The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIdiot drivers. Please don't be one! Almost head-on crash at 70 mph avoided.
My oldest son and his partner are on a cross country road trip. They were in New Mexico--on a two lane highway--when they caught
this near head-on collision on my son's dashcam yesterday. He said it was the second time in an hour they'd experienced this situation.
See for yourself.
My son drives autocross for fun here in NC. Thank goodness he was skilled enough to move over to the hard shoulder
and not misjudge the width--hitting dirt--or turn too hard, too fast to the shoulder and lose control. He indicated they
were doing about 70 mph.
After watching the video several times, I noticed that the pick-up driver had a chance to drop back in--but didn't--and also
didn't have his lights on so that oncoming traffic could see him sooner.
Please, with summer coming up and people hitting the roads for vacation, be careful--and considerate--out there.
MuseRider
(34,142 posts)I have seen so much more just in the last few days. It is astonishing. In one case, on the highway 3 trucks were side by side in all 3 lanes and of course people were getting pissed. They traded back and forth and people were zooming back and forth trying to get around them. I hung back, not in a hurry...never in that much of a hurry and watched this go on. Finally the one truck in the passing lane began to pull into the center lane and before it even got all the way into the lane 6 cars and slipped passed him between the concrete wall and the truck. Another person was in line behind me and several others after a train crossed and of course it was now a bit congested getting onto the highway. The car in front of me was a little one like mine, probably had to wait until it was not too close to try to sneak out across the lane and just when she started a car from way behind me can soaring through almost hitting cars going the other way just making a lane for himself and almost getting smacked by her as she started to turn. Idiots.
One more point, when the damned light turns red do not pull into the intersection and wait for your next green blocking everyone else from being able to move. Accident when the lane to get off the highway filled up after 3 lights went this way and someone got slammed at the back of the line that was probably almost to the last off ramp.
I do not go into town much nor do I spend a lot of time driving outside of town but these 3 incidents happened on the 2 days last week when I had errands and an appointment out of town. It is a crap shoot out there some times. I am very glad your son, and everyone else, is OK.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)Don't run them. Almost everyday at busy intersections I see drivers blow through. And it's usually not a case of having no choice but to go through...they see the yellow, hit the gas, and speed through after the light changes -- sometimes WELL after the light changes.
I've come to hate being the first car in line at a light because I'm half-afraid I'm going to get knocked way into next week when my light turns green because some self-important, impatient dick couldn't be bothered to stop. I wait a few seconds, but then the people behind me get pissed because I'm not moving.
One of these days I know I'm going to be witness to a really bad T-bone.
Tailgating is another peeve of mine. I was almost rear-ended yesterday by someone: 1) going way too fast; 2) not paying attention to the slowed traffic; and 3) following me too damn closely. And if he had hit me, my car probably would have been totaled (which did happen to me about five years ago) and I badly hurt.
Drivers have just become too reckless, distracted, and selfish. BAD combination.
mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)The signals are set--at least in Chapel Hill--so that there is at least a several second delay for green to come on
after the other direction has turned red.
I was sitting in a left turn lane a couple of weeks ago when the light turned red. One guy blew through
as it went from yellow to red, then another! and finally a third car blew through when the light had been
red for some time. Crazy.
Many, many years ago, I was rear-ended in Los Angeles 3 times in 4 years. Always at a stoplight. Different
causes each time, but it got to the point I didn't want to stop at a red light. It made me nervous to be sitting
at a red light. Car was never totaled--fortunately just fender benders--but I did get a whiplash from the first
time because the guy two cars behind me pushed the car behind me into mine. It was a lot of force, even
though it wasn't great speed.
Response to MuseRider (Reply #1)
Name removed Message auto-removed
elleng
(131,458 posts)I'm off the road for a few days at least!
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,370 posts)Worried senior
(1,328 posts)we were on our way to Green Bay for cataract surgery for me.
We were in the little town on Hwy 141 not far from our house, a truck pulled into a parking lot and next thing I knew another semi was whipping around the back of the first trailer and right into our lane of traffic. My husband didn't see him at first as watching the first truck but I hollered and he managed to whip our suburban in the next lane which does run out and avoided the semi but it was a scary situation. My husband was a truck driver but he's 72 years old with artificial hips so thought he did pretty good. We were also lucky no one was next to us in the other lane.
We thought about it a few times during the day and it could have been such a different outcome.
mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)I see so many bad drivers and reckless situations every day--not to mention the drivers texting or yakking on the phone--
but at my age (65) I've never been forced on to the shoulder by someone coming at me--probably with his foot to the floor-- in my lane.
What is the matter with people that they can't handle following a line of traffic? It's just part of the deal when driving.
GeorgeGist
(25,327 posts)A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)He, however, was in his lane. The other guy who was passing, was NOT in his lane and forced oncoming traffic to the shoulder.
This is the son (29) who loves cars. Always has, always will. He teaches novice class
for his autocross car club.
When he was in Europe a couple of years ago, I suspect the highlight of his trip was to drive
the Nürburgring track outside Frankfurt. I didn't want to know how fast he drove on the autobahn
(but overheard him mention 124 to someone).
Yes, doing 78 on a road that was probably posted 60--or maybe 55--possibly 65? was too fast,
but at least he didn't force someone off the road with reckless passing.
Taitertots
(7,745 posts)The window of safe passage is greatly reduced when the other person is almost 15 over (maybe as much as 20+mph over) the speed limit.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)ailsagirl
(22,912 posts)Had I my druthers, I'd never get into another car (impossible, I know)
I'm glad a collision was averted!!
mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)The person you hear say "holy shit" is the passenger, his partner!
ailsagirl
(22,912 posts)BTW, that's some video you posted!!!!!
Major Nikon
(36,828 posts)Sometimes it's fun to travel on them if you're not in a hurry, but it's not a bad idea to avoid them if you can.
Tobin S.
(10,418 posts)That is actually more common than you might think and is probably the biggest cause of accidents on two lane highways not counting weather related ones.
mainer
(12,038 posts)your son was very calm and good for him.
mainer
(12,038 posts)Would be nice to see it and post it.
mainer
(12,038 posts)To publicly expose and shame them.
whistler162
(11,155 posts)mainer
(12,038 posts)yourpicturehere
(54 posts)I-24 from KY to TN is NUTS. The speed limit is 50 or 100, depending on which lane you are in.
We were headed east and I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a little pointy black car racing a little pointy red car, one in each EB lane. I knew the little red car behind me wasn't going to make it and since I drive a full-sized van, there wouldn't be much left. I pulled over to the emergency lane just as the LRC reached me. He zoomed on by. He is lucky that I wasn't some redneck that wanted to see the collision.
Driving requires maturity and more than a little psychic ability.
mnhtnbb
(31,428 posts)a big black pickup truck and a white Porsche racing each other last fall not far from Winston-Salem.
There were 3 lanes. I moved over to the right lane and those two zoomed past doing, I would guess, 100 mph.
I've always told people there is no such thing as a speed limit in NC and that was the ultimate proof of it.
Crazy. Just crazy.
lindysalsagal
(20,805 posts)I've spent hours waiting to get past the accident only to find out that we never even had to slow down.
a kennedy
(29,796 posts)sorry for yelling.....that old saying "speed kills" comes to mind. Love the state of Wisconsin....raises the speed limit to 70 MPH and then wonder why there are more deadly accidents. Ah yeah..... Just slow down.