Car Drivers

So I saw a car wreck this morning on the way to work. The thing is I anticipated it happening and sure enough it happened.

A car was trying to turn left across two lanes of stopped traffic. Naturally, this creates a blind spot in that the on coming traffic cannot see the car trying to nudge out and the car trying to nudge out cannot see the cars in on coming traffic. Sure enough the car pulled out right into on coming traffic (which was speeding by the way). T-boned and took out two other cars. Fortunately, my car was just missed.

I guess my rant is that anyone who is paying attention on the road would have seen this potential accident. Maybe it is because I ride motorcycles I tend to be a bit more aware of my surroundings. Aggressive car drivers and people not paying attention is just a huge pet peeve of mine. Chicago car drivers are notoriously aggressive and impatient. I see them constantly weaving in and out of traffic, busting u-turn, running red lights, speeding, etc. I've driven in just about every major city in the US and I've never see more aggressive driver's anywhere.

The bad thing is that I was almost gleeful that the accident happened. Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, part of me was thinking serves both driver's right that were involved.

First, why do people insist on trying to make left turns across two or three lanes of stopped traffic? I don't care if it might technically be legal, any idiot with two brain cells can see that you are just asking for trouble. Is it too hard to just maybe make the easy right hand turn and then find a spot you can turn around to go the way you really wanted to go instead of creating a potentially dangerous situation?

Second, how is it people can just be so oblivious to their surroundings that they can't see that there is the potential for some idiot to try to nudge out into on coming traffic? The biggest fear of every motorcyclist is a car nudging out in front of them making a left turn. Anytime I am going down the street and there is a line of stopped traffic in the opposite direction, I immediate get in the furthest right lane so that if a car does happen to nudge out it isn't going to send me over the handlebars. Also I take care to slow down so that I have time to brake and avoid the situation if it does occur.

I can go on and on about how I see car drivers just not paying attention and doing dumbsh*t. Most of it stems from being impatient. I know we all have places to go, but good god, please slow down and stop being so impulsive.

Agreed

a reply to: Edumakated
I agree. Now, what does this have to do with car drivers?
ETA: Aha! A thread appears! Other drivers make me wary. I've lost count how many times I've almost been killed by some idiot that shouldn't be behind the wheel.

Just so you know, I wasn't trying to be an ass. I was joking. Sometimes humor doesn't show through text.

a reply to: Edumakated

Freaking car drivers... I hate that

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Edumakated

Freaking car drivers... I hate that

Car drivers are the worst. The worst I tell you. I don't remember yelling at a pedestrian on the way to work but I've said a few things about car drivers before.

I prefer Motor Trend.

LOL. Don't know why it posted without my text.

I got back from the grocery store less than 5 minutes ago. It's 2 miles there and 2 back. It's raining. Two people attempted to merge into my car, both had no lights on, lucky I saw the idiots. A third guy, while I was stopped at a redlight, barreled up on me at 55 miles an hour and merged into the other lane about....6 inches from my bumper. It was so bad I had braced for the impact.

a reply to: Excallibacca
That sounds familiar. Have you had one hydroplane and come spinning toward you at high speed. That's fun!

a reply to: Excallibacca

Yeah, I've had that happen. I can' t tell you how many idiots I see around here driving white or silver cars with no lights on in the middle of a snow storm. You can barely see their cars. Despite every car flashing them, they are so caught up in texting while driving they don't even notice.

When this wreck happened, I am literally watching it in slow motion. I'm thinking to myself that I hope this dumbass doesn't try to pull out into traffic. Sure enough he just barrels across two lanes of traffic to make the left. The on coming car was going way to fast for this area and sure enough they collided.

They are working on driverless cars here in San Diego.

Wonder who were gonna cuss then.

"Those stupid programmers, that was close".

Kind of looking forward to it.

a reply to: Edumakated

I live in a community with a LOT of seniors. I often times will have to beep, let others completely cut me off since they didn't see me, or in worst cases take drastic action to prevent from getting into an accident.

I feel like such a dick sometimes when it's some poor elderly guy or lady, but it really is a safety thing.

