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Comments
I told a story a few pages back about an idiot that pulled the old, "I'm going to sideswipe you" to voice his displeasure at me having slowed down earlier due to an on-coming school bus with its flashing lights on (indicating it was stopping soon, and the idiot was behind me).
Give me the finger, honk at me, scream at me, whatever, but don't act like you are going to hit me with your car - that's just stupid. If you act like you are going to hit me, please go ahead and do it, so I can wait in my car for the EMTs to remove me, and so I can sue the heck out of you.
While I should not feel this, I am embarrassed to admit that my grandfather is that way. Everyone here would be quite amazed at some of the seemingly innocent traffic events that will set him off. Things as foolish as the event you just recounted! I mean, this guy is 76 years old and acts like he is, literally, 2 sometimes. One day, while both my grandmother and I were with him, he about squashed a compact car full of college students when they made the rather innocent mistake of not paying perfect attention to a left turn arrow. They were just ahead of us and when the light turned green (a green light for straight ahead traffic and dedicated left arrow for left turns, simultaneously)and they pulled into the intersection and stopped rather than going on through. At first, he honked his horn at them (while yelling colorful obscenities for the benefit of us in the truck), then continued to ride their bumper even though the driver realized his mistake and headed through the intersection normally. They mostly ignored him, though I am sure they must have been scared (I know I was) and hoping for him to get over it and back off. Finally, a gal in the back seat spun around, obviously yelling at him, and flipped him 'the bird.' He immediately flips his brights on (sustained) and drives even closer! I swear he was in a huff for an hour after that. And, there was really nothing to be said to calm him as he felt he was perfectly just in his actions. :confuse:
One time when he was riding with me, there was a car that failed to signal a lane change and cut us off. It was close, but I was able to slow to avoid and then just repositioned us in the lane. He actually had the gall to start yelling at the other driver and me, because I refused to "run him down" as my grandfather instructed... As though I was an extension of his own arm.... hah! I simply explained to him that it was my truck, I was driving, and I am willing to forgive as there was no harm, no foul. After he continued to deride me, I explained that I had ridden with him and observed him long enough to learn how not to behave while driving. I simply felt that was as respectful and honest as I could be at that moment. While that mostly shut him up, he continued to mumble and mock me under his breath. Oy, so much for the support of family. :sick:
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A woman who told authorities she was fed up with tailgaters pulled out a gun and shot at the tires of a pickup that got too close, police said. Officials believe the bullet missed the pickup, and no one was hurt.
I particularly liked the part where he was driving in gridlock traffic, maintaining a constant speed, with traffic all around him driving bumper-to-bumper and stop-and-go. Reminded me exactly of my drive through Chicago, in the '69 Chevy, back in 1999. I was even in the same lane (2nd from the left)! :P
That is a *little* overboard, but I bet the other driver thinks twice about tailgating. :P
Rocky
So my being in the way cost him a whopping 21 seconds. Then he had to make a left at a green light, so if there had been oncoming traffic (or the light had been red), he very well could have lost all of the time he would have otherwise "gained."
Actually:
- 35mph takes 41 seconds
- 50mph takes 29 seconds
You only owe him 12 seconds.
I guess 12 seconds is enough time to punch him in the face.
Yes! Bigtime! I can't believe how many there are! We actually developed a slang term because there were so many of them.... "One Eyed J... GM's!
Speaking of "J" my son had an idea for the deluxe version of the now-defunct GMC Jimmy: call it the "James."
Yeah but remember it only gives momentary pleasure and it will get you talked about.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Personally I'm against shouting obscenities and flipping people off in the first place. It seems cliched and meaningless. But if a driver wants to shred his larynx or give himself carpal tunnel in his middle finger, that's his business.
What I feel is entirely inappropriate is when passengers decide to take matters into their own hands, like that girl you mention who set off your grandfather.
If my passenger angered another driver, who then began driving aggressively (using his/her car as a weapon or threatening device), I would have to deal with the resulting unsafe situation. And if this led to an accident, even if it was the other driver's fault, my provoking passenger would be in some serious hot water.
Plus it's ridiculous to hold other drivers to standards as high as some people do. There's a difference between a human mistake and blatant, clueless, reckless, inconsiderate idiocy. If anybody has never made a mistake on the road, they don't need bridges over bodies of water ... they can just walk.
Can't stand those darn reptiles that follow you too close!
I always assumed it was just hopeless, though. It's too hard to change the behavior of so many people, even when their behavior is making their problem worse. Apparently some have more hope
And I've had people on the road who have acted like I'm crazy for leaving half as much room in slow traffic as this guy...
But have you read the antics of pat84 (who just recently stopped by this forum)? Man, that guy has done some pretty brazen things without getting arrested.
Who is correct?
And do you know anything about New Mexico's 2-lane speed limits?
However this is the first time I have been passed like that.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My sister is a rural route carrier at a post office in Colorado. She used to have this farm where she would drive up to the house and the dog would run out and clamp down on her rear bumper. She could never get the dog off the car so she just slowly drove off dragging the dog until it let go. She loved showing people the bite marks on her rear bumper.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Exactly! You're stuck behind a line of traffic on a two-lane backroad on curves - and the twit behind you is tailgating! Of all drivers, by far, this is the worst driver on the road. The consequences can be deadly, like if a deer jumps out... Think "Accordion".
