Anybody tried to kill you?

Although driving slower in the right lanes generally works, there are local exceptions. Here in the San Francisco Bay area, we have a diverse mixture of people from all over the world. It is true that many people here seem to naturally migrate to the left lane. I suppose it is because many of them have come from countries where one drives on the left side of the road instead of the right side.

Years ago I had a bumper sicker on my car that read: <- Passing Side | Suicide ->

Regards,

Keith

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bhaynnes @ Jan 10 2007, 02:47 PM) [snapback]373775[/snapback]</div>

It's the law in Illinois to allow people to pass you. You can actually be ticketed for driving the speed limit (or above) in the left lane if you're holding people up (including the police). But if all lanes are full in congested traffic then it doesn't apply because there is no passing going on anyway. I still need to work on my polite and calm, but alert, driving habits.

 

Only in this song, Someone's Tying to Kill Me, by the Goodyear Pimps

turn speakers up loud, and enjoy.

http://www.thepimps.org/songs/someonestryingtokillmeman.mp3

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jan 10 2007, 11:28 AM) [snapback]373675[/snapback]</div>

Simple answer, slam on your brakes for the animal that ran in front of you.

Couple phone calls, and you get a brand new car with more amenities.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jan 10 2007, 11:28 AM) [snapback]373675[/snapback]</div>

Simple answer, slam on your brakes for the animal that ran in front of you.

Couple phone calls, and you get a brand new car with more amenities.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Jan 10 2007, 08:06 PM) [snapback]373917[/snapback]</div>

I used to live in IL and I never heard of that law. Do you have a source for that?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Jan 10 2007, 10:19 PM) [snapback]373923[/snapback]</div>

Simpler answer: Just tell the insurance folks the truth, the light was red.

Same thing happened to me several years ago. I didn't think I could make the yellow light; the guy behind me thought I could. Predictable results. His insurance went up, mine didn't.

 

If you're traveling next to someone going the same speed, get behind them. If that's not possible, everybody's going the same speed, and you're being tailgated - brake check em!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Squint @ Jan 10 2007, 10:00 PM) [snapback]373951[/snapback]</div>

http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html
A list of states and their stance on keeping right. Contains links to state vehicle code.

 

Yes, I was driving home from work when a car crossed the double-yellow line and tried to hit me head-on. I did a 90 degree right turn into a corn-field and we missed by inches. I got back onto the road, dialed 911, and followed him. I watched as he did the same thing to 3 more other drivers. Waiting until he got close then violently swerving directly into their path to hit them head-on. They all managed to avoid him. On the third try, he over-steered and nailed a tree. I held him for police. They had him tested and found he was on PCP. We talked about charges and they did nothing. He was released as soon as he "came down".

Go back a few years you'll find my family driving home on Christmas Eve after visiting relatives. An aggressive driver nails us head-on. I was in the back seat and got only a sprained foot, but my dad had his leg bone shoved through his hip and all the way up into his chest. He had to be helicoptered to Shock-Trauma where he had months of painful treatments, including open-heart surgery. He could never work again, and barely even walk. He eventually died from complications. So, the aggressive driver - his only comment - which is permanently etched in my brain - was "Look at my F*** car!". He said that while they were still cutting my dad out of our mangled car. At the trial, we found that he had 4 prior drunk driving convictions. He had killed a teenage girl in another drunk-aggressive driving incident. He had no license. He had no assets. He had hardly any insurance. So we had to sell half our property to pay for my dad's medical bills.

This morning I saw 4 road-rage incidents, one ended in a 3 car crash. That is very good. Most days it is worse. Tomorrow is Friday, that's the worst day of the week for them.

I can't type what I think about aggressive drivers. I'll get kicked off PriusChat.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jan 11 2007, 07:50 AM) [snapback]374065[/snapback]</div>

The rule about not driving in the left lane except to pass, I remember. What I don't remember is a rule where you'd get ticketed for driving slower than traffic even if it was going over the speed limit. Carnage on the roads seems to be more of a concern to legislators today than people being late so it seems odd that the state would do anything that would encourage convoys of people driving over the speed limit with insufficient space between them.