Go to Boston and you're guaranteed to get pissed off every 30 seconds - not only is it difficult to find your way around the city, people drive terribly and then will beep/curse/yell at you as if it was your fault.

Waiting on those self-driving cars... waiting

It IS dangerous out there, but the fact is, if you look at accident statistics, drivers in the US, Canada, Britain, and Germany (Indeed, most western countries) are among the safest in the world. If you REALLY want to complain how people drive, observe the Egyptian freeway around Cairo sometime. Or try driving in Turkey or Greece.

If you drive there, you're gonna die.

It makes you appreciate American (or British) drivers a little more once you've observed how they "drive" some other places.

And also for the record, seniors, who young people like to complain about, have a whole lot better driving records than teens or those in their early twenties. That's why their insurance rates are so high, and mine, at age 67, are so low.

a reply to: schuyler

China is a free for all as well.

a reply to: FamCore

yeah, driving in boston can be a challenge especially when you don't know where you are going. I had to go to Cambridge and then drive from their to New Hampshire. When I was leaving Cambridge, I got caught on a round about or something somewhere and I swear to God it took me like 45 minutes to a hour to just even get off the damn thing. Poor signage. No one would let me over. This was before we had nav systems in cars. This was when the Big Dig was going on. It was a nightmare. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated sitting in traffic as I was at that time.

originally posted by: schuyler
It IS dangerous out there, but the fact is, if you look at accident statistics, drivers in the US, Canada, Britain, and Germany (Indeed, most western countries) are among the safest in the world. If you REALLY want to complain how people drive, observe the Egyptian freeway around Cairo sometime. Or try driving in Turkey or Greece.

If you drive there, you're gonna die.

It makes you appreciate American (or British) drivers a little more once you've observed how they "drive" some other places.

And also for the record, seniors, who young people like to complain about, have a whole lot better driving records than teens or those in their early twenties. That's why their insurance rates are so high, and mine, at age 67, are so low.

Part of the problem in Chicago is we have a lot of Eastern European and Middle East immigrants. They drive a lot of the cabs. They drive here like they drive in their home countries where there are no rules of the road.

a reply to: Edumakated

I've been there too - my mom's ex-husband had a place in Cambridge I would stay at sometimes, right next to Harvard Square.

It's the damn triangles, I swear - if you get stuck on one of them and you're going by your GPS, you're F'd!!! lol

I cannot imagine being there during construction though.

There's a great joke about the "Irish" designing the layout of Boston streets and that being why they're all over the place with not much of a system, hah

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: Excallibacca
That sounds familiar. Have you had one hydroplane and come spinning toward you at high speed. That's fun!

No but one day a buddy and I were leaving work (we had carpooled) in his Camaro, we turned left out of the parking lot and proceeded up the hill on the bypass towards home. Top of the hill there was an on ramp. We are in the left lane of two lanes. It's also raining. Fool comes up the ramp, merges all the way into our lane, forcing the Camaro into the grass divide. My buddy almost loses it, but the kid could drive, and we get traction and race right up next to the poor guy. I roll the window down, despite the rain and start waving my hands at him. Guy wouldn't even glance sideways at me, he knew he screwed up and he knew I was mad. Well, him not at least waving an apology ticked me off, adrenaline rushing through me like it was. I took a completely full Mt. Dew 20 ounce and threw it at his window. I don't feel bad about it.

originally posted by: Edumakated
a reply to: Excallibacca

Yeah, I've had that happen. I can' t tell you how many idiots I see around here driving white or silver cars with no lights on in the middle of a snow storm. You can barely see their cars. Despite every car flashing them, they are so caught up in texting while driving they don't even notice.

When this wreck happened, I am literally watching it in slow motion. I'm thinking to myself that I hope this dumbass doesn't try to pull out into traffic. Sure enough he just barrels across two lanes of traffic to make the left. The on coming car was going way to fast for this area and sure enough they collided.

