This is the thread where we talk about bad driving/riding/walking

[overpowered]

Don't be too sure the van will be at fault. We had a potential client who was not only riding the wrong way (against traffic) but also on a sidewalk. He got hit by a left-turning car and knocked down. When the police showed up, he was cited. He tried to hire us to go after the driver of the car for damage which was insane given the fact pattern and we rejected him. In the end, he was liable for damage to the car. Oops!What was the rider cited for?

Was there a red light for straight through and a green arrow for left as with FaF's example?

In the majority of places, riding on the sidewalk is legal and there is usually no legal requirement to go a particular direction while riding on the sidewalk. Some jurisdictions do require riding with traffic while riding on the sidewalk, at least next to major roads, but such laws are unusual.

Riding against traffic while on the sidewalk tends to be stupid, but most of the time it's not illegal.

[thesameguy]

I have no idea.

[thesameguy]

Possibly this, though:

10.76.010 Riding bicycles on sidewalks.
A. Except as authorized under subsection B of this section, no person shall ride a bicycle on a sidewalk except within a residence district or where a sidewalk is designated as part of an established bicycle route. Pedestrians shall have the right-of-way on sidewalks.

Downtown is not a residential district.

[Freude am Fahren]

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/drink/popcorn-and-drink-smiley-emoticon.gif

Just saying she deserved to get knocked on her ass as a wake-up call for being a dumbass, and not just for riding on the sidewalk against traffic, but the intersection scene as well. You can just tell when someone is one of those people. And I wouldn't want anyone to suffer serious injuries for that.

[George]

I wasn't disagreeing, although I can see why my vague reply might have you wondering. An "eating popcorn" smilie is often used at another forum I visit to indicate something like, "I'm eagerly waiting to see what happens next" or "this is gonna be good!"

Not long ago, I suggested someone on two wheels got what he deserved for being a jerk and I was flame-broiled by several folks here for saying it. I thought you might receive similar treatment.

I'm glad to see you haven't, and hope you don't.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, I knew what you were saying, just pre-empting any fire that might come my way.

[FaultyMario]

[video]


I've spent far longer, far slower on mountain roads behind log trucks.

[overpowered]

So a driver side swipes a cyclist and they both stop. They accuse the cyclist of causing injury to the passenger. She even shows her crutches. Erm, wow. She got crutches in the moments between the collision and the argument.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7ewrImpzI

[Kchrpm]

3D printers are improving every day!

[TheBenior]

Was in on a more complicated than usual DUI arrest last night.

Guy in an old Escalade rear ended a family in their relatively new-to-them minivan still on temp plates, knocking it into a concrete rail support before he fled the scene. He tore off his vehicles temp plate and was found a couple blocks away. Oh, and he had weed and some Xanax that he didn't have a prescription for on him. Weirdly, he somehow had 2 drivers license numbers; one of which was suspended last year for DUI, and an earlier one which was revoked for DUI.

Fortunately, nobody in the minivan was seriously hurt, but he's still looking at 3 separate felony charges. The whole thing was quite a bit of paperwork.

[thesameguy]

How the heck did he get two numbers???

[TheBenior]

I have no idea, it's the first time I've ever seen it successfully done in one state.

[21Kid]

You've seen it done unsuccessfully?

[overpowered]

Apparently your car gets impounded in BC if you're doing 100km/h in a 50km/h zone on a cold wet road. Self entitled jackass refuses a cab and then sues because he had to walk with his daughters. He was driving a Maserati. I think he probably could have afforded a cab.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2016/01/26/speeding-maserati-driver-berates-cop

[Dudley]

I'm stopped at red light. Female cyclist passes me and runs the red. Light goes green shortly thereafter. I catch up to her just as she's turning into a side street. "You give us a bad name, you know." She responds, "Shut up." and keeps riding.

I do enjoy yelling condolances for their colour blindness and informing them "The red one is the top one."

My favourite being the cyclist who passed my bike twice at red lights before getting to the one that crosses a 6 lane road (The A40 at Gypsy Corner fact fans) and unsurprisingly stopping.

Which means I got to yell "Oh stopping at this one are we? That IS a shame".

[Freude am Fahren]

I will admit, that when stopped at a red, I will go when the other direction gets red (or orange if there are no cars coming), rather than wait for green. It give me a chance to get going, get my cleat clipped in, and the cars behind a chance to sort themselves to go around. When there isn't a bike lane anyway.

[overpowered]

Perspective.

https://danielkayhertz.com/2016/04/01/introducing-the-pedestrian-pain-index/

[Cam]

Saw someone driving ahead of me the other day who nearly ran off the road or into oncoming traffic about five times in the two minutes I was behind them. My best guess is texting.

[Kchrpm]

Don't forget makeup, eating, having to pee or sleepy. Or drunk.

<sarcasm>Or Asian</sarcasm>

[overpowered]

http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/text-and-drive-large-hed-2016.jpg

[Tom Servo]

Today was the first day I noticed someone driving past me who was steering with her knees while texting with both hands. That was reassuring. Then again, at least she gave me a good 3 feet.

Later watched a guy pull an illegal U-turn and nearly hit a cyclist. Cyclist yelled "Hey!", to which the driver chased him down and swerved at him. Wish I'd gotten the license plate, but I was still packing my panniers.

Finally, was cruising down a residential street a block from my house when some douchebag in an Audi comes around the corner, completely overcooking it and understeering all the way to the left curbing. If I had been 10 seconds sooner, I'd be dead right now. I guess at least he gave me the "sorry" wave.

[overpowered]

Today I was riding in a construction zone and using the full lane. I got to an area that was technically closed but "good enough" for a bike so I moved over to let cars pass and the driver behind the driver who has been behind me was riding the first guy's bumper. It couldn't have been more than 2-3 feet at most, at probably 30+mph in an active construction zone and a red light maybe 200 yards ahead. I almost caught them at the light. I probably would have stupidly said something if I had but it changed just a bit before I caught up to them.

Tailgating is the most senseless of infractions. It buys you nothing but it endangers a lot of people.

[Kchrpm]

Someone decided to do a U-turn in front of me today, after making a left turn at a busy intersection. Long line of cars making a left from a signaled left turn lane, just after completing the turn but before the turn signal is automatically off, they slow down again and tighten their radius. People don't think about how simple maneuvers can stack up and cause issues behind them. Why not just go to a side street or parking lot (both within seconds of where we were) rather than making an unexpected illegal maneuver that you can't realistically signal for in front of a line of cars trying to clear an intersection?

[21Kid]

That would require people to think of someone besides themselves...

[thesameguy]

Yeah, this kind of stuff is what drives me nuts. If whatever you are doing wherever you're doing it is going to cause heartache for more than one person you need to reconsider. GTFO is what people should be doing all the time.

[Yw-slayer]

That would require people to think of someone besides themselves...

Perish the thought!!

[TheBenior]

In local traffic enforcement:

DUI arrest of a Greek woman from a suburb of Chicago. She was passed out parked on the wrong side of the road in a right turn lane. She became incredibly belligerent once conscious. During the transport to the lock-up, she called us, "Irish hillbillies." When she got to the lock-up in the South Loop, she finally realized that she wasn't in a suburb that neighbored hers.

DUI arrest of a woman in her early 20s from a wealthy North Shore suburb: She crashed head-on into a parked car while driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She said that she was "scared" about 100 times during the arrest. We let her make a phone call to her father. She then talked on the phone for a few minutes before asking, "Who is this? You're not my dad!"

Wrote a ticket to a woman on a bicycle who ran a red light that we were stopped at. She became such a bitch that I was glad to write her a ticket.

Not much notable about men who were arrested/ticketed lately. They've pretty much just begrudgingly accepted the consequences of their actions.

[Kchrpm]

No "I pay your salary!"s lately?

[TheBenior]

I forgot, there was a guy arrested for DUI who shared a last name with a popular cognac.

[Freude am Fahren]

And fast cars? Or something P Diddy would like passed?

[MR2 Fan]

does this count?

A nice shiny new black Jaguar F-type I saw the other day, looked perfect except for the TRUMP bumper sticker on the back. Seriously.

[Freude am Fahren]

I was driving on the small road that leads from the back of my station to the main road, when all of a sudden I saw what looked like a large dog running along the road. As I got closer, I realized it was a goat. Unfortunately, my dashcam recording got corrupted. That's been happening a lot lately (the corruption, not the goat).

[overpowered]

We’ve Been Brainwashed Into Saying ‘Car Accident’

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/car-accident-car-crash-driving-behavior_us_573e496de4b00e09e89e9a7a

[Jason]

Eh. Not sure I agree with this. Accident, to me, implies that they didn't intend to crash on purpose. The people making stupid choices weren't intending to crash, so its still an accident. It can be a crash and an accident. You can be negligent, and irresponsible, and it can still be an accident. Removing the word 'accident', implies that every/most crashes were done with intent. I guess we could start calling things 'unintentional collision/crash' vs 'intentional collision/crash'...

[LHutton]

Yes, but they could more accurately call it 'driver negligence' instead. Or, just as we have negligent manslaughter, we could have 'negligent assault' in cases where it's appropriate, as it certainly feels that way to cyclists and bikers.

[Jason]

Fine with that too :up:

[Tom Servo]

Eh. Not sure I agree with this. Accident, to me, implies that they didn't intend to crash on purpose. The people making stupid choices weren't intending to crash, so its still an accident. It can be a crash and an accident. You can be negligent, and irresponsible, and it can still be an accident. Removing the word 'accident', implies that every/most crashes were done with intent. I guess we could start calling things 'unintentional collision/crash' vs 'intentional collision/crash'...

I fall on the other side of this. It's too easy to just call something a "tragic accident" when there was clear negligence, and I don't think there needs to be intent for it to not be an accident. We criminalize drunk driving, even though nobody does that with the intent of getting into a crash. We've all been told many times that speeding, texting, not signaling, tailgating, etc, increases the likelihood of a crash, so when anything like that is a contributing factor, the driver willfully ignored advice on how to avoid that crash, even if they didn't intend to hit someone.

