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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 2141 of 2175

#21400 of 21746 Re: LLD [andres3] by xwesx

Feb 13, 2013 (5:56 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Feb 13, 2013 5:43 pm)
Funny that you mention that.
 
On my way down to Palmer last weekend, I was in a 65 zoned (most of the highway is 65, with the areas around/in towns at 55 or 45) area of the highway that was reconstructed two years ago. This is beautifully smooth blacktop, complete with several passing lanes to help ease traffic congestion and wide areas on either side of the road devoid of vegetation (good visibility for spotting moose approaching the highway).
 
I was tooling along at probably 68 as I approached the end of this newly rebuilt area and started wondering where it dropped to 55. Now, I know from experience that the SL on this stretch is 65 to 55 to 45 as one approaches the town of Willow, but I don't know from memory exactly where the limit changes are. What's more, this stretch, being new, has a whole bunch of those "adopt a highway" signs, which are exactly the same size/dimensions as speed limit signs, only blue instead of white. (most areas of the highway have lost theirs due to crashes, snow plowing, etc, and the DOT is slow to replace them) The problem this night was that every single sign on the road was illegible due to a recent snow plow going through and covering them all with a blanket of white.
 
One literally could not tell one sign from the next.
 
Anyhow, as I approach this end area and started drifting down toward 55, I saw a Trooper vehicle sitting in a pull out, with two illegible signs just ahead of him. I thought, "Hmm... I bet that's the 55 sign."
 
Sure enough, on the way home I looked (it was warm that day and all the signs had melted clear) and it was, indeed, the 55 SL sign! Talk about a cheap revenue grab!

#21401 of 21746 Re: . [andres3] by backy

Feb 13, 2013 (6:55 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Feb 13, 2013 5:24 pm)
Go back and read my post. I wasn't the one turning left right there. My left turn was a couple of blocks up. And yes, when it came time to turn I signaled well ahead of time.
 
Watch out about those laws... they might also allow people who get flashed a few times to "stand their ground".

#21402 of 21746 Re: Couple of head-scratchers [andres3] by fintail

Feb 13, 2013 (7:41 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Feb 13, 2013 5:16 pm)
They crash *everywhere*, that is, when they don't panic and simply abandon their cars in the middle of the road.

#21403 of 21746 Re: Couple of head-scratchers [xwesx] by fintail

Feb 13, 2013 (7:42 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 13, 2013 5:45 pm)
There are some good youtube videos of Seattle and Portland drivers - the latter seems to get more raw ice than Seattle, too.
 
Lame winter here so far, no ice related incidents come to mind. If it looks even marginally bad, I just stay off the road.

#21404 of 21746 . by fintail

Feb 14, 2013 (7:54 pm)

Not a bad day driving here, other than an early morning incident where a woman pulled out of a driveway right in front of me as I was going ~40 (she quickly veered over when she realized I wasn't slowing down) - but something dumb while on foot. Busy intersection, crosswalk has green, woman with a baby stroller crossing street, late model E-coupe just blindly pulls into intersection and has a pretty close call. How did he not see that? He was turning left too, so he had to stop and block oncoming traffic. Lots of phone holders this evening too, but they were moving along ok.

#21405 of 21746 Re: . [fintail] by backy

Feb 15, 2013 (7:24 am)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 14, 2013 7:54 pm)
Re the not slowing down for the idiot pulling out in front of you... be careful on that kind of thing. Even if another driver pulls out in front of you, if you could have done something reasonable and safe to prevent or lessen an accident and didn't, you could be held at fault or at least partially at fault if there's an accident... enough to cause complications in getting damages from the other driver's insurance company.

#21406 of 21746 Re: . [backy] by fintail

Feb 15, 2013 (8:46 am)

Replying to: backy (Feb 15, 2013 7:24 am)
I might have a dashcam to defend me. I also might go after them personally ..not that I would trust the oh so competent and accountable powers that be to be able to determine what action I should have taken
 
Reminds me of something that happened to a friend of mine - teenage airhead ran a stop sign, hit his car pretty hard front passenger side corner, and she argued that "he should have avoided me". Didn't work. Found out later that it was her second at fault accident - that month.

#21407 of 21746 Re: . [fintail] by backy

Feb 15, 2013 (8:56 am)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 15, 2013 8:46 am)
That dashcam could be a problem for you, ala "You saw the car pulling out in plenty of time to stop, but you kept going and made no attempt to stop. Why?" Better not to depend on the "powers that be" to decide your fate... take matters into your own hands and hit the brakes.

#21408 of 21746 blizzard-like here by steve_ HOST

Feb 15, 2013 (8:58 am)

Hesitate to call it a full blown anything since it changes from minute to minute. But the only ones out driving past our window are the logging trucks, and they create their own blizzard as they cruise past.
 
(Enough of the "last clear chance" talk please, and thank you).

Messages Page 2141 of 2175

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