Re: Microsoft strikes back

Jamie wrote:
Stamping on the "clutch" as you're rolling to a stop, and finding out
it's the brake? Did that first time I was given an automatic hire car.

While we're around the subject, is it just me or does the brake user
interface leave something to be desired?

I mean, when you want to do an emergency stop, you want to get the
brakes engaged as fast as possible. One railway equivalent is simply to
take your hand off the power lever -- one simple move, and the brakes
start coming on as hard as possible.

In a car, you have to take your foot off the accelerator, move to the
brake pedal, and push it down, ensuring that your shoe won't catch on
the underside of the brake pedal as you move it across. (Most formal
men's shoes seem to have the sole extend a few mm around the uppers, and
this will catch on the brake pedal if you're not careful).

That takes time and a bit of thought, both of which are precious in an
emergency stop situation.

I seem to remember that in one demonstrator in the Science Museum (i.e.
the one in South Ken), I could cut my reaction time by one or two tenths
of a second by using my left foot for the brake and my right foot for
the accelerator. That's several metres at car speeds.

Alternative rant: "breaks". Do I need to say any more?

James.

--
E-mail: james@ | ... more holes in Internet Explorer than Blackburn,
aprilcottage.co.uk | Lancashire...
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Left Foot braking vs switching between driving on the left and driving on the right side of the
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