Similarly, if a guy starts firing a gun into the air at NYE and a bullet later falls and kills someone, I wouldn't call that an accident. Unintentional, sure, but any normal person knows that's something that carries a better than normal chance of ruining someone's life. Calling it an accident absolves people of blame. In my mind, that leads to situations where a 3 year old was just killed in NY in a crosswalk, and despite the fact the kid had right of way and was in a marked crosswalk, we get the usual "no criminality suspected" and that it's a "tragic accident". It's not. The driver didn't take the time to look and make sure it was safe to make the left turn he made across that crosswalk, and now someone's dead. He didn't intend to kill a 3 year old, but it was easily avoidable if the driver was taking the task of driving more seriously. To me, that's not an accident. "I didn't see you" is a similar "absolve myself of blame" way to say "I wasn't looking."

[Jason]

That comes back to negligence, though, doesn't it? Accident, purely refers to intent (or lackthereof), its not inferring there wasn't negligence or irresponsibility. But I guess other people see 'accident' as something that absolves responsibility?

We don't criminalize accidents, we do, however, criminalize negligence. If a *bad* 'accident' occurs due to negligence, the negligence is what's charged, not the 'accident'.

Edit: I'm arguing semantics, really... in the end, the most important thing is recognizing if someone is actually at fault for something, or if its a 'life happens' circumstance, and making sure respect is given to those who are negatively impacted.

[Tom Servo]

I definitely get what you're saying. The definition I just saw for it is "an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury". One could argue that negligence negates the "unexpectedly" part.

The bigger problem is that I think the usage of the word has basically allowed people to consider car crashes as "just one of those things". They're just going to happen, accidents do. And that's led people to be complacent about it. It's weird that we just accept 35,000 deaths a year, almost like there's just nothing we can do about it. And I do believe that the usage of the word "accident" helps contribute to that mentality.

At any rate, the problem now is that we criminalize negligence but rarely accuse anyone of it. That guy who killed a 3 year old wasn't even cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. It's "just an accident".

[Freude am Fahren]

Related, I can't stand those Liberty Mutual (?) insurance commercials, where people are like "You get in one little accident and your rates go up, that's not nice" Fuck you.

[overpowered]

You intend to tailgate. You intend to text. You intend to play with your radio. You intend to daydream. You intend to pay attention to your kids. You intend to drink before getting behind the wheel. You intend to speed. You intend to run red lights.

The word accident implies that it was unavoidable; nobody at fault.

These aren't accidents. They are intentional negligence. People think that they can get away with it because most of the time they do. Sometimes they don't. If they made a choice to not do any of those things, then there would be a lot fewer crashes -- almost none. Very few collisions cannot be avoided by attentive defensive driving by one or more of the parties involved.

[Kchrpm]

If you spill a drink on yourself, is that an accident or negligence? What are the potential causes for spilling a drink on yourself? Could those same potential causes result in something happening when you're driving a car?

I think people need to get over themselves and this idea that they, and they alone, are paying 100% attention every single instant that they are on the road, and anyone who isn't is a DANGER THAT MUST BE SHAMED.

Get over yourselves.

[Kchrpm]

Related, I can't stand those Liberty Mutual (?) insurance commercials, where people are like "You get in one little accident and your rates go up, that's not nice" Fuck you.

It's true, though. Insurance companies are getting better, because there's so much competition, put you could pay your premiums for years, not make a single claim, and then someone hits you from the side and your rates could go up. Why? You were paying those rates for this exact reason: at some point something might happen. In some states you are even forced by law to have car insurance. So you've been paying $100/month because at some point something might happen, and in 5 years when it does happen, you now have to pay $150/month? Why? If it starts happening multiple times or regularly, ok, but ONCE? What were you paying for if not to cover for ONE incident?

[Jason]

Yeah, I clearly have a different definition for the word than you guys. I fully agree that the vast majority of accidents are avoidable if one or all parties involved did something different/safer, but to me its still an accident if the resulting wreck was not the intention, no matter how negligent someone was.

Guess I need to go back to school and re-learn some words or something :lol:

[Freude am Fahren]

It's true, though. Insurance companies are getting better, because there's so much competition, put you could pay your premiums for years, not make a single claim, and then someone hits you from the side and your rates could go up. Why? You were paying those rates for this exact reason: at some point something might happen. In some states you are even forced by law to have car insurance. So you've been paying $100/month because at some point something might happen, and in 5 years when it does happen, you now have to pay $150/month? Why? If it starts happening multiple times or regularly, ok, but ONCE? What were you paying for if not to cover for ONE incident?

Two things: I'm not saying your premium should go up for when someone else hits you, but then there are "no fault" states and such, so who knows if you can even determine that 100% of the time. Two, I'm not against accident forgiveness. It's the commercials themselves, and the characters who act like entitled little bitches.

And you're paying for the next accident. If you prove yourself to be more of a liability, then yeah, you should pay more. But like I said, it's not the accident forgiveness plans I have a problem with (they cost more I think anyway), just the way those commercials portray people who get into them.

As for the use of the word accident, I don't think it's a big deal. If someone slams into me because they were painting their nails, I have no problem saying "I got into an accident" when I call my boss to tell him I'll be late for work. I sure as hell wont use the word when talking to the cops or lawyers though.

And people who do clearly dangerous things, like texting, makeup, etc, should be shamed and/or punished. Especially when they are clearly unable to drive safely when doing so and are drifting or actually cause an accident. Someone sitting at a light on their phone? I don't care, until the light turns green, then a honk you may get, but nothing more. You stay on the phone as you drive away, fuck you, that is dangerous.

[Tom Servo]

If you spill a drink on yourself, is that an accident or negligence? What are the potential causes for spilling a drink on yourself? Could those same potential causes result in something happening when you're driving a car?

I think people need to get over themselves and this idea that they, and they alone, are paying 100% attention every single instant that they are on the road, and anyone who isn't is a DANGER THAT MUST BE SHAMED.

Get over yourselves.

^^ I rest my case.

[Kchrpm]

To be clear, there are varying severities of accidents. You can have a major accident, with major consequences, and people should be punished for them accordingly. Saying something is an accident shouldn't rule out all penalty involved with it, but just because someone has a small accident doesn't mean we should stone them to death.

[Kchrpm]

And people who do clearly dangerous things, like texting, makeup, etc, should be shamed and/or punished. Especially when they are clearly unable to drive safely when doing so and are drifting or actually cause an accident. Someone sitting at a light on their phone? I don't care, until the light turns green, then a honk you may get, but nothing more. You stay on the phone as you drive away, fuck you, that is dangerous.

But these are not the things that cause all accidents. People like to think that every accident is caused by some obvious action like this, rather than just an accordion effect or an escalation of random minor effects. Everyone nowadays sees anything and just assumes "oh, they must have been texting," just like they used to say must be a woman driver/Asian driver/teen driver/aggressive driver/drinking coffee/eating food/whatever. This idea that we know what every other person is doing, and that what they are doing is criminal, based on the smallest amount of information, is what I find silly.

[Tom Servo]

And this is precisely what I'm talking about. Most crashes do have a cause, and it's some sort of negligence, as I'm sure insurance companies would like to point out. It's often a kind of negligence that we've become so accustomed to that we no longer think of it as that. People do all sorts of things that they're regularly told not to do, like speeding, tailgating, not using turn signals, and then when a crash happens they chalk it up to "an escalation of random minor effects". "What could I have done? It was just random chance!"

Any nobody is saying anybody should be stoned to death. What we are saying is that generations of complacency has lead to *NO* consequences often when a driver is clearly at fault, and that leads to more people getting injured or killed.

[Dicknose]

Incidents, crashes... They are not accidents.
Accident is a tree falling on your car!
A crash, either single vehicle or with another vehicle or person is a crash!

Yup I'm in the "call it what they really are" school.

[Kchrpm]

Fair enough. I think people are human and flawed, and don't have a huge internal difference between calling something an accident and a crash when it comes to something wrong being done (by definition something wrong happened if a vehicle hits something). If you think it's really important to society to call it one thing or another, ok then, we all use language differently.

[Tom Servo]

Apropos: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/science/its-no-accident-advocates-want-to-speak-of-car-crashes-instead.html?_r=0

[Kchrpm]

Interesting.


They are campaigning to change a 100-year-old mentality that they say trivializes the single most common cause of traffic incidents: human error.

If the general consensus is that accident does NOT mean human error, then I've been using it wrong in every avenue my entire life.

I have never thought an accident was purely hand of God or left up purely to chance, almost everything can be planned for and prepared against to some extent. In my previous example of knocking over a plastic cup, for example, you could have put the cup in a cup holder, bought a more stable cup, emptied it and thrown it away, etc. If the idea is that anything that is caused by human error is by definition not an accident, then no, nothing that humans ever do is an accident, because everything happens due to human influence.

I'll have to be more measured in what words I use in the future in different situations. Maybe oversight, or failure to be prepared.

[Jason]

Same, Keith. To me an accident is simply an event of unintended consequence. Sometimes there's a human at fault, sometimes not. Same with 'crash', or 'incident'. None of the three to me indicate that no one, or someone specifically is at fault.

So, like I said, I need to do some learning, because I've been using the word incorrectly all this time. I'm sure its not the first time. *shrugs*

[Dicknose]

It's a bit like "shit happens"
But in the case of vehicle crashes it's pretty much always, only if someone lets them happen.

Most people treat "accidents" as something that was just going to happen sometime anyway. They like to reduce responsibility, ignore that it's them that screws up and causes these things.

Changing wording can break people out of their stupor, make them actually think a little bit differently.
Yes accidents might just happen, but "collisions" don't! They sound more serious and it might just make some people think they want to avoid a collision.

Yeah it's little subtle brainwashing, but hey they do that with so many other things in day to day life.

[21Kid]

crash kraSH
verb
1. (of a vehicle) collide violently with an obstacle or another vehicle.
2. move or cause to move with force, speed, and sudden loud noise.
3. (of a business, a market, or a price) fall suddenly and disastrously in value.
4.(of a machine, system, or software) fail suddenly.
5.(of a patient) suffer a cardiac arrest.
6. enter (a party) without an invitation or permission.
7. go to sleep, especially suddenly or in an improvised setting.


ac·ci·dent ˈaksədənt
noun
1. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.
2. an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause.
the working of fortune; chance.

