stopped at from 70 it was still doing 70!
That info was past on to me during part 2 by a advanced driving instructor at my last speeding seminar about 12 years ago.
As for the copper in part 1, lets just say thank fook that not all coppers are like that :-X :-X
To be fair to the ADI, he didn't patronise anybody and spoke a lot of sense, and probably made a difference to most peoples driving attitude in there :y
Agree that a visit and some graphic pictures from some of the lads and lasses that work for the ambulance service would also work wonders.
As for speed limits, there is a place and a time to get your boot down.
Problem is, people have had all common sense sucked out of them in all walks of life by the pc brigade over 2 or 3 generations.
When I was a young lad driving, I had my old man who would quite happily give me a slap if he caught me driving like a t wat :-X
Not any more, its not allowed :(
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Stopping distance at 36=100'! Which also surprised me when at 30 it is 45'
In a 1950s Anglia.....
The stopping distances are deliberately kept out of date to scare people into driving slower. This is necessary because keeping a modern car to 30mph(which is a justifiable limit in town) requires the driver to concentrate on their driving. And that seems to be a very low priority.
They did tell us on the course that these distances were set in 1947 but said that, even though the braking distance had decreased, the overall stopping distance was left the same because concentration levels were compromised by the amount of tech found in modern cars. So thinking distance and reaction distance increased by the same amount that braking distance decreased.
Ok? ;D
No, it's rubbish. In 1947 fully hydraulic brakes were a rarity, everything used drums and cross-ply tyres, suspension systems were very crude, and the road surfaces were poorer. These are the reasons why changing down through the gearbox whilst slowing was developed, because for many cars it was more effective than the brakes were. Some of the 'distracting' tech does actually improve things for the driver: lights, wipers, heaters, indicators, mirrors, I could go on.
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I think the fact there are less Police visible & the reliance on cameras (which most drivers know where they are located ) doesn't help matters . There are certain stretches of road in my local area that I avoid at weekends & public holidays as the driving standards just seem to plummet at these times. I like to take pride in my driving abilities but sometimes the actions of others is unbelievable.
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29=safe. 31=mortal danger. Let's all drive by numbers instead of paying attention to what we're doing. Oh, hang on! There goes my mobile phone... ::)
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29=safe. 31=mortal danger. Let's all drive by numbers instead of paying attention to what we're doing. Oh, hang on! There goes my mobile phone... ::)
;D ;D ;D
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Just been out in the car. The 30mph road at the bottom is very wide, there was very little traffic and I just couldn't help myself. Probably hit 38. Should I hand myself in? :-\
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and it's getting easier & easier to speed .... loads of roads that were NSL are now only 50 Our dual carrageway by-pass used to be 40 & now after a fatality years ago is now only 30 ???
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My offence was 36mph in a 30mph zone. I'm completely guilty as charged so not denying that but the speed awareness course implies that all 30 zone offences are in heavily populated areas and the extra two or three miles per hour really do make a difference. I get that in built up areas, but I had just left a 'danger zone' travelling at 28mph with the utmost of concentration and was well clear of anybody/anything. The photos below show the area that I got nicked incoming and outgoing ( TheBoy knows the exact spot and never misses an opportunity to rip the piss ;D ).
As said, I'm guilty as charged but it's very difficult to sit at 30mph for about half a mile of wilderness until you get to the NSL sign. I got caught so I now honour the full distance of the zone but the anger on the driver behinds face is a picture at times. ;D
In a 30mph zone I now spend a lot of time staring at the speedo, which is counter-productive if a child runs out. :-\
(http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac142/Alan-Hearn/Random%20Pics/image.jpg1_zpswqadtrwk.jpg) (http://s894.photobucket.com/user/Alan-Hearn/media/Random%20Pics/image.jpg1_zpswqadtrwk.jpg.html)
(http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac142/Alan-Hearn/Random%20Pics/image.jpg2_zps4rkdsyzu.jpg) (http://s894.photobucket.com/user/Alan-Hearn/media/Random%20Pics/image.jpg2_zps4rkdsyzu.jpg.html)
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YZ250 was done in an area where the do-gooders had extended a 30mph limit into the realms of the ridiculous. And I'd actually argue was not enforceable, as its not an urban streetlit area, and there are no repeater signs.
Its a road I use a fair bit, and I've never seen plod with their rayguns on that stretch (but have on other stretches where people should stick to the limit), although the mobile cash generator often hides up on one of the farm entrances, much to the annoyance of the farmer.
Its the usual story of some idiot moving to the area, and then demanding everything is changed to suit them. Line 'em up, shoot 'em. And shoot the mobile cash generator operator as well.
