Road Rage, revisited.

[Fragger]

Ambulance broad sided me... driver forgot lights and siren and plowed through intersection...

Another time during road construction 3 Lanes into one with no shoulder as it was excavated...

Poor driver in front of me had No Where to go as traffic blocked up ahead by loader.

The Ambulance was relentless yelling and screaming with siren and horn so driver went right and plunged into the 3 foot deep abyss and almost rolled.

Just be careful...

That there takes the cake how do you forget the lights/siren going to an emergency, HELLO??
Thats one of the reasons i loved emergency response, blow the horn lights and siren, duh!!

 

[Fragger]

That there takes the cake how do you forget the lights/siren going to an emergency, HELLO??
Thats one of the reasons i loved emergency response, blow the horn lights and siren, duh!!

Mostly it was a moral issue for me.

 

[Fragger]

One of my stupid guilty pleasures is watching car crash compilations on YouTube. A common scenario is merging conflicts, where two drivers are hellbent on not letting the other driver get in front, and they eventually run into each other. I find it ironic that they both would have gotten home earlier if one of them had yielded.

Here in Texas if you ask to be let in to traffic i will let you in,but if you try to force you way in then it's game on!! my wife hates that about me and i do too.
Turn the other cheek

 

[California]

The biggest advocates of this philosophy that I've dealt with were South Koreans, lol; they've got one big highway running up through the country, and the large trucks rule the road. Driving there certainly took some time to adapt to; thankfully, what I drove was always fairly large, but I had to learn to be aggressive.

One thing I observed visiting India was their use of the horn is completely different. I think it is a residual of the Brits who ruled there and knew there were no consequences for running over a local.

When a truck or but blasts their horn, it means move out of my way or die. Same as a railroad train here in the US.

Everyone moves!

 

[California]

As for zipper merge - CHP or somebody, maybe the radio traffic reporters, have brought an awareness that the highway can move more volume if the lane that will end is filled with cars that don't attempt to merge before the end, and then 'zip' smoothly and while moving, where the striped line ends. I first saw this work smoothly in Los Angeles and then more recently in Northern California, where traffic isn't as famously hectic as LA but there are a lot of construction projects causing merges. Acceptance and doing this well seems to be a new cultural norm.

 

[ponytug]

One thing I observed visiting India was their use of the horn is completely different. I think it is a residual of the Brits who ruled there and knew there were no consequences for running over a local.

When a truck or but blasts their horn, it means move out of my way or die. Same as a railroad train here in the US.

Everyone moves!

Except when it is another bus or truck...most of the time one of the drivers chickens out. "Most" being the operative word. We used to debate whether it was better to be in the front of the bus or the back of the bus or the roof; depending on the accident, one was a most favored location.

UK laws heavily penlize crimes against property, and much less so crimes against persons compared to the US. It is an interesting commentary on societal priorities.

All the best,

Peter

 

[California]

... We used to debate whether it was better to be in the front of the bus or the back of the bus or the roof; depending on the accident

I don't think you want the roof. In a one-day trip down to the Taj Mahal from New Delhi on the old 'expressway' with no-signal intersections, we came upon a bus upside down in the ditch and people wandering aimlessly. Must have just happened. And coming back, a dead motorcyclist. He wasn't quick enough crossing at one of those no-signal intersections. Our heavy traffic detoured there to run 60mph against oncoming heavy traffic on the wrong side of the center divider.

More recently I read that a proper freeway has superseded that principal expressway. Much safer. But a different problem appeared. Running at high speed on neglected tires was causing many blowouts and crashed cars.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I don't think you want the roof. In a one-day trip down to the Taj Mahal from New Delhi on the old 'expressway' with no-signal intersections, we came upon a bus upside down in the ditch and people wandering aimlessly. Must have just happened. And coming back, a dead motorcyclist. He wasn't quick enough crossing at one of those no-signal intersections. Our heavy traffic detoured there to run 60mph against oncoming heavy traffic on the wrong side of the center divider.

More recently I read that a proper freeway has superseded that principal expressway. Much safer. But a different problem appeared. Running at high speed on neglected tires was causing many blowouts and crashed cars.

They need more rotaries (traffic circles) over there. From the number popping up here in the US, the transportation engineers think they are going to solve all our traffic problems!

 

[JJT]

One thing I observed visiting India was their use of the horn is completely different. I think it is a residual of the Brits who ruled there and knew there were no consequences for running over a local.

When a truck or but blasts their horn, it means move out of my way or die. Same as a railroad train here in the US.

Everyone moves!

The rule of the road in India and most third world countries - "Might makes right", if the other vehicle is bigger than you, they have the right of way.... Many drivers seem to be suicidal.