close call!

[Leo Lichtman]

A deer that leaps into your path is about like a driver who runs a stop sign
at a blind intersection. I don't think better lighting is the solution.

Speed, in this situation is your enemy. Not only does it give you less time
to react, and make the accident worse, if it occurs. It also gives the deer
little chance to see you coming, so it is less likely to avoid your path.

 

[[email protected]]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
> A deer that leaps into your path is about like a driver who runs a stop sign
> at a blind intersection. I don't think better lighting is the solution.
>
> Speed, in this situation is your enemy. Not only does it give you less time
> to react, and make the accident worse, if it occurs. It also gives the deer
> little chance to see you coming, so it is less likely to avoid your path.

I agree. Its absolutely nuts to go much over 15-16 mph in the dark.
Even with a really good headlight you are not going to see objects in
the road in time to take evasive action if you are going 27+ mph.
Instead of a deer, it could have been something big that fell off
someone's truck, or a rock, or whatever. If you speed down hills at 30
mph in the dark with any frequency you will eventually run out of luck.

Andy

 

[Pat Lamb]

[email protected] wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
>
>>A deer that leaps into your path is about like a driver who runs a stop sign
>>at a blind intersection. I don't think better lighting is the solution.
>>
>>Speed, in this situation is your enemy. Not only does it give you less time
>>to react, and make the accident worse, if it occurs. It also gives the deer
>>little chance to see you coming, so it is less likely to avoid your path.
>
>
> I agree. Its absolutely nuts to go much over 15-16 mph in the dark.
> Even with a really good headlight you are not going to see objects in
> the road in time to take evasive action if you are going 27+ mph.
> Instead of a deer, it could have been something big that fell off
> someone's truck, or a rock, or whatever. If you speed down hills at 30
> mph in the dark with any frequency you will eventually run out of luck.

Not to mention, you would have to shine the light off the road to see
the deer waiting to cross in front of you. That can lead to some
interesting conversations with game wardens!

Pat

 

[Mark Heiple]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> Leo Lichtman wrote:
> > A deer that leaps into your path is about like a driver who runs a stop sign
> > at a blind intersection. I don't think better lighting is the solution.
> >
> > Speed, in this situation is your enemy. Not only does it give you less time
> > to react, and make the accident worse, if it occurs. It also gives the deer
> > little chance to see you coming, so it is less likely to avoid your path.
>
> I agree. Its absolutely nuts to go much over 15-16 mph in the dark.
> Even with a really good headlight you are not going to see objects in
> the road in time to take evasive action if you are going 27+ mph.
> Instead of a deer, it could have been something big that fell off
> someone's truck, or a rock, or whatever. If you speed down hills at 30
> mph in the dark with any frequency you will eventually run out of luck.
>
> Andy

When it's so dark you can't see beyond your lights, I agree that it is
best to not go blasting down the hill at high speeds. The night the
deer almost got me, it was more twilight than dark. I didn't really
need the light to see where I was going, it was more to make myself
visible for the cars.

I wanted to put the incident behind me, so I did a bike ride tonight
after work, finished up doing down the same hill again. Went early
enough it was light for the whole ride this time. Glad I went, it was a
good ride.

 

[Chris B.]

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:46:45 -0800, [email protected]
(Dennis P. Harris) wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:51:22 -0400 in rec.bicycles.misc, Mark
>Heiple <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> One instant, the road was clear, then all of a sudden a lot of brown fur
>> all lit up in front of me, then it was gone. I don't think I missed it
>> by more than a couple feet.
>
>time for more powerful lights?

Like the ones you'd find on a car?