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At the end of the day I think all of us can hold up our hands to have been guilty at some time of speeding, most of us would probably be annoyed at filling the governments pockets with more cash .The course does make you more aware of what can happen ,so if it upsets others that you stick to the limit , well that's just tough luck .I like driving powerful cars but really do try to observe the law and keep my money in my pocket.
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Yep, normal thing. Extend the 30 MPH limit a mile into the sticks, as otherwise it wouldn't
enhance safety as much raise any revenue. ::)
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YZ250 was done in an area where the do-gooders had extended a 30mph limit into the realms of the ridiculous. And I'd actually argue was not enforceable, as its not an urban streetlit area, and there are no repeater signs.
Its a road I use a fair bit, and I've never seen plod with their rayguns on that stretch (but have on other stretches where people should stick to the limit), although the mobile cash generator often hides up on one of the farm entrances, much to the annoyance of the farmer.
Its the usual story of some idiot moving to the area, and then demanding everything is changed to suit them. Line 'em up, shoot 'em. And shoot the mobile cash generator operator as well.
I would have added that as a 'get out of jail' card as well. Parked on private land without the written consent of the owner.
A mobile cash generator has to be legally parked.
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There is also a cash generator I see very frequently in Buckingham. Definitely is and should be a 30 limit, but given the huge width of the grassy areas between the road and the houses, you could be forgiven for thinking its not a 30, although
is was streetlit.
It parks itself, obscured, on the top of a steep hill, where its impossible to stick to 30mph without using brakes - even an Omega auto locked in 2nd speeds up. I suspect its because they know that very few will use brakes downhill in such a wide, open area to maintain speed, and oddly, the council never trim that one bush that the mobile cash generator hides behind....
I would stop waving the self-abuser signs at the cash generators if I genuinely believed that the "partnership" genuinely had road safety as their primary objective, rather than revenue generation. But they don't.
Now don't get me wrong, I believe most limits, certainly in built up areas, should be observed. I do not believe the artificially low limits, like the current craze for dropping all roads to 50mph should be... ...in fact, I firmly believe it makes them more dangerous.
Despite what the do-gooders claim, speed doesn't kill. It never has and never will. I'm sure the vast majority of us have travelled at over 300mph with no ill effects. The danger is speed differential, and this is where the do-gooders have managed to opps it up badly. Since all the 50mph limits popped up around here, and the do-gooders have now made it socially unacceptable to get within 15mph of the limit, every tit drives at 35mph. Now the honest 50mph driver has a speed differential that is starting to become dangerous. Additionally, following at 35mph, this frustrates the honest driver who wants to proceed at the speed limit, and thus silly overtakes happen. The circumstantial evidence is there on every commute in. The do-gooder response? Lower the limit again, making it worse. Before all this wank started 5yrs or so ago, when everyone did 60mph on these roads, they only times you saw cars in ditches was in icy weather. And that's progress?
So a) non-urban speed limits should be raised to NSL, b) those that drive significantly below the limits should be removed from the roads and shot.
That's a road safety campaign I would back.
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My offence was 36mph in a 30mph zone. I'm completely guilty as charged so not denying that but the speed awareness course implies that all 30 zone offences are in heavily populated areas and the extra two or three miles per hour really do make a difference. I get that in built up areas, but I had just left a 'danger zone' travelling at 28mph with the utmost of concentration and was well clear of anybody/anything. The photos below show the area that I got nicked incoming and outgoing ( TheBoy knows the exact spot and never misses an opportunity to rip the piss ;D ).
As said, I'm guilty as charged but it's very difficult to sit at 30mph for about half a mile of wilderness until you get to the NSL sign. I got caught so I now honour the full distance of the zone but the anger on the driver behinds face is a picture at times. ;D
In a 30mph zone I now spend a lot of time staring at the speedo, which is counter-productive if a child runs out. :-\
(http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac142/Alan-Hearn/Random%20Pics/image.jpg1_zpswqadtrwk.jpg) (http://s894.photobucket.com/user/Alan-Hearn/media/Random%20Pics/image.jpg1_zpswqadtrwk.jpg.html)
(http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac142/Alan-Hearn/Random%20Pics/image.jpg2_zps4rkdsyzu.jpg) (http://s894.photobucket.com/user/Alan-Hearn/media/Random%20Pics/image.jpg2_zps4rkdsyzu.jpg.html)
...which is why I like to use cruise control in these circumstances, and which idea was rubbished by the lady motorcycle rider who lectured on my SAC, as I would not be able to concentrate on the road if CC selected!!! ???
