Posted on 05/21/2017 10:58:14 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Please stop, I silently beg the three drivers heading down the on ramp to Interstate 70 from Washington Avenue. I’m driving parallel to them at 55 mph with a line of traffic behind me. I have my turn signal on signifying that I’m getting off at the exit just west of that on ramp. I cannot slam on my brakes and stop on the highway to allow these drivers to merge into my lane.
Yet they keep coming down the ramp toward me. Fear has crept into my throat and I cannot scream if I wanted to. Don’t they understand what it means to yield when there is traffic in their path? I do the only thing I can. I lay on my horn, gun the engine and try to outrun them before I get hit. It worked, this time.
By the time I have exited the interstate my knees have turned to jelly. I vow never to take that route again, but why should I have to avoid it when it’s a matter of others obeying the traffic signs?
Some states have done away with the triangular yield signs. My guess it’s because no one obeys them anyway. I see plenty of public service announcements about impaired driving, texting and distracted driving. I see nothing to remind the driving public of those laws they were supposed to have learned when taking their drivers’ tests.
Many drivers do not move over when they see a police cruiser with flashing lights on the side of the road. If it’s not possible to move over, you can certainly lift your foot from the accelerator just a bit. I wouldn’t want to be a police officer walking up to a vehicle on the side of the road with traffic whizzing by at 70 miles per hour. That’s only one danger. That officer has to worry about who is in the vehicle and whether they are armed. Give them a break and let them focus on that and not have to worry about whether you are going to run them down because you aren’t paying attention.
I still see people driving with their cellphones perched on their steering wheels. I was behind a young woman whose vehicle was weaving into the other lane on W.Va. 88 in Oglebay because she was texting while driving. Only several horn blows made her pull into the correct lane again. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait until you can safely pull to the side of the road to text.
And for all the out-of-town drivers, let me give you a little hint about driving in downtown Wheeling. We have several one-way streets including portions of Main and Market streets. If you want to turn left onto either portion of those streets that are one-way, guess what? You can turn left on red as long as the coast is clear. That means paying attention to pedestrians and bicycle riders who might be using the same streets.
Right now it’s not easy driving anywhere around the valley because of all the utility and construction projects going on. That just means we all need to be even more vigilant when we get behind the wheel. All that inconvenience now will lead to progress down the road in the form of better sewer and power lines. Stay safe.
“I don’t let people in if I can help it.”
You say that as though you think it’s okay.
You say that as though you think it’s okay.
Fact is, sometimes it is “ok”. I’m mostly talking about cars that are just trying to jump ahead of the line and are looking for a “nice guy” to let them in. As I said earlier, I’m an “assertive” driver. I’m a nice guy when people want to just get into traffic. When someone tries to use a gap between trucks in the right lane to pass three or four of us in the passing lane, I don’t let them in. They can take their place in the line and get past the trucks like the rest of us.
One of the things I love about rural driving is that stop signs are really yield signs. Keep in mind I’m talking about the ones where you have good visibility in all directions and stopping is only a lemming activity. I’ve not passed a cop on most of these roads in the 6 years I’ve commuted here.
I can’t tell you how refreshing it is compared to the 41 years I drove in the Seattle area with a cop around every corner and speed limits typically 20 mph slower than they should be.
That said, the REAL enforcers out here are deer. And they can be very unforgiving.
“When someone tries to use a gap between trucks in the right lane to pass three or four of us in the passing lane, I don’t let them in.”
I hate those stupid, rude, entitled half-wits too. However, if you successfully prevent them from merging, it seems not unlikely that it will further frustrate them, and possibly cause them to do something even stupider that will kill somebody.
Given that the goal is zero accidents, it seems to me that letting the mentally defective crumb-bums in might provide the greatest safety for the greatest number.
Of course, there are other ways to look at it.
I don’t know about your area, but around here, assuming there are 3 lanes, the center lane is the slow one, the right lane is a passing lane, and the left lane is for the 100+ crowd (and I’m not referring to their age).
100% agree with all you said!
I get where you are coming from on that, but I see that as appeasement. And when you give the bullies your lunch money, they only up the ante. I fight back. Always have. Thing is, I don’t consider it all that dangerous. It might scuff up my car and all, but none of this stuff is at high speed.
But I now carry in my car.
That’s pretty funny. One of the reasons I love three lanes is that the far right lane is my secret weapon. It is common for people to bunch up to the left, leaving the right lane wide open. When you drive a certain stretch daily, you know exactly where it tends to occur.