It doesn't need to be narrowed down so much IMO. A crash can be an accident; and usually is, one would think.
I don't think an accident is something that was going to happen anyway. Isn't that fate? ;)

[Freude am Fahren]

I think some of you are being pretty naive if you think that calling accidents something else is going to suddenly make people pay more attention.

Also something unintended resulting from a series of intended acts doesn't make the final act intentional. In that case the word accident would be completely useless. When I stub my toe, it's because I decided to walk, and didn't notice I was walking too close to that piece of furniture. When someone gets struck by lightning, they chose to go outside in inclement weather. Etc.

Be careful using the word in legal settings, but other than that, it doesn't really matter. Keith, this would be another good use of the word adorable ;)

[Tom Servo]

Well, like Dicknose said, part of it is to shake people out of complacency. But in both definitions of accident it does make it not the same as crash. The first has "unexpectedly", and the second has "without apparent...cause". What people are saying is that crashes often have a cause and should not be unexpected. Even without intent, someone often does something they know/have been told not to do, as it increases the likelihood of a crash. I do agree that there's a level of pedantry here, but at the same time, something really should be done. Also as the NY Times article points out, the number of deaths on the road is estimated to have increased to 38,000 in 2015 from 35,000 in 2014. In the meantime, we have unending, breathless news coverage of a plane crash that resulted in the death of 66 people. We demand to know what caused that. We lose that many people every 16 hours on the roads. NTSB is holding a hearing right now to hear what caused the Amtrak 188 derailment that resulted in the deaths of 8 people. We lose that many people every two hours. The hope is that the change will shake people out of the idea that there's just nothing to be done about this, that it's a fact of modern life.

As the NY Times article points out, car manufacturers, insurance companies, and manufacturing companies all knew that "accident" helps absolve them of blame, and have made the word part of the lexicon in the past to blame incidents on people other than themselves. In the end, though, just the discussion about changing hopefully will help. Something feels wrong when a cab driver can jump a curb in NY and sever a tourists' leg and not even lose his cab license.

[Tom Servo]

I think some of you are being pretty naive if you think that calling accidents something else is going to suddenly make people pay more attention.

Also something unintended resulting from a series of intended acts doesn't make the final act intentional. In that case the word accident would be completely useless. When I stub my toe, it's because I decided to walk, and didn't notice I was walking too close to that piece of furniture. When someone gets struck by lightning, they chose to go outside in inclement weather. Etc.

Be careful using the word in legal settings, but other than that, it doesn't really matter. Keith, this would be another good use of the word adorable ;)

I'd argue that the first example would actually fall under "unexpectedly". I would argue that the second would not be an accident. NWS out here is constantly reminding people not to go outside when there's lightning, especially after someone died down in Venice Beach when the lightning hit the water, traveled up the wet sand, and electrocuted him while he stood in the wet stand. I'm not sure their rhyme-y slogan "When thunder roars, go indoors" is all that memorable, but nonetheless, people should be fully aware of the risk they take going outside during a thunderstorm.

I would *definitely* not call this an accident, despite it being unintentional:

"According to a San Luis Obispo County Probation Department report, Mondo was returning home after stopping at a Jack-in-the-Box in Paso Robles when his phone slid from his lap into the center console. He said he took his eyes off the road to retrieve the phone, and when he looked up, saw a vehicle stopped ahead to make a left-hand turn.

Mondo veered onto the right shoulder and barely missed the vehicle, the report reads, before returning to the lane and again trying to retrieve his phone. Mondo told investigators he didn’t know how long his eyes were off the road when he felt an impact to the front of the SUV."

He hit two cyclists, injuring one and killing the other. He was actually convicted of a crime, which is unusual. As another article I just read reported that in Minneapolis/St. Paul, in 3,069 crashes resulting in 95 pedestrian deaths, only 28 drivers faced charges.

You also hear *way* too many times about drivers killing someone, then look back and see that they've had several DUIs, or something like 8 speeding tickets in the past two years. For whatever reason, we don't take that kind of thing seriously in this country, and we hope that a conversation like this at least helps bring awareness to that.

[Jason]

Had someone turn left from the far right lane today, right in front of me. Not only did they turn left from the right lane (cutting me off), they also did so at an intersection where there's no left turns. Pretty close to being an .... incident? but thankfully I was suspicious of him in advance and was able to slow down enough to avoid getting hit.

[Cam]

incident?
Collision. :p

1743

[Freude am Fahren]

Had someone turn left from the far right lane today, right in front of me. Not only did they turn left from the right lane (cutting me off), they also did so at an intersection where there's no left turns. Pretty close to being an .... incident? but thankfully I was suspicious of him in advance and was able to slow down enough to avoid getting hit.

I saw the inverse of this (Right from not right lane) twice within about 30 seconds of each other today.

[Jason]

I really don't understand people. Take a few minutes to find another route if you missed your turn.

[thesameguy]

NO. YOU WILL DIE. STOP IMMEDIATELY. CROSS TRAFFIC. BACK UP. WHATEVER IT TAKES. IF YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE ROAD PAST YOUR TURN YOU WILL DIE.

[Tom Servo]

We had a new train line open up out here in LA, phase II of the Expo Line. Previous line went from Downtown LA to Culver City, now it extends all the way to the beach in Santa Monica. This, understandably, caused some excitement. So, on the first morning when people could use it for their weekday commute, some assclown crashed onto it, while drunk, at 5 in the morning, blocking both tracks.

http://laist.com/attachments/la_juliawick/expocar1.jpg

Solo car crash, driver apparently blew a .21, still in his Cheesecake Factory work uniform.

http://i.imgur.com/SwVHWYG.png

Notably, we also had a new train line open up a few months ago, the extension of the Gold Line out to Azusa. That line runs in the center media of the 210 freeway. The day it opened, a semi crashed over the k-rails and landed on the tracks, bursting into flames.

https://tribktla.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/crash.jpg

Amazingly, this happened early Sunday morning and they had the truck removed and fire damage repaired in time for the morning commute Monday.

Still, though. This is why we can't have nice things.

[overpowered]

I saw the inverse of this (Right from not right lane) twice within about 30 seconds of each other today.I didn't see this today but I've seen it both ways on many occasions. I've even seen people slam on the brakes and cross 4 lanes of freeway almost at a right angle to get to a ramp.

Driver's education is sorely lacking in this country.

[Yw-slayer]

From what I understand, it's pretty lacking in most countries, apart from in the UK and in Germany.

[Tom Servo]

Drivers around Trento & Venice in Italy were also really good. What was really nice about both of those cities -- I don't think I heard a single honk.

[overpowered]

From what I understand, it's pretty lacking in most countries, apart from in the UK and in Germany.Based upon a lot of videos I've seen of drivers in the U.K., I have my doubts about their driver's education.

I've heard that Germany is indeed a lot stricter about the education. I've also heard that the Netherlands and Finland have tough driver's education.

[Yw-slayer]

Based upon a lot of videos I've seen of drivers in the U.K., I have my doubts about their driver's education.

My British AA instructor taught me very well (in-person, not via videos), and the standard of driving there is head and shoulders above that in most countries I've been to, which includes most of Asia and Western and Southern Europe. I have spoken to at least 3-4 others - including my wife - who were tutored at the other big British school (BSM), and it is of a similarly high level. The test is not easy to pass, let alone on the first go, and it is far harder than the joke American test or the HK test/"education", where they "educate" you only on how to do the test route, which route everyone knows anyway. Here they don't teach you how to manage your car, space, etc. on the road or basic guidelines on things like car placement/danger assessment.

I see that you have "doubts" based solely on "a lot of videos" you've seen on the internet (wow, talk about a great selection of source material! :rolleyes:). My actual experience is based on having LIVED in England for several years, and visiting Britain for 1-2 weeks every 1-2 years since then, having been TAUGHT how to drive in England, and having EXPERIENCED British both in the south and in the north. Of course there will always be a minority of idiots and knobs, but GENERALLY, the Brits are good and reasonably considerate drivers. I am reasonably certain that this has something to do with driver education.

But hey, go ahead and base your opinion on videos on the internet of knobs behaving like knobs, rather than videos of the vast majority of trouble-free, everyday driving. In fact, based ENTIRELY upon a lot of videos I've seen of Americans... :rolleyes:


I've heard that Germany is indeed a lot stricter about the education. I've also heard that the Netherlands and Finland have tough driver's education.

My AA instructor and my German friends have told me (all in-person, not merely in a video!) told me the same thing about Germany. It's definitely tougher to pass there, but that doesn't necessarily mean that UK driver education is bad or lacking. I'm still sure that it's far better than it is in most countries.

[Kchrpm]

It's not a lack of driver's education. People know they shouldn't do it, but they do it anyway because they're confident it'll work out. Humans are fantastic at doing things that are bad for them and others as long as they think it will work out at that time. Many of them become quite rich, famous and celebrated for doing so. Or just drunk.

[Jason]

German drivers were incredibly awesome in my experience. Traffic was very organized and predictable. People were generally kind to each other, and from what I saw, not a whole lot of 'stupid risks' were taken. It's easy to point to driver-ed, but I think part of it is simply cultural.

[overpowered]

It's not a lack of driver's education. People know they shouldn't do it, but they do it anyway because they're confident it'll work out. Humans are fantastic at doing things that are bad for them and others as long as they think it will work out at that time. Many of them become quite rich, famous and celebrated for doing so. Or just drunk.Better education could curb that by a lot. Our education does not put enough emphasis on how bad a lot of this behavior really is.

As I understand it, the Germans also have harsher penalties for non-compliance. In particular, it's easy to lose your license there.

[Kchrpm]

Do you think people aren't educated on what alcohol does to them? Hell, a significant percentage every weekend likely says they will never drink again because of what they have personally experienced it doing to them, and are shitfaced the very next weekend.

If they think they can get away with it, they'll do it.

[overpowered]

Better education can affect attitudes. It won't affect everyone. It will affect some.

As for the ones that it doesn't, we stop letting them get away with it.

