New fad?

[LACityFFengineCo287]

Is it just me, or in the last month, people have been driving worse than ever? Is it now cool to suck at driving? I saw a car almost smash into the back of a tow truck and almost kill 3 people. the tow truck was stopped, with 3 people outside. The car got within inches of smashing into the tow truck going at least 80-90 mph in the left hand side emergency lane. That was probably the most heart stopping moment of my life right there.

[hunter42]

Around here, people can't drive in general.

Block box junctions, drive through red lights (a Council trait), never use indicators, drive way too fast/slow, park on the corners of junctions, use bus lanes when they're not suppose to, tailgating, so on and so forth.

That tow truck incident sounds frightening. I wouldn't be surprised if the driver had been phoning/texting at the time.

[LACityFFengineCo287]

lol, it's crazy. They do that here too. What ever happened to cops?

[firefighter111]

I was just talking about that with a crew I rode with on Saturday night. Also, seems like more people are trying to beat the yellow light even when they can't, and end up blowing the red.

[usmc123]

Is it just me, or in the last month, people have been driving worse than ever? Is it now cool to suck at driving? I saw a car almost smash into the back of a tow truck and almost kill 3 people. the tow truck was stopped, with 3 people outside. The car got within inches of smashing into the tow truck going at least 80-90 mph in the left hand side emergency lane. That was probably the most heart stopping moment of my life right there.

Nothing new. People don't realize that driving is dangerous and should be taken seriously...especially women.

[Grim_Wizard]

Wow you know what... you're right...

But still I have to say the most heart stopping moment of my life is when we fought over who was going to buy food over ERT or MSN or whatever. XD

[Newfoundking]

Personally, I find drivers suck everywhere. Some people get their licence, and assume the ideal, that that was the last time they'll ever be tested, which as long as you don't lose your licence is true. People go downhill. I'll admit it, even I do. When I first got my licence, I started going what was a reasonably safe speed, even though it was over the limit, I wouldn't always stop completely at stop signs (ie if there is nothing coming in either direction, why dance around the tree) and I probably do a few other things I don't take notice of. Mind you, I'm still a great driver, and I could probably go pass another 60 road tests perfectly, but the thing is people STOP caring once they aren't forced to.

Thing is, most people are like me, it's the few that take it to the utmost extreme on either end. The totally careless, and the overcareful... I was coming home from work today, there was an old lady driving on the cross town, in which the limit is 70, but the traffic flow is usually 80 on nice days. She was travelling 30. I dont know why, but she should not have been on the road, someone may very well die because of that. On the converse, people oare careless and wreckless, and raged. Some guy doing 80 in a residential zone flew down, forced me off the road, then got out the car and swore his head off at me. Like the good citizen I am, I told him to F himself, waited for him to drive off, wrote down his make.model,plate and sent it to my good buddies at the RNC (he was arrested for raod rage, wreckless driving, and endangerment with a motor vehicle) Basically, you have both sides of the spectrum of bad out there, and it's impossible to stop them. When out in a cop car, everyone is suddenly a much better driver, trust me, I know.

It sucks, but that's the way the world is. We all have our moments, and sometimes, what you might think is completely idiotic, you've more than likely done yourself. Long story short, no one is a perfect driver, we all have errors, just some people gave up caring for the reason that they aren't required to do it to maintain their licence, they're just required not to get caught.

*please note, speeds are in kmh not mph, we're not that baad in NL

[Grim_Wizard]

Actually a long time ago when I had an after school job, I usually hitched a ride with a coworker my age. One day we were going down and some song came on and this idiot stared to "Raise the roof" with his eyes closed, and didn't notice we were about to hit a road crew. We both realised what was going on and we just swerved the car into the forest. And I never went on a ride with him ever again.

[MikeyPI]

It's only because people are not taught to sext while driving properly, I play rainbow six while driving down the road all the time, life is far too short to worry about such things as driving responsibly, now where is my mouse at so I can go back to slaughtering baddies?

[njboy13]

I thought this started when people driving oversized SUVs began using a cell phone while driving.

[Newfoundking]

No, don't blame technology, it's the idiots with it. This all started when cars were given to anyone that could pretend to drive them

[MikeyPI]

Yerp, Crappy drivers go back to before there were really laws enforcing the horseless carriages, even back then morons were operating them poorly at best. Difference was back then the price for a small fender bender was commonly your life. Today with the "Safer" cars, people tend to feel more comfortable/confident in not only their skill but the tolerance for an error, what if I crash into something at 20mph? Generally probrably not going to be fatal (to me anyway)... Back in the day, no safety and no measures to even try to be, so 20mph did indeed kill many a twit off.

[Newfoundking]

Tell me again why we inhibited natural selection?> Population problems wouldn't exist and the IQ average would be about 140

[MikeyPI]

=-( because then you wouldnt have me <3

[Xplorer4x4]

Yerp, Crappy drivers go back to before there were really laws enforcing the horseless carriages, even back then morons were operating them poorly at best. Difference was back then the price for a small fender bender was commonly your life. Today with the "Safer" cars, people tend to feel more comfortable/confident in not only their skill but the tolerance for an error, what if I crash into something at 20mph? Generally probrably not going to be fatal (to me anyway)... Back in the day, no safety and no measures to even try to be, so 20mph did indeed kill many a twit off.

Well not just that but lets keep in mind there were far far less drivers on the road at that time to.

