Who is in the wrong here

[Phydeaux]

Just like a red light means you’re supposed to stop, but if you see a vehicle running the red light about to plow into you, you’re still going to get slammed. Even though you were in the right. So In my scenario, do you say “the hell with fool about to broadside me, my light is green!!! I’m staying my lane!!!

 

[theo]

There is one thing I'm absolutely certain, they both walk among us and we let them vote.

...and they both drive. Both might even reproduce; cause for concern for both the gene pool and for safe highways.

 

[ssreward]

So In my scenario, do you say “the hell with fool about to broadside me, my light is green!!! I’m staying my lane!!!

I'd already be in the intersection, lol! If I'm the first car, I'm gone less than a second after the light changes. Even if I saw him coming, I might still go if it's just me in the car & likely to total w/o much chance of injury...I wouldn't mind a new vehicle I've let idiots hit me before so it wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Elan]

Can't definitively say the truck speeds up, but the distance from the truck to the car in front of it decreases dramatically just as the black car attempts to move into the left lane.

 

[Phydeaux]

Can't definitively say the truck speeds up, but the distance from the truck to the car in front of it decreases dramatically just as the black car attempts to move into the left lane.

One thing is certain, and quite obvious: the trucker did NOT ease off the throttle nor slow to allow the ying yang to merge. Trucker also seems a bit wrapped up in his conversation on a cell phone. Dumb a$$. Why the USA hasn't already banned hand-held cell phone use is truly mind boggling.

 

[ssreward]

Why the USA hasn't already banned hand-held cell phone use is truly mind boggling.

I don't understand why so many places have...conversation isn't any less distracting if it's hands-free & very few people drive with both hands on the wheel period, no matter what they're doing.

 

[Sea Six]

black car should have slowed down and eliminate the whole problem.

 

[Phydeaux]

I don't understand why so many places have...conversation isn't any less distracting if it's hands-free & very few people drive with both hands on the wheel period, no matter what they're doing.

(Others, please pardon my response to what most people accept as common knowledge, and common sense).

ss, because distracted people on the roads are dying and taking a lot of innocents with them, that's why. Cell phone use is equivalent to driving drunk. Look up the stats yourself. Perhaps you feel drunk driving should also be encouraged??

As many as 1 in 4 accidents are caused by some type of driver distraction
Each day, distracted driving causes about 9 fatalities and 1,153 injuries

• The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
• Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
• 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.
• 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

==============

It surprises me that there aren't some people that also feel they should be able to take brief naps while they're driving. Do everyone a favor - take public transportation.

 

[SmithOp]

I'd already be in the intersection, lol! If I'm the first car, I'm gone less than a second after the light changes. Even if I saw him coming, I might still go if it's just me in the car & likely to total w/o much chance of injury...I wouldn't mind a new vehicle I've let idiots hit me before so it wouldn't be the first time.

LOL, you’d be getting a new car every week here in SoCal. We have the five second rule for red light change, count to 5 before moving. At least three cars run every red light around here.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Egret1986]

• 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

Interesting statistics. If the 94% and 74% support such bans; why don't they just be proactive and stop the texting and using hand-held cell phones while driving. These folks support a ban, but still continue to do these two things just because there's no ban?

Just like the "red-light runners" mentioned by SmithOp; it's against the law, but it's still done all the time, no matter the potential consequences. Ban or no ban, folks are going to do what folks are going to do.

As far as the video, I believe both drivers were at fault for several reasons. I don't necessarily believe the video tells the whole story. I kept reading merging up-thread. Before I saw the video, I thought it was going to be someone merging from an on-ramp into oncoming traffic. But it appears to me, it's just a case of someone wanting to change lanes. The black car could have waited for the truck in left lane to go by to change lanes, which she should have done since she couldn't commit to the action. Yes, she's lucky to be alive. Don't count on the other driver to do the right thing. Don't assume what the mind-set is of the other driver. Don't assume that the other driver is paying attention and not distracted. Little car vs. 18-wheeler? The driver in the black car had a choice. She didn't have to change lanes. She kind of chose to change lanes. At interstate speeds, make the commitment and do it. Don't get wishy-washy in the middle of the action.

I saw another video recently where an 18-wheeler was pushing a car in front of it for a couple of miles down the interstate. The trucker stated that he didn't know the car was there. Luckily no one was injured or died in that one. Again, the video didn't tell the whole story. I'm not sure what the story was or who was at fault.

 

[Phydeaux]

Travel elsewhere in the world where hand held cell phone use is illegal, and you’ll see it’s quite simple to enforce. BTW, and they think we’re stark lunatic for allowing it, to which I agree. A hefty fine and points is all it would take.

