🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <93ndrs$h3k$1@bob.news.rcn.net>,
  hillman@enteract.com (David Hillman) wrote:
> In article <icss5to0bmdaj0oildum7t06cvidjl0dgj@4ax.com>,
> Carey Gregory  <nospam@gw-dash-tech.com> wrote:
> >Since you've apparently observed that one must be equal to or greater
> >in height to an Iveco van in order to see over it, then it should be
a
> >simple matter for you to extrapolate to different relative heights.
>
>    Actually, I was referring to the width of an Iveco.  They are
sometimes
>    positioned such that their width make them impossible to see
/around/.
>    And since no vehicle I've ever seen has a high enough seating
postion
>    to see over it, neither a truck driver, nor a car driver can see
>    past it.
>
>    Short of an Iveco or other commercial truck, I can see around
and/or
>    over virtually anything I need to, even driving a low car.  Since
you,
>    in your truck, can't see over those either, the advantage conveyed
>    by your higher seating position is very small, as I said.

A higher seating position puts my eyeline above the roof of most small
cars. Your low car eyeline puts you even with most small cars. Since the
majority of city traffic is still cars, that puts those in a higher
seating position in the advantageous position of being able to see
farther ahead in traffic an anticipate situations before the car
immediatly ahead of them has to hit the brakes. That is a very large
advantage.

>
> >If you're able to see over vehicles higher than the level of your
> >eyes, then I congratulate you on your x-ray vision.
>
>    Actually, lower vehicles have an advantage whenever roads are wet
>    or otherwise reflective.  We can see brake lights reflected
underneath
>    vehicles at a greater distance than taller vehicles.
>
>    This isn't much of an advantage, but probably enough to cancel out
>    the small advantage of height.

Being able to see the  reflected brake lights on wet pavment of the
second car up balances out being able to see many cars ahead in traffic?
I guess everyone's entitled to their opinion...


>
>    Not to mention that taller vehicles often have a problem with
under-
>    sized mirrors with insufficient adjustability.  I've seen drivers
of
>    many taller vehicles unable to see low vehicles immediately
adjacent
>    to them, because their mirrors only show objects at a similar
height.

That's just not true. In my grand cherokee I have the mirrors adjusted
to see any traffic to the side of me. We're talking about a total
difference in vehicle height of maybe two feet at the most between stock
vehicles. If the large vehicles driver's mirrors are only showing the
top two feet of other tall vehicles they need to get their mirrors fixed
- or learn how to adjust them. This part of your argument is just plain
wrong.

>
> >Yeah, I read it.  You made an assertion.  I asked if you can support
> >it.  Can you or not?  If it's just opinion, you only need say so.
>
>    Shall I continue?  Okay.
>
>    Another factor which significantly reduces the advantage of a
higher
>    seating position is the road.  Specifically, unless the road is
very
>    flat, and very straight, the driver of a low car still be able to
>    see beyond the preceding vehicle.
>
>    Also, even if a driver can see beyond the preceding vehicle, they
>    still have to follow at an appropriate distance.  Since most trucks
and
>    tall station wagons cannot stop as quickly as cars, that distance
needs
>    to be sufficiently large so as to overwhelm any sightline
advantage.

The advantage is being able to see over multiple cars and spot traffic
problems or obstacles well in advance of lower cars. Of course there's
more room needed for braking, but being able to see a problem well in
advance of actually having to do anything about it gives the high
position driver more of a chance to anticipate it and brake before the
car immediatly in front of them does.



>
>    To sum up; as I said, there is very, very little advantage.
>
> --
>  D a v i d  H i l l m a n
>  nma, scca, scscc, imoc
>

To sum up, You're mistaken - there is a great advantage to foresight.

Dave



Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/