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Comments
Actual event is between 1:55 and 3:10; I included the length I did to provide context.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nffVr01J2GU
Below is the text I wrote up in another thread yesterday after the event....
I also had a road rager go off on me this morning. That was fun. Driving in the mid-dawn, no lights, tailgating. He decided that me driving in the left lane on a busy street-level artery at five over the limit was not okay. He swings around me on the right, cuts off car behind and me as well, then swings back to the right lane at the light ahead because there were fewer cars there. Somehow stalls his old Tahoe (late 90s vintage), so the light turns green and everyone goes... guy just sits there. Then, he gets it started, flys along the road again cutting off cars as he weaves back up to my tail, then swings around me in the left turn lane as I am slowing at the next red light, slams on his brakes, skids about 50% in to the intersection only partly back in the left lane (just ahead of me), gets out of his car yelling profanities.... I just smiled and shook my head in pity. Guy is literally having a full-on tantrum.
He finally gets back in his vehicle before the light turns green and peels away. Sadly, he didn't crash and kill himself (or, thankfully, anyone else) that I saw, but he was going insanely fast at that point and was gone in no time. Happily, my daughter was reading in the back and didn't notice any of this going on (Yay for Q7 having excellent sound insulation!).
I'm having a great day though, so I decided to extend a little grace to this doofus and not call him in. Probably should have, but so it goes. I might have his little rant on dash cam though. LOL.
It's a specific VC in CA, and that makes it illegal. I'm not talking about left turns, because outside of LA in CA, you don't have unprotected left turns for the most part. I'm talking about protected left turns, such as onto a freeway on-ramp. You can see the onramp is backed up, yet they make the turn anyway, blocking 2 or even 3 lanes of straight-through traffic!!!!!
I'd of called them in, LOL. That probably made their tantrum 100X worse.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
There was CLEARLY nothing to brake for, and that equals a brake check, regardless of the pressure on the brake.
Maybe the angle of the camera makes the distance seem larger than it is to the stopped traffic ahead, but the release of the brake after 1 second indicates that's not a legitimate excuse for the brake check.
If he was "slowing down for the intersectiion" he'd be applying a constant unlifted pressure. Also, the van appears to have been going slow, so "slowing down" doesn't appear necessary at that distance. I think the fact they IMMEDIATELY lifted off the brake as they were getting passed PROVES BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
What's possible, but not proven is:
1. They wanted to speed up to prevent a pass (by racing the truck).
At any rate, the manchild chose his own actions that morning. Had he not gone apeshit and tried to turn the morning commute into a slalom event, the mundane-ness of other drivers would have never played into the traffic considerations at all. Whatever triggered him were machinations of his own mind; they had nothing at all to do with reality.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
While we don't know exactly what the driver was thinking, at best, these brakes were applied due to a lack of any thinking whatsoever.
Still, one would expect more brake tapping in snow than in the weather conditions actively and currently shown in the video. For me, brake tapping is a sign of ineptitude.
I guess I deserved it because I was the one driving the Audi? LOL
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Objects don't just appear out of "nowhere."
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
In other news, there might be an opening for a Garbage truck driver next week.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Silverstars are terrible in terms of longevity. I used them for a while in my old Escort, and they were very much better than the "OEM" dim yellow bulbs, but they tended to burn out every three months or so. I ended up putting in new light housings and Wagner TruView bulbs, and this was a far superior solution. Better lighting, much better longevity.
This is especially popular here with Jeep owners. Many of whom have the required 3 foot long LED light bar on top of the cab in case they want to really blind everyone.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The third violation is that they were in a Prius, as I mentioned.
The fourth violation, their rear license plate frame said "Powered by Tesla!"
That's reckless driving! 4 simultaneous violations (ask any Highway Patrol Officer to define reckless driving; usually it only takes 3 consecutive violations).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Since I did everything right (back into open space from right-of way) I had the right of way, being in the roadway of the parking lot, so that makes him 100% at fault. Since I wasn't yet backing up, and he was, that makes him 200% at fault.
Funny thing is, if I'd of gone into the space going forward, I'd of shaved several seconds off my A to B trip, and that would have reduced my time exposure to bad drivers, and in this case, reduced my collision total by 1 last Friday. And some of the people on Edmunds scoff at my "time exposure" theories. Scoff in idiocy I say. However, by doing things "right" I may get into more collisions (very likely and pretty certainly), but I will be at-fault in less of them!
'15 Audi A4 with rear sensors, back bumper cracked/gouged at the seam that joins the lower trim diffuser plastic piece. Means new bumper, and new diffuser/trim piece, means $2,300. While he wanted to "keep insurance out of it" he had no clue that minor damage adds up fast in CA. I think he had $500 in his mind (or less). As such, he said go ahead and make the claim.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Some people should not be allowed out to drive.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Chalk another collision up to me going too slow (0 MPH in this case). I wonder when those physics of "speed killing" will come into play? It seems all the collisions happen when you are going slow to me. And the data tells us it doesn't seem that way, it is that way.