 

[davidvel]

(Others, please pardon my response to what most people accept as common knowledge, and common sense).

ss, because distracted people on the roads are dying and taking a lot of innocents with them, that's why. Cell phone use is equivalent to driving drunk. Look up the stats yourself. Perhaps you feel drunk driving should also be encouraged??

As many as 1 in 4 accidents are caused by some type of driver distraction
Each day, distracted driving causes about 9 fatalities and 1,153 injuries

• The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
• Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
• 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
• Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
• Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.
• Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
• Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.
• 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving.
• 74% of drivers support a ban on hand-held cell phone use.

==============

It surprises me that there aren't some people that also feel they should be able to take brief naps while they're driving. Do everyone a favor - take public transportation.

It surprises me that you chastise ssreward, but completely ignore her entire point. She never said people should drive drunk ,that's just silly talk.

Her point is that the distraction is not having the phone in your hand. It's that you are engaged in a conversation, and your mind is elsewhere, not on the task at hand: driving. I've driven, and when the call is over, realized that I missed my exit, etc. Hands free, not holding my phone.

If the problem is the thing in your hand, it should be illegal to hold a sandwich, brush, lipstick, radio transceiver, directions, maps, etc. Either ban all phone calls or forget it.

 

[ssreward]

@Phydeaux, 74% of drivers may support hand-held bans but all the studies I'm aware of show NO decrease in accidents following such. Ban cell use entirely if it helps but *how* the cell is being used isn't the issue, according to science. As an aside, I don't support drunk driving but also live in a group of states without open container laws so it's perfectly legal to drink & drive, provided you're under the .08 limit. Curious to know what your opinions on that are - if you're legally sober, does it really make a difference where you consumed the alcohol? Some states say it does & some say it doesn't, (exactly the same as hand-held bans) but scientifically, it's a moot point.

 

[am1]

What % of drivers should even be allowed to drive? I am guessing if a test was a week long with each driver then half would fail. At 16 one can pass a joke of a test and can drive until when before needing another road test?

When will all cars have dash cams?

 

[jme]

I see it as a couple of small sedans speeding for miles (assumed) and weaving in and out of traffic to do so, even though it's highly congested,
with 18-wheelers in both lanes. That's when you know it's highly congested, otherwise the truck would fall in behind the other truck in right lane seen ahead. That's my opinion.

See this scenario ALL THE TIME----- somebody going too fast in and out, in and out, trying to go somewhere when there's really NOWHERE to go!!!

The black sedan just got caught trying to squeeze in....very selfish, very brazen, being a jerk!!! Saw he had to get into left lane to go around the other truck in right lane ahead, and made the mistake of assuming he could squeeze in front of truck in left lane, regardless of too little space and lack of safety.
He just didn't give a damn, and obviously feels he owns the highway. These small sedans abuse the highways all day long.

The space in front of the trucker was much less than it appears!!!-----it's an illusion to think there was adequate space to pull in.
Truck had no way to adjust that fast. Trucks that size can't do that. The first sedan wedged in, and then had to slow down, now being in a tight line in left lane, making the available space even less for the second (black) sedan to join in.

IMHO, the back sedan got EXACTLY what he deserved, maybe LESS than he deserved. I trust the trucker and his decisions.......that's his life, and very few are road-rage types----just the opposite........It's difficult to speed up and slow down a big truck, and accelerating that quickly isn't even possible.......don't believe he did in this video, imho.

 

[Iggyearl]

Just finished driving 420 miles from Albany, NY to Strasburg, VA. Got to see the best and worst of our driving public. Truck drivers put up with a lot of crap from those in smaller, more nimble,and quicker sedans. They can't stop as fast, or accelerate as quickly. But they have the RIGHT to hold their lane. Look at the video a couple of times, and you will notice that the trucker does not accelerate as much as traffic slows. The dimwit in the sedan assumes the trucker will "just let her in" - just like the car before her. Well, he didn't. She was indecisive and didn't use the accelerator. Her fault.

I have been on so many highways with traffic backed up, and a slow moving vehicle in the right lane. People wait patiently for the line to progress. Then, the "turds of the world" decide that it is OK to pass on the right and cut everyone off. A public right. "I should get ahead of you, because I deserve it." It's nice to see someone get their comeuppance.

 

[davidvel]

Many of you are pretty scary. Truck driver doesn't slow (and as many have observed appears to speed up and close the gap). Yes, the sedan was foolish, but that really means a person of even slight character wouldn't slow as much as possible to let it in easily? Cram the car and push it sideways? If the big rig couldn't have slowed, his license should be pulled. A 10 year old on a quad could have avoided this accident. That could easily have been a deadly accident.

Lots of internet warriors here. Happy Thanksgiving. I hope someone offers a bit more grace and civility to your families this weekend.