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There is also a cash generator I see very frequently in Buckingham. Definitely is and should be a 30 limit, but given the huge width of the grassy areas between the road and the houses, you could be forgiven for thinking its not a 30, although is was streetlit.
It parks itself, obscured, on the top of a steep hill, where its impossible to stick to 30mph without using brakes - even an Omega auto locked in 2nd speeds up. I suspect its because they know that very few will use brakes downhill in such a wide, open area to maintain speed, and oddly, the council never trim that one bush that the mobile cash generator hides behind....
I would stop waving the self-abuser signs at the cash generators if I genuinely believed that the "partnership" genuinely had road safety as their primary objective, rather than revenue generation. But they don't.
Now don't get me wrong, I believe most limits, certainly in built up areas, should be observed. I do not believe the artificially low limits, like the current craze for dropping all roads to 50mph should be... ...in fact, I firmly believe it makes them more dangerous.
Despite what the do-gooders claim, speed doesn't kill. It never has and never will. I'm sure the vast majority of us have travelled at over 300mph with no ill effects. The danger is speed differential, and this is where the do-gooders have managed to opps it up badly. Since all the 50mph limits popped up around here, and the do-gooders have now made it socially unacceptable to get within 15mph of the limit, every tit drives at 35mph. Now the honest 50mph driver has a speed differential that is starting to become dangerous. Additionally, following at 35mph, this frustrates the honest driver who wants to proceed at the speed limit, and thus silly overtakes happen. The circumstantial evidence is there on every commute in. The do-gooder response? Lower the limit again, making it worse. Before all this wank started 5yrs or so ago, when everyone did 60mph on these roads, they only times you saw cars in ditches was in icy weather. And that's progress?
So a) non-urban speed limits should be raised to NSL, b) those that drive significantly below the limits should be removed from the roads and shot.
That's a road safety campaign I would back.
I`m totally with you on that one, there are a couple of roads not far from me that hardly anyone drives near the speed limit where it is completely safe to do so, on is a 70mph dual carriageway where halfwits drive at 50mph in the outside lane all the time and the other is a single lane national speed limit yet no one seems to get over 40mph...makes my blood boil >:(
Like you say....line em` up and shoot them :y
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...which is why I like to use cruise control in these circumstances, and which idea was rubbished by the lady motorcycle rider who lectured on my SAC, as I would not be able to concentrate on the road if CC selected!!! ???
...... they begin to believe it themselves eventually ??? ;D ;D
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The Bint who took my course knew loads of unfortunate people.
"I know a man who was taking his pregnant wife to hospital and was in a hurry. He was speeding when he hit a family at a bus stop, killing seven of them outright and maiming another thirteen. His wife had a miscarriage as a result and he is now a broken man. It it worth it?"
"I know another man who............."
Yeah, yeah........fick off........Jonah. ;D
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The Bint who took my course knew loads of unfortunate people.
"I know a man who was taking his pregnant wife to hospital and was in a hurry. He was speeding when he hit a family at a bus stop, killing seven of them outright and maiming another thirteen. His wife had a miscarriage as a result and he is now a broken man. It it worth it?"
"I know another man who............."
Yeah, yeah........fick off........Jonah. ;D
;D
Did you go in the Renault?
Probably safest. Don't have to worry about leaving rubber in the car park then, at least. ;)
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I almost fell asleep regularly at my SAC. The bloke who did most of the talking is a driving instructor, and spent 'most' of the course talking about himself... Yeah! Well worth £90 x 20 on the course = £1,800..
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I almost fell asleep regularly at my SAC........
I found it riveting, it's completely changed the way I drive. :)
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I almost fell asleep regularly at my SAC........
I found it riveting, it's completely changed the way I drive. :)
You say that with an almost straight face ::)
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I almost fell asleep regularly at my SAC........
I found it riveting, it's completely changed the way I drive. :)
liar liar ... your pant are on fire ::) ::)
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Presented well, it does have some informative points, such as the braking curve... But that only serves as a reasoned argument for not tailgating/allowing a reasonable stopping gap proportionate to the speed being travelled/prevailing conditions.
Afterall, it's inappropriate speed, and the consequences thereof, which causes issues.
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As an ex BBC Top Gear presenter once said "Speed doesn't kill, its the rather abrupt stops that do" ;D ;D ;D
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Afterall, it's inappropriate speed, and the consequences thereof, which causes issues.
Not to mention entirely appropriate speed and everything else, but not paying the remotest bit of attention to anything outside the perimeter of your vehicle. ::)
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Afterall, it's inappropriate speed, and the consequences thereof, which causes issues.
