I got lucky when my waterpump failed. I was at a light and I heard the fans kick on. Out of instinct I looked down at the temp guage and saw it skyrocketing towards the red. If I hadn't heard the fans turn on, I doubt I would have looked at the guage. Plus, once the pump quits, it doesn't take long for the motor to overheat. I'd probably see a red light that's in my field of view much quicker than a quickly moving temp guage heading towards the red.
