Dimwit on the road!!

[Jstpssng]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[Jstpssng]

I came across a law we have on the books bmaking it "Unlawful to read a newspaper or other printed material while operating a motor vehicle".

It's scary that some people can't figure that out on their own.

 

[PILOON]

O.K., I'll add another item to this discussion.

Bicycles!

Around here they seem to think they own the road.
Demand (and often get) special paths that use up road space.
Don't pay their share of road taxes but last winter the city let out a huge (million) contract for snow remouval of a down town bike path.
They rarely make stops,do all kinds of illegal turns and never get fines!

Gone are the days of liscence plates on bikes as authorities found enforcement too difficult, Same for collecting fines as fining a minor was impossible, or so it seems.

While back, driving a van, I heard a loud 'thump': it was a rider that used my van to bounce his way around a sharp turn.

Now they are lobbying for paths to commute as this is 'eko friendly'!

Recently the bike movement is puplishing articles as to winter riding and commuting. (we get 16" snows and winter is often 'below 0')

 

[orezok]

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.

Around here they set the signs to switch to "SLOW DOWN" when you exceed by 15. The kids (idiots) had contests to see who could record the highest numbers!

 

[LBrown59]

You really want to start a war don't you.... one of them starts with a P, and the other is with a D and ends with P/U. Now you want to see the state license plates I hate to see?

Sure.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

It all boils down to individuals and their skills and talents. Many people can drive quite well using a cell phone, others can't even stay in a lane if they are talking to another person in their car, let alone while holding a phone. Hands free doesn't make a difference, it's not holding the phone, it's the distraction of holding a conversation and driving. I drive a lot, I see it all also. Saw one tonight, a person cut across a divided highway right in front of two oncoming cars. Don't know how the cars missed the idiot. This particular road seems to have an accident every week because someone is too impatient to wait for traffic.
Where I live, we have a problem with truck drivers going to fast. In the last 10 yrs there has been over 10 trucks overturned within a mile of my house, all but one hauling powder cement from a local plant. The other was hauling coal and overturned in my neighbors driveway. Two of them died. The last one overturned in a 30 MPH zone, the driver died and his accident destroyed a house. They have wiped out the side of a bridge near me at least 2 times. One of these accidents just missed hitting my son's school bus.

 

[Bedlam]

Also mention how stressed people seem to be, and need to relax a bit more.Tough to do .but.Alot is not worth getting excited about. Ive adopted a new or relatively new method , When i get flipped off or whatnot by someone, WHY get upset yourself that is what they want. Usually I get flipped off for letting someone ahead of me etc. I just give a friendly wave and will holla hey there john how are you long time no see.

Its not getting excited about...really isn't.life goes on. and why stress yourself and shorten it?
I do love the people who blow by vrooooom and burn a few gallons of gas and the next light are just in front of me.

 

[Bird]

It all boils down to individuals and their skills and talents. Many people can drive quite well using a cell phone

Just as many individuals can drive quite well drunk.

 

[aczlan]

I do love the people who blow by vrooooom and burn a few gallons of gas and the next light are just in front of me.

Gotta love them, I like the people who pass me (in what coud be considered a unsafe or reckless fashion, only to realize that I was 3 cars back from a dump truck or someone which they don't end up being able to pass (hence my slow speed)... Makes me laugh most every time.

Aaron Z

 

[Gary Fowler]

Regardless of how bad I see folks driving in the states, I see much worse in every other country I have been in. In Peru, it was standard procedure for them to pass slow moving trucks in a blind curve and the road was a no shoulder road in the mountains and morning fog as thick and anything I ever saw in New Orleans. They just didnt seem to care. I must have seen a dozen overturned 18 wheeler that had not quite made it passing on a double yellow in a blind curve while ascending a mountain. Saudi drivers scared me the worst I believe, They would make 10 lanes out of 4 and everone honking and running 100 MPH. Here in Nigeria it is common practice to run the wrong way up a freeway because they might have to travel 1/2 mile in the opposite direction to get to a crossover and it looks to be standard turning ettiquette if you want to u-turn to the left, pull up to the right side of another car and turn in front of him. Amazingly most of the time, nothing happens. The nigerian drivers have a bad habit of driving as close as they can to pedestrians evidently the trick is to see how close you can get without actually hitting them as it shows how good a driver you are. Luckily I just have to ride a bus here and not drive myself around. Scares the beejesus out of me. I nearly got ran over today getting of the bus as a pickup came around the unloading bus and was so close to the bus that when I stepped out to look for traffic, I was nearly ran down. I have to say I did the old NYC routine of pounding on his hood and giving the driver a piece of my mind.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Gotta love them, I like the people who pass me (in what coud be considered a unsafe or reckless fashion, only to realize that I was 3 cars back from a dump truck or someone which they don't end up being able to pass (hence my slow speed)... Makes me laugh most every time.

