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Re: [RC] Braking time (was: So Cal, etc.) - k s swigartFrom: D'Arcy Demianoff-Thompson cest.mon.virage@xxxxxxxxx Not to mention the DMV recommendation of ONE car length for every ?10 MPH. The "one car length for every 10 mph" is a rule of thumb for reaction time, not braking time; it is also sometimes called the "two second rule" (i.e. you should leave two seconds between you and the vehicle in front of you, which is more distance the faster you are going). The reason for this is that it takes all vehicles the same amount of time to stop (assuming the brakes on the vehicle are adequate) so the vehicle in front of you is moving forward the same distance you are while it is stopping, but it takes time for you to notice that the vehicle in front of you is stopping and that you need to stop too...and THIS is what you need to leave space for. If you are carrying an unsecured?load (especially a live one like a horse) and don't want to stop as quickly as your vehicle (assuming adequate brakes) can stop because you don't want the horse in the cab with you, THEN it will take you longer to stop because you choose to stop less quickly than the person in front of you.? This choice is completely independent of the length of your rig.? You should leave yourself just as much time to stop your 25' long?rig with one horse in it as you should a 60' rig with living quarters and?four horses in it.? Stopping as fast as the vehicle can is a foolish with one horse as it is with four. There is no reason to expect everybody on the road to accommodate you for the fact that you are carrying an unsecured live load, few people understand that that is what a horse in a horse trailer is, especially non-horse people. So, how many car lengths is it for a truck and trailer? It is the same.? You need one CAR length for each 10 MPH to react, even when you are driving a truck and trailer that is longer than a car to react.? How much extra space you want to leave so you can brake more slowly is up to you and how careful you want to be with your horse/s; it doesn't matter how long your rig is. See Barbara when they don't allow you your personal comfort space ?you should have the right to get on a loud speaker to talk to the guy ?in front of you:? "Hey, idiot, that space allowance, was not an invitation ?to pull in front of me, it is to allow me not to run over your stupid ass!" Actually, all you have to do is slow down and allow that comfort space to return (or you can change lanes).? It would be nice if everybody on the road understood that I am leaving that extra space to accommodate my unsecured load, but I don't expect it.? When people pull into the space that I have left, I just back off, and if I have left myself enough extra space, rarely ever do I not have time to do this without slamming on the brakes.? However, if I truely cannot avoid running over his "stupid ass," I do have a "loud speaker" that will convey this message, it is called a horn. kat Orange County, Calif. :) p.s.? Again, all of this is assuming that your entire rig has adequate brakes for the entire load.? If it doesn't you shouldn't be on the road at all. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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