What are your reading habits?

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by HarryT

If that little dig was aimed at me, you have wrongly understood the point I've been making. It's not a matter of "inflexible rules", but of being in a position at all times to properly control the vehicle in the anticipation of an unexpected event occurring which will require that control. If you're driving down a motorway holding a coffee cup in one hand, on 999 journeys out of 1000 you'll be absolutely fine, but on that 1000th journey you'll find yourself in a position where you're unable to react swiftly and appropriately to the situation, because you do not have both hands free to correctly control the vehicle.

"Expect the unexpected" should always be the attitude when performing any potentially hazardous activity, such as a driving a motor vehicle..

My comments were not aimed specifically at you but I think the quote above demonstrates exactly what I am getting at, but you do not see that. At this stage I am convinced that you will never understand what I am saying (but if interested there is plenty of information around on situational and spatial awareness and its relevance to decision making; especially in aviation and marine, both industries that I have consulted in) so I will not persevere beyond mentioning one point which may give others an inkling of what I am saying.

You refer to "driving down a motorway holding a coffee cup in one hand" and present that in a context as if that is a continuous activity and ignoring of situation. Cars have cup holders (well most of them) so you do not go "driving down a motorway holding a coffee cup in one hand", you go driving down a motorway with a coffee cup in a holder. When it is safe to do so you pick it up and have a sip, taking perhaps 5 seconds, and then replace it. One makes judgements as to when it is safe to do so by being aware of ones current situation and of what is going on around one (spatial awareness). Such a judgement in a particular case may make one not drink coffee at all, but perhaps drink water (which is safe to drop), but if one is driving down a road with no other traffic that is straight as far as horizon and good visibility all round, then one may decide to drink really hot coffee and to hold it much, much longer than 5 seconds.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Had I had my hands full of coffee cups there's no way in the world that I could have avoided hitting it.

This is at least the second post where you have referred to problems if ones hands are "full of coffee cups". Perhaps on that point we can agree, I would not drive, nor wish to see others drive with a coffee cup in both hands. But your tendency to dramatize your case in such a manner does no good to it in my eyes.

I'll leave it at that as far as you are concerned Harry as it is apparent that we will never be on common ground with respect to this matter.

[HarryT]

We are going to have to agree to differ, but I would offer a word of friendly advice: should you ever find yourself driving in the UK, don't drive past a police car while holding your water, coffee cup, or anything else, regardless of how safe your spacial awareness tells you it is to do so. There is a high probability that the police officer will not share your viewpoint and you'd end up with a fine.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

We are going to have to agree to differ, but I would offer a word of friendly advice: should you ever find yourself driving in the UK, don't drive past a police car while holding your water, coffee cup, or anything else, regardless of how safe your spacial awareness tells you it is to do so. There is a high probability that the police officer will not share your viewpoint and you'd end up with a fine.

HarryT,
If one is stopped, you are not going to be driving past a police car.
Oh and out here in Texas, I don't know many people that would drive past a police car.
Ok, so there might be one or two but you could lay odds that they are doing something more serious than drinking a cup of coffee.

Oh and one other silly question. How do you hold your coffee cup because you have said hands full of coffee cups more than once rather than a hand on a coffee cup.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Oh and out here in Texas, I don't know many people that would drive past a police car.

I'm afraid you've slightly lost me there, Cin. If a police car is parked by the side of the road, watching the traffic, and you're driving along that road, how can you avoid driving past it?

[cvkemp]

We have laws that we have to be in the far lane of traffic away from the police vehicles or if there is only a single lane we have to slow to 20 miles per hour to pass a police vehicle. It is to help protect the police.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm afraid you've slightly lost me there, Cin. If a police car is parked by the side of the road, watching the traffic, and you're driving along that road, how can you avoid driving past it?

You kind of lost me there.
Unless they are doing speedtraps, the only time you will see a policeman stopped on the side of the road is if they have someone stopped.
I thought you meant a policeman driving down the road.
Do your policemen just routinely park on the side of the road?

Now all that being said, right now there are at least a dozen police cars parked at various intersections to prevent traffic going through. Annual Christmas parade.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

We have laws that we have to be in the far lane of traffic away from the police vehicles or if there is only a single lane we have to slow to 20 miles per hour to pass a police vehicle. It is to help protect the police.

We do not have that law here but I always try to move to the far lane when passing a stationary police vehicle (unless it is doing speed traps in which case it will be well off the road) and slow down if single lane (perhaps not to 20mph though if out on the open road). As you say, to protect the police ( I also do the same if someone is changing a wheel, etc.). EDIT: should of added that depending on the situation I would put anything in my hand down too.

