Driving habits of rural folk

[MossRoad]

If I'm not mistaken, an accident investigator can tell if your brake/turn lights were on when you got hit. Therefore you could very well be found at fault for playing games when you should be paying attention to your driving.

I think that probably depends on the year of the vehicle.

My wife got in an accident with our 93 chevy G20 conversion van. When we got it back from the body shop, the anti-lock brake warning light was on, and half the dashboard lights were hanging under the dash. The force of the impact knocked them out of their sockets, and the ABS system got damaged. The insurance company refused to fix the anti-lock brakes. They said the impact of the accident could not have caused it, and the guy actually said he thought I was trying to get them to pay for something that was broken before the accident. I assured him I was not. He said he'd been investigating accidents with this specific vehicle for years, he's an expert on the subject, and could pull the data logging computer from the van and prove that the ABS system was broken before hand and I'm not telling the truth. I told him to go ahead and do it. He came back saying it would cost something like $800 to do that and they weren't going to pay for it. So I came back and said tell you what, you pull it and analyze it. If it shows I'm lying, I'll pay for the diagnostics. If it doesn't, you'll fix the brakes. He told me I'd be sorry.

Called me back an hour later and said that year van doesn't have a data logging computer. Unfortunately, that's when I said something about him being a %^&$@#!!! expert, yeah buddy. Well, they never paid for the ABS. And as soon as the accident cleared off the insurance I dumped them. My agent asked why, and I told him it was for several reasons. 1, my agent never went to bat for me. 2. I don't like being called a liar by a liar. 3. KMA and another choice acronym.

I got another ABS module from the junkyard and repaired it myself for a couple hundred.

Anyhow, data logging doesn't exist on many older cars.

I don't know if they could tell from burnt filaments if your brake lights were on or not when you go hit. That would be an interesting subject to discuss.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have been down this road on here before. I do the speed limit or a bit higher usually. Tailgating is dangerous, disrespectful and just plain stupidity. And totally unnecessary. Serves no usefull purpose at all except to create chain reaction crashes and drive up insurance costs. I'm not slowing down and pulling over onto gravel constantly and then try and get back into traffic (as some suggested a long while ago here) because that is exactly what it would entail. Constantly, because almost everyone without exception just drives that stupid here! City or country. Even the 18 wheelers! No sense at all!

I was just thinking about this. I also think it just drives some people behind me mental, seeing that no one is in front of me (despite me lets say going 95 KM in a posted 80) and they want me to drive faster, which I won't on account of increasing the chances of getting a ticket substantially beyond that speed.

 

[dragoneggs]

Don't tap your brakes. Just keep driving and move over when you can. If they hit you, it's their fault, and tapping your brake lights is like gas on a fire to an already angry person.

I've been on the other side of the situation and I always back off. If that person feels I am tailgating, I try to respect that. Likewise, I have no problem if I or someone flashes their high beams to pass. Is that aggressive???

 

[dragoneggs]

We will never see eye to eye on this because- To many drivers do take that as aggressive behavior. Your incident yesterday is just one example.

You are probably right on seeing eye to eye and that's fine... but flashing one's brake lights or high beams to me is not aggressive... it is a way of communicating civily (at least in my mind). Too bad some immediately are immediately offended.

I found your words from earlier post to be interesting on how to handle something that becomes escalated. Why did you decide to take the 'woods road'? Was that on your path? The last thing I would do is go to an isolated place. Seems nothing good will come of that.

However I knew that I was coming up on a woods road that was plowed, and started gathering things together as I drove; my flashlight, compass, heavy coat, shotgun & shells, cell phone... My plan was to turn onto the woods road, and if he followed me I would try get ahead enough to jump out, grab my snowshoes from the back

Truly I am not trying to be an azz and pick a fight here. Just respectfully trying to understand where you are coming from?

 

[tallyho8]

I have had people honk at me to get going at a light and I calmly got out went back and said "what's up" as if thinking they wanted my attention.

Years ago I was stopped at a red light and got sidetracked tuning my radio and didn't notice the light turn green right away. I always look for oncoming traffic before going on the green but since I was about a second late in going I just started to take off. I hadn't moved 3 feet when I heard a loud horn honk and immediately realized I had not looked for oncoming traffic and thought I was going to get t-boned and jammed on my brakes.

Then I felt a slight crash as the guy behind me hit me. Only then did I realize he was the one honking at me for not moving immediately as the light turned green. My truck had no damage as my trailer hitch went through his grill doing hundreds of dollars of damage. When he asked me why I hit my brakes I explained that someone blew their horn just as I started to move and I thought I was going to get t-boned, then I said I wish I knew who the ahole was who blew that horn. He scratched his head, looked at the damage to his car, saw I had no damage to mine and asked if we could just drive off and forget about it. I agreed and he went on his way. Maybe he won't be so quick to blow his horn next time.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I heard a story a long time ago about someone driving in city traffic behind someone that would become preocupied at a red light and would only go, when someone behind them honked. So someone honked when the light was still red and the person drove into traffic!

 

[Sigarms]

HAND SIGNALS! I don't hesitate to use them, especially if I am towing and not sure if everything is working like after submerging the boat trailer, making a turn that might be unusual, driving a buddies beater pickup that I know is suspect, and in my tractor if I am crossing the road we live off of.

I would be pleasantly surprised if most people nowadays actually know how to do a right turn or slowing / stopping hand signal.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I have had people honk at me to get going at a light and I calmly got out went back and said "what's up" as if thinking they wanted my attention.

I did that once, got out calmly with a smile. He showed me his pistol.

 

[lman]

Years ago I was stopped at a red light and got sidetracked tuning my radio and didn't notice the light turn green right away. I always look for oncoming traffic before going on the green but since I was about a second late in going I just started to take off. I hadn't moved 3 feet when I heard a loud horn honk and immediately realized I had not looked for oncoming traffic and thought I was going to get t-boned and jammed on my brakes.

Then I felt a slight crash as the guy behind me hit me. Only then did I realize he was the one honking at me for not moving immediately as the light turned green. My truck had no damage as my trailer hitch went through his grill doing hundreds of dollars of damage. When he asked me why I hit my brakes I explained that someone blew their horn just as I started to move and I thought I was going to get t-boned, then I said I wish I knew who the ahole was who blew that horn. He scratched his head, looked at the damage to his car, saw I had no damage to mine and asked if we could just drive off and forget about it. I agreed and he went on his way. Maybe he won't be so quick to blow his horn next time.

Now there are even more people not paying attention at stoplights because they are playing with their cell phone.

 

[Jstpssng]

Another reason I like Indiana.... if you're in the left lane and someone comes up behind you, no matter how fast you are driving, you must move over as soon as safely possible and let them pass. Doesn't matter what speed you're driving. You could be going 20-30 over the speed limit, and you still have to move over.

The only exceptions are if you're going to be turning left shortly, or there's an obstruction in the right lane, or a vehicle pulled off the side of the road, stuff like that.

I think that most states are like that, but it's not necessarily followed some people feel that it's their job to enforce the speed limit and not allow anybody to exceed it. It's also against the law in most states to speed up when somebody's trying to pass you, but that would be a hard law to enforce.

My sister's ex BF killed another motorist and lost his legs playing that kind of games... he sped up when somebody tried to pass, when they met an oncoming car the other guy bumped him causing him to lose control, spinning into the oncoming car. The other truck involved ran and the police made no attempt to catch him... even after they were told who the driver was and where the truck was hidden.

I just can't see playing games behind the wheel... I know that I got pretty ignorant in my younger days so will do what ever it takes, up to and including pulling over before it gets to that point.