When there is very little traffic on the road?

Twisted_Ace

It's known as 'Pottinger's Law', named after Arthur Pottinger (the world famous Shetland folk/country and western singer, now based in Orkney).

Imagine that you are in your car driving along a road, just an ordinary road, anywhere, minding your own business and paying full attention to the road and the world around you. Lo and behold, you notice, there is a car coming the other way, also obviously minding its own business and threatening no-one.

But wait, what is that just about midway between you and the oncoming vehicle? It's a bicycle, It's a bicycle, it's the only other thing in sight, apart from the car coming the other way and now substantially closer. It's the only other thing that's been on the road for the last 20... 200 miles, (OK that's far fetched ... but lets say it's Christmas morning and there are no other cars). The other car is getting pretty close and so is the bicycle and the bicyclist and they are getting very close. It's no use, it's quite obvious, that the point of passing the car will also involve passing the bicycle. One will have to slow down and give way. That is a Pottingerism. That is Pottinger's Law. The oncoming vehicle and the bicycle will always conflict, exactly.

For bicyclist you can substitute, horse, telegraph pole, pedestrian, parked car. Although they are not strictly Pottingerisms, the rules still applies. Need I go on? The point is that 'it', whatever 'it' might be, will ALWAYS, on an otherwise clear road, conflict with whatever vehicle decides to be on the other side of the road coming towards you.

rowdy

I've been wondering about this for years.

I was driving across the Sahara desert in southern Tunisia once - I saw nothing for 200 miles. Then, when I came to a junction, I had to stop because there was a bloody car coming. It must've been caused by exactly the same law of physics.

john g

SOMEONE or SOMETHING is organising these situations with extraordinary precision. This is the greatest argument yet for the existence of a controlling higher intelligence.

Polo

It's called 'Sod's Law.'

UCANTCME

ITS THE LAW..............................

bbb321

its just u

lisa

ummm....what?

ianhad

It seems to me that you do not know how to adjust your speed to match the conditions, practise more.

janus

It is good Practice,it Teaches you to be in a position to be able to slow down safely without causing a crash.To be prepared to break at a safe Speed without going into a Skid and hitting some Car or worse Pedestrian.

mr perfect

its called been under-confident, next time position yourself and if you think it is safe to go manoeuvre out and go .

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