Idiot behind the wheel

[Harmon]

Just reading Vraille Darkfang's thread on “When the Universe tries to tell you something, you should listen” and thought of this-

I use to drive like a wacko, and then I (surprise) got a ticket (one in fifteen years, not bad) and went to driving school. The teacher had speeds on one side of the board, distances to a location in the middle of the board, and stopping distances on the far side. Sitting there bored while he talked I started figuring out what the numbers were while he blathered on about other things, and I thought- “what the hell am I doing?” Driving 35 mph in a 25 zone to go a distance of 1 mile, “what did I save a second?” (Not what I was busted for, but it was something I had just done to get to the class.)

When I realized that tail gating was just costing me gas (cause your speed is dictated by the guy ahead of you, back off an you can coast up to him when he applies his breask just a bit), speeding up to a green light that was green a quarter mile away was a waste cause it was gonna change before I got there, I knew what I would do. Stop being the moron behind the wheel (leave that for when I wasn’t behind the wheel).

I slowed down to the speed limit or the speed of the traffic around me, stopped sitting on people’s tails, stopped using my finger as a signal, and I started to relax behind the wheel. My gas consumption went way down (mileage on my vehicle jumped about 3 mpg above sticker listed), and I was feeling better about myself and other drivers.

Thank you, and have a great day

 

[Angel Tarragon]

My dad used to be an idiot behind the wheel too. He got pulled over many times and never got a ticket, just a verbal warning. At one point he did something really stupid, and my mom told that if he ever drove like a maniac again, we'd get out of the car and get a taxi home. It was after that incident that he stopped driving like a crazy man.

 

[Merkuri]

I had a friend who drove like a maniac to the point where I was afraid to get in the car with him. I was told that he got into two accidents in the span of something like a month, the first he admitted was his fault but the second was when a motorcycle ran a red light. He said he didn't want to talk about what happened at the second accident, but he was sent back to driver retraining after that and became a whole new person in regards to his driving attitudes.

I never pressed him on it, but before he went to retraining he was the type of person who would yell angrily when the light turned green if the line of cars at the light didn't jump forward immediately. Personally, I always wait a moment before moving if I'm first when the light turns green, because 4 out of 5 times someone will decide to sneak through the early red. I have a feeling my friend was first in line in this case when the light turned and he impatiently gunned it as soon as the color changed, not seeing the motorcycle trying to sneak through. Motorcycle versus car accidents are never pretty, and I hate to imagine what he did to the motorcyclist if that accident prompted him to get sent back to driver retraining when technically it was not his fault.

My father always taught me that your car is a weapon. Something that big moving that fast can very easily kill a human being, and anything capable of causing death should be treated with the utmost respect. Driving like a maniac is like spinning a loaded gun around on your finger in a room full of children to show how "cool" you are.

 

[Harmon]

Little something I need some help with.

In '93 my father was diagnosised with ALS, course being him he couldn't just go with normal ALS. He's still up and about, fishing, traveling, and such. However, he has some nerve issues; he has no reaction time.

My Mom's BF and Dad are best friends, the two of them were making a dump run when three deer bounced out in front of the truck, two made it across the road. Mom's BF is saying- "deer, ahead!" (said it three times). Dad claims that the deer jumped out infront of the truck, and there was no time to stop. More then likely the truth is that my Dad couldn't move his foot from the gas to the break fast enough to even slow down.

The sad thing is he never got his foot off the gas, never slowed, never changed his path, and he feels bad about it.

He gets really POed when anyone says anything about him continuing to drive, cause its the last thing he can do that makes him still able to be out on his own.

Pride is one of those Sins, and its his number one Sin. I have spoken to California and they don't have a license on record for him which means he's still got his Idaho licence, unfortunately Idaho-ians hate us Californian and won't listen.

Can anyone find something on reporting unsafe drivers for me in Idaho, cause my Google fu ante all that mighty. I just want him to have to take the driving test again, that is all.

Thanks.

 

[nerfherder]

It always amazes me when I see tailgaiting in a line of traffic. I can drive along for miles never touching my brake, leaving a 2-3 second gap to the car in front, who I see braking and accelerating alternately in order to keep within a car's length of the vehicle in front of him. Madness!

 

[frankthedm]

It always amazes me when I see tailgaiting in a line of traffic. I can drive along for miles never touching my brake, leaving a 2-3 second gap to the car in front, who I see braking and accelerating alternately in order to keep within a car's length of the vehicle in front of him. Madness!

It is not madness, you do that to subtly encourage the person in front of you to get out of the way or speed up and to make sure no one can squeeze in front of you. Some think doing that is being an ass, but few things are as enraging as missing a green/yellow light by a few seconds because someone being a slave to the artificially low speed limits.

 

[megamania]

Driving is not an easy thing. In theory...there are about 60 things to be considered a second when driving. (yeah I know....I had the same reaction to the DE teacher when he said this) Looking ahead, to each side, into the distance and behind you then multiply it by questions like: Is there anyone there? Safe distance? Speeding? See you? weather a factor? Externals a factor and so on and yeah.... if we could think that fast there are at least 60 things a second to consider.


Best thing- drive defensively. Mininum of 4 car lengths or count of four. (use roadside markers. When they pass it and you reach it should be a count of 4 or more.)


I am an ex-law enforment officer. The crap I have seen sickens me. (baby shoe full of blood as an example).

The one poster said to consider the car like a weapon. It can be. Be careful.

 

[nerfherder]

It is not madness, you do that to subtly encourage the person in front of you to get out of the way or speed up and to make sure no one can squeeze in front of you. Some think doing that is being an ass, but few things are as enraging as missing a green/yellow light by a few seconds because someone being a slave to the artificially low speed limits.

Oh I think being rear-ended by someone driving too close to react to you braking to avoid an incident in front of you would be more enraging.

 

[Aeolius]

It is not madness, ...e way or speed up and to make sure no one can squeeze in front of you.

Odd. The only reaction I have to tailgaters is to drop my speed to 5-10 mph under the speed limit, then I start jamming on the brakes until they back off. I have been known to come to a complete stop in the road, just to annoy the tailgater behind me.

Mind you, tailgaters aren't as bad as those idiots who speed in school zones. I'll cut in front of those folks every time, to keep them from speeding.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Odd. The only reaction I have to tailgaters is to drop my speed to 5-10 mph under the speed limit, then I start jamming on the brakes until they back off. I have been known to come to a complete stop in the road, just to annoy the tailgater behind me.

I've done that... or slow way down and turn on my emergency flashers.

It is not madness, you do that to subtly encourage the person in front of you to get out of the way or speed up and to make sure no one can squeeze in front of you. Some think doing that is being an ass, but few things are as enraging as missing a green/yellow light by a few seconds because someone being a slave to the artificially low speed limits.

Honestly, if wherever you are going is so important that you are enraged by missing the light by 3 seconds, then you should have left the house earlier. Then driving safely wouldn't be so enraging for you.

If some kid or dog runs out in front of my car, I want to be able to stop without someone rear-ending my car and shoving me into whatever I was trying to avoid, thank you. (Has happened to me.)