We've got a lot of bad drivers out there who've had lots of tickets but we still let them have licenses. We need to stop doing that.

[Kchrpm]

I agree completely. And we need to be harsher on the people that drive without a valid license.

[thesameguy]

There is no money in "driving like an asshole" tickets. Speeding is easy to catch, easy to prove, and pays well. Ain't nobody gonna enforce "good driving" until it pays as well as speeding.

[Kchrpm]

Reckless driving tickets! $$$!

[thesameguy]

In most places, reckless driving defines a fairly narrow set of scenarios and is hard to prove. Speed is just *so easy* and there is no shortage of people doing it.

[Kchrpm]

https://media.giphy.com/media/DZyxZgmcbC264/giphy.gif

[overpowered]

I agree completely. And we need to be harsher on the people that drive without a valid license.There are people with lots of tickets but also valid licenses. That's a problem.

Judges bend the rules because people whine about how they can't get to work. These same idiots get in collisions all too often.

Boo hoo. If you can't follow the rules, then take a bus, take a cab, take Uber, bum a ride off friends or co-workers, ride a bike or even walk.

Driving without a valid license should be an automatic impound of your car and a minimum $1000 fine.

[overpowered]

In most places, reckless driving defines a fairly narrow set of scenarios and is hard to prove. Speed is just *so easy* and there is no shortage of people doing it.Tailgating is not that tough to prove and make money from either and it's almost as epidemic as speeding.

[thesameguy]

Tailgating is harder to prove and more troublesome to cite. Speeding you have a radar gun that does the work for you. You can sit on the side of the road and surf porn on your smartphone and wait for the chime. Tailgating happens almost exclusively in traffic, which means either sitting on the side of the road watching for a tailgater or participating in traffic with the hopes of spotting one. I can't speak for everywhere, but around here the police don't spend a lot of time on the roads during rush hour. I understand your point, but I'd argue speeding is quite a bit easier and quite a bit more comfortable to enforce.

[TheBenior]

Following too closely is far more difficult to prove (without a resulting crash anyway).

In Illinois, following too closely is what isn't "reasonable and prudent," which leaves plenty of ambiguity for a defense attorney or sympathetic judge to have the ticket tossed.

[novicius]

What's a "crash"? It's an accident! ;)

[retsmah]

I don't know how widespread they are yet, but they make radar guns that can measure following distance between two cars (http://www.theledger.com/article/20130209/NEWS/130209344).

On the topic of being ticketed for following too close, I've caused one collision ( ...which also happened to be an accident ;) ), years ago a car in front of me braked hard suddenly and I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to stop in time. Wasn't a big impact but an officer ended up showing up because it was a couple of 16 year old kids in the car and they were freaking out. Anyway he wrote me a ticket for following too close, my immediate thought was "I wasn't following too close, I just wasn't paying attention!" but quickly figured that a ticket for not paying attention is potentially worse than following too close.

[SportWagon]

Last Friday I tripped and fell while crossing a four lane road. I was dashing across mostly in a gap, and not going to the pedestrian signal about fifty feet away. There was a bus less than a block away, approaching on my side. Luckily I'd cleared that lane even before I picked myself up. I completed the trip across the road and don't consciously remember how close the bus got to me. I realized I was bleeding from around my nose where my metal-framed glasses had been pushed into my face somehow. When I got home, about two blocks more walking, I realized I had a severe scrape and fabric burn on my left leg too.

Alcohol may have been a factor.

When I looked at the road later, there are various small indentations, repairs, etc, I could have tripped on. I had been looking sideways at where traffic wasn't, instead of where I was going.


Eventually I realized a very small stone had torn through the pant leg too, and, although I initially thought it was merely a scrape and I'd be fine the next day, I think I must have got instantaneous water-on-the-knee, if there is any such thing. During the weekend and subsequent days the wound drifted down from well above the knee to the very tip of the knee cap. I never had any severe pain however. But I did forgo cycling for the entire long weekend, which was disappointing (I had two times 67km tentatively planned. On the Saturday I'd actually got the bicycle in its staging area, with filled water bottles, but thought I didn't really feel good enough, though I did do some lawn-mowing that day; the previous night I'd woken up and moved the knee around several times, never sleeping for more than two hours at a time).

It seems to be recovering now. The position of the healing wound, with its tough inflexible skin makes some movement awkward, but there's never been any severe pain. Somehow the wound was never deep enough to bleed a lot, though it kept bleeding slightly (into various bandages) for several days.

[Kchrpm]

Dude. Be safe out there.

Was the bad walking part of the thread title a joke that just came true?

[thesameguy]

I don't know how widespread they are yet, but they make radar guns that can measure following distance between two cars (http://www.theledger.com/article/20130209/NEWS/130209344).

Of course they are.

Shit. ;)

[Tom Servo]

I remember reading about this on a biking blog, saying "not even horses are safe in bike lanes".

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Horse-Hit-by-Car-Killed-Rancho-Santa-Fe-Linea-Del-Cielo-377597301.html

I just found out that the woman riding that horse is a longtime family friend of my wife's family and was the officiant of our wedding. She has spent the past few weeks hospitalized, but has finally been released and is on a "long road to recovery."

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU NOT SEE A HORSE. Why do you swerve into the bike lane after it's already crossed the road - even if the driver was completely fucking oblivious and just driving following the lines, this wouldn't have happened. I mean, she'd made it across the street. She was outside the normal traffic lanes and was in the bike lane, leaving the roadway. How is this okay?

Since I started biking and walking a lot more I've become a lot more sensitive to the fact that people do not take due care when they drive. In the past, I've seen bodies of people killed in crashes. But this is the first time someone I know has been nearly killed. I can't tell you how angry I am right now.

[Jason]

Driver is 87... have to wonder if that played a part. :/

[speedpimp]

Went for a drive on a two lane road in Michigan that is also a favorite of cyclists. Came upon two cyclists riding side by side on a very hilly section of road. Due to the rise of the road I couldn't see any oncoming traffic so I remained patient and waited until I could see any oncoming traffic before I made my pass and when I did pass them I went into the opposite lane and put as much space between myself and them as possible. They were both wearing flashing red lights(him on his hat, her on the seat). I also noticed that the lady rider had a cell phone mount on her handle bars.

[Cam]

Thank you for taking care around cyclists.

[speedpimp]

You're welcome. I drive the road every day to/from work and being careful around the cyclists is the easiest thing to do. If the people behind don't like it then fuck them. Wouldn't really be able to deal with hitting somebody on a bike if it could've been avoided.

[overpowered]

Went for a drive on a two lane road in Michigan that is also a favorite of cyclists. Came upon two cyclists riding side by side on a very hilly section of road. Due to the rise of the road I couldn't see any oncoming traffic so I remained patient and waited until I could see any oncoming traffic before I made my pass and when I did pass them I went into the opposite lane and put as much space between myself and them as possible. They were both wearing flashing red lights(him on his hat, her on the seat). I also noticed that the lady rider had a cell phone mount on her handle bars.Perfect. You didn't pass when it was unsafe and when it was safe, you passed with safe distance. Nobody could ask for more.

I often see people make the claim that cyclists are endangering them by causing them to risk a head-on collision. It's hard to imagine how someone thinks that they have to risk a head-on collision by passing when it's not safe to do so.


You're welcome. I drive the road every day to/from work and being careful around the cyclists is the easiest thing to do. If the people behind don't like it then fuck them. Wouldn't really be able to deal with hitting somebody on a bike if it could've been avoided.Indeed. It is easy. I always wonder why some people act like it's so difficult.

How much time did you actually lose to this situation? It sounds like not all that much.

[speedpimp]

Didn't lose any time at all. I was headed to a liquor store to get some beer/cold cuts/cheese.

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-tFeQHdeqU

[TheBenior]

Saw a parked late 1990s Nissan Pathfinder that was impressively knocked onto a sidewalk sideways by a drunk driver in a Buick LeSabre.

Driver had a 0.30% BAC :eek:

[overpowered]

It takes effort to get to .30.

[Drachen596]

People hit buses firetrucks with lights/sirens on and even trains....

[Freude am Fahren]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rab9EQddEHY&feature=youtu.be

[overpowered]

Story on that. Floriduh. The police caught the guy. Hopefully he does real time.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-tampa/watch-florida-highway-patrol-investigating-wild-hit-and-run-incident-in-tampa

[Jason]

Holy fuck.

[thesameguy]

The best part is that guy was driving a silver Cobalt. I had no idea one of those things could contain that much rage.

[GB]

THIS. IS. BULLSHIT.

http://www.wftv.com/traffic/incidents/fhp-tire-tread-separation-caused-titusville-crash-that-killed-4-children-/312279079

4 kids dead between the ages of 10 and 17.

11 people in a vehicle designed for an absolute maximum of 7.

Tire tread separation caused Titusville crash that killed 4 children = BullshitAn "adult" exceeding the maximum capacity and gross weight of the vehicle caused the crash.

FHP said Brown will not be charged, but she could face some traffic citations. = Bullshit
​Manslaughter.

[overpowered]

More fun from Florida. A motorcyclist splits lanes to get ahead at a red light. It sets a deranged psychopath into an epic rage and chase. 90mph on a surface road. Riding/driving on the wrong side. Swerving all over the place.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/road-rage-driver-chases-biker-wrong-lane-article-1.2589038

He's upset about an infraction and deals with it by committing multiple misdemeanors and possibly even felonies. He should lose his license forever and do jail time.

[thesameguy]

THIS. IS. BULLSHIT.

http://www.wftv.com/traffic/incidents/fhp-tire-tread-separation-caused-titusville-crash-that-killed-4-children-/312279079

4 kids dead between the ages of 10 and 17.

11 people in a vehicle designed for an absolute maximum of 7.

Tire tread separation caused Titusville crash that killed 4 children = BullshitAn "adult" exceeding the maximum capacity and gross weight of the vehicle caused the crash.

FHP said Brown will not be charged, but she could face some traffic citations. = Bullshit
​Manslaughter.

