Damn 4X4's

[John C]

I needed some cash, so went to a local supermarket, parked the NSX in a quite place. On the way out had to stop at the junction due to traffic, when a Discovery started reversing into the side of me, sounded the horn, and the discovery stopped, then started to reverse again, just managed to get out of his way in time through a gap in the traffic. I can only assume that I was below his field of vision and he could not see me (but what about his door mirrors).

I am aware on motorways not to linger at the side of lorries, but on two occasions when overtaking large 4x4's they suddenly tried to side swipe me. Any one else had problems with these bullies of the road?

[AR]

It has happened with plenty of cars. Just today it happened with a moron in a red FN2 that did not understand that he could not turn right from the lane he was in at the roundabout.

Some people shoudl not eb allowed to drive!

PS I also deive a 100 series Landcruiser Amazon 4.2TD.

[NSX 2000]

Yes evrey single day and I tend to find they are driven by scrumies:angry::angry:

[TheSebringOne]

The problem is the NSX is a very low & can easily be missed by lorries, larger vans & larger/taller 4x4s. Their high centre of gravity creates a larger blind spot than lower cars. I own a medium size 4x4, but its nowhere as high as a taller Disco/Range Rover etc? I sometime think some people in very large 4x4 think they own the roads because they are cacooned & protected in their big/safe body, making them less considerate to other road users. This is not having a go at all 4x4 drivers. :)

[Senninha]

The problem is the NSX is a very low & can easily be missed by lorries, larger vans & larger/taller 4x4s. This is not the NSX's problem but the drivers! This is why many larger vehicles have the following message ... If you cannot see my mirrors, I cannot see you! Aimed primarily at bikers, but equally beneficial to all users.


Their high centre of gravity creates a larger blind spot than lower cars. You've lost me on this one. They dont get much lower CoG than an Exige and you can see 100% of naff all out the back of one those!


I own a medium size 4x4, but its nowhere as high as a taller Disco/Range Rover etc? So now we know what you dont drive rather than the NSX


I sometime think some people in very large 4x4 think they own the roads because they are cacooned & protected in their big/safe body, making them less considerate to other road users. This is not having a go at all 4x4 drivers. :) I think this is very much having a go. Try driving in the south east at peak times and you will learn that this 'cacooned' approach to road usage applies to many, many users and is not simply an illness of 4x4 ownership.

JOhnC, pleased to hear you and the NSX escaped injury

Paul, you've lost me on the Scrumies, I'm sure its some kind of acronym

regards, Paul

[NSXGB]

Paul, you've lost me on the Scrummies, I'm sure its some kind of acronym

regards, Paul

The rugby equivalent of the Wags apparentley.


Their high centre of gravity creates a larger blind spot than lower cars.

That confused the hell out of me too!

[gumball]

I needed some cash, so went to a local supermarket, parked the NSX in a quite place. On the way out had to stop at the junction due to traffic, when a Discovery started reversing into the side of me, sounded the horn, and the discovery stopped, then started to reverse again, just managed to get out of his way in time through a gap in the traffic. I can only assume that I was below his field of vision and he could not see me (but what about his door mirrors).

I am aware on motorways not to linger at the side of lorries, but on two occasions when overtaking large 4x4's they suddenly tried to side swipe me. Any one else had problems with these bullies of the road?

A similar thing happened to my dad at the supermarket, but he was in his Grand Cherokee Jeep!

[NSXGB]

A similar thing happened to my dad at the supermarket, but he was in his Grand Cherokee Jeep!

Must have been his high C of G. :)

[NoelWatson]

Must have been his high C of G. :)

Indeed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oNr6FXiROo

[John C]

Never had this problem with my old RX7, but there are more 4X4's on the road now days. Then the the problem was idiots driving on my bumper or trying to race me, the worst was a police car pushing me in a 30mph zone, I wish I had a camera in the car. Someone reversed into my Skyline in a supermarket carpark, in August, then claimed it was my fault he could not see me. My wife is unhappy :( as I now refuse to do shopping.

[NSX 2000]

Paul, you've lost me on the Scrumies, I'm sure its some kind of acronym

regards, Paul

School run mummy

I belive Sara Cox is a self confessed scrummy, but at least she admits it!

[simonprelude]

School run mummy

I belive Sara Cox is a self confessed scrummy, but at least she admits it!

Is that the same as MILF??

[TheSebringOne]

Ok guys, I don't live anywhere near the M25, so I suppose our own little M60 or maybe driving up North is not as chaotic compared to driving down south?

Let me rephrase, I meant high level of vision rather than high COG!

I did post this in the wee late hours!

[NSX 2000]

Is that the same as MILF??

