Old 11-16-07, 09:37 PM
  #19  
BarracksSi
Bike ≠ Car ≠ Ped.
 
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Bikes: Some bikes. Hell, they're all the same, ain't they?

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Originally Posted by Helmet Head
It's very important to differentiate the letter of the law - knowing the details with exactness that has no practical value while actually driving - from knowing and understanding the underlying principles upon which all traffic law is based. In this case, the underlying principle is to be predictable - signal early enough so that others know what you're doing. That's what's important, not how many feet. Who the heck even guesstimates the actual number of feet they are from the intersection before they signal anyway?
Yeah -- the only question I missed on my last actual written driver's test (this was... sheesh, almost 20 years ago!) was about when you should activate the turn signal.

It had a picture of a rural two-lane road -- straight, no turns for miles -- coming to a four-way intersection without a stop sign. These kinds of roads saw speeds of 60-ish mph; usually more, sometimes a little less. The question asked how far from the intersection should the driver signal a turn, and the choices given were 300', 100', and 50'.

Okay. Going at high speed means that I'd have to start braking some ways back, and if there's anyone at all behind me, I should brake gradually enough that I won't surprise them and risk getting rear-ended. I should also flick my turn signal on as soon as it's easy to see which intersection I'll be turning into, and since there was nothing between the camera's location and the pictured intersection (that is, no driveways, parking lot entrances, more cross streets, or whatever), it would actually work out best if I use the signal before I start braking. That would inform a driver to the rear that I'm planning to turn; if I just start braking without signaling, they'll wonder if I'm doing it to avoid hitting an object in the road, or turning in an UNspecified direction, or because my car's breaking down or is suffering a flat tire, or any other kind of problem. But, if I signal first, they know what to expect and can make other decisions (pass to the side, maybe?) before they have to deal with me slowing down.

So. Going at 60 mph and using easy braking at maybe 25% effort means that I could easily spend up to 300' with my brake lights on. 300' is ONLY one football field, and I've spent enough time on football fields to know that, in terms of cars going at highway speeds, they're really not very big. Then, since I could activate the turn signal before I start braking, I'd end up with my turn signal flashing by the 300' mark.

Naturally, 300' was the wrong answer.
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