Road Rage, revisited.

[aczlan]

I'm actually a pretty calm driver, but what really gets me absolutely fuming is the speed-checkers. The folks that get in the left lane and match speed with the right lane. Not folks that are simply driving a similar speed, but actually match speed and stay there. If their right lane counterparts exit or move, they blast ahead at ridiculous speed to the next right lane occupant, slow down and block the lane again.

I called somebody in to 911 for doing that last week, the way they were going someone was going to do something stupid.
They're really happy that I was able to give them a plate number and full description of the vehicle...

Dash cameras are installed in all our vehicles. Horns are used in parking lots to alert pedestrians not in traffic. Easier to be patient and keep car dint free then try and replace it with todays "supply shortage" and incredible mark-ups.

If anyone needs a dash camera, I highly recommend the Blue Sky Sea B1W: https://www.amazon.com/Blueskysea-B1W-Recorder-Rotatable-Recording/dp/B0773FXVKL
Fairly cheap, unobtrusive, good video (good enough to get a plate number in the daylight) has a capacitor instead of a battery so it holds up better in a hot car.
It does need a smartphone to program it, but I've had one in my car for several years now and one in the wife's car as well.
Just make sure to get a endurance SD card from a reputable manufacturer that is designed for constant writing with video.

You would be surprised by the number of complaints called in to 911 about other drivers on the road.
I have a multi band scanner in the kitchen and listen to it frequently.
99% of the complaints that are called in the caller has refused to sign a complaint.

The red button on our 2003 Suburban remote is very sensitive. So sensitive, that I hang it on a hook as soon as I come back in the house, because I've set it off multiple times just walking around the house. It also works pretty good to find your car in the lot.

I popped our remote apart and put a piece of tape underneath that button as it would always get bumped and set off the alarm.

However, I've taken to always parking next to a cart rack. That way, if I lose my car, I don't have to search the entire parking lot, only about 20 cart corrals and I should find it.

If it works, it works...

Case in point... the day of the incident I started the thread with, I was also armed. Yet at what point do you decide that you need it?
Believe me, that day runs through my mind endlessly, especially when I look in the mirror and see that dent. (Over the course of the last few weeks the sun caused one to partially heal, while the other popped back out.)

Yet what would have been a better scenario? I could have stoppec and taken a picture of how his truck was parked, while he runs up and...
This guy had just put two dents in my truck with his fists while I was moving at around 30 mph. Had I tried to defend myself I doubt that I would prevail. So, pull a gun over a dented truck? What about all of the traffic going past in both directions; or somebody's kid out playing 1/2 mile down the road? I was nearly atop a pretty good hill .

That's where you have a dash camera to get his license plate, call the incident in and you have his plate number to get his insurance company to pay you, you would probably need a front and rear dash camera to get a video of him actually hitting the truck in your case though.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

Michigan is on a round about kick lately. Don't care for them at all. Think it's a way to save on traffic lights and signage if you want to know the truth.

Yes! That’s exactly what it’s meant to do.
- No stoplights to maintain or fail. Better for the taxpayer.
- Also, much fewer head on and T-bone accidents, since most accidents are now at angles less than 90 degrees. Much safer for the motorist.
- Also, it’s proven traffic moves faster, less time stopping and going, better fuel efficiency. Better for everyone.

 

[/pine]

Yes! That’s exactly what it’s meant to do.
- No stoplights to maintain or fail. Better for the taxpayer.
- Also, much fewer head on and T-bone accidents, since most accidents are now at angles less than 90 degrees. Much safer for the motorist.
- Also, it’s proven traffic moves faster, less time stopping and going, better fuel efficiency. Better for everyone.

A big factor in this regard is how accustomed the majority of drivers are...heck...these days it's normal at 4-way stops
to have both men and women (mostly women) looking at other drivers for a signal wave that it is their turn...!

