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Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

21823 messages,  Last post on Jun 18, 2013 at 2:29 PM

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What is this discussion about? Car Safety

Messages Page 2073 of 2184

#20712 of 21823 . by fintail

Nov 15, 2012 (11:16 am)

In Zurich now, been a few years - something here I forgot, which would make the heads of most middle of the road Americans explode - trams share the roads with cars, as in the same lanes, and those lanes also intersect with car lanes. I can't imagine that working well in NA, hell in Seattle, the idiots crash into the light rail all the time, and those trains have their own dedicated areas. Another strike against working public transit in the US - (what passes for) motorists will mess it up.
  
Good city to park the car and just walk or use those trams, which is what I am doing. The big boat will get to take a break.

#20713 of 21823 . by fintail

Nov 16, 2012 (8:03 am)

View from my window this morning:
 

 
It was there like that for at least 2 hours.

#20714 of 21823 Re: . [fintail] by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Nov 16, 2012 (8:21 am)

Replying to: fintail (Nov 16, 2012 8:03 am)
Did you go from Switzerland to Italy overnight?

#20715 of 21823 Re: . [steve_] by fintail

Nov 16, 2012 (8:36 am)

Replying to: Stever@Edmunds (Nov 16, 2012 8:21 am)
Nope, that's Zurich. Although many bicyclists act pretty Italian, with maybe a touch of west coast piousness. The Germans must go nuts when they see that kind of stuff.
 
I'd wager the typical Seattle area driver would quickly suffer a nervous breakdown driving through urban Zurich. Too many inputs to monitor, driving that requires attention and situational/spatial awareness.

#20716 of 21823 Re: . [fintail] by ateixeira

Nov 16, 2012 (1:53 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Nov 16, 2012 8:03 am)
American tourist? j/k
 
Did it have rental plates?

#20717 of 21823 Re: . [ateixeira] by fintail

Nov 17, 2012 (9:22 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 16, 2012 1:53 pm)
Probably someone of the fairer variety, if you know what I mean. I don't know how to distinguish Swiss rental cars (not that a car is needed in Zurich anyway), in Germany it is easier as the large rental chains have their own plate number combinations (Sixt - MI, Europcar - HH, etc) which are known by obsessives like myself.
 
Lots of slowpokes on Swiss highways today, but at least they keep right. And then you get on a secondary road, go 10 over, and have an Audi or BMW on your tail - cultural universal.

#20718 of 21823 . by fintail

Nov 18, 2012 (10:31 am)

Saw the aftermath of a fender bender in Austria last night - first crash seen on this trip. 2 small cars (maybe a Renault and a SEAT) tangled at an off ramp/on ramp interchange.
 
Driving on the autobahns today - lots of old people/Sunday drivers. The speed differentials would kill some people here, especially on the old 4 lane stretches where a car in the left lane might be going 130mph, and the right lane might be going 60 at best. I got my boat up to about 220kmh, which is plenty as the snow tires are rated for 210. But mostly cruised at around 170-180kmh, which feels very comfortable in that car.
 
Have only seen 3 police cars on the autobahn (German, Swiss, Austrian) in well over 1000 miles of driving. One was tending to a Subaru facing the wrong direction, the other was parked - looked to be taking a meal break, and the third was just driving, and took an exit. Funny how well it works without the overgrown school bullies picking cherries for revenue streams.

#20719 of 21823 Re: there's a story here [andres3] by backy

Nov 18, 2012 (11:02 am)

Replying to: andres3 (Oct 25, 2012 8:18 pm)
They just celebrated the grand opening of the 41 miles stretch of interstate in TX that has newly minted 85 MPH speed limits.
  
I'm expecting the news reports of carnage, spilled blood, and twisted metal to be coming in daily now according to some posters here.
 
And here ya go...
 
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/High-speed-toll-road-has-fir- st-fatality-4029915.php
 
I thought this comment in the report was interesting:
 
Until Sunday's crash, the wrecks on the road that had garnered the most attention involved vehicles colliding with feral hogs and deer in this largely rural area at night.
 
So this 85 mph limit was set in an area where hogs and deer are likely to cross the road. Smart. Real smart.

#20720 of 21823 Re: there's a story here [backy] by ruking1

Nov 18, 2012 (11:19 am)

Replying to: backy (Nov 18, 2012 11:02 am)
Well that is "the 2 birds with one stone " principle. Now you don't need a deer tag necessarily to harvest . If the game wardens don't distribute, all the other critters benefit.

#20721 of 21823 Re: there's a story here [ruking1] by backy

Nov 18, 2012 (11:39 am)

Replying to: ruking1 (Nov 18, 2012 11:19 am)
True. Assuming you are still alive to enjoy the venison. Hitting a deer (or a hog) at 85 mph may not kill just the deer/hog.

Messages Page 2073 of 2184

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