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Comment by exporectomy | Hacker News Reader

It's not actually stated that automatic braking is the reason for the change. It even gives a different reason: 'To create a "virtually smooth ride across the grid"'. They straightened out a step-shaped road into a straight one which is surely just a better experience for all cars and their occupants. I almost wonder if the vehicles that left the road did so by making a jump using it as a stunt ramp.

This article has before and after pictures from the same angle: https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/farmer/18996741.catt...

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Oh wow, you could totally see someone using that as a jump by accident, there’s no visual warning that the gradient is about to change if your approaching the cattle grid from below.

Easy to imagine someone at night, taking liberties with the speed limit, hitting that thing at 70mph and taking off.

> Easy to imagine someone at night, taking liberties with the speed limit, hitting that thing at 70mph and taking off.

"Easy to imagine illegal, reckless, dangerous behavior posing a danger."

[Warning: over-serious response coming.] There's a big "cattle grid" sign a little way before it, so I don't think that's a realistic worry. As an aside, that road is long, but a dead end: it leads up to a beauty spot / hiking point. The road also largely lacks dividing lines (i.e. it's sort-of single track, though often wide enough for two vehicles), and the cattle grid comes not long after a sharp corner, so I can't imagine many vehicles would have been able to get to flying speeds. Besides, that neck of the woods has plenty of interesting driving roads including the main A39 out of Porlock just a couple of miles away, that I imagine are of more interest to speed demons.

>This article has before and after pictures from the same angle: https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/farmer/18996741.catt...

which one is the before and which one's the after? Usually it should be before first and after second, but in this case the first picture looks smoother than the second picture?

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