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Inconsiderate Drivers (share your stories, etc.)

21746 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2013 at 7:38 PM

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What is this discussion about? Car Safety

Messages Page 2123 of 2175

#21221 of 21746 Re: Speaking of LLCs... [fintail] by snakeweasel

Jan 12, 2013 (4:22 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Jan 03, 2013 9:06 am)
I have witnessed the speeding up while being passed ideal numerous times around here, on highways and surface streets both. It fits in with the local passive aggressive attitude. They will almost always give up and slow back down once you've moved past.
 
My guess is that there is a physcological reason for this in may cases. I would bet that alot of drivers don't realize they do it. It's just a natural reaction to match speeds with the "group". I know I have done it without even thinking, but when I have realized it I try to get back to my old speed.
 
Passing on the right is fine in WA anyway, here's the law:
 
I am pretty sure it is legal in every state as long as you don't leave the road i.e. you are in a designated lane.

#21222 of 21746 Re: Speaking of LLCs... [andres3] by snakeweasel

Jan 12, 2013 (4:24 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Jan 03, 2013 10:47 am)
But in my experience the smokies have gotten so lazy that they will pull over the vehicle in back because it takes too much energy and time to chase down the fastest car in front.
 
More than one state trooper has told me that the rational for getting the last one in the group is that they had at one time had to be going faster than the rest and would be going faster than the first if the first one wasn't blocking them.

#21223 of 21746 Re: Idea: let's take the "in" out of "inconsiderate" [snakeweasel] by fintail

Jan 12, 2013 (4:29 pm)

Replying to: snakeweasel (Jan 12, 2013 3:00 pm)
Regarding the looking, what is it that's taught in driver's ed - "right, left, right" or something? Sadly, it seems many around here can't even be bothered to look both ways, or sometimes, even one way.
 
Regarding reasonable speeds, the often woefully underposted limits are usually all I ask for. Come to my area, you'll find highways where too many timid inept drivers get white knuckled when they hit 50 in a 60 (405 was the context of the post you replied to). These people simply need to stick to secondary roads.
 
Hmmm...I see that one way street share the road ideal again. Shocking. Everyone slowing down to a rate that is even more dumbed down than what exists already is not a solution. The thought that going slower is "magical" proves there is some real devolution going on. This has to be the only semi-developed nearly-first world place on the planet with such a mindset.

#21224 of 21746 Re: $400/ year [stickguy] by snakeweasel

Jan 13, 2013 (11:43 am)

Replying to: stickguy (Jan 12, 2013 4:09 pm)
In a lot of cases, it really should just be more "catastrophic" coverage.
 
Thats one of the reasons you have deductables, to cover the small stuff. But what may be small stuff for you might be catastrophic for another. Let's say for the fender bender, those can cost some bucks to fix. Last one I had the damage was just north of $2K (IIRC). Two years ago I would haven't blink an eye. Now with the wife having just gotten off of two years of unemployment $2K is a bit more money (but still doable). My kid who is just finishing up college $2K is a big chunck of money and would put him in a terrible bind.

#21225 of 21746 Re: Idea: let's take the "in" out of "inconsiderate" [fintail] by snakeweasel

Jan 13, 2013 (11:51 am)

Replying to: fintail (Jan 12, 2013 4:29 pm)
Regarding reasonable speeds,
 
The thing is is that "reasonable" is rather subjective. What one considers "reasonable" another may not. Also someone may consider something "unreasonable" then may consider it "reasonable" once they learn more facts on the subject.
 
Let me ask you this; is it reasonable to have 9 speed bumps in about 4/5ths of a mile of a residential street?
 
Hmmm...I see that one way street share the road ideal again.
 
What "one way share the road ideal"?

#21226 of 21746 Interesting occurance on the way into work today. by snakeweasel

Jan 13, 2013 (12:03 pm)

Traveling on a divided road with two lanes in each direction approaching a point where the road narrows to one lane in each direction. Only traffic in front of me is an SUV and the nearest traffic behind is a block or two back.
 