No as scurmies can be ugly! They just run their spoilt brats to school, causing more congestion and more polution when the kid could probably do with the excersise:angry:

[Rob_Fenn]

This happened to me in my VX220. The guy actually walked past my car but reversed into it because, being so low, he didn't see the car in his rear view mirror.

I sold the car after it was fixed as i got too paranoid about it. Took a year to get the money from his insurer too!

[markc]

The problem is the NSX is a very low & can easily be missed by lorries, larger vans & larger/taller 4x4s. Their high centre of gravity creates a larger blind spot than lower cars. I own a medium size 4x4, but its nowhere as high as a taller Disco/Range Rover etc? I sometime think some people in very large 4x4 think they own the roads because they are cacooned & protected in their big/safe body, making them less considerate to other road users. This is not having a go at all 4x4 drivers. :)

I agree Sebring... shame on you for joining the throng and buying one though. Even a small crime is still a crime ;)

There was an interesting article in last months copy of "The Citroenian", my Citroen Car Club magazine. A road safety expert wrote about the design of modern cars A) having poor visibility due things like the sheer size of them (the cars) and also their thick pillars and smaller windows and B) the cocoon effect that those things, along with the plethora of airbags etc have on the drivers physiologically i.e. they "feel" safe and therefore subconsciously take more risks or plain switch off (stop concentrating) when driving.


This is not the NSX's problem but the drivers! This is why many larger vehicles have the following message ... If you cannot see my mirrors, I cannot see you! Aimed primarily at bikers, but equally beneficial to all users.

Absolutely. You have to assume everyone else is out to get you and drive appropriately. Certainly most experienced bikers (I'm not a biker but know several very well) seem to take this view.


I think this is very much having a go. Try driving in the south east at peak times and you will learn that this 'cacooned' approach to road usage applies to many, many users and is not simply an illness of 4x4 ownership.

I am always doubly careful around big 4x4's as their drivers vision problem is worse and their attitude, whether it's deliberate or physiologically induced, is IMHO the worst.


Indeed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oNr6FXiROo

Yep, it's the secondary swerve, usually a correction, that trips them up.

On the way to work last spring I came upon a Toureg on it's roof in the middle of the road. It was one of your Scrumies on the way to school. I don't know exactly how it happened but she seemed to have managed it all on her own, I don't think her or the kids were seriously injured but I wouldn't mind betting a saloon or estate wouldn't have ended up on it's roof.

I could never buy a "car" that is fundamentally unstable and reliant on sensors and computers to stop it falling over in a maneuver actually designed to AVOID an accident!

Cheers

Mark

[Senninha]

......I could never buy a "car" that is fundamentally unstable and reliant on sensors and computers to stop it falling over in a maneuver actually designed to AVOID an accident!

Cheers

Mark

....and we're back to those damn computers again! It should be the responsibility of the chassis designers and overall designer to distribute the weight so that just such a manouvre doesn't bring about the resultant accident. Packing lots of 'safety features' high in the car simply makes it unstable.

Then add to that the need to re-educate some drivers about thier responsibility to themselves and others and that driving is a previlege not a right.

I'm off as I feel a rant coming on having just been squeezed off the M25 by some phone using a*** in a Range Rover with limo windows!!!:angry:

regards, Paul

[markc]

Then add to that the need to re-educate some drivers about thier responsibility to themselves and others and that driving is a previlege not a right.

As the anti-car eco-loons receive so much air time with the police and government, here's a policy we should encourage them to pursue... mandatory re-tests for ALL drivers, at their own cost, every 5 years. Fail and you lose your license, until you re-take and pass.

Even if the test itself remains similarly easy to the one new drivers have to pass today, it should have the effect of either improving driving standards and drive the inept off the road (pun intended) as they can't pass.

Sure plenty off people will continue to drive without licenses, as many do today, but a combination of technology and political will should see the poorest drivers either shape up or give up. They seem to manage with speeding after all. In my view it would make the roads safer than any number of "safety" cameras.

Cheers

Mark

[Boomin33]

I was driving my Hilux d4d double cab pick-up complete with shell and Smoked out windows few weeks ago and this lady rammed into the back of me....

She started yelling for other drivers to stop so that she would have "some sort of proof" ??? errr.. that I had " Braked too fast " ????

Anyway ... got out and took the 20 second walk all the way to the back end of my truck to assess carnage... could see the completely smashed front end of her Alpha or whatever it was... hard to tell with a mutilated front end..

my extra large and nuclear-proof tow bar package ( more of an extension of my chasis ) just crushed through her bumper, radiator, hood like a hot knife through butter... leaving no damage to my truck

I love my truck, it Rocks.