Not to mention entirely appropriate speed and everything else, but not paying the remotest bit of attention to anything outside the perimeter of your vehicle. ::)
Hence three ton Audis doing the school run and these courses...
All very self perpetuating :'(
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but not paying the remotest bit of attention to anything outside the perimeter of your vehicle. ::)
I frequently wonder, and often discuss down the pub, if its partly/mostly due to the fact that people now don't have to go through the motorbike phase, like my generation and older. We simply couldn't go out and get a car on credit, or spread insurance payments over the year, so were stuck with the cheap option - bikes.
I was lucky in amongst most of my friends (ignoring a couple of the rich kids), I was able to get a car when I was 20.
Riding a motorbike, even little 125s, really does make you very aware of your surroundings and predict possibilities. Having mostly continued to ride until nearly 3yrs ago, it is very apparent that many drivers are utterly unaware of outside their tin cans.
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but not paying the remotest bit of attention to anything outside the perimeter of your vehicle. ::)
I frequently wonder, and often discuss down the pub, if its partly/mostly due to the fact that people now don't have to go through the motorbike phase, like my generation and older. We simply couldn't go out and get a car on credit, or spread insurance payments over the year, so were stuck with the cheap option - bikes.
I was lucky in amongst most of my friends (ignoring a couple of the rich kids), I was able to get a car when I was 20.
Riding a motorbike, even little 125s, really does make you very aware of your surroundings and predict possibilities. Having mostly continued to ride until nearly 3yrs ago, it is very apparent that many drivers are utterly unaware of outside their tin cans.
I'm too much of a wuss for motorbikes, and my 125 blew up a fortnight before I passed my driving test, but the two years I did on two wheels are still useful for reading road surfaces and braking effectively.
First cars have changed too. The crap we drove(1300 Escorts were common) was slow and had low limits, but those matched their drivers! As you hooned about, you learnt what those limits were and what to do when you exceeded them. This meant you weren't much more of a liability as you moved through more powerful cars.
Now, even a 15 yearold 1400 Corsa has more grip than power, so learning what goes wrong tends to be at much higher speeds if it happens at all. Then you progress to something with twice the power and huge tyres with loads of grip that suddenly have none. Or you get a RWD with all of that and totally different handling characteristics. I recovered lots of backwards into the scenery 325s where the drivers couldn't understand what happened. We can: suddenly lifting off in a twitchy RWD car at speed will make it try to spin, and you'll probably run out of road before it stops.
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but not paying the remotest bit of attention to anything outside the perimeter of your vehicle. ::)
I frequently wonder, and often discuss down the pub, if its partly/mostly due to the fact that people now don't have to go through the motorbike phase, like my generation and older. We simply couldn't go out and get a car on credit, or spread insurance payments over the year, so were stuck with the cheap option - bikes.
I was lucky in amongst most of my friends (ignoring a couple of the rich kids), I was able to get a car when I was 20.
Riding a motorbike, even little 125s, really does make you very aware of your surroundings and predict possibilities. Having mostly continued to ride until nearly 3yrs ago, it is very apparent that many drivers are utterly unaware of outside their tin cans.
I'm too much of a wuss for motorbikes, and my 125 blew up a fortnight before I passed my driving test, but the two years I did on two wheels are still useful for reading road surfaces and braking effectively.
First cars have changed too. The crap we drove(1300 Escorts were common) was slow and had low limits, but those matched their drivers! As you hooned about, you learnt what those limits were and what to do when you exceeded them. This meant you weren't much more of a liability as you moved through more powerful cars.
Now, even a 15 yearold 1400 Corsa has more grip than power, so learning what goes wrong tends to be at much higher speeds if it happens at all. Then you progress to something with twice the power and huge tyres with loads of grip that suddenly have none. Or you get a RWD with all of that and totally different handling characteristics. I recovered lots of backwards into the scenery 325s where the drivers couldn't understand what happened. We can: suddenly lifting off in a twitchy RWD car at speed will make it try to spin, and you'll probably run out of road before it stops.
Yep, all agreed, not to mention that new cars are all over-assisted, over-"comfortable" and don't give an ounce of feedback until you see the road ahead through the side window. We have forgotten how to build a proper car.
.. and that's before we fill it with distractions.
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First cars have changed too. The crap we drove(1300 Escorts were common) was slow and had low limits, but those matched their drivers! As you hooned about, you learnt what those limits were and what to do when you exceeded them. This meant you weren't much more of a liability as you moved through more powerful cars.
There is a lot to be said about slower cars, as I said on another thread. You can learn a lot, rather than the squirt - brake - turn - squirt of more powerful cars.
