Mysterious Advanced Driving question in Daily Telegraph
Discussion
The Motoring section of last Saturday's Daily Telegraph (14th April) included a quiz on advanced driving.
I was mystified by one of the questions, and even more so by the 'correct answer'.
The question said: "How can you check if you have missed a safe opportunity to pass?"
Now, I'm thinking: why would I want to ask myself if I'd just missed an opportunity to overtake safely, and then want to confirm my suspicions about my own timidity, rather than focusing on the next hazard?
But then the printed correct answer to the quiz question was: "Look in the mirror at the time and place where you would have completed a safe overtake."
I don't get it: what does 'the time and place where you would have completed a safe overtake' mean, and why would just looking in the mirror tell me whether or not I'd missed that opportunity? Wouldn't it depend on exactly what I saw when I looked in the mirror?
I was mystified by one of the questions, and even more so by the 'correct answer'.
The question said: "How can you check if you have missed a safe opportunity to pass?"
Now, I'm thinking: why would I want to ask myself if I'd just missed an opportunity to overtake safely, and then want to confirm my suspicions about my own timidity, rather than focusing on the next hazard?
But then the printed correct answer to the quiz question was: "Look in the mirror at the time and place where you would have completed a safe overtake."
I don't get it: what does 'the time and place where you would have completed a safe overtake' mean, and why would just looking in the mirror tell me whether or not I'd missed that opportunity? Wouldn't it depend on exactly what I saw when I looked in the mirror?
Like many of the questions there, it was talking b
ks.
The how to do a smooth gearchange question...............answer double-declutching! This has not been of great mainstream use for years, sustained rev is more than suitable.
It was the promotion of a book by an individual and questions designed by him derived from techniques he supports.
Another dumbing down article, as are any that suggest there is only one way to drive in an 'advanced' manner.
ks.The how to do a smooth gearchange question...............answer double-declutching! This has not been of great mainstream use for years, sustained rev is more than suitable.
It was the promotion of a book by an individual and questions designed by him derived from techniques he supports.
Another dumbing down article, as are any that suggest there is only one way to drive in an 'advanced' manner.
Dr Jekyll said:
Tony2or4 said:
would just looking in the mirror tell me whether or not I'd missed that opportunity? Wouldn't it depend on exactly what I saw when I looked in the mirror?
That's what it means surely.It's further muddied by this 'at the time and place where you would have completed a safe overtake' concept, which I feel is meaningless, because it presupposes that the manoeuvre WAS safe - which of course might not have been the case: that's exactly what the driver is trying to decide.
I never read the article but i'm completely baffled by the question. I'd hate to think someone would use whatever learning opportunity they are hoping to achieve during on road training(stares in a confused manner in the mirror whilst plowing on towards the next danger). Out of interest, who's book was the article plugging?
What you can do is get an idea of how many seconds it takes to get out, past and back again. Depending on the car and start speed, 4 to 7 seconds may be reasonable.
Armed with this knowledge, it's easy enough to count out the time from when you would have started a potential overtake and decide if it would have ended in fiery death (or not).
Armed with this knowledge, it's easy enough to count out the time from when you would have started a potential overtake and decide if it would have ended in fiery death (or not).
Wait, I think I may understand.
If in the mirror you see nothing (or just the cars following you in the queue) then you could have been offside without hitting anything (junctions or whatever excepted)
If on the other hand you see a car travelling in the opposite direction to you receeding into the distance, then you would have hit that car.
That's not actually a bad tip, come to think of it.
If in the mirror you see nothing (or just the cars following you in the queue) then you could have been offside without hitting anything (junctions or whatever excepted)
If on the other hand you see a car travelling in the opposite direction to you receeding into the distance, then you would have hit that car.
That's not actually a bad tip, come to think of it.
Somewhatfoolish said:
That's not actually a bad tip, come to think of it.
Well done for working it out 
But what would it achieve to have drivers thinking "bugger, I could have got past there" ? I sometimes think that anyway 
Doesn't this technique also assume constant speed and predictable behaviour from the driver in front?
Somewhatfoolish said:
Wait, I think I may understand.
If in the mirror you see nothing (or just the cars following you in the queue) then you could have been offside without hitting anything (junctions or whatever excepted)
If on the other hand you see a car travelling in the opposite direction to you receeding into the distance, then you would have hit that car.
That's not actually a bad tip, come to think of it.
I see your point, but surely you don't have to look in the mirror AFTER the oncoming traffic has gone past - you would see it as it approaches and goes past.If in the mirror you see nothing (or just the cars following you in the queue) then you could have been offside without hitting anything (junctions or whatever excepted)
If on the other hand you see a car travelling in the opposite direction to you receeding into the distance, then you would have hit that car.
That's not actually a bad tip, come to think of it.
Weird....
For me, the only time that I realise I could have made a safe overtake (but didn't) is when for one reason or another, I take a look and then decide against it. I then realise a few seconds later, that there was plenty of time and space and that I could have gone. I often do this - not necessarily because I don't think I'll make it, but because I know I'll scare the bejesus out of any oncoming traffic that doesn't know I have 400+ bhp. They'll jump on the brakes and slow all the oncoming traffic - not worth it. However, I never beat myself up about it - I just carry on and plan my next possible overtaking opportunity.
I would rather "waste" 100 overtaking opportunities than try to take one that was unsafe.
Link to the article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/91...
JL taught me this when I did a course with him years ago - the idea is that you look in the mirror and see how long the amount of clear road is behind you, which would tell you if there was enough space for you to have passed the vehicle in front.
I don't like the technique personally - I don't think it takes into account the point always in my mind "what happens if I meet me coming the other way during the overtake" i.e. someone travelling at my speed or higher. All it really does is show me if there was enough road to complete the overtake, assuming that road stayed clear. I can judge that myself, it's the visibility and calculation of oncoming vehicles, that normally preclude my overtake.
I don't like the technique personally - I don't think it takes into account the point always in my mind "what happens if I meet me coming the other way during the overtake" i.e. someone travelling at my speed or higher. All it really does is show me if there was enough road to complete the overtake, assuming that road stayed clear. I can judge that myself, it's the visibility and calculation of oncoming vehicles, that normally preclude my overtake.
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