It's likely that the tires weren't overloaded. Given that some of the passengers were children, the tires should have still been well under their stated capacity. I would assume there is a good 9000-10,000lbs of weight carrying there, and a 5,000lb truck with "only" 11 people would be an average per-person weight of 450lbs. It's unlikely the vehicle was overloaded as far the tires were concerned. Of course, someone who packs 11 people into an SUV might not keep up with maintenance, so those tires could have been 10 years old, underinflated, worn out, or some combination of all three. Hell, she was probably speeding too. Definitely smacks of negligence and not a workmanship failure.

I *completely* agree that the driver should be charged with all sorts of various crimes. I just can't imagine how those charges would not be filed given the facts. That's crazy.

[Freude am Fahren]

11 people minus 7 seatbelts = 4 deaths.

[thesameguy]

I haven't done that math, but on first blush it seems accurate. Unless, of course, projectile baby breaks your neck as it sails by, then you have to carry the one or something.

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB2IC3gjq7U

[21Kid]

How are there so many batshitcrazy people in the world??? :(

[21Kid]

Driver is 87... have to wonder if that played a part. :/

Ageist!

[overpowered]

How are there so many batshitcrazy people in the world??? :(I do not know. I just know that there are a lot.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-36424635

[Tom Servo]

Another good example of how it's just too hard to communicate in a car. I was driving up to Oxnard to pick up a bunch of strawberries with Michele this past weekend. It was pretty early, so we thought we'd take PCH instead of 405 -> 101 - Google Maps predicted it'd only take 15 more minutes and would be a much more pleasant drive.

I was just about to drop down to where Malibu Seafood is, streetview here. (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.033418,-118.7329151,3a,75y,301.63h,90.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZsRLiHmb0gyYVvtBD7Ul9A!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656) My lane was pretty empty, and there were 4 cars in the left lane, with the first one just passing me. A cyclist was headed downhill on the shoulder, and up ahead were a few cars parked taking up pretty much the entire width of the shoulder.

The cars to my left were going faster and following each other pretty closely, so I wanted to let them pass before I changed lanes to the left, but I also didn't want to try to make a pass on the cyclist knowing he would soon have to merge out into the lane, so I slowed down. He was doing a good 25mph or so down the hill, it was pretty easy just to slow up and wait for my opportunity to move over. He kept glancing back and when he would, I'd flash my lights, but he kept glancing and not moving over. I slowed to his pace about 60 or so feet behind him as he got close to the cars, he looked back again, then merged over while shaking his head disapprovingly.

I really wish it'd been easier to communicate to him what I was doing - that I knew I didn't have room to pass safely, so I slowed down to let him take the lane while he needed to. Instead, now he thinks I'm a moron.

[Kchrpm]

http://www.cablesextra.com/images/megaphone.jpg

[FaultyMario]

Get one of those european-style alternating-tone horns to let cyclists know you know how they feel?

Alternatively, you could dress as a devil and run behind them... or maybe I've watched too much tele.

[Tom Servo]

We've just recently had the new train line open up. Right where it crosses Barrington in West LA, there's a side street that runs parallel to the tracks at has a light at Barrington. The light has a no right turn on red sign.

Watched a lady throw up her hands in disgust when, once again, the light didn't change for her. She was pulled so far forward that she was stopped entirely on the crosswalk, all the induction loops were behind her, so her car wasn't triggering the light. Just blocking the crosswalk, well past the sensors, throwing up her hands in rage.

I'm sure now she's going to send some nasty letter to the editor of the LA Times about how the new train line has screwed up her drive.

[Tom Servo]

Just an accident, no criminality suspected.


A man who drove with a suspended license was found to be speeding when he jumped a curb and killed a young woman on the sidewalk.

Her family is looking for answers after the driver was not charged by the district attorney.
(http://abc7ny.com/news/exclusive-family-outraged-after-driver-who-killed-daughter-not-charged/1369365/?utm_content=bufferfd811&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

[overpowered]

He didn't mean to kill anyone, so it's OK.

[novicius]

Yep sure sounds like an accident. #sarcasm #peopleareassholes

[overpowered]

Language NSFW


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bx_pv-rfOo

[FaultyMario]

Street racing a Golf (MKIII it looks like) against two newer cars.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-tn8AZ9SlA

Brakes weren't properly uprated it seems.

http://cdn.lopezdoriga.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Golf-Estado-de-m%C3%A9xico.jpg

[thesameguy]

I feel like that is not what they were going for.

[Tom Servo]

CHP says Camarillo woman distracted by phone kills 2 people, gets misdemeanor (http://abc7.com/news/chp-says-camarillo-woman-distracted-by-phone-kills-2-people-gets-misdemeanor/1378012/)

[Random]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article82529857.html



A California Highway Patrol vehicle was part of a four-car collision that resulted in the death of a Willows teenager on Tuesday, according to the CHP.
The crash occurred at 3:22 p.m. as the officer was northbound on Interstate 5 in Orland approaching a construction zone. He looked down at his computer screen while driving, which briefly distracted him, a CHP spokeswoman said. When he looked up from the screen, traffic had slowed for the construction zone. The officer immediately hit the brakes but was unable to stop in time to avoid a collision. His car slammed into the rear end of the car in front of him, causing a chain-reaction collision.

Weston Sites, 15, a passenger in the back seat of a 2013 Hyundai, the car in front of the CHP vehicle, suffered fatal injuries.


Can't wait to see how minimal of a sentence this guy gets. :|

[speedpimp]

Man plows into group of cyclists, kills five, seriously injures four (http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Deaths-reported-after-vehicle-hits-bicyclists-in-Michigan-382169211.html)

[Tom Servo]

Man plows into group of cyclists, kills five, seriously injures four (http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Deaths-reported-after-vehicle-hits-bicyclists-in-Michigan-382169211.html)

Yeah, thankfully they appear to actually be taking this one seriously, guy just got charged with 5 counts of 2nd degree murder. Hope he goes away for life.

[Tom Servo]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article82529857.html



Can't wait to see how minimal of a sentence this guy gets. :|



Sounds pretty similar to when a Sheriff was too busy futzing with his computer (and potentially texting) to not notice he drifted into a bike lane and subsequently killed Milt Olin. DA refused to file charges.

[overpowered]

Yeah, thankfully they appear to actually be taking this one seriously, guy just got charged with 5 counts of 2nd degree murder. Hope he goes away for life.Someone had called in that he was driving erratically before it happened. The police were already searching for him when it happened. Sounds like DUI. He also hit-and-run.

DUI and hit-and-run will usually get some action from police and prosecutors.

[thesameguy]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article82529857.html



Can't wait to see how minimal of a sentence this guy gets. :|



Maybe if we're lucky we'll get to sue him or the CHP.

The number of police I see fucking around with their computer or even their cell phone is unreal. There is one CHP officer I see routinely on Watt. He's easy to pick out - he's always 50' back from traffic, going 10 under the limit, barely managing to keep it pointed in the right direction while he remembers how to use his computer. I enjoy and appreciate that cops have access to computers in their cruisers, but they need to be smart enough to get off the road while using them. If they can't be responsible with their toys, we need to take them away.

[Random]

Sounds pretty similar to when a Sheriff was too busy futzing with his computer (and potentially texting) to not notice he drifted into a bike lane and subsequently killed Milt Olin. DA refused to file charges.

Santa Clara Co. sheriff crossed the center line and killed a couple bicyclists back in 2008. He, at least, got 4 months (!) in prison. Heh. Genuinely distraught in the court room according to news reports at the time, FWIW, and acknowledged that the punishment did not match the suffering caused.

[overpowered]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/driver-charged-with-murder-in-deaths-of-5-kalamazoo-cyclists/ar-AAgRxpt


"Newschannel 3 went to Pickett's home on Wednesday for comment, but the family threatened to chase us off the property with a front end loader, and followed us in a car before a brief verbal exchange took place," according to the station's website.

Another article I read said that the police were searching for him for 26 minutes before the collision due to phone calls about his erratic driving.

I also read a report that he had a DUI in Tennessee in the past.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/charlie-charles-e-pickett-jr-battle-creek-kalamazoo-bicycle-bike-crash-driver-suspect-name-victims-photos-facebook/

[Drachen596]

not sure how it is there but once the car is in motion the keyboard on the in car computers are locked out in the police cars here.

or so says the PD anyway. doesn't stop the cops from texting and calling on their cell phones though.

[Tom Servo]

I don't know the specific rules here, but I have personally seen officers at least interacting in some way with the in car laptop while the car was moving on numerous occasions.

On the plus side, I can't think of a time I saw an officer texting while driving.

[Tom Servo]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/driver-charged-with-murder-in-deaths-of-5-kalamazoo-cyclists/ar-AAgRxpt



Another article I read said that the police were searching for him for 26 minutes before the collision due to phone calls about his erratic driving.

I also read a report that he had a DUI in Tennessee in the past.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/charlie-charles-e-pickett-jr-battle-creek-kalamazoo-bicycle-bike-crash-driver-suspect-name-victims-photos-facebook/

I'm also hearing that he hasn't been taken to jail yet because he's still in the hospital for undisclosed reasons (patient confidentiality and all). Given that he was unlikely to be hurt in the crash, the assumption appears to be detox of some sort. 2nd degree murder is a greater charge than DUI, presumably that means they're confident he'd be found guilty by a jury.

[overpowered]

I'm also hearing that he hasn't been taken to jail yet because he's still in the hospital for undisclosed reasons (patient confidentiality and all). Given that he was unlikely to be hurt in the crash, the assumption appears to be detox of some sort. 2nd degree murder is a greater charge than DUI, presumably that means they're confident he'd be found guilty by a jury.We don't know what happened when the cops caught him. Maybe he, uh, fell down, yeah, fell down.

It's possible that he confessed intent, possibly in a drunken rage, as these whack jobs often feel completely justified in assaulting people.

[Tom Servo]

Man, we could only dream he confessed intent, that'd bump it to 1st degree.

Speaking of, somebody found his Facebook page. His background & his profile picture are the same, a graphic that says something like "Never dilute yourself because people can't handle you at 100 Proof" with a skull. I guess he doesn't realize that 100 proof is 50%...

EDIT: Adding Facebook Link (https://www.facebook.com/picketts.garage)

[thesameguy]

Or, maybe he really does cap out at 50%. Like most people.

