Limit Points

[donnabrenton]

I've never heard of a limit point even though I'm a learner driver but it makes so much sense. I see people all the time speeding around corners not knowing what they may come across just easing off makes complete sense.

[anonymouse]

Great explanation of something I've been doing instinctively all this time and never knew the science.behind the subconscious! I also look at road conditions .. mud, gravel, water, debris etc to avoid slips/ skids. Probably thanks to riding a motorbike first. I also always scan for safe escape routes in case someone coming the other way isn't being as in control as you. I find YouTube dashcam vids are great for learning things to anticipate but ones like this are great too for reminding and explaining the basics of safe driving.

[oliassunhillow]

your technique is brilliant Ashley, the logic and command of the situation, fab

[gordontaylor]

Thanks for your techniques Ashley, I don't have my own car, but often share the driving with a friend on long journeys, and these points are very beneficial to me... thanks again.

[mrblablablabla]

What a fantastic little lesson! And brilliant timing on your part

[johnnybritten]

Wow, this is by far the most useful thing I've learned, apart from driving on the left side of course😃

[ewankean]

Easy to understand explanation to pass onto learners. Done instinctively by conscientious experienced drivers perhaps without realising how to best explain it to others. Thank you.

[splodger]

creating excellent drivers since creating a driving school. can't say this enough - what a fantastic driving instructor!

[nmccormack]

Hi Ashley, thanks for this video. I've seen a few videos but you've explained it best.

Alot of us think we're good drivers.... I've been known to get fastest laps in go karting and years of driving experience, but still haven't been confident of knowing the speed of corners on unfamiliar country roads.

I am glad you stressed that it's about being able to safely stop for the distance we see is clear. It was the catching up the limit point (to be off the gas/brake) that was the final piece in the jigsaw for me.... other YouTubers rightly mentioned if the limit point is moving away but illustrated it moving right or left which confused me.

[MK-]

Lovely clear simple explanation. "Trust it and drive / squeeze the gas a little more.". Nice work by Kirsty.

[Enjay]

It's not explicitly stated in the video (though it is very much in effect in practical terms) that the slower the limit point seems to be moving, the tighter the bend is.

When approaching a wide bend, the limit point moves away from you from some distance out and continues to move even if you are moving quite quickly. When approaching a tight bend, the limit point may barely move as you approach (you will be catching up to the limit point as Ashley puts it). So, along with other evidence that you gather from your observations, it's a reasonable indicator of how sharp an upcoming bend is.

[radishpea]

Dont forget you can alter the limit point by road position, left bend be on the right of your lane, right bend be on the left of your lane. Once you understand and learn what is in Ashley's video you can exit corners faster without losing control as you will know where to progressively accelerate. The more of the road ahead you can see, the faster you can go.

[AndrewGruffudd]

What brings limit points into sharp relief for me is when I'm on the A4 travelling out of London of an afternoon. At the top of Earls Court there's a phenomenon whereby, for much of the journey the sun is shaded by buildings and advertising hoardings, but then you cross over the railway and it suddenly catches you. It's a 30 limit road, but still you need to slow down whilst your eyes adjust, and woe betide the tailgater, who can cause havoc.

[johnhare]

Where and when it is safe to do so you can extend your limit points depending on where you position your vehicle by moving towards the centre line or kerb on corners. It does not make massive differences but does extend it.

[judgedredd]

Quite simply if the distance that you can see to your limit point is REDUCING then you should REDUCE your speed accordingly If the limit point is going away from you then your vision down the road is INCREASING then you can INCREASE your speed. Not so please read on.

However on bends we may assume that our speed is right by the limit point but it may not be right for our emergency braking should we need to brake hard. Our training for safe stopping distance requires a few things and one that includes a straight line. So all the braking shown or referred to in road safety books is done in a straight line and our brakes can perform 100% of the time, whilst in a straight line.

However if we are taking a corner then other forces come in to play and if one needs to brake hard we might find that we lose our tyre grip with the roads surface and then we spin or slide or usually lock the brakes and skid and so we cannot then say that we have 100% of braking capacity. Depending on the severity of the bend and our relative speed around it we might consider ourselves to be ok with regards to the distance to the limit point but we might only have 70% or less of braking capacity whilst on any bend. Yes we can brake but we need to be quite gentle in the way we do it otherwise we overload the steering and or our tyre grip and we can lose control of our vehicle,

So understanding that we can no longer exercise 100% of our braking capacity on bends [ something we rarely if at all contemplate ] and we are required to brake in order to avoid hitting something on a bend then we must apply the brakes more gently. That will inevitably mean that we must travel a greater distance whilst braking. That in turn means that we can throw away the 2 second rule and the table of stopping distances in the H.C or advised by the DVSA as we will now, by having to brake on any bend will far exceed that safe stopping distance by having to brake more gently. All too often one slams the brakes on and a, loss of control occurs and this is certainly more frequent on bends than on the straight and even more so on a wet road. We can all throw away the road safety books then as very few drivers will actually give twice the normal safe stopping distances when the roads are merely damp or wet.

[venkatasivagabbita]

It is complex - when you are driving and watching a number of things - signs, road conditions, other drivers and vehicles, mirrors etc. - to look at a limit point and figure out if it is moving towards you, staying the same, creeping or firing away - it is much simpler to thnk in terms of "Can I see what is coming around that bend and will I be able to react to it at my current speed?"
Although it means the same thing, it is more intuitive than to think consciously in terms of limit points. I find I get locked into the limit point and forget everything else around me when I do - especially when at speed. So I do not think of - is the limit point staying, coming at me or running away.

[CherkasovN]

Great video and explanations! I would like to see more of these - more situations, etc. Could you do? There are little videos on Youtube that describe the concept so nicely up to the point.

[seriously-learntodrive]

Limit points need to be used in addition to the other clues on the road, such as slow signs on the road, warning of bend signs and chevrons on the bend. These signs were seen in the footage and should be included with limit point analysis.

[jerryrawlings]

Great video but a learner can't correlate limit points and use of speed it needs to be simpler what is speed limit on then road and what speed should I slow to before approaching bends?

[ioj]

When approaching a bend with the thought l, can I stop on my own side of the road within the distance I can see to be clear? presupposes another question first, which is: Why might I need to stop? This is where taking in information is important and then making safe decisions rather that getting hung up on two parts of the road converging. Road signs, markings, road surface in general, hedges, footpaths or lack of, the list goes on, all these will help when making a decision about the speed which you think is safe to enter and drive through a bend. There are those bends, however, where the view is open, and the curve gradual, you can chase the limit point at the max speed limit safely in these situations. It’s fun 🤩