 

[dstig1]

They have been on a roundabout kick here the past few years, too. One of Moss's points I have heard but there is a corollary to it. Roundabouts reduce high speed impacts. The 90 deg T-bones that can end up with one or more dead from the 60 mph side impact. But they INCREASE the total number of accidents significantly. It is just that those accidents are much lower speed so fatalities and injuries are reduced greatly. I can see the logic there, but the risk of getting in a fender bender is much increased.

What I have noted is that while they can work well in many situations they work poorly when you have a main road with a high volume of traffic and a crossing side road with very little traffic. It can become near impossible to get into the roundabout from the side road as it can fill up for long periods of time with the high volume main road traffic. If this was a stop sign on the side road (not a 4-way) then there are naturally gaps in the main road traffic that occur from time to time where you can cross/turn in, but the nature of the roundabout causes all that high volume approaching traffic to slow down and bunch up coming into it. As a result, you get a solid stream of cars going slowly into the circle from the high volume road and there is no way to break into this from the side road as there are no gaps. There is one in particular that I frequent and see this at and it gets real bad in rush hour.

Ones that are really busy from all 4 directions almost seem like hold your breath and pray as you enter and if you do that successfully then you are generally OK. Lower volume intersections seem like a great fit for these, IMO.

 

[5030]

Interestingly, the two I go around regularly are off the Interstate and the side road is not heavily travelled and invariably there is a fender bender on at least one, every time I get off the freeway. I prefer traffic lights myself.

The other thing they are doing around here (that I like) is, they (road boards and local communities) are installing illuminated with red LED's around the edges, stop signs and speed limit in town signs with white LED borders that come on with proximity controls to remind motorists of the reduced speed limits in towns or it it a stop sign (mostly on cross roads crossing busy roads), which I think is a good idea actually. The old 'I didn't see the sign' excuse goes right out the window.

 

[coobie]

Interestingly, the two I go around regularly are off the Interstate and the side road is not heavily travelled and invariably there is a fender bender on at least one, every time I get off the freeway. I prefer traffic lights myself.

The other thing they are doing around here (that I like) is, they (road boards and local communities) are installing illuminated with red LED's around the edges, stop signs and speed limit in town signs with white LED borders that come on with proximity controls to remind motorists of the reduced speed limits in towns or it it a stop sign (mostly on cross roads crossing busy roads), which I think is a good idea actually. The old 'I didn't see the sign' excuse goes right out the window.

I assume you are speaking of the round about on at US23 and M-52 never seen accidents there.But its your story.

 

[Hay Dude]

I returned recently from a diving vacation in Aruba and all they have there is roundabouts. Once you get used to them they are a breeze. The traffic moves through them very well and you never feel like you have to stop or wait very long.
We have a couple roundabouts in our area. IMO, they are ideal.

 

[groundcover]

We have had a lot of roundabouts installed . There was a learning curve for a while ,the occasional driver would want to go down the road to the left and take a left ! After a few low speed head on entanglements they figured it out and they work quite well now.
Friend of mine has a wrecker and was talking to a woman about them . He said he wished they would install them at every intersection. He said they had them right in stock at the state DOT shed ! She thought they were terrible and why would he want that ? He said they were great for business!

 

[Oaktree]

I'm actually a pretty calm driver, but what really gets me absolutely fuming is the speed-checkers. The folks that get in the left lane and match speed with the right lane. Not folks that are simply driving a similar speed, but actually match speed and stay there. If their right lane counterparts exit or move, they blast ahead at ridiculous speed to the next right lane occupant, slow down and block the lane again.

If you think left lane hogs are bad here in New England, try taking a road trip down I-85 thru Virginia. They put Mass. drivers to shame. Didn't notice it anywhere near as much in other states.

 

[Oaktree]

We have had a lot of roundabouts installed . There was a learning curve for a while ,the occasional driver would want to go down the road to the left and take a left ! After a few low speed head on entanglements they figured it out and they work quite well now.

I can see how they might be a bit confusing the first few times you encounter one, but once you get used to them they move traffic along much better.