[overpowered]

Man, we could only dream he confessed intent, that'd bump it to 1st degree.1st degree requires premeditation. Intent can be spontaneous; not premeditated. In fact, I think that it's likely that he confessed intent, because intent is required for 2nd degree, though they also sometimes imply intent from DUI or reckless driving.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_(United_States_law)#Degrees

[LHutton]

1st degree requires premeditation. Intent can be spontaneous; not premeditated. In fact, I think that it's likely that he confessed intent, because intent is required for 2nd degree, though they also sometimes imply intent from DUI or reckless driving.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_(United_States_law)#Degrees
This is where UK law disagrees. Intent is premeditation and there is no minimum time limit on premeditation/intent, so murder is murder.

[overpowered]

He was arraigned yesterday and denied bail. Apparently the judge thinks he's a total piece of shit as well.

http://nbc4i.com/2016/06/11/no-bond-for-driver-accused-of-hitting-9-kalamazoo-area-cyclists/

[speedpimp]

Good.

[overpowered]

Cycling on roads can make you lose faith in humanity

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/11/cycling-on-roads-dangerous-drivers-kalamazoo-michigan

[overpowered]

Today I was crossing Balboa on foot. I was going south. An old man with a little kid was crossing the same crosswalk from the other direction. We had a walk signal. A driver making right on red plowed right into them. The man's legs went under the car and the kid started to go under the car but the man pulled the kid out even as he was going down.

The driver said that they blended in with the tree. That tree is about 40 feet from the curb of the corner. No, an old man with a 4 year old is not sprinting from the tree to the corner. This map view is roughly the driver's perspective.

https://goo.gl/maps/J8DBGm28XVw

Fortunately, it doesn't look like the kid was hurt at all and the man may just have some bruising/strained muscles in his leg. It was hard to tell as he only spoke Mandarin. Amazingly, a woman who spoke Mandarin was in the parking lot and walked over and was able to translate for the cop.

[thesameguy]

Two Asians in Orange County at the same time??? Unpossible.

[overpowered]

Not Orange County. San Diego. There are a crapload of places in SoCal named after Balboa.

I only said that the woman spoke Mandarin. I didn't say she was Asian (OK, she was but she wouldn't have to be).

There are lots and lots of Asians in Orange County. Hang out in Garden Grove some time.

[Tom Servo]

That's Charger & Balboa, right? That's close to my parents' house, I used to bike through there all the time to go to Ashford Video back when renting game cartridges was a thing.

[overpowered]

Yep, well, it's Charger on the north side. It's Eckstrom or Hathaway on the south side.

The guy kept saying that they blended in with the tree that's roughly 40 feet from the curb. It is kind of amazing the rationalizations that some people cling to for their bad driving.

[Tom Servo]

It's amazing how much things blend in when you don't bother to stop at the red light before making your right turn.

[overpowered]

There was no blending. He went up to the corner, looked left, saw no cars and went. He plain and simply did not look to his right.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, that was sorta my point. If you don't take time to look, things tend not to be too visible.

[SportWagon]

Recently-designed cars do tend to have a front blind spot caused by the placement of the A pillars, which are also thicker than they used to be. I noticed it on my new Subaru Impreza, and two friends have confirmed it too (actually both with Yarises). Of course, all drivers should notice it an compensate properly.

Of course, the blind spot for left turns is more significant than for right turns...

[21Kid]

:lol:
Use common sense?
:lol:
Good one John Lennon.

[Tom Servo]

All the more reason to actually stop and take a few seconds to look around and make sure nobody's coming before going right on red. Admittedly, I didn't get from op's post that this driver didn't come to a complete stop, they may well have. I'm just referring to the multitudes I see around here who will roll through a right on red, then do the "sorry, I didn't see you!" wave after they nearly take you out when you're walking with the walk signal.

[Freude am Fahren]

Basically, it sounds to me like he's admitting he hadn't looked right since he was at least about 20 yards from the intersection.

[overpowered]

He stopped. He looked to his left (at me) but not right.

[overpowered]

He was arraigned yesterday and denied bail. Apparently the judge thinks he's a total piece of shit as well.

http://nbc4i.com/2016/06/11/no-bond-for-driver-accused-of-hitting-9-kalamazoo-area-cyclists/

More on the story, including pictures. The front of the truck is smashed up pretty badly.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/06/weekly_ride_by_kalamazoo_count.html

[21Kid]

:(:(:(:(:(

[Dicknose]

Amazing how many people don't look. Turning, they look only where they expect the main danger to them, at the traffic coming towards them.
But fail to look (or fail to see) what's in the way they are going.

That and poor looking skills...
There is a huge difference between "I didn't see anything" and "I see it's clear"

[Yw-slayer]

http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/breaking/20160617/55236940

THIS is bad driving skills/being blind. The taxi driver actually even blames the guy crossing in the audio clip.

[overpowered]

Tom McCarey of the National Motorists Association claims:

"Never mind that no red light camera, no speed camera, nor any radar gun has ever stopped one accident from occurring."

Ummm, pants-on-fire:

http://www.politifact.com/pennsylvania/statements/2016/jun/14/tom-mccarey/radar-guns-and-cameras-dont-stop-accidents-huh/

[thesameguy]

It found certain types of injury accidents, such as right angle T-bone crashes, had declined while rear-end injury crashes had increased.

Good trade.

:smh:

[overpowered]

You have to look at the big picture:


"NHTSA has never made this untrue statement at all," said NHTSA spokesman Jose Ucles. "Neither does it agree with it."

The organization has released a compendium of 13 studies looking at red light cameras and speed cameras, among other things. The studies the NHTSA regarded as the best showed a 20-to-25 percent reduction in injury crashes at sites with speed cameras. For red light camera studies, which the NHTSA did not regard as highly as the speed camera studies, there were reductions in overall crashes from 9-to-18 percent and 21-to-51 percent for injury crashes.

Modern safety equipment has also made rear end crashes less dangerous than they used to be and by a greater amount than for t-bone crashes.

[thesameguy]

1. NHTSA
2. Do I?

[overpowered]

1. If the NHTSA doesn't know, then who does? Knowing this stuff is pretty much their reason for existing.
2. You do if you want to be reasonable.

[thesameguy]

Numerous municipalities have removed traffic cameras citing no long-term change in traffic incidents or a shift from one incident type to another (eg, T-bone to rear end). They experimented with them in multiple high-incident intersections here in town and most - not all - have been removed for the same reasons they were removed in other places. They are not a magic bullet to improve driving. Sure, they work in some places under some conditions - they don't "just work." In several cases extending the yellow light provided the same results as the camera. NHSTA - who has been proven to have paid-for research in the past - found questionable speed camera results and a low-end 9% improvement for red light. That's not a huge improvement, and without seeing the study period or other study details it's impossible to determine whether the decrease was a fluke or a long-term improvement. For example, a study for a particular intersection here in Sacramento showed a dramatic lowering of incident rates initially but after a period of time incident rates returned to previous levels and then grew. That's happened in other places, and frankly I'm not going to be arsed to go looking for them right now. You can if you'd like.

Bottom line is that traffic cameras might offer some improvement, but that improvement is at best questionable and until some global law prevents the privatization of traffic law enforcement I am wholly against them. Road safety is not a for-profit business, and until the money is removed from it I don't trust camera efficacy or motivations. It's demonstrably way too sketchy.

[Freude am Fahren]

I don't see how cameras can really help T-Bones that much. Cameras really prevent people from running the light right after it turns, before a T-Bone situation is really likely. People who are going to go barreling through a red light that's been there and T-Bone someone clearly aren't paying any attention, and don't see or care about a camera.

EDIT: I just remembered something. Some places don't have the buffer time between lights. Around here, when one direction turns red, there is usually a 1-2 second delay before the next green goes.

[thesameguy]

That, specifically, is one of my hangups. There have been several instances of private companies who've installed these cameras getting light timing changed to reduce yellows and increase the likelihood of scoring a violator and screwing with directional timing to screw with statistics. What I have repeatedly seen is that increasing the yellow delay and directional delay decreases incidents to at least the same degree than a camera. I completely agree that people who still run these things are going so fast they aren't going to notice the camera or the warning about the camera. You might address that by installing cameras at all intersections so people know they're gonna get caught, but that's the slippery slope big brother situation. When Option A is just slow everything down and Option B is film it so you can prosecute and both yield similar results it's pretty hard to argue for the cameras. Downtown Sac has increased yellow times, increased directional times, and most signals now give the pedestrians green lights before vehicle traffic, ensuring that pedestrians are in control of the intersection and easily visible while are cars are still stopped. It's been successful. I think it's a superior approach - my time downtown has enjoyed far fewer close calls with cars.

[overpowered]

Shenanigans with the light timings are not acceptable. I'll agree with you there. That is a problem that is easily solved.

We have a short delay between red and opposing green as well. It helps.

[TheBenior]

In Chicago, in addition to installing red light cameras, we set the timing on yellow lights to the bare minimum allowed (3.0) seconds. This caused problems when an enterprising attorney realized that some lights were dipping below that threshold. The city blamed electrical fluctuations, but if they'd set them work safety instead of revenue in mind, it wouldn't have been an issue.

I will say that people straight up running red lights is pretty rare. In a lot of those cases, most people are fleeing a crime or drunk. Something like 90-95% of red light camera tickets are slow rolling right turns on red, which admittedly are dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists.

[Yw-slayer]

I never understood why you lot allow right turns on red. Red means stop, period...

[TheBenior]

Too expensive to embed sensors in all of our streets to change lights during low traffic periods, along with Americans being generally confused by roundabouts.

[overpowered]

I will say that people straight up running red lights is pretty rare. In a lot of those cases, most people are fleeing a crime or drunk. Something like 90-95% of red light camera tickets are slow rolling right turns on red, which admittedly are dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists.99% of the time that I see a car run a red light it is either:

1. Entering the intersection just after the light turns red -- just missing it.

2. Doing #1 from a left turn lane with a left arrow followed by several piggy back red light runners -- I saw 8 in one go the other day.