Aaron Z

Some traffic clots you just have to pass in increments. Those participating in the clot just make it worse for those behind. Not to mention more dangerous for themselves, oncoming traffic, and other clot participants.
larry

 

[CrownHawg]

What's a traffic clot? Is it like a blood clot, only with traffic?

 

[SPYDERLK]

What's a traffic clot? Is it like a blood clot, only with traffic?

Yeah... to me anyway. A cluster clog.
larry

 

[aczlan]

Some traffic clots you just have to pass in increments. Those participating in the clot just make it worse for those behind. Not to mention more dangerous for themselves, oncoming traffic, and other clot participants.

Well, when you are 3-4 cars back in such a clot there is not much safe that you can do to go around it, the road is not straight enough to pass unless you have a very fast car and my car does not qualify as fast.

Aaron Z

 

[shane]

Regardless of how bad I see folks driving in the states, I see much worse in every other country I have been in. In Peru, it was standard procedure for them to pass slow moving trucks in a blind curve and the road was a no shoulder road in the mountains and morning fog as thick and anything I ever saw in New Orleans. They just didnt seem to care. I must have seen a dozen overturned 18 wheeler that had not quite made it passing on a double yellow in a blind curve while ascending a mountain. Saudi drivers scared me the worst I believe, They would make 10 lanes out of 4 and everone honking and running 100 MPH. Here in Nigeria it is common practice to run the wrong way up a freeway because they might have to travel 1/2 mile in the opposite direction to get to a crossover and it looks to be standard turning ettiquette if you want to u-turn to the left, pull up to the right side of another car and turn in front of him. Amazingly most of the time, nothing happens. The nigerian drivers have a bad habit of driving as close as they can to pedestrians evidently the trick is to see how close you can get without actually hitting them as it shows how good a driver you are. Luckily I just have to ride a bus here and not drive myself around. Scares the beejesus out of me. I nearly got ran over today getting of the bus as a pickup came around the unloading bus and was so close to the bus that when I stepped out to look for traffic, I was nearly ran down. I have to say I did the old NYC routine of pounding on his hood and giving the driver a piece of my mind.

Gary, I can attest to the other countries and their driving habits. Also, when I visited the Ukraine a couple of years ago it gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "get hit by a bus" the people often us when discussing the brevity of life.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Well, when you are 3-4 cars back in such a clot there is not much safe that you can do to go around it, the road is not straight enough to pass unless you have a very fast car and my car does not qualify as fast.

Aaron Z

Yeah. Clots grow when people overtake and then dont pass, and further, dont stay back enuf to leave space for the next overtaker to fit in between in a sequence pass. You are good to leave space. Odd that you would assign negative judgement to a passer for stopping in, rather than to the closely packed drivers behind the lead vehicle.
larry

 

[Jstpssng]

Yeah. Clots grow when people overtake and then dont pass, and further, dont stay back enuf to leave space for the next overtaker to fit in between in a sequence pass. You are good to leave space. Odd that you would assign negative judgement to a passer for stopping in, rather than to the closely packed drivers behind the lead vehicle.
larry

You sound like me, about 25 years ago; NOTHING should be in the way of my front bumper. Funny thing; there's nothing like burying a few friends to make one realise he's not invincible.

There are times when you simply have no business passing. The speed limit is not a goal; furthermore you are still required to obey it,even when you are overtaking other vehicles. Granted I only drive about 50000 miles a year but sometimes you just need to go with the flow of traffic. If you feel thbe need to always travel at maximum velocity then you are a hazard to yourself as well as everyone else within about 100 feet of the roadway.