The End.


**I did feel sorry for the bird as she did start to cry.. saying something about her husband going to give her a good hiding. didn't get the impression she was joking :(
-

[NSXGB]

mandatory re-tests for ALL drivers, at their own cost, every 5 years. Fail and you lose your license, until you re-take and pass.



I agree, but maybe at the age of 50, 60, 65, 70, etc. Less drivers, especially the rubbish ones, on our roads would be better for safety.....but it'll never happen because the government would lose money on the many, many taxes imposed on the average driver. :(

[markc]

....but it'll never happen because the government would lose money on the many, many taxes imposed on the average driver. :(

You're probably right... don't you just hate the double standards around road safety vs tax revenues :(

In my naive world where safety is placed ahead of revenue, I don't really see why age should be an issue. Most of the people I see driving badly aren't coffin dodgers, although the cases that make the newspaper usually are.

I know several young'ish people who cannot and will not use reverse gear... ever! Amazing but true. They had to to pass their test but must have fluked it and now they are scared and incapable of doing so. Surely this is a fundamental, I hesitate to say skill so lets use requirement, for being allowed to drive on the public roads and these people need to be re-trained or removed from the roads.

Cheers

Mark

[Senninha]

You're probably right... don't you just hate the double standards around road safety vs tax revenues :(

Cheers

Mark

And here endeth the thread with this statement (and yours too Simon)

Anyone up for a defensive driving refresher course?

regards, Paul

[NSXGB]

And here endeth the thread with this statement (and yours too Simon)

Anyone up for a defensive driving refresher course?

regards, Paul


I never took the first course....but I'm up for some driver training on the track, was it you who was looking into that a while ago?

[Senninha]

Yes, keep promising myself to get some more training.

I did 2 or 3 one day 121 sessions with ex-government driver who used to train with the Police. He also did a lot of the Honda MAC courses for the Civic Type R. He was lobbbying Honda to extend the courses to S2k and NSX owners but they were not interested beyond the Civic :(

TBH, the one I'm interested in is the Don Palmer course which I've had several very good reports about.

If I get myself around to arranging I'll drop you a line.

regards, Paul

[NSXGB]

TBH, the one I'm interested in is the Don Palmer course which I've had several very good reports about.

If I get myself around to arranging I'll drop you a line.

regards, Paul

I'm pretty sure it was Don Palmer I was told about recently, the feedback I got was that he was good though liked a long lunch and blast in your car and left you gagging for more. Some my mates friends who also had GT3's had 10 or more lessons with him at £300 a time :eek:. But on the track they did improve lots. Can't remember which airfield he does it on?

[markc]

I'm pretty sure it was Don Palmer I was told about recently, the feedback I got was that he was good though liked a long lunch and blast in your car and left you gagging for more. Some my mates friends who also had GT3's had 10 or more lessons with him at £300 a time :eek:. But on the track they did improve lots. Can't remember which airfield he does it on?

I heard something similar about the on road based classes he does.

I've done several courses over the years with police, ROSPA etc as well as dozens of track days.

What new tricks/techniques are you expecting or trying to learn on track?

If your looking for lines, braking and turn in points, apex etc I'm not sure you need long sessions with an instructor. Better value IMHO to go along to a track day and hire the instructor for 30mins slot/s then go out and put the advice into practice. Even better (cheaper) make friends with one of the faster/better guys (it's usually obvious) and ask if you can passenger with them, you'll learn a lot for free :) A lot of this will be specific to that particular circuit and it won't translate to use on the road much either.

If you're looking to learn techniques like power oversteer, trail braking, heel & toeing etc again you can do just as well on a track day. None of the above, except maybe heel & toe, has any place on the road.

The road driving stuff is almost all about observation i.e. recognising potential dangers and adjusting your speed and road position accordingly. It's probably the most useful training to remind/refresh you of what you should be doing but rather "worthy" and dull in my experience.

Cheers

Mark

[NSXGB]

What new tricks/techniques are you expecting or trying to learn on track?

If your looking for lines, braking and turn in points, apex etc I'm not sure you need long sessions with an instructor. Better value IMHO to go along to a track day and hire the instructor for 30mins slot/s then go out and put the advice into practice.


I think you have identified a good place for me to start. When the car is finished, I'll get a day booked up.



The road driving stuff is almost all about observation i.e. recognising potential dangers and adjusting your speed and road position accordingly. It's probably the most useful training to remind/refresh you of what you should be doing but rather "worthy" and dull in my experience.

Cheers

Mark

I have a Police friend who said he'd take me out and teach me all that stuff, probably the odd gap in my knowledge. :)