by Carbon Based » Mon May 26, 2014 8:21 am
How far would you go in considering another vehicle as an additional source of information?
A simple scenario would be a twisty country lane, with high, bushy hedges as common at this time of year. Visibly of the road ahead is likely to be just as far as the next bend. If following a high vehicle, such as a transit type van you may get an early indication of the direction the road takes.
Would you infer anything else?
What about turning left at a T junction or roundabout with multiple lanes? Due to those same hedges, no visibility of the road to your right is available as you approach. At the give way line is a stationary HGV in a lane to your right, indicating right.
Just before you reach the line, the HGV begins to move forward. Their road position is consistent with turning right and they have moved far enough into the junction to remove the possibility of actually taking a wide swinging turn to the left or otherwise encroaching on your chosen path.
Would you stop on the basis of not wanting to share the junction with them or go on the basis that, even though you have not been able to see the road to the right, any traffic approaching would have to hit and move the HGV substantially before it threatened you.
Finally, you are traveling at about 40mph on a gently twisty NSL road, with three cars ahead. The car nearest you has left a reasonable gap so you could potentially overtake. The car in front of that one is moving closer to the front car of the group of four, you suspect they are looking to retake too.
They move out for their overtake just as you consider moving out for yours. You are not overtaking the same vehicle. Due to the lead two vehicles approaching a left hand bend, you can't see what they can of the distant road ahead.
Given the distances involved, if the overtaking vehicle in front of you were to have got this badly wrong and came to an abrupt stop you would still be able to stop yourself but would be on the wrong side of the road.
Do you proceed or wait?