Again I was lucky, from the age of 18, being given a little yellow Morris Ital, £1m of liability bond, and told to "do your worst". Yes, it was a proper heap, but I learned an awful lot at reasonably safe speeds, had plenty of catastrophic tyre failures, and how a vehicle reacts when the engine falls out. Oh, and the fact that the steering is severely impacted when braking heavily for a corner, and watching your NSF wheel boucing off in front of you - I did crash that time ;D
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The steering is severely impacted by it being a Morris Ital, no matter how you drive it. ::)
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
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....
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
or a pair of reins ::) ::)
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....
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
or a pair of reins ::) ::)
Oh. They'd be a BIG improvement. ;)
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Remember kids, speed kills!
But eating a bowl of pasta is fine as long as you're only doing 50mph (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfw973ZNnFQ) :o :o :o
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The steering is severely impacted by it being a Morris Ital, no matter how you drive it. ::)
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
It wasn't really quick enough to worry about (when it had 4 wheels). When it fell to bits one day (took it in as the bumper fell off, mechanic walked past, just caught the mirror, and that fell off), it was replaced by a Maestro. I loved that one, much quicker, larger (so I could get the stuff in it), and handled better (and Maestros handle shite). I had no real complaints about that one. Sadly, due to the fuel costs, it was replaced with a brand new Escort diesel. Now that truly was utter shite. Top speed was 70mph, as 4th and 5th couldn't maintain speed, it was small, gutless, and like all Fords, didn't like corners. I think I wrote that one off 3 times (failed to make a corner at about 20mph, reversed into a lamppost, had a head-on), but as we didn't have insurance and had an internal set of mechanics, it was always bodged back together.
Oh, those helicon days ;D
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The steering is severely impacted by it being a Morris Ital, no matter how you drive it. ::)
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
It wasn't really quick enough to worry about (when it had 4 wheels). When it fell to bits one day (took it in as the bumper fell off, mechanic walked past, just caught the mirror, and that fell off), it was replaced by a Maestro. I loved that one, much quicker, larger (so I could get the stuff in it), and handled better (and Maestros handle shite). I had no real complaints about that one. Sadly, due to the fuel costs, it was replaced with a brand new Escort diesel. Now that truly was utter shite. Top speed was 70mph, as 4th and 5th couldn't maintain speed, it was small, gutless, and like all Fords, didn't like corners. I think I wrote that one off 3 times (failed to make a corner at about 20mph, reversed into a lamppost, had a head-on), but as we didn't have insurance and had an internal set of mechanics, it was always bodged back together.
Oh, those helicon days ;D
That's halcyon.
A helicon is when you are sold a duff helicoil. ;D
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The steering is severely impacted by it being a Morris Ital, no matter how you drive it. ::)
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
It wasn't really quick enough to worry about (when it had 4 wheels). When it fell to bits one day (took it in as the bumper fell off, mechanic walked past, just caught the mirror, and that fell off), it was replaced by a Maestro. I loved that one, much quicker, larger (so I could get the stuff in it), and handled better (and Maestros handle shite). I had no real complaints about that one. Sadly, due to the fuel costs, it was replaced with a brand new Escort diesel. Now that truly was utter shite. Top speed was 70mph, as 4th and 5th couldn't maintain speed, it was small, gutless, and like all Fords, didn't like corners. I think I wrote that one off 3 times (failed to make a corner at about 20mph, reversed into a lamppost, had a head-on), but as we didn't have insurance and had an internal set of mechanics, it was always bodged back together.
Oh, those helicon days ;D
That's halcyon.
A helicon is when you are sold a duff helicoil. ;D
Not according to Microsoft ;D
Poxy technology
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The steering is severely impacted by it being a Morris Ital, no matter how you drive it. ::)
A pair of reigns would have been an improvement. ;D
It wasn't really quick enough to worry about (when it had 4 wheels). When it fell to bits one day (took it in as the bumper fell off, mechanic walked past, just caught the mirror, and that fell off), it was replaced by a Maestro. I loved that one, much quicker, larger (so I could get the stuff in it), and handled better (and Maestros handle shite). I had no real complaints about that one. Sadly, due to the fuel costs, it was replaced with a brand new Escort diesel. Now that truly was utter shite. Top speed was 70mph, as 4th and 5th couldn't maintain speed, it was small, gutless, and like all Fords, didn't like corners. I think I wrote that one off 3 times (failed to make a corner at about 20mph, reversed into a lamppost, had a head-on), but as we didn't have insurance and had an internal set of mechanics, it was always bodged back together.
Oh, those helicon days ;D
That's halcyon.
A helicon is when you are sold a duff helicoil. ;D
;D ;D ;D