It reminds me of the occasion I had an American here working with me for a while and with me driving we passed a stopped school bus so I slowed down (law here is to slow to 20km/hr regardless of which side of the road one is on, but do not have to stop). My passenger asked me why I had not stopped and after I told him he said he had been wondering why when he drove people in cars behind him were getting agitated whenever he stopped for school buses .

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You kind of lost me there.
Unless they are doing speedtraps, the only time you will see a policeman stopped on the side of the road is if they have someone stopped.
I thought you meant a policeman driving down the road.
Do your policemen just routinely park on the side of the road?

Now all that being said, right now there are at least a dozen police cars parked at various intersections to prevent traffic going through. Annual Christmas parade.

I often see police or state troopers parked beside a road, I assume they are either hoping to catch speeders, or hoping the sight of a police car will cause drivers to stick to the speed limit.

There is one road I drive on daily where there is almost always a police car sitting in the parking lot of one business or another, I guess it's a permanent speed trap.

[theducks]

Boy o boy
Was I lucky. I did not know of that rule about eating-drinking in cars in the UK. Pastry from Cornwall <yum>, the problem was getting my Tea without Milk We snacked our way around the island

Munching while motoring is something I have always done.
I am always prepared to abandon (drop) if needed.

I have over a million US Miles to my name. Coffee consumption on the road has always been part of the long haul. trips

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by theducks

Boy o boy
Was I lucky. I did not know of that rule about eating-drinking in cars in the UK...

I work in marine a lot and sail myself, and something that one does not see elsewhere in the world is on the Solent, for example, it can be a sunny warm day and just a gentle breeze but it is not unusual to see a sailboat crew with all their hot heavy wet weather gear, sea boots and lifejackets on as if they were out in wild and threatening conditions. But it seems a local thing with just some because those from there that sail to elsewhere in the world, when they get there do as everyone else does in warm benign conditions--tee shirts, flip flops/light shoes and no lifejackets.

I refer to it as doctrinal filtering; if one is not, or does not want to be situationally aware, then one just makes a rule on our boat, in my car, or whatever that means one does not have to be. It sometimes rains, people sometimes fall overboard and drown (in fact an exceptionally rare occurrence on sail and powered boats over 6-8m long), so lets just make a rule that makes us act as if it could happen at any unexpected instant .

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Having owned both, I think personally that a manual car gives the driver a lot more control than an automatic. The human brain is a much better judge of what the appropriate gear is for a particular situation than a machine. Eg, if you need to get out of an emergency situation fast, with a manual car you can select a lower gear a lot more quickly than an automatic gearbox can respond. When I had an automatic car, I never really felt that I was in control of it the way I do with a manual.

Previously at least manual cars did not have cruise control. I would have thought that it is the cruise control in automatics that give much increases safety. I do not drive much but when driving in the US it always felt safer because people used cruise control and kept a constant speed and we did not get these constant flow of overtakings that we get in Sweden for example.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by HarryT

We are going to have to agree to differ, but I would offer a word of friendly advice: should you ever find yourself driving in the UK, don't drive past a police car while holding your water, coffee cup, or anything else, regardless of how safe your spacial awareness tells you it is to do so. There is a high probability that the police officer will not share your viewpoint and you'd end up with a fine.

So do you disagree with the decision of the police to quash the "inappropriate" fine they gave to someone for eating a Kit Kat while driving on the motorway?

I think far too many people forget they are driving something that could cause a fatal accident and don't act accordingly, but eating/drinking while you are driving is not illegal, its not being in control of your car and not driving with proper care and attention that is the issue.

Edited to add: I'm with theducks, while I don't eat or drink very often in the car, if a am doing so while driving, if needed I'd just drop it. I expect most people would?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

So do you disagree with the decision of the police to quash the "inappropriate" fine they gave to someone for eating a Kit Kat while driving on the motorway?

I neither agree nor disagree; it's the judgement of the police officer on the scene to decide whether the driver was properly in control of the vehicle.

I think far too many people forget they are driving something that could cause a fatal accident and don't act accordingly, but eating/drinking while you are driving is not illegal, its not being in control of your car and not driving with proper care and attention that is the issue.

Yes, absolutely. That's precisely the issue.

[John F]

Originally Posted by tompe

Previously at least manual cars did not have cruise control. I would have thought that it is the cruise control in automatics that give much increases safety. I do not drive much but when driving in the US it always felt safer because people used cruise control and kept a constant speed and we did not get these constant flow of overtakings that we get in Sweden for example.

FWIW, I found cruise control to be pretty useless for everyday driving (I live in the NE U.S.); the variance in speed on a highway made it impracticle. Now the newer cruise controls can maintain distance with the car in front of you and steer themselves. Real scifi stuff.

FWIW, I had a manual back in '95 that had cruise control.

[Apache]

I have had a "93 truck with a manual transmission and cruise control.
Apache