 

[Elan]

Damn sedan drivers!!

 

[presley]

The first time I used my husband's truck, I was surprised by how far in advance I had to start braking to make the same stop I make every day in my small SUV. Larger, heavier vehicles have a much more difficult time slowing and stopping. I would surmise the small car driver didn't know that and thought the big rig could just slam their brakes like we are all expected to do all day every day on southern California freeways whenever someone in the next lane wants to change lanes. My guess is that driver learned her lesson. I'd really hate to be a truck driver (ever), but especially in southern California. Sorry to say, the video was not shocking or amazing to me. It was more like, "that probably happens every day around here."

 

[am1]

A driver ought to know the limits of a truck if they are going to try to change lanes right in front of it.

The first time I used my husband's truck, I was surprised by how far in advance I had to start braking to make the same stop I make every day in my small SUV. Larger, heavier vehicles have a much more difficult time slowing and stopping. I would surmise the small car driver didn't know that and thought the big rig could just slam their brakes like we are all expected to do all day every day on southern California freeways whenever someone in the next lane wants to change lanes. My guess is that driver learned her lesson. I'd really hate to be a truck driver (ever), but especially in southern California. Sorry to say, the video was not shocking or amazing to me. It was more like, "that probably happens every day around here."

 

[spirits]

Many years ago, my neighbor was taking a defensive driving course to keep his auto insurance.....or pay a lower rate...I forget the exact reason. He admitted to being an assertive driver. He learned about increasing his safety envelope....to keep a larger area between his car and other vehicles to allow for driver error.
I honestly think that as our lives become busier and more stressful.....we are always programmed to do thing quickly, more efficiently. To actually allow for "waste" becomes a foreign concept. Increasing the safety envelope goes against our programming. Videos like this remind me to always be mindful of the hazards out there when I get behind the wheel....and I care about your safety Tuggers.

A few years ago I wanted to learn Spanish on my daily commute. I had it programmed on my ipod and was all set to go. My husband asked me not to....he wanted me to always focus on my driving and not be distracted. Love that guy.

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends.

 

[Passepartout]

A driver ought to know the limits of a truck if they are going to try to change lanes right in front of it.

The vast majority of auto drivers have no clue as to the limits and capabilities of heavy trucks. Or in this case, the capability of his/her car. They obviously thought (erroneously) that either their car would fit in front of the truck already occupying the left lane, or that the truck's driver would slow to let them in, or that they could push the truck out of his lane. None of the above happened.

I didn't sort through the thousands of responses to catch the bottom line, but if anyone did, who was cited after the fact?

 

[taterhed]

In DC, I love the fact that anyone who is 'foolish' enough to leave adequate braking/following distance from the vehicle ahead is rewarded with a constant stream of vehicles that pass on the right, and then slam on the brakes and instantly create a MORE dangerous situation than simply following 'too-close' for a safe stop. It's a quick and counter-productive lesson. Worse, you can't follow these people, because most of them will subsequently and aggressively apply the brakes....hoping to re-establish safe following distance. It's an accordion cycle that is repeated over and over. I'm being sarcastic, but it's true. There is simply no good answer. Staying in the right-lane--or some lane further right--is usually just as unsafe due to the constant merging and lane-changing that occurs with virtually no stopping margin whatsoever.

I can't wait to leave this nuthouse and regain a small modicum of sanity on the highways. I hope it still exists somewhere.

 

[MuranoJo]

In DC, I love the fact that anyone who is 'foolish' enough to leave adequate braking/following distance from the vehicle ahead is rewarded with a constant stream of vehicles that pass on the right, and then slam on the brakes and instantly create a MORE dangerous situation than simply following 'too-close' for a safe stop. It's a quick and counter-productive lesson. Worse, you can't follow these people, because most of them will subsequently and aggressively apply the brakes....hoping to re-establish safe following distance. It's an accordion cycle that is repeated over and over. I'm being sarcastic, but it's true. There is simply no good answer. Staying in the right-lane--or some lane further right--is usually just as unsafe due to the constant merging and lane-changing that occurs with virtually no stopping margin whatsoever.

I can't wait to leave this nuthouse and regain a small modicum of sanity on the highways. I hope it still exists somewhere.

Speaking of blood pressure from another thread, this is one that gets me going...I try to leave the appropriate space between cars, but what a joke. It just encourages people to pass on the right and cut in and then try to force me to back off and give them space.

Freeway driving seems to epitomize current cultural values.

 

[Talent312]

I too try to keep a safe-space between me and other vehicles.
If another vehicle moves into that space, I'll back off that vehicle.
My DW criticizes me for letting them in. "They're getting ahead of you."
"It's not a race," is my response.

.