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chasfm11 · 02-14-2006, 06:31 PM

Over the weekend, we drove our MH to the Houston area in a heavy rainstorm. The rain had let up to only a drizzle but everything was soaked and there were lots of standing puddles. To compond the problem there was construction on the feeder road leading to our campground with cones and barrels marking the rough asphalt and frequent seams. It was anything but safe driving environment.

As we approached a green traffic signal in the right hand lane of two east bound lanes, suddenly a 3XX type BMW turned from the west bound left lane across both east bound lanes. In this position, she was broadside to me, talking on her cell phone and steering the corner with one hand. Only a last minute stab of our brake pedal prevented what surely would have been heavy contact. Our frame rails and genset would have contacted her car about the level of her head. She never even stopped talking.

Even after 4 decades of driving, I cannot imagine what was going through her mind. That is a position that I could never put myself in, let alone doing it while talking on the phone. I would have loved to have tracked her down so that she could explain to me WHAT SHE WAS THINKING! I readily admit that I've been no angel in my driving career and I feel that I've taken my share of chances and done my share of stupid things. All of them pale in comparison to something like this. I just don't get it.

chasfm11 · 02-14-2006, 06:31 PM

Over the weekend, we drove our MH to the Houston area in a heavy rainstorm. The rain had let up to only a drizzle but everything was soaked and there were lots of standing puddles. To compond the problem there was construction on the feeder road leading to our campground with cones and barrels marking the rough asphalt and frequent seams. It was anything but safe driving environment.

As we approached a green traffic signal in the right hand lane of two east bound lanes, suddenly a 3XX type BMW turned from the west bound left lane across both east bound lanes. In this position, she was broadside to me, talking on her cell phone and steering the corner with one hand. Only a last minute stab of our brake pedal prevented what surely would have been heavy contact. Our frame rails and genset would have contacted her car about the level of her head. She never even stopped talking.

Even after 4 decades of driving, I cannot imagine what was going through her mind. That is a position that I could never put myself in, let alone doing it while talking on the phone. I would have loved to have tracked her down so that she could explain to me WHAT SHE WAS THINKING! I readily admit that I've been no angel in my driving career and I feel that I've taken my share of chances and done my share of stupid things. All of them pale in comparison to something like this. I just don't get it.

Terry McGee · 02-15-2006, 02:03 AM

I guess she (and you) were lucky because you had your mind on driving!

Hitchhiker · 02-15-2006, 03:44 AM

Often, when another driver does something that appears to be just plain 'stupid', I'll look up and notice that the driver yakking on the cell phone. And, not to be slighting the ladies, my observation is that most of them are female.

Now ladies, don't pounce all over me for saying this, all I'm saying is that this is my own personal observation and they aren't based on any scientific studies. Or any study for that matter.

Cruzer · 02-15-2006, 04:40 AM

Actually Richard, you are correct. Insurance company studies concerning accidents and cell phones have shown that an alarming percentage of accident are caused by inattentive driving due to cell phones. They further found that the majority of those accidents are from the female half of the species. Furthermore, it's an age thing. Younger drivers, both male and female, seriously make up the bulk of those statistics.

My personal observation is that no one tends to take driving serious any more. Today's society is so involved in events and activities that life is a candle burning from both ends. The trend is to stay up late, sleep until the last minute, then rush off to work (or wherever) at the last minute, stopping for a pit stop at a drive-through window. That puts the time for shaving, eating, drinking wake-up juice, talkking on the phone, etc into your drive time.

That's fine if you have a chauffer but it sure doesn't leave you much time to watch where you're going if you're the one who's supposed to be doing the driving. Nobody seems to understand the potential mayhem that can be caused by not paying attention when you're hurtling a few thousand pounds down the road.

RustyJC · 02-15-2006, 04:48 AM

All I can say is, "Welcome to Houston!!"

We were headed to Rayford Crossing RV Resort on the north side of Houston last Thursday afternoon. Coming off of I-45N and approaching Rayford Road on the service road, just as we were about to turn right onto Rayford, a young lady pulled out of the service station trying to cut across 3 lanes of traffic to get into the left turn lane. She proceeded to stop across our lane, waiting for the light to change and hoping that other drivers would allow her to cross their lanes.

So, here we are, 20K+ pounds of truck and 5th wheel, bearing down right at her driver's door!

Thank goodness for 4 wheel disc brakes on the truck, the Jordan brake controller and good brakes on the 5th wheel!