 

I often see in the papers of people being arrested for their fourth (or more!) DUI. If they're doing it repeatedly, especially without a license, why aren't they in jail?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Squint @ Jan 11 2007, 11:22 AM) [snapback]374071[/snapback]</div>

At least according to Trucker Industry press, the law is more of an eduation effort on safe driving practices than an encouragement for everyone to speed:

Earlier this week, the Illinois State Police released a report showing the number of tickets issued since the state’s left-lane law went into effect Jan. 1, 2004. According to the report, 170 citations – each of which carries a fine of $75 – and more than 2,500 warnings were given to drivers who violated the law.

Unlike other left-lane laws – which often place restrictions only on trucks, or require drivers to always operate in the right lane at all times – Illinois ’ statute allows all motorists to drive in both lanes. A possible violation only comes into play if drivers in the left lane do not move into the right lane when a vehicle behind them is trying to pass.

Rick Hector, a spokesman for the patrol, told The Quad-City Times the law is more of an educational effort than a ticket and revenue generator.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Dai.../011106-02.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jan 11 2007, 09:45 AM) [snapback]374089[/snapback]</div>

That a good question.

It seems putting them in jail a lot sooner might do more for highway safety than anyother thing. Cost a lot less than all these auto safety features.

Last spring on the Sunday evening after school was out, there must have been a lot of clubbers on the road or something. Somebody in a Civic or another car that size came to a flying stop from 80-something, inches from my bumper. His car had that wiggle that hisses me off, so I did the same thing, not thinking - he's probably drunk! He then tried to blast to the left of me as offensively as possible, but he overturned to the point of nearly spinning out. He slalomed back-and-forth three lanes, nearly hitting the right wall. Seconds later, unfortately he just peel off exiting the freeway, endangering others. :angry:

 

i will have to agree that it has nothing to do with what you drive. its just that under our "equal opportunity" society, everyone gets access to our public roads, albeit some illegally.

i recently bought a couch for the tv room and was hauling it in my ford pickup. we were driving roughly 5 mph over the speed limit and had this lowered, chopped honda something pull up behind me like i was not even moving.

he swerved back and forth a few times, zoomed thru a gap in traffic, cut back in front of me and went weaving on down the street. now his car was small enough that his entire hood could fit under my rear end (i had 2 ton springs and suspension that gives me a few inches in height) so size doesnt matter. speed doesnt matter and unfortunately with reference to driving privileges, intelligence doesnt matter.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 11 2007, 09:40 AM) [snapback]374160[/snapback]</div>

Ain't that the truth.

Dave M.

 

Well, as much as I hated my unreliable 2000 GMC Sierra pickup, nobody ever tried to cut me off, and that was driving AT the speed limit. Never, they would pass safely and drive on as if they had a normal IQ.

The very first month, I was eastbound on Bishop Grandin on a nice summer day and some ricer punk came blasting down the Pembina exit right at me. I honked, braked, swerved, and he stuck his hand up the sunroof and flipped me off.

So I caught up to him. As luck would have it, at the River intersection the light was red, so he had to stop. I pulled up about a micron off his rear bumper, unbuckled, and got out. He looked in his rearview and turned white:

A very *very* angry hulk of a guy in a tight tee is marching up on him. For all he knew I was a biker or a bouncer.

He locked his door so I did a *very* heavy THUMP on his roof with my fists, leaving a nice dent next to the sunroof, then a hard bang on his side window, not quite hard enough to shatter it. That scrawny little punk peeled out of there quick.

A few months later I pulled into the Shell station of Fermor at Lakewood, and this tool in an Expedition cut me off to get to the pump. I honked and he also flips me off through the side window. Well, I pulled up and got out of my car before he got out of his cruise-control-set-it-on-fire Expedition. He saw this very angry huge guy marching towards him, and peeled out of there. I didn't get a good look at him, but he was also a scrawny little tool.

In either case I would have happily thumped some common sense into them if they had been dumb enough to hang around. I'm slow to anger, but once my kettle starts to whistle, all hell breaks loose.

 

jayman,

Could we say the ricer ended up like the tuxedo cat here> http://www.bahga.com/albums/misc/TeasingCat.mpg

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jan 11 2007, 07:23 PM) [snapback]374453[/snapback]</div>

If I could have opened his driver door ... without question.