The world almost won today [also: why I don't put a lot of stock in having nice things]

[MerlintheMad]

Merlinmad (hopefully) knows I respect them, it's all in good fun.

It's also possible my interpretation of what they posted wasn't quite how they meant it, which is fairly common on forums/social media.

Yes, you are mistaking my use of "keep moving". Always be where people expect you to be. But be overt about it where possible in heavy traffic. None of this is much of an issue when we have plenty of room

 

[namja]

Yes, you are mistaking my use of "keep moving". Always be where people expect you to be. But be overt about it where possible in heavy traffic. None of this is much of an issue when we have plenty of room

or treat everyone on the road like they're driving an 18-wheeler?

 

[Deviate]

lmfao the drama and trolling! too funny!!

no but in all seriousness there are way too many low IQ and distracted drivers on the roads... people busy eating something, putting on makeup, taking selfies, or screaming at their kids in the back... or under the influence... lmfao... what a shame...

The snowbirds man let me tell ya...Hahaha!

 

[stoopid]

no but in all seriousness there are way too many low IQ and distracted drivers on the roads... people busy eating something, putting on makeup, taking selfies, or screaming at their kids in the back... or under the influence... lmfao... what a shame...

Truth, especially here in a notorious 'party' town.

A few months after moving here, on Christmas eve 2018 my GF left to bring the dog to one of the nearby parks and had a drunk/impaired driver pull right in front of her. And yes, she has a dashcam and yes this person went to jail and yes there was a large settlement years later. She had a concussion and some other random aches/pains for a few months after. Dog was, miraculously, unfazed by the accident. This was at about 35MPH, the front of the car was smashed in and totaled.

Another plug for dashcams of course. This video made her settlement a guarantee as there was zero doubt of fault/the details of the accident.

[warning, this video is disturbing!!!!]

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

The snowbirds man let me tell ya...Hahaha!

hahaha absolutely!!!

Truth, especially here in a notorious 'party' town.

A few months after moving here, on Christmas eve 2018 my GF left to bring the dog to one of the nearby parks and had a drunk/impaired driver pull right in front of her. And yes, she has a dashcam and yes this person went to jail and yes there was a large settlement years later. She had a concussion and some other random aches/pains for a few months after. Dog was, miraculously, unfazed by the accident. This was at about 35MPH, the front of the car was smashed in and totaled.

Another plug for dashcams of course. This video made her settlement a guarantee as there was zero doubt of fault/the details of the accident.

[warning, this video is disturbing!!!!]

My God that video made my heart sink... that's terrible... I am so glad your gf and doggy were okay afterwards! People are so backwards careless and dumb it's terrible...

Well I think you convinced me to start looking up where to buy a dashcam and how to install it... rather be safe than sorry... I should probably have one recording the front of the car out the driver's windshield and one recording what's behind the car?

 

[Aarvix]

To quote Tom Segura: "Some people suck".

Not gonna armchair quarterback this situation, you did well to prevent the outcome from being much worse.

The moral of the story is:
Assume every car near you is going to jump into your lane and be prepared for it (especially if the car's "body language" indicates they're about to do something stupid)

 

[MerlintheMad]

Truth, especially here in a notorious 'party' town.

A few months after moving here, on Christmas eve 2018 my GF left to bring the dog to one of the nearby parks and had a drunk/impaired driver pull right in front of her. And yes, she has a dashcam and yes this person went to jail and yes there was a large settlement years later. She had a concussion and some other random aches/pains for a few months after. Dog was, miraculously, unfazed by the accident. This was at about 35MPH, the front of the car was smashed in and totaled.

Another plug for dashcams of course. This video made her settlement a guarantee as there was zero doubt of fault/the details of the accident.

[warning, this video is disturbing!!!!]

That's inarguable, even without a dashcam. But a dashcam would make the case go faster, no doubt.

Last year, the one posted here, involving a Stinger, that really made me angry was the dweeb who drifted across the line and went head on into the Stinger that was just sitting to turn left. Man and woman staggered out of the Stinger; the ultra idiot who did the crashing, popped up out of his opened door as if to say, Waaaaat!??? He was more than likely multitasking on a cellphone.

 

[stoopid]

That's inarguable, even without a dashcam. But a dashcam would make the case go faster, no doubt.

Back in NY, on two separate occasions within a year's time I hit something in the road, the first was minor and didn't end up placing a claim but the second caused $2800 in cosmetic damage, which I got covered under comprehensive since it was more-less an act of god (not a collision). The dashcam footage saved me $150 difference in deductible, the insurance company tried to put this through as a collision claim because I was moving/driving. This one claim saved me the cost of the three cheap dashcams I've owned in the past 10 years.

A year after that someone came in like this idiot from the right, except they were directly next to me so I didn't know it until after he took off my passenger side mirror. Dashcam from that ensured my claim was 100% covered, as he lied roadside to the cop only to have the cop review the footage on the spot, assessing him a ticket.

Without footage, there's always going to be some doubt. It's a bulletproof witness. If an insurance claim goes to arbitration they can award fault as a percentage. Having video evidence makes it clear who should carry most, if not all, of the fault. It's invaluable.

 

[stoopid]

Well I think you convinced me to start looking up where to buy a dashcam and how to install it... rather be safe than sorry... I should probably have one recording the front of the car out the driver's windshield and one recording what's behind the car?

Get some cheap trim tools if you don't already own a set, makes running the power cable much easier.

 

[Deviate]

All awesome info! Much appreciated

 

[Revvdmedia]

Have had a few close calls over the years, this might have been the closest at highway speeds. This was earlier today. Details are also in the video description. [tl;dr - everything is fine] For those of you still on the fence as to whether a dashcam is valuable... unless you drive like these idiots, in which case sucks for you people like me have one.

