STOP TALKING AND DRIVE!! Another wrecked Prius tale

No, Do what I do- I use my cell for emergency use only & pay 25 cents/min. with a $10/mp. plan. I was rear ended in 2003 by a young girl with her baby in the back seat because she was on the GD cell phone. She caused $2,000 damage to my car, I was out of work for 10 weeks, and all the cop gave her was a BS ticket that you can get rid of @ driving school.

I have the phone off all the time while I'm driving. I have a nice plan with ATT that allows me to call anywhere in the lower 48 for free anytime. I know darn well that hands free or not very few people can pay 100% to their driving while on a cell phone. What's so important that can't wait?

My wife won't even own a cell phone as she hates them. I don't think you're dumb-you made a mistake and it cost you. I leave the cell off all the time now. In the event I'm expecting a real important call I will pull over ASAP after the phone starts ringing. Don't be too hard on yourself-you learned a valuable lesson.

 

If a real important call comes answer it but with the phone on the seat ask the caller to wait a minute while you park please. Takes a few seconds and the caller isn't going to worry something has happened to you. While finding a place to park give driving 100%, the caller does not want to hear you crash.

 

You were blocking traffic on the FDR for 45 minutes waiting for cops to tell you to move your cars?

It amazes me when people get in a no injuries accident and then insist on not moving their cars blocking traffic -- as if CSI is going to come dust the road for fingerprints.

 

Try that in Boston, ANOTHER car will cut in, and you'll fall back a little more, and ANOTHER car will cut in, etc., until you're actually further away from your destination than when you started!

 

And those same drivers who feel a need to cut into your safety buffer will change lanes again, it is the nature of the beast. Try it and see how much longer it takes you to get to work. Seconds I expect, not even minutes.
I often quietly slide past the guy who only minutes earlier cut in front of me when he makes a stupid lane change or gets held up at a light.

 

I enjoy reading you, Patsparks friend. Even 2 years later the original post you keep your Aus sense.

Thanks a lot!

 

I do that in Boston all the time, and it's totally not a problem.
The answer is to make the gap BIGGER, and then the people who
"cut in" are already way ahead and for the most part not affecting
your travel speed. A 2s gap will likely cause them to cut in
and then SLOW DOWN, which is worse than letting them into [and
right back out of, in most cases] a larger gap where they've
got more room to play.
.
One of these days I'll make you naysayers on this actually
believe it.
.
_H*

 

+1. it's a prius, sit back and enjoy the ride. practice your p/g.

 

me too. pat! i was just checking out of the supermarket with my aussie t-shirt on and the bagman asked me about it. he is from adelaide and has been here in orlando for 9 years with his wife's family. we had a nice chat. g'day mate!

 

I try my best to remain Australian.
Thanks for the positive feed back.

 

There is only 1.4 million of us in Adelaide, I probably know the guy. Did you get his name?
I'm not sure how he can live outside Adelaide for 9 years? I love the place, I love the lifestyle.

And thanks for the kind words.

 

As the driver of the vehicle that was rear-ended here in Florida, you definitely want/need to wait for the police to arrive on-scene. I was rear-ended several months ago and the insurance company needed de-facto proof that the accident was not my fault.

I only would have had this proof if I waited for the officer to arrive, assess the situation, ticket the offending driver, and submit the resulting paperwork to said insurance company.

But I am familiar how different police forces in other countries are. Grew up in Singapore in the mid-90's: traffic cameras took care of speeders, the stringent drug laws kept this activity to a minimum for patrol officers, and you can't even sue if you get into an accident! Very different laws yet a much safer place to live.

My dos centavos

 

If you need both hands to do something, shouldn't your head be in on it too? [I think Ellen Degeneres said that]

Hands free kits only make sure your hands are on the wheel. It doesn't mean you're actually concentrating. I'd say they're not better, but they're better than nothing at all. I use my Bluetooth in my Prius. When someone calls I keep it brief.

 

LOL - that's cute / funny. Actually there is one more thing to say -kudos to the OP for admitting to his lapse in judgement (unlike other incidents that get embellished) and sharing his experience for all of us to learn. Glad everyone is OK.

 

Yeah he should have just blamed it on Toyota unintended acceleration like everyone else.

 

The O.P. was in the New York metro region at the time of the incident. Even if you are in a semi, people will squeeze up next to you, jump into your lane, and race all two car lengths ahead to the front of your safety zone. When you drop back again, the next person does it too, and the next and the next. You can't maintain normal space in that area. The locals don't allow it.