3. Rolling right on red without stopping.

It's rare that I see someone in a motor vehicle approach an intersection where the light has been red for more than a second or two and run it (except for that left turn piggyback thing which is very common). I see it sometimes but not often.

[overpowered]

I never understood why you lot allow right turns on red. Red means stop, period...You think that's dumb?

We have a law in California that says that if the 85th percentile speed of traffic on a road is higher than the speed limit, then the speed limit must be raised so that 85% of the drivers are not speeding. This leads to drivers driving faster and then the speed limit has to be raised again. We have some very high speed limits in some places that should not have high speed limits. Getting a speed limit lowered in a dangerous area is almost unpossible.

[Yw-slayer]

Too expensive to embed sensors in all of our streets to change lights during low traffic periods, along with Americans being generally confused by roundabouts.

Yeah, I guess it's far too late to install red-green "right-turn" lights now, but still.

[Random]

You think that's dumb?

We have a law in California that says that if the 85th percentile speed of traffic on a road is higher than the speed limit, then the speed limit must be raised so that 85% of the drivers are not speeding. This leads to drivers driving faster and then the speed limit has to be raised again. We have some very high speed limits in some places that should not have high speed limits. Getting a speed limit lowered in a dangerous area is almost unpossible.

It is current practice (supported by traffic data) to set speed limits near the 85th percentile, but it isn't required.

CalTrans has a whole manual devoted to the subject, if you need some bathroom or bedtime reading, appropriately called the "California Manual for Setting Speed Limits." (We don't go for exciting click-bait titles in CA gov't. ;))

[overpowered]

Actually, it's required by law:


CVC 21400
...
(b) The Department of Transportation shall revise the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, as it read on January 1, 2012, to require the Department of Transportation or a local authority to round speed limits to the nearest five miles per hour of the 85th percentile of the free-flowing traffic. However, in cases in which the speed limit needs to be rounded up to the nearest five miles per hour increment of the 85th-percentile speed, the Department of Transportation or a local authority may decide to instead round down the speed limit to the lower five miles per hour increment, but then the Department of Transportation or a local authority shall not reduce the speed limit any further for any reason.

They have the option to round down to the lower increment of 5mph but no lower. So if the 85th percentile speed is 44mph, they can do 40mph if they want but they can't do 35mph, which might make better sense on a road with lots of parallel parking and driveways.

When the CVC and a publication from the DOT are at odds, the CVC wins, even when the CVC is stupid.

[Random]

No, there are exceptions that allow them to go lower, if they satisfy certain criteria.

Example from the manual:


If the 85th percentile speed in a speed survey for a location was 37 mph, then thespeed limit would be established at 35 mph since it is the closest 5 mph incrementto the 37 mph speed. The 35 mph established speed limit can be reduced by 5 mphto 30 mph if the conditions and justification for using this lower speed limit aredocumented in the E&TS and approved by a registered Civil or Traffic Engineer.

[overpowered]

CVC is law, passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.

DOT publications are only law to the extent that the CVC and/or SHC make them so. The DOT does not have the power to overrule the legislature.

Note the last part of 21400: "the Department of Transportation or a local authority shall not reduce the speed limit any further for any reason."

Don't get me wrong, I prefer your way. 21400(b) is an idiotic law.

Of course, local officials have been known to do what they want regardless of the law, but that can lead to challenges that don't go so well.

[Tom Servo]

It is current practice (supported by traffic data) to set speed limits near the 85th percentile, but it isn't required.

CalTrans has a whole manual devoted to the subject, if you need some bathroom or bedtime reading, appropriately called the "California Manual for Setting Speed Limits." (We don't go for exciting click-bait titles in CA gov't. ;))

There was a local transportation thing here in LA, and it's being widely reported that on 75% of LA's streets, the LAPD are unable to do any speed enforcement because the 85th percentile speed study hasn't been done in the past X years.

So I'm not sure if it's the law that they have to do the 85th percentile, but apparently it is the law that they have to do it if they want to be able to do any sort of enforcement.

[George]

Speaking of turning right on red, it's also (apparently) legal, at least where I live, to turn LEFT on red if you're turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street. I see this done every day in downtown Denver since I started working there, and I remember seeing and doing it in the Carolinas a long time ago, in downtown Charlotte and/or Columbia. In my experience, this is a city thing, where there are lots of one-way streets. I can't recall ever seeing it out in the suburbs, where one-way streets are rare.

[Tom Servo]

Yep, same here, you can go left on red between two one-way streets.

[TheBenior]

You turn left on red under the same circumstances here too, though it rarely comes up. Most of our one-way to one-way turns will have stop signs instead of lights.

[FaultyMario]

I heart right on red.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, right on red is a good thing, so long as people a) actually stop, and b) look all directions. And in many heavy pedestrian traffic areas, it's prohibited. Around here they put signs on nearly all bigger intersections that say "NO RIGHT ON RED" in big letters, then under it in small letters: "when pedestrians in crosswalk" It's only reinforcing a normal law, but most people stop thinking no right on red, then see the fine print. Makes for a slightly safer situation to remind the idiots.

[overpowered]

600 Cambridge HGV drivers take attitude-changing course

http://road.cc/content/news/194153-600-cambridge-hgv-drivers-take-attitude-changing-course

[Freude am Fahren]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuDz3jSc1Wo

I always sound more angry than I really am, but this guy was really completely oblivious.

[overpowered]

Salmoning idiots:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwnFnDt0la8

[overpowered]

He was arraigned yesterday and denied bail. Apparently the judge thinks he's a total piece of shit as well.

http://nbc4i.com/2016/06/11/no-bond-for-driver-accused-of-hitting-9-kalamazoo-area-cyclists/DUI added to his charges. Apparently it was something other than alcohol:

http://wwmt.com/news/local/prosecutors-add-operating-while-intoxicated-charges-against-man-accused-in-bike-tragedy

[Tom Servo]

Police say California woman drove for almost a mile with man's body lodged in windshield, severed leg on trunk. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/28/police-calif-woman-drives-for-almost-a-mile-with-mans-body-lodged-in-windshield-severed-leg-on-trunk/)

[thesameguy]

I gotta believe shock is a factor here. Nobody - even an evil genius - would nonchalantly leave a car with a body in the windshield sitting on a street. That seems like a reaction from shock, as do the other incidents referred to in that article.

[Freude am Fahren]

Was waiting until I pulled it off my camera to post, but the file is gone/corrupted, like so many. Anyway, the other day, I was sitting at a red light, waiting to turn left. Light turns green, no arrow, so I'm waiting for the car across to go through, it just starts to clear the intersection when an SUV goes barreling through on the cross street, like the red light didn't even exist. Had the car across from me not been there, I'd probably be in a hospital or morgue. How they didn't hit anyone, I don't know.

From that, I can say, don't buy the Black Box G1 despite it being highly recommended. Lot of corrupt files (multiple cards), it melted partly from the sun, despite being parked in a garage 75% of the time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MIO2KRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Tom Servo]

I just had the same thing. Got the green light and started to go, when the car to my left suddenly slams on the brakes and lays on the horn. The road we were crossing was two lanes each way, I was already just about finished crossing the first lane when this happens. I look left and there's a car barreling through the red light, absolute no sign of slowing. I didn't hear it at all and never saw it coming. Only the guy to my left reacting caused me to look over and see it at the last second. Braked so hard I nearly fell off my bike and he went past me about a foot or so in front of me at 35mph or so.

I don't know that I've ever had one that close...still kinda shaken.

[overpowered]

Yeah. Those are scary. They've taught me to pay attention to cross traffic when I get the green.

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, normally I'm a little more cautious about that. I had a feeling the person in the right turn lane to my right was going to go straight (a fairly common occurrence here) so I was focused on them to see if they were about to cut me off from the right side or if they were actually making a right turn.

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_WUJVIlWDE

[Dicknose]

Idiot who can't ride. The motorbike should be quicker round the corners, he needs to lean the bike!
And once the pedal power has gone past, give them room, take them when it's flat.

[overpowered]

Idiot who can't ride. The motorbike should be quicker round the corners, he needs to lean the bike!
And once the pedal power has gone past, give them room, take them when it's flat.Yes and yes.

Passing in the turn, especially when you don't have the skills to keep it on the inside edge (but even if you do) is dangerous and stupid. The straight parts are the place to pass.

I sometimes wonder about motorcycles being able to corner faster on downhills. Their greater inertia is going to push them towards the outside with more force. They do have a bigger contact patch than the bicycle though so I'm not sure where the trade-off between those two is at any given speed/camber of the turn.

[Yw-slayer]

What a tool.

[Dicknose]

I sometimes wonder about motorcycles being able to corner faster on downhills. Their greater inertia is going to push them towards the outside with more force. They do have a bigger contact patch than the bicycle though so I'm not sure where the trade-off between those two is at any given stpeed/camber of the turn.
Bigger contact patch and stickier rubber
I've gone down hill on a motorbike with engine off and easily caught and passed bicycles. You can lean a lot further and carry more corner speed.
You don't see bicycle riders getting their knees down!

[overpowered]

Not all bikes weigh the same either. I'm thinking that could be a factor.

[Jason]

Yesterday morning, almost hit by a red light runner in a car.

This afternoon, had two guys, not even wearing helmets, blast through a red light/busy intersection this afternoon on their bikes, causing multiple cars (including myself), and another cyclist to come to a sudden stop. I just don't get it, it's like some of these guys are suicidal or something.

Also, this afternoon, I witnessed a Civic pass someone on the left... problem is it was one lane both ways, double yellow... and the car they passed was making a left turn. The car they passed barely stopped in time to not hit the Civic.

I might just stay inside pretty soon.

[21Kid]

I rode my bike a few days this week. And while I'm stopped at a red light, cross traffic is stopped mid-intersection, and another rider blows right past me and through the cars waiting to move forward. :smh:

[Tom Servo]

I personally think the people who pulled into an intersection they couldn't cross, thereby having to stop mid-intersection, are worse than the cyclist going through them.

[21Kid]

The light was still green for them, and they cleared it before it turned red... but yeah, usually they don't. Especially in Chicago.

[Jason]

Don't block the box!

[Tom Servo]

The light was still green for them, and they cleared it before it turned red... but yeah, usually they don't. Especially in Chicago.