Regarding those Type A’s though ... I am one, although I channel it differently on the road . So for example if I’m following cars (at the proper distance) in the middle lane and I see a line of cars behind me getting ready to use an open right lane as a passing lane then especially if it’s just before an upcoming entrance ramp, I’ll get well ahead of them into the right lane near the middle of a group of cars in the middle lane and then gradually slow down to 10 miles below the speed limit!
That results in cars moving over to the left lane where they should be if they want to drive that way and leaving the right lane unobstructed for anyone wanting to merge in - so that’s just one example of how I’m a Type A proper-driving enforcer on the road.
The problem with what you describe (even putting aside any discussion of propreity) is that you’re putting yourself in danger if you’re doing 60 or more mph and you’re leaving such a small space between you and the car in front of you - this is how multi-car accidents occur when the lead car hits a deer or has some other reason to stop suddenly.
“Speed limits are only a strongly worded suggestion.”
My buddy has a funny saying similar to this. He says that stop signs in malls aren’t real stop signs, they are just friendly suggestions.
“Speed limits are only a strongly worded suggestion.”
My buddy has a funny saying similar to this. He says that stop signs in malls aren’t real stop signs, they are just friendly suggestions.
“Here in the DC area there are two problems.”
...maybe another problem is the influx of new residents every 4 to 8 years...:)
+1
The problem with what you describe (even putting aside any discussion of propreity) is that you’re putting yourself in danger if you’re doing 60 or more mph and you’re leaving such a small space between you and the car in front of you - this is how multi-car accidents occur when the lead car hits a deer or has some other reason to stop suddenly.
If I can’t see through the car in front of me to what is ahead of them effectively, I never do it. It’s also kinda fun and keeps me on my toes. It’s only resulted in an accident once, and that was in 1977. I’ve put well over a million miles under me since then. It’s become my driving style.
The biggest problem I have is when I drive “boring”, it puts me to sleep. That is, I make mistakes. Call me an Adrenalin junkie or whatever, but to stay focused on my driving I need to be taxing my skills, or I get way too complacent and stop paying attention.
BTW, I got excellent dash cam footage in my FR-S of me missing a deer at 67 MPH that came literally within inches of my front driver-side corner. It darted out from the left and I did a quick wheel jerk to miss it. It was enough, apparently...
For fun I like to watch those crash compilations on youtube. They are very instructional.
The problem with what you describe (even putting aside any discussion of propreity) is that you’re putting yourself in danger if you’re doing 60 or more mph and you’re leaving such a small space between you and the car in front of you - this is how multi-car accidents occur when the lead car hits a deer or has some other reason to stop suddenly.
If I can’t see through the car in front of me to what is ahead of them effectively, I never do it. It’s also kinda fun and keeps me on my toes. It’s only resulted in an accident once, and that was in 1977. I’ve put well over a million miles under me since then. It’s become my driving style.
The biggest problem I have is when I drive “boring”, it puts me to sleep. That is, I make mistakes. Call me an Adrenalin junkie or whatever, but to stay focused on my driving I need to be taxing my skills, or I get way too complacent and stop paying attention.
BTW, I got excellent dash cam footage in my FR-S of me missing a deer at 67 MPH that came literally within inches of my front driver-side corner. It darted out from the left and I did a quick wheel jerk to miss it. It was enough, apparently...
For fun I like to watch those crash compilations on youtube. They are very instructional.
Your friend is basically correct.
http://blog.timesunion.com/gettingthere/police-cant-enforce-most-parking-lot-stop-signs/1133/
There’s a shopping area near me that has stop signs and a smaller sign that reads “Please stop” are 3-4 pedestrian crossing areas within about 200 feet.
I’ve always maintained that they hold no legal prerogative and I always slowly roll through them. They are just there to alert drivers of pedestrians, as if they didn’t know they were in a parking lot.
The family that owns the chain of grocery stores is pretty powerful in our county and I’m guessing the presence of the signs is a hill the police don’t want to die on.
You mean like using the center turn lane to actually drive several hundreds of yards in instead of using them as a turn lane i.e. pull into and stop then turn.
Looks like a bad interchange to me. Not sure what the solution is since I don't live there. My original solution was to find a different route. Another solution might be to travel a bit earlier or later when traffic isn't so bad. Government agencies aren't going to solve her complaint any time soon.
That sounds reasonable, and I’m with you about driving boring, as you can tell if you read my post about using my car to close gaps on the right lane to enforce its use as a slow lane!
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