Conclusion:

1) the car next to me should have slowed to let the white car merge

Regarding conclusion #1, I don't know what your laws are down that way, but up here (I've looked it up out of curiosity and spite), it is not the responsibility of the one travelling legally in a left lane to "make way" for someone merging. It is the responsibility of the merger to safely merge into traffic. Now of course other factors come into play like others following too close, making it impossible for someone to safely merge in, in which case the person following too close is the one driving illegally. If the white car was speeding, making the merge difficult, then there is a speeding violation involved in this situation.

As a driver now, I will typically be courteous and allow others in, but I'm no longer going way out of my way to oblige someone who is incapable of driving with the flow of traffic. If you aren't comfortable driving, take public transit, or hire a ride.

Apparently I am getting more bitter with age, lol.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I'm no longer going way out of my way to oblige someone who is incapable of driving with the flow of traffic.

These are the ones that I avoid, whatever it takes. And with a Stinger, I can escape at speed if necessary. But if fading back and letting them go is an option, I'll take that one instead.

 

[stoopid]

Regarding conclusion #1, I don't know what your laws are down that way, but up here (I've looked it up out of curiosity and spite), it is not the responsibility of the one travelling legally in a left lane to "make way" for someone merging. It is the responsibility of the merger to safely merge into traffic. Now of course other factors come into play like others following too close, making it impossible for someone to safely merge in, in which case the person following too close is the one driving illegally. If the white car was speeding, making the merge difficult, then there is a speeding violation involved in this situation.

Indeed the white car would be technically at fault for the entire incident, although the person immediately next to me was the actual fuse since their intentional positioning as recorded in the video was to block out the white car and leave no wiggle room should they be oblivious or retaliate by merging into their lane anyway. We don't know why the white car didn't fall behind the car next to me, in the video they appear to run the merge lane to the bitter end, then suddenly move over, which is common (incorrect) practice here.

The issue with holding the white car accountable was there was no impact with any other vehicles. It's a domino / butterfly effect situation, it's hard to legally hold the first domino or butterfly accountable for the things that transpire as a result of their action. The white car would, in their mind, have no reason to stop/pull over were their major contact between mine and the other vehicle.

To your original point, yes I believe it's law in all States that the car entering traffic (in this case the white car) is responsible for their merge. But around here, the laws of physics don't apply and people just create space where there is none.

 

[87and66]

I put a dashcam in my car right after I got it. I'll never drive without one again. Same with a helmet cam when out on the bike. Glad you didn't end up crashing

 

[MerlintheMad]

To your original point, yes I believe it's law in all States that the car entering traffic (in this case the white car) is responsible for their merge. But around here, the laws of physics don't apply and people just create space where there is none.

Even more to the point: the car behind always gets sited as at fault. It is your responsibility, as the following vehicle, to leave enough space to react to any developing situation. To deliberately pull onto the freeway chewing the bumper of the car that you pull in behind is truly stoopid; and anyone in the righthand lane not actively watching for asshats merging directly in front of them are to blame for not fading back and letting them in with plenty of room.

(Okay, this conversation has developed enough to repost Merlin the Mad's rules for safe driving, aka Dad, Dad Daddio's rules for defensive driving; I seem to do this annually or more often, hah. ):

1. Always devote as much conscious attention to your driving as required. I would say at least half of your brain power at all times. Reduce/eliminate multitasking.



2. Never follow too closely. Be generous in the allowance of space between your car and the vehicle you are following.



3. Reduce speed to existing conditions. This means never use cruise control in slick or icy or restricted visibility conditions.



4. Check your mirrors often. The idiots behind you will pose your greatest risk that you have zero control over. (Leave enough space in front of you to - possibly - get out.)



5. Never perform sudden, unsignaled maneuvers. Always be where other drivers expect you to be.



6. Check for side traffic, and double check, before pulling out into traffic or changing lanes.

 

[Revvdmedia]

and anyone in the righthand lane not actively watching for asshats merging directly in front of them are to blame for not fading back and letting them in with plenty of room.

It's a day that I'd like to rant apparently. To this point, I think a correction of this thought is rather than fading back to allow someone merging in, how about people actually keep a reasonable following distance and not travel BMW following distance? Some people genuinely aren't good at driving, but it's the aggressive ones that don't make it any easier. 2 seconds of following distance on a freeway is many car lengths....not one car length.

My car is about 174 inches long, well below average vehicle length, and there are some places I can't get in between the two vehicles without causing a safety concern, and that's just ridiculous.

 

[stoopid]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who gets twitchy over these sorts of things.

 

[Revvdmedia]

It's good to know I'm not the only one who gets twitchy over these sorts of things.

I can attest that as someone who actually enjoys the act of driving, it's other people on the road that often suck the fun out of the activity, lol. As terrible as the entire pandemic has been, I didn't mind in the very beginning how quiet the roads were.

 

[stoopid]

I can attest that as someone who actually enjoys the act of driving, it's other people on the road that often suck the fun out of the activity, lol. As terrible as the entire pandemic has been, I didn't mind in the very beginning how quiet the roads were.

Sadly the beginning for me translated to 95% work from home, only in the past few months have I been commuting again. The gas savings, lower miles on my old vehicle, and rise in used car sale values made my trade-in a reality so that was the only real benefit for me.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Sadly the beginning for me translated to 95% work from home, only in the past few months have I been commuting again. The gas savings, lower miles on my old vehicle, and rise in used car sale values made my trade-in a reality so that was the only real benefit for me.

Commuting is the only driving you do? Why not go out for a drive after working all day?