Thanks for taking the time to do this, because neither my wife or I have been through this area before!
Best be getting back to inconsiderate drivers! Hopefully, the roads will be so deserted we won't run into many on this trip.
I got to "break the law" this morning when I got stuck at a jammed stoplight in my fair city. The hamster must have fallen off his wheel.
That was QUITE A PHOTO. Black ice, falling snow, etc. sure cause much damage. Hope you were not in that mess.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
Actually, some DRLs are headlamps. Take my Vibe for instance. When it becomes night a few things happen from the automatic lamps feature:
- Parking lamps come on
- Dash lights switch to night
That's it. Nothing and I mean nothing happens with the headlamps. They run all the time.
The sequence in my auto-headlight equipped '05 Camry is as follows:
- Parking lamps (and taillights) come on
- Dash lights switch to night (brighter)
- Highbeam DRLs (with dimmed bulbs) switch off (inboard lamps)
- Lowbeam headlights switch on (outboard lamps)
- Dash indicator (green lightbulb pictogram) illuminates
Oh, and in my car, the dash lights dim, unless you use the override on the dash to order full daylight mode. My car is one of those EL setups where you can't see them unless the dash lights are on, and they have to be super bright during the day to overcome the glare. It actually looks quite nice.
Seat belts, airbags, and stronger and better protected fuel systems really work!
I got to see some of the locals ineptitude though...this morning saw a Subaru wagon with a little peephole wiped clean...nothing else. How can people drive like that? This wet heavy snow doesn't just blow off.
Oh well, diversity sure makes it fun for posting as to how people drive.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
Another driver, who stopped for a few moments right after the collision happened, derided me for my efforts by aptly noting, "You are not a traffic cop - you have no authority! You are just a liability out there!" Well, considering that I was letting the lights do their job and was just helping traffic flow by routing traffic around the debris, I am not sure what authority I needed in order to help. Many of the drivers "got it" and were going where they needed in order to keep traffic flowing correctly, but those that did not, or for those who needed to turn left at that intersection (that was the biggest problem spot), I think found my assistance useful. I just told him that if he did not have anything useful to say or do, then it would be best if he just moved along... which he did after swearing at me a little more.
There were state snow removal employees using that intersection on their way to a snow dump, so one of them stopped and gave me a couple flares. I have, so far, neglected to stock my new car with them.... but I probably should after this morning's reminder! Had I (or one of the other drivers)enough flares, it would have been unnecessary to stand out there waving my arms.
I stayed there for another 10 minutes after the troopers arrived (so, I was out there a total of about 30 minutes) because they asked me to keep assisting traffic. Then, they gave me some forms to fill out as a witness and sent me on my way. Good thing, too, because I was just about frozen. It was -10F this morning and there was also a 10-15mph breeze, so the wind chill was biting right through me.
What really surprised me, though, was that neither of the responding Troopers put out any additional flares - and I had only dispensed the two I had received from the DOT operator.
Any idea why the 4Runner ran the light? Didn't see it? Not paying attention? Arrogantly didn't feel like stopping?
Of all the nerve -- people never fail to amaze me! Kudos to you for assisting, esp. considering the frigid temps!
Now that I say that I'll get clobbered, lol. Will have hubby's dually in town tomorrow, usually people leave me alone.......woman + big truck = stay away from me!! Actually since I also drive a one ton its no major adjustment, just have to watch out for the big butt (not mine, the truck's!). :P
My compliments to you for stopping and helping. You put yourself in the zone of danger and most likely helped prevent further complications, i.e. more accidents.
I always found good people always trying to help at accidents. I (almost) always appreciated them. And I gave them more flares. Sorry about the troopers not giving you some.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
The 85-to-101 junction was even more jammed up than usual today, because of an accident between two pickup trucks, with obliterated front and rear ends, respectively. Somebody in a Prius decided it would ruin his day if he let me merge onto 101 in the stop-and-go zone, so I just hopped in behind him, and ironically -- as in most such cases -- within moments I was way ahead of him in another lane.
A little while later, some semi with a cargo-laden flatbed trailer gave flight to a veeeeeery loooooooong strip of clear kitchen-wrap-style plastic. The 20-to-30-foot-long strip hovered and pirouetted gracefully in the air as the truck sped away.
... and now here comes Mr. Prius from earlier, who somehow manages to snag the strip on his passenger-side mirror. This tenacious strip had no intention of letting go, and got dragged along by the mirror, whipping out behind the Prius like a party streamer.
It also reminded me vaguely of a bride's veil dragging behind a convertible with a "just married" sticker on the back.
Nothing like a small and harmless but embarrassing "punishment" doled out to inconsiderate merge-blockers
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
On the topic of Prius, the driver of that one from yesterday had already contacted the dealership to find a replacement. I took my Subaru in for some warranty items (again) today, and was discussing the crash with the courtesy van driver. He already knew it happened, but we talked about the whats, whys, etc.