Yesterday, while sitting at work, I hear brakes squeal and a crash. I'm done for the day, really just up here to answer phones, I could have left already and let the answering machine handle it but chose to stay around. I lock up, run out to the road and the girl is just screaming into her phone. When she finally gets off the phone, I ask her if she is okay, someone else has stopped and is talking to the other driver, so I'm talking to this one. She's fine, I ask her if the police are on their way (I mean, I figured that's who she was on the phone with.) Nope, she called a friend to come get her, NOT THE POLICE!!!! Who does that?

Anyways, from what I could gather, she was turning left in an intersection, had shoved her car all the way out there, the light turned red and she had to go to clear the intersection. That, to me, is technically running a red light. The other guy ran the light and hit her. I feel more bad for the cops trying to figure out which of the two light runners to fault in their report than I do for the drivers. LOL

I have been in three collisions, where it was 100% the other driver at fault.

I have only been driving for 5 years, 6 in July.

Once in a gas station parking lot, once I was basically one of the people hit in your story, and once some genius in a newer model Hyundai tried to cut across a double lane in front of me.

I absolutely crushed him going between 35-40 straight broadside. Bent his rear tire 90 degrees straight in, deployed all airbags.

Total loss

My baby didn't even flinch, no airbags, engine still running, I barely felt the impact. A few cosmetic fixes is all she needed. Hood, bumber, grill, lights.

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor baby, don't play chicken with me

originally posted by: Excallibacca

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: Excallibacca
That sounds familiar. Have you had one hydroplane and come spinning toward you at high speed. That's fun!

No but one day a buddy and I were leaving work (we had carpooled) in his Camaro, we turned left out of the parking lot and proceeded up the hill on the bypass towards home. Top of the hill there was an on ramp. We are in the left lane of two lanes. It's also raining. Fool comes up the ramp, merges all the way into our lane, forcing the Camaro into the grass divide. My buddy almost loses it, but the kid could drive, and we get traction and race right up next to the poor guy. I roll the window down, despite the rain and start waving my hands at him. Guy wouldn't even glance sideways at me, he knew he screwed up and he knew I was mad. Well, him not at least waving an apology ticked me off, adrenaline rushing through me like it was. I took a completely full Mt. Dew 20 ounce and threw it at his window. I don't feel bad about it.

originally posted by: Edumakated
a reply to: Excallibacca

Yeah, I've had that happen. I can' t tell you how many idiots I see around here driving white or silver cars with no lights on in the middle of a snow storm. You can barely see their cars. Despite every car flashing them, they are so caught up in texting while driving they don't even notice.

When this wreck happened, I am literally watching it in slow motion. I'm thinking to myself that I hope this dumbass doesn't try to pull out into traffic. Sure enough he just barrels across two lanes of traffic to make the left. The on coming car was going way to fast for this area and sure enough they collided.

Yesterday, while sitting at work, I hear brakes squeal and a crash. I'm done for the day, really just up here to answer phones, I could have left already and let the answering machine handle it but chose to stay around. I lock up, run out to the road and the girl is just screaming into her phone. When she finally gets off the phone, I ask her if she is okay, someone else has stopped and is talking to the other driver, so I'm talking to this one. She's fine, I ask her if the police are on their way (I mean, I figured that's who she was on the phone with.) Nope, she called a friend to come get her, NOT THE POLICE!!!! Who does that?

Anyways, from what I could gather, she was turning left in an intersection, had shoved her car all the way out there, the light turned red and she had to go to clear the intersection. That, to me, is technically running a red light. The other guy ran the light and hit her. I feel more bad for the cops trying to figure out which of the two light runners to fault in their report than I do for the drivers. LOL

The left turning car at an intersection is by far my worst nightmare as a motorcyclist. I pretty much always try to get out of the left most lane when approaching an intersection. It really freaks me out when I see the light turn yellow and don't really have enough time to stop. Here in Chicago, it is not uncommon for a driver to blatantly run the red light to turn left like that.

When I am the vehicle turning left at an intersection I never assume the on coming car is going to stop. I always assume they are going to run the red light. I won't make the turn until I see them actually stopping at the light.