Kenneth
28-06-2005, 04:56 AM
On the Tauranga run I had the pleasure of being a passenger in Mel's (97_Legnum) car. As we (most of the time) took up the rear we got a very good view of what the driving was like.
The resulting discussion brought us to the conclusion that some members may not be used to driving in groups and some are.
I think it would be a good idea for those with experiance to share with those that may not. Hopefully the result is safer and more enjoyable runs.
In some cases where you are very familiar with anothers driving style, you may have "custom" rules. For example I have a couple of friends who I can literally be centimeters from their bumper and I know they will keep things as safe as possible. Stupid thing to do, but hey sometimes we do silly things in the persuit of fun. Trick is if you are going to play silly buggers, make sure the risks are minimised as much as possible.
You may also disagree with some of this, if so please be mature about it as I am willing to ammend and add bits and pieces based on duscussion.
1) Follow as close as you feel is safe to the car in front (unless you are the leader) and try to match speed.
Benefits
A group of cars takes a fair bit of space on the road. The closer cars are the more effective your manevours are going to be.
Keeping in a tight group also aviods the situation where someone (ie: to catch up for passing) is travelling at a much higer speed and has to jam the brakes on to pull up.
Things to note
You can be traveling close to another car at very high speeds. This takes common sense ie: don't brake more heavily than is neccesary.
Also requires trust. As the following car you want to know that the person in front isn't going to wack on their brakes for some reason you cant see.
Up front driver should be taking care trying to avoid creating a situation where heavy braking is neccesary.
2) When pulling in after passing, look to see if someone is following you. If so, keep the hammer down as long as possible so that the following cars can safely slot in behind you. If you brake, the person behind has to not only brake to match your speed they have to slot into a gap under brakes. Also, if they were "catching up" as well, they are probably going faster than you were!!!
Benefits
Safety. Everyone wants to go home in a VR-4.
Things to note
Sometimes you cant avoid having to brake. If things are getting tight at the end of a passing lane, and you CANT make it past the next car, then pump your brakes to let the following car know you are about to brake hard. But only brake as hard as you need to for safety... you may have better tyres/brakes than the person following you. Give them as much chance as possible without endangering yourself.
If you are that following car, you should be watching up ahead to anticipate heavy braking.
3) When passing without a passing lane (ie a couple of trucks doing 80km/h) and you don't feel comfortable going past both, consider just passing one.
Benefits
You keep the group tighter and moving along steadily.
You don't have to wait for such a big opportunity.
Things to note
Use common sense in passing safely. If you are unsure, go for safety.
If a vehicle is pulling over to the shoulder, they are INVITING you to go past. The great thing about this is that you can almost gaurentee the will let you in if needed.
4) If someone wants to pass you, let them if you can. If you think someone is doing something a bit silly, give them room. If in windy roads, don't block them out unless not doing so compromises your safety.
Benefits
Everyone goes home in a VR-4
Things to note
One of the things you need to think about is how fast the other person is going. If they are comming up fast and you pull out or brake hard, goodnight nurse.
If you are doing the passing, be cautious if you suspect the person in front is inexperianced.
You are not obliged to keep up if you feel uncomfortable with the pace (I'm addressing cornering mainly)
Benefits
Safety.
Things to note
Most of our cars have different handling characteristics. This is due to so many factors probably the most major of which are tyres and suspension. Some can go around corners faster than others. If you are "keeping up" then it is a good idea to think about this. It just may not be possible for your car to go as fast around corners.
To be continued... (through discussion, this will be added to and ammended)
The resulting discussion brought us to the conclusion that some members may not be used to driving in groups and some are.
I think it would be a good idea for those with experiance to share with those that may not. Hopefully the result is safer and more enjoyable runs.
In some cases where you are very familiar with anothers driving style, you may have "custom" rules. For example I have a couple of friends who I can literally be centimeters from their bumper and I know they will keep things as safe as possible. Stupid thing to do, but hey sometimes we do silly things in the persuit of fun. Trick is if you are going to play silly buggers, make sure the risks are minimised as much as possible.
You may also disagree with some of this, if so please be mature about it as I am willing to ammend and add bits and pieces based on duscussion.
1) Follow as close as you feel is safe to the car in front (unless you are the leader) and try to match speed.
Benefits
A group of cars takes a fair bit of space on the road. The closer cars are the more effective your manevours are going to be.
Keeping in a tight group also aviods the situation where someone (ie: to catch up for passing) is travelling at a much higer speed and has to jam the brakes on to pull up.
Things to note
You can be traveling close to another car at very high speeds. This takes common sense ie: don't brake more heavily than is neccesary.
Also requires trust. As the following car you want to know that the person in front isn't going to wack on their brakes for some reason you cant see.
Up front driver should be taking care trying to avoid creating a situation where heavy braking is neccesary.
2) When pulling in after passing, look to see if someone is following you. If so, keep the hammer down as long as possible so that the following cars can safely slot in behind you. If you brake, the person behind has to not only brake to match your speed they have to slot into a gap under brakes. Also, if they were "catching up" as well, they are probably going faster than you were!!!
Benefits
Safety. Everyone wants to go home in a VR-4.
Things to note
Sometimes you cant avoid having to brake. If things are getting tight at the end of a passing lane, and you CANT make it past the next car, then pump your brakes to let the following car know you are about to brake hard. But only brake as hard as you need to for safety... you may have better tyres/brakes than the person following you. Give them as much chance as possible without endangering yourself.
If you are that following car, you should be watching up ahead to anticipate heavy braking.
3) When passing without a passing lane (ie a couple of trucks doing 80km/h) and you don't feel comfortable going past both, consider just passing one.
Benefits
You keep the group tighter and moving along steadily.
You don't have to wait for such a big opportunity.
Things to note
Use common sense in passing safely. If you are unsure, go for safety.
If a vehicle is pulling over to the shoulder, they are INVITING you to go past. The great thing about this is that you can almost gaurentee the will let you in if needed.
4) If someone wants to pass you, let them if you can. If you think someone is doing something a bit silly, give them room. If in windy roads, don't block them out unless not doing so compromises your safety.
Benefits
Everyone goes home in a VR-4
Things to note
One of the things you need to think about is how fast the other person is going. If they are comming up fast and you pull out or brake hard, goodnight nurse.
If you are doing the passing, be cautious if you suspect the person in front is inexperianced.
You are not obliged to keep up if you feel uncomfortable with the pace (I'm addressing cornering mainly)
Benefits
Safety.
Things to note
Most of our cars have different handling characteristics. This is due to so many factors probably the most major of which are tyres and suspension. Some can go around corners faster than others. If you are "keeping up" then it is a good idea to think about this. It just may not be possible for your car to go as fast around corners.
To be continued... (through discussion, this will be added to and ammended)