None the less, I have to agree. I was in an MVA 6 months ago where a woman ran a red light. No it didnt just change red, it was solid red and had been...my guess is she was trying to hot shot the light and catch it as soon as it turned green. Guess what...she was driving on a suspended license!

Even better...my buddy lives in an apt complex across the street and can see the parking lot of my building from there. He calls and says theres 2 cop cars outside. I open the blinds and the cop shines his spotlight up in my eyes. So there just sitting there, and I go out on the balcony to have a smoke and see whats going on. Well all the sudden I hear CHIRP! And see one of those sporty Mazda station wagons backing out of a parking spot at the very end of the parking lot across the median. CHIIIRP. They floor it peeling out again, keep in mind there about 30 yards from 2 cop cars. They floor it through the parking lot and hang a left, now they have to drive through about a 100 yards or more of parking lot to get to the main entrance which sits on a very busy road in a 45 mph zone. CHIIIIRP. VROOOOOOM. Cop floors it and chases them down while the other unit turns around. VROOOOOOM. The second cop mashes the gas to join the chase. The Mazda didnt make it out of the parking lot lol.

And better yet, my girlfriend and I walk out of the bank across the street to hear a Federal Q screaming away. So we never see them come past so this tells me its Quint 9, and that tells me they likley turned in to my apt complex. We walk the long way back to our apt to see whats going on, but we assumed it was just a medical run. Get around the corner to where we can see 9s, but it wasnt just 9s a cop was on scene. 9s was parked by a dumpster and considering there has been 3 dumpster fires in about 2 years living hear, I assume it is yet another dumpster fire. Well as we walk more, we see there is now a jeep Cherokee sitting in the grass court yard and it has hit a fence. Not just a property fence, no it is the fence bordering the pool. It turns out that the guy had turned in the main entrance, and as soon as you do, you have to make a left turn or right turn. He pulls in, stops to let 2 maintenance workers in a golf cart(the staff use golf carts because its a big property) go by, and waves at them to go. So they do, but not before he hits the gas and drive straight crossing about 50 yards of grass and hopping a curb before coming to a rest after hitting the poll fence.

Last but not least, there was sadly a fatal accident here last night. A semi was turning on to US Highway 41 near the State Police Post. The intersection is only a 2 way stop for traffic crossing the highway. A Cadillac failed to see the Semi and managed to run in to the trailer and become lodged under neath. By standers tried to rescue the victim but were unable to do so, I assume, due to the Caddy catching on fire.

So yeah it seems any idiot can get a license today. Sorry for the long rant.

[Grim_Wizard]

Let's all drive smart cars too.

[TacticalRooster22]

WOW... Drivers here are usually pretty good, except for the 20 year old women smoking, putting on makeup, and talking on their phone at the same time! The cops here are usually pretty good though, as we one time got pulled over for going through a yellow when it ust turned yellow. But seriously, people should pay more attention to the road and especially how fast they're going, because there are always those people that do 35 on a 45 mph road. It gets annoying.

[Xplorer4x4]

because there are always those people that do 35 on a 45 mph road. It gets annoying.

Tell me about it. My apt complex is on a major road leading out of town and about 1 mile south of the complex the road goes from a 30mph zone in city to a more deescalate stretch of road and raises to 45, at night its not a problem because its easy enough to pass usually but during rush hour its to busy to get passed everyone and get up to speed. I suppose it doesnt help the 2 signs saying 45 mph are hidden, well ones is hidden the other is just in a congested area where you dont have alot of time to notice it.

[njboy13]

Yeah, I often have to take this on highway, it's two lanes each direction, with buildings on the sides and in between the two direction of travel. That road has many accidents to begin with, but plenty of them have been from people just driving to slow on it, or entering the road to slow (and not paying attention) and as a result having another car plow into the back of them. In addition to what I said earlier, it can also sometimes be the cautious ones that are the dangerous ones.

[Grim_Wizard]

Tell me about it. My apt complex is on a major road leading out of town and about 1 mile south of the complex the road goes from a 30mph zone in city to a more deescalate stretch of road and raises to 45, at night its not a problem because its easy enough to pass usually but during rush hour its to busy to get passed everyone and get up to speed. I suppose it doesnt help the 2 signs saying 45 mph are hidden, well ones is hidden the other is just in a congested area where you dont have alot of time to notice it.

I can't speed otherwise my sister will pull me over

[MikeyPI]

Depressingly, most people adopt the "I have right of way" mentality and forget it's your duty to avoid said accidents regardless of the situation... Many a times even with my lights on people refuse to move b/c my vehicle(s) are not common emergency vehicles, they assume it isnt just as valid as if it had POLICE on the side of it.... But none the less I drive AROUND them, its the same method sometimes required to address slow drivers, i've had to hit the median strip to avoid ramming people because of rate of closure being too great.

[Grim_Wizard]

What are you driving? An Ambo/SUV or Tow Truck?

[MikeyPI]

Unmarked SUV.

[Hex]

i see things like that happen a lot like people not moving out of the way for ambulances and fire trucks since there not police.

The first snow was last night here and the roads are covered so i think I am just going to stay home all day.

[MikeyPI]

Mine looks like police with the ever so typical Red/Blue combo, but the Yukon Denali XL isnt really common as a police car, nor is the Trans Am, so either way people think they are fakes, not legitimate emergency vehicles, so they block me.