 

[SPYDERLK]

You sound like me, about 25 years ago; NOTHING should be in the way of my front bumper. Funny thing; there's nothing like burying a few friends to make one realise he's not invincible.

There are times when you simply have no business passing.

That is not when you overtake someone on open thoroughfare and have an opportunity to pass. Clots are inherently much more dangerous than well spaced traffic because every anomaly affects the whole train and there are visibility problems to boot. The very fact that some are passing within the clot shows there is room to pass - all thats needed is to ease off and give a little space. Yet the attitude is just the opposite. Clot participants make danger by becoming locked into a tight formation and begrudge a few car lengths and label and belittle, and even act hazardously against, those who dont choose to participate. It is, in fact, a kind of tyranny exercised in the name of safety by favoring the more dangerous situation under the guise of caution... and attitude. Unfortunately this is condoned. Drvers who cant deal with traffic in an efficient manner are much more dangerous than minor infractions yet are are almost totally overlooked in enforcement. Ever notice highway merging?
larry

 

[Jstpssng]

As I said before you remind me of myself when I was younger (and had limited driving experience)
Just because there is room for you to pull in between 2 cars in a bunch, doesn't mean you have made a safe pass. What happens in the lead car brakes suddenly, as so often happens? I had a bike come out of nowhere and pass just as you suggest, only to have the lead car stop for a left hand turn. I slapped the brakes and downshifted 2 gears, then checked my mirror to find his buddy was about to check out against my bumper. (To this day I'm not sure if the smoke pouring out was from my tires or his) I backed off the brakes and pulled up in the ditch beside the bike in front; the road cleared and they were both gone, no doubt patting themselves on their backs about their driving prowess. Yet today with ABS, automatic transmissions and low torque engines; combined with slower reflexes that age brings; 1 or both of them would have sandwiched my pickup.

All too often your Safe Passes are reaaly the result of other, slower, safer motorists who practice defensive driving.

 

[SPYDERLK]

As I said before you remind me of myself when I was younger (and had limited driving experience)
Just because there is room for you to pull in between 2 cars in a bunch, doesn't mean you have made a safe pass. What happens in the lead car brakes suddenly, as so often happens? I had a bike come out of nowhere and pass just as you suggest, only to have the lead car stop for a left hand turn. I slapped the brakes and downshifted 2 gears, then checked my mirror to find his buddy was about to check out against my bumper. (To this day I'm not sure if the smoke pouring out was from my tires or his) I backed off the brakes and pulled up in the ditch beside the bike in front; the road cleared and they were both gone, no doubt patting themselves on their backs about their driving prowess. Yet today with ABS, automatic transmissions and low torque engines; combined with slower reflexes that age brings; 1 or both of them would have sandwiched my pickup.

All too often your Safe Passes are reaaly the result of other, slower, safer motorists who practice defensive driving.

Things happen.... All the time. Some are not benign. Does that justify imposing your brand of conservatism on others. Living is the sole cause of dying. Everything has some risk and is perceived differently by each. What you describe is an unlucky situation arising directly from a clot and an infraction by one of the "safe" drivers participating. If you had to brake that hard the turning driver didnt give proper notice and the reaction stackup of the tight clot made it a bad situation. A seven foot long motocycle is not going to affect the distance you have to stop to any appreciable extent - unless he just clamps them on and stops faster than you can. Im surprised the rider didnt chose to brake easy and get out of the potential squeeze by moving over - experienced motorcyclists are very atuned to this option when they encounter a need for a quick stop in traffic. Even tho going faster than you the MC stopped fine. His tires werent smoking but yours were and the bike behind was having trouble. Im not sure whether you over reacted or not, but the MC didnt cause this - the clot did. If he hadnt been there yould still have had a hard stop. Yet you are quick to cast blame based on what ifs for the people who try to move thru the clot. What about the person who started it by overtaking the leader and sitting on his bumper and not passing? No complications for him; clear lane ahead just check for oncoming traffic. Defensive? Afraid to pass? An under the radar traffic hazard? --Catalyst for problems with traffic flow yet free of all responsibility for such. Far too often the defensive driver causes problems, especially when they think they should impose their concept of safety on everyone.
larry