In traffic etc... you should be able to drive without using the brakes if you plan ahead adequately. This is the advocated approach from all advanced driving schools of thought. Rather this than the stop-start-stop-start that plagues most traffic situations. yes/no?
I was stuck on the A12 as usual for quite a bit and l'd thought l would try to put this into practice. (my left leg was beginning to ache in anycase) So instead of racing up the rear of the car in front everytime the queue advanced for a gain of 10 whole feet, l paced my own advance so l didn't have to brake at all, staying within a couple of car lengths of the stop/start disciple in front.
My heart was filled with joy when l looked in my mirrors to see that the traffic behind was moving in a similar fashion. I felt like l was doing a service to 100's of clutches and left legs everywhere.
And then what happened...? The truck behind me indicated and pulled out into a brief gap in the middle lane (Created where one driver had momentarily lost the will to live perhaps?) "Where's he going?", thought l.
Ans: Immediately in front of me l found out as the HGV pulled in, his 2.3 mph overtaking maneouvre a total success.
Queue grinds to halt and l momentarily do a thorough demonstration of how to polish those chrome exhaust tips up a real treat. (Before the coward part of me coyly suggests that he's almost certainly bigger and l should put my hand back where it belongs.)
In short: The truck drivers action seemed completely unwarranted, he gains a car length in a near standstill jam. I have to assume that he was making some point regarding those two car lengths l repeatedly kept leaving in front of myself. Anyone?
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Ack! The main discursive gist of the whole post was:
"What do other people think about slow and constant vs stop/start, do they do it themselves, is it pointless etc.. Is the reason that people don't do it much due to a endemic distrust that some other bugger wont nip in and nick the first hole they can shove their car into?"
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Dan,
I do try it on my congested daily commute up and down the A3 (Epsom to Putney) you can keep moving slowly if you judge it right. But you are right, the (albeit small) space you leave acts like a black hole, sucking in cars which still have nowhere to go. It may also be good for fuel consumption as you don't drag the car's weight from a standing start every 10 yards.
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Try and do the same thing into Manchester every day. Problem is exactly as you highlighted in that someone always decides to fill the space as it enables them to get to work 0.18 seconds faster than they otherwise might have done (you think they'd be less keen?). Mentality in the country seems to be to accelerate hard and then end up having to stop 100 yards up the road. I noticed in Holland people seem to obey the often quite low limits imposed on the motorways during busy times. As a result traffic remains moving but it'll never happen over here I don't think!
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I drive to Guildford every weekday and usually spend 20-40 minutes in stop/go traffic at Hindhead. Whenever I can see the line of traffic a long way ahead, I even switch off if it's going to be a (say) five minute wait. What I do find irritating is the person who waits until the car in front has disappeared over the horizon before following.
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It works well enough for me! My 1.4S Clio will drive itself very slowly in first gear in a queue - doesn't half save wear and tear on the shoes, and I DO find that those behind fall in line nicely!
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Though never a fan of auto boxes in the past, given the type of stop/start crawling I endure on a daily basis, it seemed the sensible option when I bought one.
A friend with a similar car (manual version) beats me on fuel consumption on long trips, but I stuff him on the urban cycle.
In addition, my left leg doesn't take any strain.
In fact, i found that in the US, where manuals are a rarity, crawling traffic flows much smoother than elsewhere.
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