Auto lights and wipers a year on
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From: Mortimer on 11 Jul 2010 18:01 "Harry Bloomfield" <harry.m1byt(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message news:mn.5aed7da7a8356683.106911(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk... > Adrian presented the following explanation : >>> Road sign echoing could be useful to confirm what the speed limit is >>> when it's not obvious by the presence of street lights. >> >> Are we back to whether your driving test should be regarded as a once-in- >> a-lifetime-skill-highpoint again so quickly? > > Are you always certain what the actual limit is, even on a strange road - > I must confess I am not. Some of the signs can often be hidden behind > things and difficult to spot. For me, it's more a reminder that's needed - yes, you are STILL in a 30 zone: despite appearances to the contrary, some health and safety person has decided that a road that used to carry a 40, 50 or 60 limit has now been downgraded to 30, and you must resist the urge to speed up to what seems to be a sensible safe speed for the conditions at this moment. I wish I'd been able to find a car in my price range that had cruise control, because once I'd set it at the beginning of the restricted zone I concentrate on reading the road ahead rather than on making sure I don't subconsciously increase my speed. What I'd like to see changed in the highway code or sinposting rules is a mandatory 300, 200, 100 yard countdown in advance of every speed limit where the speed drops by more than 10 mph (eg 50 or 60 down to 30). Very occasionally I've seen such signs and they help greatly with a) making sure you comply with the limit, and b) judging wher you need to come off the power (and maybe brake) in order to "hit" the start of the limit.
From: Mortimer on 11 Jul 2010 18:22 "Harry Bloomfield" <harry.m1byt(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message news:mn.5d647da7006b6306.106911(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk... >>> Brilliant, especially in some (most modern ones) cars where you cannot >>> see the rear end in your mirrors. >> >> Chicken or egg? > > I think car body designs where you started to have to guess where your > rear bumper was, pre-empted the appearance of such driver aids by many > years. The real problem is those cars like the Peugeot 307 when even with the seat as high as possible so your head is touching the roof, you cannot see *anything* beyond the bottom of the front window - no hint of where the bonnet or bumpers are. Gone are the days when you could see the front corners of the car - and maybe even had them illuminated by extensions of the side lights, as on the Rover 2000. When I was choosing a newer car to replace my Pug 306, I debated whether to go for a final-year-of-production 307 (which meant I coudl afford a higher-spec model) or a first-year-of-production 308, and I went for the 308 because it had slightly better front visibility, though still not a patch on the 306. It took a *lot* of practice to judge where the sides of the front bumpers were when parallel parking and I needed to avoid the back of the car in front.
From: Harry Bloomfield on 13 Jul 2010 11:45 Mortimer formulated the question : > I wish I'd been able to find a car in my price range that had cruise control, > because once I'd set it at the beginning of the restricted zone I concentrate > on reading the road ahead rather than on making sure I don't subconsciously > increase my speed. My last three all had cruise fitted. You can buy after market kits for cruise. I just wish cruise controls had more controls to include preset buttons to select 30, 40mph and etc.. It would make them much more useful. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
From: Harry Bloomfield on 13 Jul 2010 11:51 Adrian expressed precisely : > Everybody admired the emperor's dress sense, too. If I thought those on mine were rubbish - then I would certainly say so. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
From: Mortimer on 13 Jul 2010 13:30
"Harry Bloomfield" <harry.m1byt(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message news:mn.6bed7da730c24eca.106911(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk... > Mortimer formulated the question : >> I wish I'd been able to find a car in my price range that had cruise >> control, because once I'd set it at the beginning of the restricted zone >> I concentrate on reading the road ahead rather than on making sure I >> don't subconsciously increase my speed. > > My last three all had cruise fitted. You can buy after market kits for > cruise. I just wish cruise controls had more controls to include preset > buttons to select 30, 40mph and etc.. It would make them much more > useful. When I asked about a Vauxhall Astra that I was interested in, the salesman checked up with his technical support people and they said that this model couldn't have cruise retro-fitted. Likewise for my model of Peugeot 308. |