Both the SUV and myself are in the left lane (right lane ends a bit ahead of us) and the SUV is doing just under 50 in a 45, no big deal for me so I just settle in behind him (her?). All of a sudden they start slowing down, fast enough to make me think they took their foot off the gas. So I figured that maybe they were about to turn so I merged into the right lane and started to pass maintaining my speed of about +/-50. As soon as I start getting a little in front of him he starts to gun it.

#21227 of 21746 Just out of curiosity... by andre1969

Jan 13, 2013 (12:10 pm)

Would it be possible for a car to hit a telephone pole, snap it completely, and be able to drive away?
 
Reason I'm asking is that, around 7:30 this morning, I was aroused by the rumble of a big-rig type engine. Looked outside, and saw a couple fire engines blocking the road up the street. Then, I noticed that the top of one of the telephone poles, about 300 feet from my house, was at about half its normal height. I couldn't see the lower part of it, because it was partially blocked by evergreens that I've planted around the perimeter of my yard, to give me some seclusion.
 
But, I went down and looked, and near as I can tell, someone coming towards my house had veered onto the wrong side of the road, took out the neighbor's mailbox, and then went into the telephone pole hard enough to snap it in several places. There was a little bit of plastic debris scattered, but not too much. And, no vehicle to be seen, by the time I went out there.
 
I really hope that whoever did this wasn't able to drive off and get away, scott free. Plus, it did some minor damage to my place. There are two poles between my house and the one that snapped, but I guess there was enough vibration that it pulled the Verizon FIOS cable loose from where it attaches to the house. So, nothing irreparable, but it still annoys me.
 
One of the neighbors said he heard a noise around 5:00 in the morning, so that's when it happened I guess.

#21228 of 21746 Re: Just out of curiosity... [andre1969] by backy

Jan 13, 2013 (12:54 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 13, 2013 12:10 pm)
A car? I doubt it. But possible for some kinds of vehicles with "big rig" kinds of engines, for example...
 

#21229 of 21746 Re: Just out of curiosity... [andre1969] by snakeweasel

Jan 13, 2013 (12:54 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 13, 2013 12:10 pm)
Would it be possible for a car to hit a telephone pole, snap it completely, and be able to drive away?
 
I would say yes. It all depends on force, speed, angle of the collision, how well the car is built and the condition of the telephone pole.
 
It is also possible that the car was towed away before you saw what was happening (and most likely).

#21230 of 21746 Re: Just out of curiosity... [snakeweasel] by andre1969

Jan 13, 2013 (1:01 pm)

Replying to: snakeweasel (Jan 13, 2013 12:54 pm)
It is also possible that the car was towed away before you saw what was happening (and most likely).
 
Yeah, that's my guess. Last time a telephone pole was actually snapped in my neighborhood, was back in 1987. It was the one right in front of my house. A drunk in an early 70's Ford pickup hit it, snapped it, and the impact was bad enough that it pulled the pole behind it down into my neighbor's pine tree, setting it on fire. That truck was destroyed, though.
 
Also back in the 80's, an early 70's Pontiac Ventura had hit the same pole, but didn't hurt it. Took out our mailbox as well. There was a scrape mark on the road, and out of curiosity, we followed it, about two miles. That's where we saw this horribly smashed Ventura sitting in someone's driveway and figured they'd been punished enough, no need to bring up the mailbox! Also back then, someone in a '78-79 Magnum hit a telephone pole about 600 feet up the road. No damage to the pole, but the passenger, who wasn't wearing her seatbelt, broke the windshield and left a horrible bloody spot on it. And that car wasn't driveable, as the wheel well pushed into the tire.
 
A few months ago, someone hit a telephone near my job, in a Mustang. Here's the result:

 
Sorry about the fence being in the way...

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