That's probably the biggest cause of gridlock here in LA. People will go even when they can't clear the intersection, then remain stuck there as the light changes. I've seen intersections where that happens every single light cycle, and every single time, they are finally able to get out of the intersection just as the cross-traffic's green light is ending. Because of that, cross traffic will get like 2-3 cars through on a green light, and it just happens over and over and over again because people can't wait until they can actually cross the intersection to go. It's like the green light is this irresistible force, dragging them into an already blocked intersection.

[Tom Servo]

Man using Tesla's autopilot is killed when an oncoming big rig makes a left in front of him, and the Tesla's cameras are unable to distinguish the white trailer against the bright sky behind it. Driver apparently had a lot of trust in the autopilot while also being a tool, 8 speeding tickets in the past 6 years including a 64 in a 35. Truck driver says the Tesla was going so fast that he didn't even see it as it plowed through his trailer, and that the driver appears to have been busy watching Harry Potter on the in-car screen when it happened.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/07/01/62212/man-killed-in-tesla-autopilot-crash-had-8-speeding/

[21Kid]

I've been waiting for room to cross when driving, and had someone next to me go and cut in front of me... :mad: Then proceed to block the cross traffic. :smh:

edit: looks like it was an audio book. We've been talking about it in the Tesla thread in the open road.

[thesameguy]

That's probably the biggest cause of gridlock here in LA. People will go even when they can't clear the intersection, then remain stuck there as the light changes.

It's okay. You gotta get through that light. It really doesn't matter that you trying cuts off 20 or 30 other people. No worries. You do you!

[Tom Servo]

I've been waiting for room to cross when driving, and had someone next to me go and cut in front of me... :mad: Then proceed to block the cross traffic. :smh:

edit: looks like it was an audio book. We've been talking about it in the Tesla thread in the open road.

Oh, I know, it's part of the reason I basically don't drive during rush hour anymore. Everything became the prisoner's dilemma, and it was just too damn stressful for me.

Also, checked on the thread - noticed in the linked Jalopnik article the PD say there was a portable DVD player in the car with him, so it still sounds like watching a movie, but not on the in-car screen.

[thesameguy]

Guessing you can't use the in-car screen to watch a movie. By law they are not allowed to play media while the car is running - whether it's disabled by the handbrake or VSS or GPS it's somehow disabled. Has to be.

[overpowered]

I'm bigger than you, therefore you have to yield to my sense of self importance:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV2JBbol2To

http://mashable.com/2016/06/29/biker-merge-cut-off-revenge/#Y.eilvwm7SqQ

[overpowered]

I've dealt with worse, but they never get arrested. This guy did.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/32411922/caught-on-camera-heated-confrontation-between-driver-photographer

[Yw-slayer]

That SUV driver a tosser. If he thinks that is a proportionate response, then kneecapping him is a proportionate response.

[overpowered]

That SUV driver a tosser. If he thinks that is a proportionate response, then kneecapping him is a proportionate response.

This shows his arrest report.

http://petapixel.com/2016/07/11/man-charged-felony-assault-threatening-photographer/

[overpowered]

and he pleads not guilty....

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jul/20/man-ramona-road-rage-incident-pleads-not-guilty/

[Tom Servo]

We've had an 11,000 acre fire out here just off the 14 freeway. The smoke plume is spreading southward -- the sun was blood red today, I can see ash falling in my backyard despite being some 60 miles away, and people are being warned not to spend too much time outdoors. Hundreds of homes have had mandatory evacuations, and a wildlife preserve is presently trying to find enough volunteers with trailers to rescue their animals.

All 'cause some asshole drove his car onto dry grass, igniting it.

[Tom Servo]

Make that 22,000 acres and 18 homes. Oh, and one body found.

[neanderthal]

That fire gave me a furious headache on Saturday.
Ash came in through my vent and into my eyes.

[Tom Servo]

Make that 33,000 acres.

And yeah, me too. Even with the windows closed, it was coming in through the AC and burning my eyes.

[Kchrpm]

And people thought the Tesla Bioweapon Defense Mode was silly.

[overpowered]

Drunk driver, running a dash cam, talking on the phone, kills a cyclist, runs, while still talking on the phone and then crashes, killing himself.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/im-crashing-its-over-drink-8494687

[Yw-slayer]

Been driving the last few days here in London and Whipsnade. Haven't seen any crazy bad behaviour from drivers that OP seems to be obsessed about. But I must be imagining things given that I watch less Internet videos than he does, and even though he has never visited the UK whereas I have lived here for several years

I did see an exotic dancer truck stop near Whipsnade Zoo.

[Yw-slayer]

Cycled around London for 20 minutes just now. Everyone was pretty courteous. One guy immediately apologised for opening the door even though I was well outside the dooring zone. Then again, real life experience is NOTHING when compared to Internet videos!!

[SportWagon]

Not only did you not get any video, you didn't even put it on strava. Your cycle trip around London did not happen.

[overpowered]

Cycled around London for 20 minutes just now. Everyone was pretty courteous. One guy immediately apologised for opening the door even though I was well outside the dooring zone.That's the way it is here too. Things usually don't happen. I just ride and it's fine.

In your rush to be defensive, you never got my point.

[Yw-slayer]

That's the way it is here too. Things usually don't happen. I just ride and it's fine.

In your rush to be defensive, you never got my point.

I still don't, and I don't care. You're judging an entire country based on some internet videos. That's just out of order.

[overpowered]

You're judging an entire country based on some internet videos.I'm not. That's most of what you don't get.

[Yw-slayer]

Then explain.

[overpowered]

Just like here (and Australia and lots of other places) there are lots of crappy hostile drivers. They're a minority but they're a big problem for the people who have to deal with them.

I did not judge an entire country. I never meant it that way. You chose to interpret it that way.

[Leon]

I had a 3 series BMW jammed up my exhaust pipe flashing his headlights at me, whilst I am on a two lane highway, passing two slower cars. I saw him coming, as he did the same thing to the car that was behind me.

Once I had passed those two cars, I pulled back to the slow lane, at which stage he went blasting past.

I phoned the police. They phoned me back in 15 minutes to say that they had him pulled over, and did I want him ticketed. I asked "what was his deal?". Policeman reported that he said he was running late for work.

My reply "don't give him a ticket, just lecture him about bad driving until he is *really* late"

[Yw-slayer]

Just like here (and Australia and lots of other places) there are lots of crappy hostile drivers. They're a minority but they're a big problem for the people who have to deal with them.

I did not judge an entire country. I never meant it that way. You chose to interpret it that way.


I don't see how else I could have interpreted your previous doubts about my comments on British driver education, when you based your views on a bunch of Internet videos.

[GB]

I phoned the police. They phoned me back in 15 minutes to say that they had him pulled over, and did I want him ticketed.

In NZ, it's up to other motorists to decide whether someone is ticketed or not?

[Freude am Fahren]

I had a 3 series BMW jammed up my exhaust pipe flashing his headlights at me, whilst I am on a two lane highway, passing two slower cars. I saw him coming, as he did the same thing to the car that was behind me.

Once I had passed those two cars, I pulled back to the slow lane, at which stage he went blasting past.

I phoned the police. They phoned me back in 15 minutes to say that they had him pulled over, and did I want him ticketed. I asked "what was his deal?". Policeman reported that he said he was running late for work.

My reply "don't give him a ticket, just lecture him about bad driving until he is *really* late"

That's pretty awesome. Here, you phone the police, they wouldn't give two shits, and if they had pulled him over, no way the operator would know, nor care for your input on what to do. :lol: Maybe in a really small town.

Love your response though :up:

[21Kid]

In NZ, it's up to other motorists to decide whether someone is ticketed or not?

He's got an 'in' with the dept. ;)

[Yw-slayer]

When I've reported matters to Police about HK drivers being dicks to me when I'm on my bike, they always ask me what I'd like to do, including pressing charges. Unless the guy was being a total lunatic and was out to kill me I almost always tell them that I'm happy with a verbal warning conveying my point of view. This way I manage to send them a message and get on with my life.

[overpowered]

Here, if they didn't witness an infraction, then they can't cite anyone -- not even if they have video evidence.

They won't do anything for anything less than a misdemeanor assault here and even that's iffy.

[Tom Servo]

Definitely true here. They'll actively dissuade you from trying to even file a police report.

[overpowered]

Terror of cyclist after road rage clash with BMW driver near Richmond Park

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/terror-of-cyclist-after-road-rage-clash-with-bmw-driver-a3306861.html

[Leon]

In NZ, it's up to other motorists to decide whether someone is ticketed or not?

That was kind of strange that he asked that. Maybe they had other complaints, so they felt that there would be sufficient evidence of his driving captured on the camera's on the highway, to make it easy to take him to court, and what they were asking was going to lead to the question "Are you prepared to come in and make a statement at the station?" had I said that yes I wanted the guy ticketed.

[Tom Servo]

I took it as a weird version of "would you like to press charges?", thought that's generally unrelated to standard citations.

[Yw-slayer]

Here, if they didn't witness an infraction, then they can't cite anyone -- not even if they have video evidence.

They won't do anything for anything less than a misdemeanor assault here and even that's iffy.

:lol:

No wonder you're always so angry. If I want something taken to Court then I can almost always get it taken to Court. I just have to put in the effort and know how to do it.

Of course, a lot of it has to do with how you come across to the officer.

[Yw-slayer]

Idiot BMW driver and passengers get into a rage, what a surprise.

[overpowered]

This is a good write up by a lawyer about reporting road rage assaults against cyclists:

https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/report-card/

[Yw-slayer]

It reinforces my point that a lot of it is about how you come across to the officer.

[overpowered]

Wow.

http://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/video-shows-ohsp-officer-hit-by-car-during-stop

[Fast As Possible]

How much has bad walking been covered? I hate people who stand on the left side of escalators or just walk too slow in general.

[Yw-slayer]

Phone zombies who react aggressively when you tut or scowl at them.

[GB]

Sometimes I wish I drove some old pickup worth about $50, so I could just let all these fools hit me due to their inattentiveness, rather than me always avoiding the collision.