Guys like this are what gives diesel a bad name

[Diggin It]

Why do they need a Special Prosecutor and Grand Jury?

 

[Jstpssng]

I can't stand seeing these fools that delete the emissions equipment and re-tune their diesels so they'll blow black smoke when they step on the throttle. What's the point? Nothing says "immature idiot" to me more that that.

It's the same when a contractor pulls up with a decked out, top of the line truck with aftermarket rims, lifted, loud exhaust and chrome exhaust tips. It immediately makes me strike them from the bid list. It doesn't seem practical for a worktruck and you have to question their maturity and financial decisions.

I guess that I did stupid things when I was young, but never to intentionally be obnoxious.
Years ago I was on my way back from New York, Vermont, or one of those places that I worked in better times. It was about 9:00 at night, I'd been driving all day and was looking forward to getting home when I came up behind a slow moving car. The road was clear so I pulled out around him. All of a sudden I heard a chainsaw going... WTF?!?!?!? It's 9 at night and I'm miles from the nearest house.
Then I realized the driver of the rice burner beside me had stepped on the gas to keep me from getting by.
"Put 4 more cylinders in that car kid, and you might have a chance."

 

[blee03]

Let's use some common sense. The issue is it seems a lot of people don't like to use it.

Many times coming home or leaving during the day I get behind some big farm equipment on my rural 2 lane road. Guess what I do? Chalk it up to living in the country because another man has to work and I can't remember ever passing farm equipment taking up one full lane trying to pass it because I was stuck behind him because it seems like a jerk move on my end added it could be very dangerous with idiots driving like a bat out of haydes in the other direction.

For myself, there is a huge difference between a man riding a big butt piece of machinery on my road for farming work and two bicyclists who hog both the white line and yellow lane making it almost impossible for me to pass them. Honestly, even if I were still riding a bike, I would not want to be anywhere near the yellow line with some of the drivers around here LOL

I agree, no reason for speeding around farm equipment moving down the road. Take a few extra seconds and be sure you’re ok to pass.

That’s just common sense, unfortunately now-a-days not everyone has common sense so I like to drive as defensive as possible to avoid dangerous situations / accidents.

I’d have to say the same thing I’ve already stated previously in this thread. You are required to maintain control of your vehicle at all times, including when everybody else is being boneheads. If you can’t tell that it’s safe to pass...
Don’t pass. Pretty simple, huh?

Agreed
Unfortunately, this simple logic doesn’t set in with half of the bone heads on the road. Which is proven by the clown that passed Coby and almost wrecked the car coming in the on-coming lane.

If you could count on everyone maintaining control of their vehicle, that would be ideal, but that’s just not the case so defensive driving is necessary.

 

[blee03]

It wasn’t sudden.
It seems you might be suggesting is that I, on a tractor or bicycle or any other slow vehicle, should occupy the main lane all the time. Many tractor drivers here on TBN would agree, as you probably do assume some liability by driving on the shoulder and enticing cars to pass.
I’m pretty sure if a vehicle crosses a double yellow line into the oncoming lane and hits an oncoming vehicle THEY are the cause of the accident.
Every driver should universally know this or surrender their drivers license if they don’t.

Personally I would stay on the shoulder for as long as possible and leave the lanes for the cars. This is just my opinion, I definitely don’t run my tractor down paved roads. I had to one time but luckily the road had huge gravel shoulders so I didn’t effect the flow of traffic.

And I apologize for my previous reply, without being there during the time I really had no room to talk.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

On a totally different note, you mix 5-10mph traffic with 55-60mph traffic you’re begging for problems

I was in my 60s and rode closer to 17-18mph on average for fun and exercise, these guys were much younger and training for a competition. Somewhere I have a photo of a bike computer after a 62.5 mile ride showing 14.9 mph average over the entire distance.

Rolling coal: Excessive black smoke out of a diesel is a sign of a poorly tuned and over fueled engine. Nobody with a real working brain would desire to put that kind of pollution in to the air. Eventually you will have to breathe the effects. It's like taking a dump down your own well.

 

[civilian]

I was in my 60s and rode closer to 17-18mph on average for fun and exercise, these guys were much younger and training for a competition. Somewhere I have a photo of a bike computer after a 62.5 mile ride showing 14.9 mph average over the entire distance.

blee03 said:
On a totally different note, you mix 5-10mph traffic with 55-60mph traffic you’re begging for problems

In my way past, we were loaded touring across the country on our individual bikes. Four of us, me, my wife, our 15 year old daughter and our 12 year old son. Coming down the Rockie Mtns in Colorado heading towards Pueblo, I hit 56 mph on my bike computer. And yes I and the family took the full use of the our lane(single file) of a 2 lane road. We did not want a car to try and pass us and not judge our speed correctly.

As a family, we have many miles on the roads, from 2 lanes, up to and including limited access freeways where it was legal to ride because there were no other roads available. One was a freeway on the west coast when the wife and I were on a tandem going up hill slowly on the right shoulder and the shoulder was legal for slow trucks to climb the hills also. Needless to say we were not happy when we saw in our mirrors 2 trucks coming up behind us, one on the shoulder behind us, one in the right hand lane and traffic in the left lane. Plus a guard rail preventing us from leaving the shoulder. Fortunately the truck on the shoulder was able to move over in time.

So yes we need to respect bikers and cars sharing the road together. As a car driver, put yourself on the spot of the road edge, (white line is at edge of pavement with a 3" drop off to loose gravel) where the bike should be and then have someone pass you slowly in a car, less the 3ft away from you. Know have that be a RV or a semi. Have them not cross the center line. How do you feel. I saw a demonstration of this on the web somewhere that did it with bus drivers in a controlled situation. The drivers learned what it felt like to the "biker". Hence in Michigan vehicle drivers must give bike riders 3ft clearance to pass them. Jon

 

[the old grind]

IMO bikers deserve no more or less courtesy than a homeless addict scavenging beverage containers along the ditch for the depo$it. We're all God's children, good or bad, right or wrong, ****** or Kennedy. I ride my bike to the mailbox (~200yd) but park on my side of the road and walk across for the sake of drivers that in spite of a wave and eye contact will change lanes for my sake. (Caveat: Imagining being the other guy may lead to compassion and civilty)

It takes two to tango but only one to make a mess of things. Watching impatient bumholes endanger others on the road makes me want to pray for the families who have to live with the likely bullies.

 

[Jstpssng]

I believe that most states mandate a minimum of 3 feet when passing a bicycle or pedestrian. At 55 mph that isn’t much; I try to occupy at least 1/2 of the other lane while passing. Yet it gets frustrating to pass the same cyclist 3 times while in town, because they don’t have to obey red lights.

 

[civilian]

I believe that most states mandate a minimum of 3 feet when passing a bicycle or pedestrian. At 55 mph that isn’t much; I try to occupy at least 1/2 of the other lane while passing. Yet it gets frustrating to pass the same cyclist 3 times while in town, because they don’t have to obey red lights.

As stated before, bicycles are required to follow the same rules as cars, etc. But unfortunately there are some that don't. Jon