Whats the worst that can happen?

[ChrisUK]

How about a Motorway (A1m) with a 50mph limit because there are some cones up! . Im sorry but I'll carry on doing 70-80mph until I see a f***ing workman.

 

[sludgeguts]

And that you're driving a car from the 1960's

Chris

I think the distances were calculated using maths & physics rather than timing actual cars so it shouldn't matter what car you are driving.
Although drivers have seen many improvements, I'm sure stopping distances really haven't changed that much.
As far as I'm aware, ABS doesn't help you stop in a shorter distance, it helps you stop within the calculated distance. - the distances given in the highway code are minimums based on perfect conditions.
When you look at a tyre, there is only a tiny part of it in contact with the ground - I reckon my size 14s cover more ground than my 15" tyres.

 

[Focus Owner]

Well
I think abs does help you stop. if you don't know how to stop without it.
skidding etc

 

[Munkul]

I have no idea what the wigton bypass is like but consider...
You are doing 90, some other guy is doing 48.
He wants to overtake something, checks his rear view mirror & sees you in the distance.
He assumes you are also doing 48/50 so assumes it is safe to pull out.
You are going almost twice as fast as him.
By the time he's checked his mirror & then looked back at whatever he wants to overtake & starts to pull out, you're going to be almost on him, stomping on your brakes & cursing the day his parents ever got it on.
Maybe there are junctions where people can pull onto this road. Again, you are doing 90 in the distance.
Let's assume the person joining has a 0 - 60 of 8 seconds - but doesn't thrash the engine as he knows you're not doing more than 50 & he can get there soon.
Once again, you're going to be sniffing his exhaust before he hits 40.
Just because the road is long and straight, you can never assume it's ripe for speeding.

im not arguing with you here. Im talking about say 11:00 at night, where theres obviously nothing else about - its straight, and as a local i know there are very few junctions actually on this road

but i suppose thats beside the point. some of my relatives were killed a year back through exactly the same circumstance as you describe - pulling out of a junction without due caution, and were blown away by a 120mph cosworth (with no mot or brakes i might add)

theres a risk with driving, that increases exponentially with the speed that you drive at. It matters little that you are the greatest driver in the world, if the wrong circumstances occur.
You, being old and wise, know better, whereas we youngsters say "sod the risk, its fun" - sad but true.

 

[ScoobyChris]

I think the distances were calculated using maths & physics rather than timing actual cars so it shouldn't matter what car you are driving.

Surely that would mean every car had the same stopping distance? The HC figures were based on a Ford Anglia IIRC and tyre and brake technology have certainly come a long way since then, although the thinking distance will remain unchanged.

The idea of ABS is to allow you to steer round something whilst on the brakes. It works by unlocking wheels if they lock so potentially it can increase stopping distances, but it can be beaten if you are able to hold the brakes at the ABS threshold so you get maximum effective braking.

Chris

 

[bludvl_x19]

What I believe the point of ABS to be is to keep the wheels turning, as once you lock up a wheel, you increase the distance needed to stop. A by product of this is that you are able to turn while braking.

Michael

 

[ScoobyChris]

What I believe the point of ABS to be is to keep the wheels turning, as once you lock up a wheel, you increase the distance needed to stop. A by product of this is that you are able to turn while braking.

I think it's the other way around and the by product is shorter stopping distances (in certain circumstances):

An anti-lock braking system (ABS) (translated from German, Antiblockiersystem) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. An anti-locking braking system allows the driver to maintain steering control under heavy braking by preventing a skid and allowing the wheel to continue to forward roll and create lateral control, as directed by driver steering inputs. Most commonly, braking distances are shortened (again, by allowing the driver to press the brake fully without skidding or loss of control). Disadvantages of the system include increased braking distances under rather rare circumstances and the creation of a "false sense of security" among drivers who do not understand the operation and limitations of ABS.

Chris

 

[sludgeguts]

Surely that would mean every car had the same stopping distance? The HC figures were based on a Ford Anglia IIRC and tyre and brake technology have certainly come a long way since then, although the thinking distance will remain unchanged.

But surely there were many cars around in those days that were far heavier than the anglia and these would surely take longer to stop?
If I were trying to work out distances then I'd use a cross-section of cars - small, medium, mpv & chelsea tractor.
Try them all then take an average.

 

[ScoobyChris]

Much easier to just take an "average" car and perform the tests on that. The Anglia was the Focus of its day so it seems a good benchmark.

At the end of the day, the stopping distances are a guide and should not be taken as gospel, but it's fair to say that my old heavy Mondeo would pull up in a far shorter distance than the HC suggested it should....

Chris

 

[johnw]

When contrasting HC stopping distances with those of today's cars don't forget the huge increase in traffic.

I drove on the M1 in the 60's in a variety of cars, all with drum brakes and no servo. It didn't matter that stopping distances were very long, with so little traffic there was always plenty of room.