Dimwit on the road!!

[Bird]

If you have more dimwits on the road in your area than we have on I-35E north of Dallas, then you certainly have my sympathy. On second thought, that probably isn't possible.

 

[PILOON]

On my road we have 2 areas, hilly, well trees blind S turns.
Both times I was at or about the legal speed limits and idiot drivers passed me blind going uphill and blew the stops as well.
Again just as they blew by headlights suddenly came up from opposite direction making for very narrow misses.

This well treed country road also has a couple of 4 way stops that traffic NEVER respect.
Everybody is just in such a hurry it seems.

Always seems to be BMW's SUV's or Honda Civics.

Other day the city had a radar speed sign board up and running on main street.
I was pleased to see my speed well within limits when suddenly the posted speed jumped to 120 as a BMW blew by me.

Problem is that if a speed trap had been there, I would probably have recieved his ticket as he'd be well gone.
Happened once like that to me.

 

[Jstpssng]

The state of Maine would like to disagree with you: http://www.state.me.us/mdot/safetyo...s/Maine Transportation Safety Laws August.pdf

As would the US DOT: FHWA - MUTCD - Pavement Markings Tutorial

If passing farm equipment (and I know the road) I have been known to pass on a double yellow, but otherwise, generally if there is a double yellow line there isn't a good enough sight line to safely pass.

If driving or towing farm equipment down the road I have been known to wave people past if it is clear (even on a double yellow) as a courtesy.

Aaron Z

Point taken. As the link states, this is a relatively recent law. (2008)

We also have a new "distracted driving" law going into affect on Saturday. It doesn't prohibit use of cell phones or other hand held devices, but offers pretty hefty fines if they effect your driving. I doubt it will be enforcable, but the intent is good.

so if you drive in our state, you CAN be summonsed for checking out that Blonde who's walking down the road.


Now I just need to get MDOT to change the dotted line to a solid one, where my town road enters the state highway. (It's still illegal to pass on a road intersection)

 

[milkman]

Try driving a semi sometime!

Exactly what I was referring to. Wish law enforcement would do ride alongs with a radio to catch and ticket some of the idiots, they could shut down the speed traps and still make more money.

 

[Bird]

Other day the city had a radar speed sign board up and running on main street.
I was pleased to see my speed well within limits when suddenly the posted speed jumped to 120 as a BMW blew by me.

I like those things and we see them quite often. In fact, I saw one today in a residential area with a 35 mph speed limit and it showed I was doing 32.

 

[Egon]

I doubt it will be enforceable,

It's the law here in Nova Scotia and is being enforced.

Don't affect me as I don't own a cell phone.

 

[Bird]

We also have a new "distracted driving" law going into affect on Saturday. It doesn't prohibit use of cell phones or other hand held devices, but offers pretty hefty fines if they effect your driving. I doubt it will be enforcable, but the intent is good.

One of our new state laws this years prohibits the use of cell phones in school zones unless they're a hands free system. Several cities has already passed city ordinances to that effect, but now it's statewide.

 

[Jstpssng]

One of our new state laws this years prohibits the use of cell phones in school zones unless they're a hands free system. Several cities has already passed city ordinances to that effect, but now it's statewide.

Our law doesn't ban anything; nor is it limited to cell phones.
It merely imposes fines on any activity which impairs your driving. In other words, it is up to the discretion of the officer, which is why I suspect it will fail.

Cell phones are invaluable tools; I would be lost without one and generally find a safe place to pull over to use mine. Yet it is unbelievable how many people still will give loud horn blasts and 1 finger waves as they go by me. Obviously they are a social as well as a safety issue.

 

[Bird]

Cell phones are invaluable tools; I would be lost without one and generally find a safe place to pull over to use mine. Yet it is unbelievable how many people still will give loud horn blasts and 1 finger waves as they go by me. Obviously they are a social as well as a safety issue.

Yes, they are invaluable tools. But there's been a number of news articles saying that using one while driving is as least as dangerous, if not more dangerous than driving drunk. And from what I've observed, I believe it. I see cars all the time that would appear to be driven by a drunk, slowing down and speeding up for not visible reason, weaving in and out of their lane, off onto the shoulder, etc. and in well over 90% of the time, it's a driver holding a cell phone to his/her ear with one hand. Some claim even the hands free cell phones are just as dangerous, but I have some doubts about that.

We have a county run bus service here and I was recently driving along in the middle lane of the 3 lane (each way) Interstate at just about the speed limit and one of the busses was going along in the inside (left) lane about 5 mph slower than the speed limit and just as I got even with the busses back bumper, she turned right into my lane without signalling and I had to hit the brakes hard enough to activate the anti-lock feature to avoid being hit, and thought sure the guy behind me was going to rear end us. Less than a mile farther down the road, she half way changed lanes again to the right, ran another vehicle off onto the shoulder of the road, then swerved all the way back to inside lane. Yep, female driver talking on her cell phone. I did call the bus company and report that one; don't know whether it made any difference or not. And at least she didn't have any passengers in the little bus.

 

[smfcpacfp]

... Call it profiling, but you get to expect it from people driving certain vehicles, idiocy is rampant.

Ok, I have to know, what vehicles?