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Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

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Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#301

Post by leviathant »

chausen wrote: post #222
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> vehicle changes lanes in front of you; I will never understand why this is so rage-inducing for people. Changing lanes is a necessary part of navigating, even during busy traffic. People on an on-ramp will need to get in front of somebody . People needing to move back to the right because their exist is coming up will need to get in front of somebody . Your lane is not a birth right. Let people merge. > you slow do…

It brings me peace to see other people thinking this way. You should be an active participant on the highway, making decisions to maximize flow. Leaving space so people can merge, controlling speed to smooth slowdowns, anticipating traffic patterns, etc. All of the people tailgating are contributing to the congestion. https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE

The trick I keep in mind in situations like this is to look at brake lights ahead of me. If cars are braking and I'm accelerating, I'm probably going to end up driving very inefficiently. By letting off the accelerator, I don't close the gap as quickly, and eventually, the turbulence in the traffic flow steadies out. Instead of stopping and starting, I roll at an averaged out speed, which doesn't feel as frustrating (it's kind of relaxing) and is better for fuel economy. There are, of course, the weavers who jump from gap to gap, tailgating and pushing. Sometimes it works, sometimes they just get jammed up.

I don't drive as often as I used to, but on I-76 coming into or out of Philadelphia, traffic gets snarled and becomes stop-and-go. Every now and then, someone next to me appears to have the same understanding of fluid dynamics as I do, and we build up enough of a buffer that we are able to eliminate the stop-and-go, even if it means rolling at 5mph with a big gap between us and the cars in front of us.

There's no good way to communicate what we're doing, even to each other. But I like to think that when this happens, it has a positive effect that ripples out for miles.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#302

Post by chad_oliver »

cucumber3732842 wrote: post #265
chad_oliver wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Credit scores are universally hated but they make it possible to offer lower interest rates to more people. Without credit scores, fewer people would have access to credit. Similarly, people often don't like it when insurers track and score their driving. However, this allows insurers to offer lower insurance fees to more people by _not_ offering lower insurance fees (or instead charging higher fees) to people that a…

>There's nothing fairer than user-pays, especially when users can choose to pay less by changing their behavior. If user pays is so fair why does anyone who could access credit or liquid assets in excess of their state's minimums have to pay hundreds to thousands per year for auto insurance?

That's an entirely separate issue, isn't it? In my country (New Zealand) there are no requirements to have auto insurance. If you don't have insurance and you hit a million-dollar car you're gonna be in an awkward situation, but that's a risk you're allowed to take.

Note that you _are_ legally required to pay your annual ACC levies, which fund no-fault cover for injuries. However that doesn't cover property damage.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#303

Post by AlotOfReading »

cucumber3732842 wrote: post #265
chad_oliver wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Credit scores are universally hated but they make it possible to offer lower interest rates to more people. Without credit scores, fewer people would have access to credit. Similarly, people often don't like it when insurers track and score their driving. However, this allows insurers to offer lower insurance fees to more people by _not_ offering lower insurance fees (or instead charging higher fees) to people that a…

>There's nothing fairer than user-pays, especially when users can choose to pay less by changing their behavior. If user pays is so fair why does anyone who could access credit or liquid assets in excess of their state's minimums have to pay hundreds to thousands per year for auto insurance?

Most states allow you to go without insurance by fronting the cash. It's called self-insurance. You put up some minimum amount, file a form with the state DMV, and keep the approval certificate in the vehicle like normal.

It's relatively unknown for individuals because most people have no desire to lock up tens or hundreds of thousands of spare dollars just to avoid car insurance. As far as I'm aware it's primarily used by rich collectors who need to insure large collections that don't fit more traditional insurance profiles. Much more useful for businesses.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#304

Post by hananova »

SoftTalker wrote: post #54
duderific wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't checked on this in a long time, but IIRC, the insurance company will always blame the person in back in a rear-end collision, for just this reason. A rear-end collision should always be avoidable.

Usually but not always. A common insurance scam is to pass a car, cut in just in front of it, then brake hard causing a collision. Dash cams video is a good thing to have to fight this if it happens to you.

No, even then. If a car cuts in front of you, you have at least a few seconds of time to start making space for them, and once they are in front of you, you should immediately make a safe amount of space between you and them.

Yes, in a country where safe driving is not internalized you will inevitable have someone rear-ending you while doing this, but if the options are "accident where you're at fault" and "accident where you're not at fault", pick the latter.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#305

Post by ssl-3 »

its_magic wrote: post #299
ssl-3 wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So just... let them go. It's easy to do. Escalation usually doesn't improve things, including for the person displaying the universal finger (or throwing the lug nut). You've got a choice: You can keep plodding along in your truck while you escalate and retaliate and get all grumpy and stuff, or just keep plodding along in your truck without any of that noise. The errant, instigating driver won't really learn anythin…

[flagged]

Prisons are full of people who are sure that they were right.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#307

Post by hananova »

olliepro wrote: post #48

There’s a section of I-15 in Utah’s Salt Lake County which reliably has a crash on weekdays at 6pm. It was unfortunately at a pinch point in the mountains with no good alternate route… very annoying. In a similar way that Google Maps shows eco routes, it’d be fun for them to show “safest” routes which avoid areas with common crashes. (Not always possible, but valuable knowledge when it is.)

That feels like it would cause induced demand for crashes though.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#308

Post by aeontech »

genocidicbunny wrote: post #279
aeontech wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll tell you what I specifically and intentionally do when I need to change lanes. I brake slightly, signal, and wait for the person on my right or my left to pull ahead of me, then change lanes immediately _behind_ them. Then sit there for a moment until my following distance evens out a bit. This ensures that a) I do not cut anyone off accidentally, and minimize the amount of stress in my immediate part of the uni…

You shouldn't be braking when changing lanes is what I was taught, you should be matching the speed of the lane you're merging to. There are many drivers who think that braking is always the right solution, when sometimes it's a little more gas. And in inclement conditions, it can make the difference between losing control of your vehicle or not. When you brake, you decrease your steering ability in most cars. Fine w…

Well, sure - braking is mostly relevant when merging to the slower lane, when merging to faster lane I generally do not need to - since that lane is already moving faster, just need to speed up slightly and time it for the right moment.

My point is, it feels safer and easier to aim to enter a new lane with the aim of "following" someone, rather than trying to rush in "ahead" of someone. But maybe it's just me.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#309

Post by IanCal »

hananova wrote: post #304
SoftTalker wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually but not always. A common insurance scam is to pass a car, cut in just in front of it, then brake hard causing a collision. Dash cams video is a good thing to have to fight this if it happens to you.

No, even then. If a car cuts in front of you, you have at least a few seconds of time to start making space for them, and once they are in front of you, you should immediately make a safe amount of space between you and them. Yes, in a country where safe driving is not internalized you will inevitable have someone rear-ending you while doing this, but if the options are "accident where you're at fault" and "accident…

I think you’re misunderstanding, the person pulling in front is not giving you seconds to make space - they are deliberately trying to crash into you.

Re: Hard-braking events as indicators of road segment crash risk

#310

Post by Dylan16807 »

its_magic wrote: post #300
Dylan16807 wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The first weapon to be employed is a Middle Finger. If that proves ineffective, it's followed by a lugnut taken from a coffee can that I keep handy. If and when things get to that level, the person usually wises up quick and finds a new hobby. There are other tools available if the nutcase decides to escalate further. I, uh, okay but I hope you realize that this is far more extreme than what the other person was su…

[flagged]

Taking a break is less extreme than throwing a lug nut at a moving car.

Exiting and immediately reentering a freeway is also less extreme.

Calling the cops if someone that is raging at you follows you when you do that is not extreme.

Nobody suggested "driving all over creation".

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