A 100 MPH fastball is simply harder to hit than a 50 MPH fastball, whether it be a baseball, or a moving car.
as for the fastball, which would you rather get hit by, a 50 MPH baseball or a 100 MPH baseball. Here is a hint the 100 MPH ball will hit you with 4 times the force of the 50 MPH ball.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
No one is denying that plane crashes can be catastrophic, it's just that on a per mile basis, they maintain superior safety records to vehicles, despite air speeds over 500 MPH.
Take any bone headed equation offered up from the "speed kills" crowd, and insert 500 MPH and the idiocy becomes apparent. I've seen some reports state that every extra 5 MPH results in X% more chance of a fatality. Does that mean that every air passenger is already dead?
Your comparison would work if you had a half dozen mechanics going over your car daily and any one of them can prevent your car from leaving the garage. And it takes 1,500 hours of training to get your license that costs $10k and after getting that license you spend at least 2 years as a copilot before having control over your car. And you are totally controlled in speed and direction by highly trained professionals who know where every other. car is at and what they are doing at all times and if you dont follow their instructions you can no longer drive. And you have at least a half mile between cars.
If our roads had the same safety measures as aviation most of the cars out there would be scrapped, most drivers would lose their license and the roads would appear almost empty even when filled to capacity.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Your argument about aviation would hold more water if people were discussing 550 MPH speed limits for the roadway. That's not what anyone is proposing for ground speeds. Even on the limitless Autobahn (60% according to modern day sources I found), 99.99% of all cars keep it under 200 MPH.
Also, I think you could stipulate that a driver with 1,500 hours experience of "on the job training" without killing themselves, has achieved what the "training" as a copilot or simulator would simulate.
Also, not every Country has equipment and regulatory standards as rigid as the USA for flying. Some of those Countries might not be allowed to land in the USA though.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Now shortly after this we come to a railroad crossing and I slow way down. Evidently this joker didn't like that and since there was no oncoming traffic he moved into the oncoming lane gunned it and flew pass me.
Now two things I must say, first is that it is illegal to pass at a railroad crossing and secondly when someone slows down for a railroad crossing there usually is a very good reason. This particular crossing needs some major work done on it to bring it up to be a rough crossing. You should have seen that car bounce when it hit those tracks, the guy almost lost control.
And yes there was a sign declaring it a rough crossing.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
It is merely a demonstration that speed does not equal death and destruction.
The concept is simple. The sudden deceleration is what kills you.
I'm in the passing lane because I was about to pass another slower vehicle. The truck in the right lane far behind this vehicle decides to get over early and right behind me (tailgating with his lane change). He happened to start his lane change just as my radar detector went off, so I had quickly pressed the brakes to knock off 10 MPH.
This is my instant reaction, and no one was supposed to be behind me, but he was about 50% complete with his unsafe lane change, and being right behind me (tailgating), he overreacted and nearly lost control of his truck (which he was going too fast for conditions being in a big pickup vs. my TTS being safe at higher than legal speeds.)
He might have thought I was brake checking him, but I was just reacting to Ka band radar (the bad kind that CHP uses). LOL! So I let him pass me and he looked at my like "WTF" as he passed me. I just pointed to my radar detector.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
One other condition that determines safety is congestion. The more vehicles in an area the less safe it is to drive in those areas. Airplanes create a much safer environment by keeping them apart by vast distances, this mitigates the other factors that can make the activity more dangerous. Because of this your argument that speed is not a factor in safety is false.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
There are many and varied reasons why higher speeds are safer than slower speed roadways, because people generally drive faster where it is safe to do so. Where is it safe to go fast?
Mainly, Freeways/Interstates.
Why? I'll give a few of the many reasons:
- Divided by a median barrier wall so no head on collisions.
- Everyone going the same direction at similar relative speeds.
- Limited access for cross traffic and any other traffic to gain access from the sides or anywhere else to invade your path of travel. This is not just for cars, but all other objects, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, kids, toys, and whatever else.
- Ideally, observed lane discipline to both minimize speed differentials and keep orderly progress instead of mayhem and chaos.
Going down a residential street with a 35 MPH 85th percentile speed at 100 MPH is a recipe for disaster.If any of these conditions is lacking it does warrant a lesser speed than you'd other wise travel.
After a time, I approached a pot hole that was around 6' round. I straddled it with my van, and moved only very casually to do so, and the driver behind me was completely unaware of it approaching. BOOM! That guy went into the hole at 60 mph, dust went everywhere, and he quickly pulled to the side of the road. Tailgating problem solved!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvVEOXZvZYE