Pathetic Drivers

[hamguy]

[quote=jodann;483253]

Originally Posted by hamguy

Send the information to your insurance company. You are NOT precluded from civil action against the perp. Besides, that is the way to get $$. The cops only take criminal action.

Hamguy, am I wrong to think that leaving the scene of an accident is a criminal action? Well, then again this was within the boundaries of New York City !!

I have reported the accident to my insurance co. as well as having called PD to the accident scene. I'm awaiting a copy of the accident report to be forwarded to me. Have made contact with an attorney & I will persue this.
Jodann

My point is, the cops can/will/should charge him with criminal violations. That will NOT make you whole. That is, NO $$.

That said, lots of things are against the law. E.g. being in the country illegally, but some, Nan Pelousy, lionize and salutes these people calling them PATRIOTS.

Interesting. Just what are your damages and how much do you believe them worth? Include pain & suffering.

[Eddie Foy]

If you called the Cops on a cell phone about a tailgater, they would probably arrest you after they got off the floor where they fell after passing out from laughing!

Originally Posted by Forest Grump

Umm, it's the other way around. You would be found at fault and ticketed and then loose a bunch of money in civil court. Use your cell phone to call the police and they will take care of it.

[John-D]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

Anyone know where I can find the bumper sticker that reads "My Turn Signal is Not a Request, its a Warning."?

Well.... Click here please

[RedneckExpress]

Thanks for the link

[fun time]

Interesting thread going here and it brought to light something I did on my trip to FL. this year. As I left home heading south in our MH, I realized after about 20 minutes of driving that I was really not driving at all but was so ingrossed in all my electronics instead. Here I was playing with my GPS, listening to the CB, listening to the CD, talking to my wife on my walkie talkie (she follows me in the car....don't ask why), listening for my cell phone to ring and last but not least playing with the buttons on my Freightliner computer system. When I finally realized I was an accident looking for place to happen I turned off almost all that electronic crap began driving as it should be. Yes, I was an idiot and never should have let it go that far but I am not the only one going down the road with all those distractions. I may be one of the few to realize it.

[CARVAL Motorsports]

Originally Posted by fun time

Interesting thread going here and it brought to light something I did on my trip to FL. this year. As I left home heading south in our MH, I realized after about 20 minutes of driving that I was really not driving at all but was so ingrossed in all my electronics instead. Here I was playing with my GPS, listening to the CB, listening to the CD, talking to my wife on my walkie talkie (she follows me in the car....don't ask why), listening for my cell phone to ring and last but not least playing with the buttons on my Freightliner computer system. When I finally realized I was an accident looking for place to happen I turned off almost all that electronic crap began driving as it should be. Yes, I was an idiot and never should have let it go that far but I am not the only one going down the road with all those distractions. I may be one of the few to realize it.

Great Post! Good for us to show a little humility every now and again! I know personally, in the RV, I cannot stand distractions in the cockpit beyond some music/talk radio and my conversation with my wife. It is so easy to be distracted for that one quick second that called for your utmost attention. We have travelled a lot with a trailer behind (full of some very expensive equipment) and I do my absolute best to be "on the button" at all times. All these "drivers aids" certainly do have the distraction factor.

OK, Here is my MAIN BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When, (us included), will American Drivers learn to merge in an orderly fashion and quit running up the closing lane to get an advantage on waiting vehicles! I HATE THIS! Time and again I have been held up for long , undue time periods simply because we cannot be courteous in lane closing/merge situations. I used to pull my old Class C rig out into the lane to block intruders, but it should never come to this (while doing this, I once had a car blast past me on the left, out in the median, giving me the one finger salute, all to gain a few hundred yards!). I would be very satisfied to see all the states Department of Highways change their warning from "Right/Left lane closing ahead, merge" to "Right/Left lane closed ahead, merge carefully NOW", or even better, add "do not gain advantage" and do it a half mile or more prior to the event, rather than just hundreds of feet (most important). Signs on both sides of the highway, so that the maintained lane travellers will also understand to make room for the mergers.
Damn, would I love to see, just once, someone that busted through in the lane (that is closing ahead) get pulled over and ticketed for trying to pass all the slowed down vehicles, JUST ONCE!

[melvonnar]

OK Carval I'll make your day

There was a lane blockage on the interstate I was traveling; warning sings were posted about 1 mile before the blockage to merge; as I was approching the merge a flatbed truck came flying past on the grassie burm on the right; what he didn;t know was that there was a deep ditch across the berm, when he hit the ditch the tractor was on one side and his trailer was hung up; his drive wheels were hanging in mid air, he was stuck; I nearly split my sides laughing. You see sometime there is justice in this world.

[hamguy]

Originally Posted by robert h

OK Carval I'll make your day

There was a lane blockage on the interstate I was traveling; warning sings were posted about 1 mile before the blockage to merge; as I was approching the merge a flatbed truck came flying past on the grassie burm on the right; what he didn;t know was that there was a deep ditch across the berm, when he hit the ditch the tractor was on one side and his trailer was hung up; his drive wheels were hanging in mid air, he was stuck; I nearly split my sides laughing. You see sometime there is justice in this world.

A few years ago I was tooling down I-10 in Tempe, AZ. I was in the left hand lane of 2 exit lanes to the Hwy 60 East exit. Just as I got to the exit, a car containing 3-4 young people came zooming by me on the left, and tried to cut in front of me where no "in front of me" existed.

I didn't back down for fear of being rear-ended. They took on about 4 big (3'+ tall), sand filled traffic control barrels in the median and got all messed up. Car chunks, barrel parts, sand all over the place.

I would have stopped to offer the middle finger but I was laughing too much. So were the people behind me who also refused to stop after seeing this unfold.

I hope no one was hurt TOOOOO bad.

[R1Kirby]

I think in this day and age, the insurance companies and the law enforcement should require, that all licensed driver under the age of twenty five should be required to take a driver education course be for their license and insurance is renewed. Also a driver education course should be required before a driver’s license, and insurance policy is issued. It should be mandatory in all states.

[Noelj]

Originally Posted by R1Kirby

I think in this day and age, the insurance companies and the law enforcement should require, that all licensed driver under the age of twenty five should be required to take a driver education course be for their license and insurance is renewed. Also a driver education course should be required before a driver’s license, and insurance policy is issued. It should be mandatory in all states.

I agree, and a lot of states do require Drivers ed. In Maryland, many parents require that the kids have to save and pay for the class themselves.

Even though I would be one of the ones effected, I do think that all of us old geezers should also have to take a drivers refresher course at least once per year. Several years ago, I had to take one ( Ran a stop sign), and it was very helpful. They covered things like new laws affecting drivers, new ideas ind thoughts on better ways to drive, and of course, safety.

[Forest Grump]

Originally Posted by R1Kirby

So Forest...are you one who follows to close? I'm not understanding your point. When following another vehicle I was taught the two second rule. All states will ticket the driver that rear-end the vehicle in front of him regardless. I speed from experience with my years in law enforcement.

Evidently you are not aware of huge insurance scams which involve rear end accidents, caused purposely by the car in front. There is a term which I can not recall for an accident where the person in front deliberately suddenly brakes causing the accident. People on this board are talking about doing that. That type of accident in California is prosecuted. I also think you are referring to minor non injury accidents and I find it hard to believe you can accurately determine what all states are going to do and why do you speed after years of law enforcement experience?

No I do not follow others to close in fact if anything I tend to hang quite a ways back. Tailgating in California will get you a ticket as will accidents caused by tailgating.

[MtManLee]

If we did drivers ed like they do or did in Europe it would remove half the drivers. In europe they had to pay a private individual to teach them and the cost in the 70's was 1500 dollars for the course. I would imagine if it was still working today the price is a lot more. That was why so many people there rode buses and rail rather than drive. Also in europe when you goofed and got a ticket you paid out the kazoo and that made people drive a lot more cautious as well they had a lot of cameras in them days both on police cars, light poles and so on and you did not argue the tickets.

[chatterdog]

We still do it takes approximately 45 hrs training at $34.32 an hour then a theory test at $42.90 and if you pass that you can then do the practical driving test at $80.79 plus the $71.50 cost of the provisional driving licence so that you can actually go out on the highway to learn to drive. Cost of annual insurance for a young driver is around $2860+ and a small car can be picked up for around a $1430+
When all that has been acheived if a young driver wants to tow a trailer they have to take another test which costs a further $572 training and a test at $157.30

I have converted the price into dollars based on our exchange rate at present

[chatterdog]

and the speed cameras are still with us plus the licence points system.
speedcamera fines are from $85.80 - $214.50 depending on how much you were over the speed limit, if you were going twice the limit in an area and were clicked you can look forward to a ban and eventual retest 12 months later
each time you get a speeding fine you also get points on your licence new drivers for the first 2 years have a limit of 6 points if that total is reached in that time it is an instant ban with eventual retraining and test.
Older drivers have a limit of 12 points before a ban
each fine is accompanied by 3 points on your licence