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Those who were rear ended, they have my sympathy. Those who went into the back of someone don't.
Far too many people today don't leave enough stopping distance, and far to many can't stop in the distance they can see in fog.

I agree but the moment you try and leave a two second gap, some idiot jumps in and fills it. When I drive I like to leave a two second gap ahead of myself so I can at least stop safely.

No fool breaks the two second rule

agreed.

I learnt it as "only a fool breaks the two second rule".

If someone jumps in to the gap, slow down and keep two seconds.

I usually just stop off the accelerator until the gap is two seconds but the problem reoccurs with some idiot jumping in. In fog while you might slow down it is the idiots behind you that you have to worry about especially if they are in lorries. If they slam into you then you will be lucky to survive.

It was "only a fool breaks the two second rule" as it takes two second to say it. When using the correct bbc type voice.

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That Warrior looks like a discarded crisp packet - is it just me who thinks the driver was probably exceeding the limit despite the conditions, because his chelsea tractor made him feel invulnerable?

No fatalities, so in a sense, yes. Car safety is much improved (did you see the documentary about crash test dummies last week?). Even 20 years ago, that would have been far, far worse.

Someone driving a massive American station wagon in the UK? Doing something pointlessly macho and with little regard for other road users? I don't see the connection at all.

Twenty years ago we would have heard of massive numbers of casualties even fatalities. Car safety has improved immeasurably. Driver skill not as much.


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It is a reverse curve, the safer the vehicle the more invulnerable the driver seems to feel and the more risks they take.

I don't agree. Cars may be more crash-resistant than they were, but I don't believe people are conscious of the fact on day-to-day basis, so I think it's unlikely people factor it into their driving style. You don't drive around thinking 'Oh, I don't mind if I have a crash because my car is nice and new'. At least, not unless you're an idiot. Let's face it, if you've got a nice shiny expensive new car, you're more likely to drive defensively because of the value of it. The difference is that people, particularly commuters, feel more time-pressured than they did in say the 70's so the risk/reward balance has changed - the small amount of time you save by doing something risky is suddenly worth more, so you're more inclined to take the risk.

Basically put, we're all in more of a hurry. That's going to make for more accidents.

I agree with jonbwfc. People dont consiously drive like tw@ts just because they don't think they can't be injured. No one whats their valuable car getting damaged. Plus people forget how safe cars are compared to old ones. It's just not something you think about on a daily basis.

There was an increase in pedestrian deaths shortly after the introduction of the seatbelt laws 20 years ago. The drop in drivers deaths was offset by the increase in pedestrian deaths. It was put down to drivers feeling safer and so taking more risks. Whether it still applies is another matter.