I suppose some people just don't understand basic physics - if an RV hits a small car, the car (and its occupants) will lose!

Rusty

CyberVet65 · 02-15-2006, 01:54 PM

Sounds like a set of air horns need to be ordered!
I ride a motorcycle and I ride like I am invisible! I have been riding bikes for over 40 years and the only close calls were from folks who look right at me and pull out anyway.
You would think that something that is 53 feet long would attract a little attention. In New Mexico I had an idiot cut inside me when I swung wide to make a right hand turn! I blew the air horns and he almost drove into the light pole! But the important thing is the cop on the other side of the street saw it all and pulled the jerk over! There is occassional justice in the world.
Chet

RustyJC · 02-15-2006, 02:46 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by CyberVet65:
Sounds like a set of air horns need to be ordered! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Got 'em but didn't use 'em. Just trying to be a nice guy, I guess.

Rusty

TXiceman · 02-15-2006, 04:19 PM

Like Rusty said, "Welcome to Houston" or for that matter, Anyplace USA. People just plain are too involved in their own little wowrld and to "H" with everyone else.

The enumber that run stop lights are just amazing. I thtink that a lot of people feel that that red ligh tis only a suggestion.

The other day, as I approached a light, it changed and having PLENTY of time to stop, I stopped and was a com plet stop when the idiot behind me whipped out in the next lane and blasted across a red light. SHE was going 90 to nothing on the cell phone.

Ken

Jimmy Jam · 02-19-2006, 04:40 PM

Wow..

Chas' experience here is exactly the reason why that if/when, with the Good Lord's help one day, we are blessed enough to buy that big Class A DP we have eyeballed, that I told my wife that I will demand that the dealer install a set of Grover Stuttertone air horns on the unit.

These are the type horns that most fire apparatus utilize, and as I like to say they will "blow the wax outta yer ears!"

chasfm11 · 02-19-2006, 08:40 PM

Funny you should mention that, Jimmy. I've been trading notes with Grover about a set of horns for our RV. I'm going to mount them in the front compartment instead of fishing the air hose up the column and drilling holes through the top of the end cap. I should have them soon.

I really think that air horns in some of these tight situations may do more harm than good. If the girl who crossed in front of me hadn't kept driving, I surely would have tagged her. I always worry that a loud blast on the horn will cause the idiot who is doing something stupid to freeze in the middle of it or to jam on the brakes until he/she figures out where the noise came from. That might be worse than not blowing the horn at all. Also, with all of the road rage, I'm mildly concerned that someone with a gun might respond to my air horn blast by putting a bullet through my windshield. I can assure you that would ruin my whole day!

Charlie

Jimmy Jam · 02-20-2006, 06:59 AM

You guys are certainly correct that, as in Charlie's case here as described, that laying down on a set of horns can do more bad than good. And I agree with the road rage aspect of it. HOPEFULLY no idiot is going to "road rage" a fire apparatus ( a loosing proposition) but I'm sure they wouldn't think twice about it against some "rich, arrogant ***hole

( and that may be the kindest thing they might say or think about us!) in a big motorhome!

As a career fire officer, I deal with this same stuff everyday while responding to calls. And you are correct, the horns WILL freeze someone in place and that is the desired effect if you are having to travel in emergency lanes on a gridlocked interstate or across yellow lines.

But, I utilize them far enough in advance to give the traffic time to see, hear and react (hopefully appropriately!) to our presence. Kinda a litle bit different theory behind horns on an emergency unit vs an RV, but Neil's mounting them down low on front is the same as most fire apparatus do nowadays. It's a sound directional thing of sending the sound forward directly at the intended "target" whereas the roof mounting loses some of the sound flow.

AND..it's not as "personal" drilling the roof of a 1/4 to 1 million dollar fire apparatus as it is our own PERSONAL 100K to 1 million dollar home away from home!

chasfm11 · 03-13-2006, 03:56 PM

My Grover air horns arrived today and they are awesome! I will fashion a bracket to mount them in the front of the MH on Saturday but I fed them with my home air compressor to test them and they are just what I'd hoped for.

I'm not sure that it will always be a help but I do like having something that will reach out and touch someone, sonically speaking.

rogueii · 03-14-2006, 10:30 AM

I would like to install 4 sets, Front, Back and both sides. That way I can be selective in picking the direction to blast.

I have been thinking of installing under the Hood also. It does bring the sound blast down to car level, should get more attention. I like the Train Horns.