Stupid Driver Stories

[MacGuffin]

I almost crashed into a woman in a Polo today. She is very lucky to still be unharmed because of my reflexes but I bet she didn't even realize what happened.

I had stopped at a red light. On the left of me was a big van blocking my view, so I couldn't see the traffic situation on the left. It's a wide, spacey crossing, so there is a lot of time between one direction getting red and the other getting green light.

The lights went green for me and the van on my left and I accelerated together.

I was already doing about 40 km/h, when suddenly I noticed the van braking hard and in that split second a white Polo shot from the left right in front of me. I guess my instincts and reflexes are still good, cause I was able to hit the brakes in time and so hard, that the anti lock went on. I bet I missed the Polo by not more than 50 cm.

It all happened so fast, that I barely noticed it was a woman, staring straight ahead, obviously not noticing anything. I wasn't even able to honk her, because she was gone again already. All I could do, was stare after her in mild shock and go on.

I know that crossing from all 4 directions. When you hit the yellow light on the side she came from, you have at least 5-6 seconds time, before the other side gets green. So she must have completely ignored the red light, going over the crossing when she already had red for at least 3 seconds.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by MacGuffin

I almost crashed into a woman in a Polo today. She is very lucky to still be unharmed because of my reflexes but I bet she didn't even realize what happened.

I had stopped at a red light. On the left of me was a big van blocking my view, so I couldn't see the traffic situation on the left. It's a wide, spacey crossing, so there is a lot of time between one direction getting red and the other getting green light.

The lights went green for me and the van on my left and I accelerated together.

I was already doing about 40 km/h, when suddenly I noticed the van braking hard and in that split second a white Polo shot from the left right in front of me. I guess my instincts and reflexes are still good, cause I was able to hit the brakes in time and so hard, that the anti lock went on. I bet I missed the Polo by not more than 50 cm.

It all happened so fast, that I barely noticed it was a woman, staring straight ahead, obviously not noticing anything. I wasn't even able to honk her, because she was gone again already. All I could do, was stare after her in mild shock and go on.

You're very lucky to escape that possible crash.

Maybe I shouldn't say this loud on an open forum so I'm adding a spoiler tag incase I annoy some of the conservative members.

It usually depends on the car that I'm driving, but with my normal mentality in a shit car/rental car, I suspect that I will prob just go straight ahead and t-bone the fuck out of her. The rest is pretty simple, get my insurance company to write my car off and buy a new one, while the arse driver who is reponsible for shooting that red light can pay for both damaged cars and the excess waiver. That will teach her a valuable lesson. Having said that, in a situation like that, your thinking goes out the window and it's all down to reflex. And since I use my left foot to brake, I probably won't have the time to think about whether to t-bone the driver or not.

[MacGuffin]

Originally Posted by MadCow809

It usually depends on the car that I'm driving, but with my normal mentality in a shit car/rental car, I suspect that I will prob just go straight ahead and t-bone the fuck out of her. The rest is pretty simple, get my insurance company to write my car off and buy a new one, while the arse driver who is reponsible for shooting that red light can pay for both damaged cars and the excess waiver. That will teach her a valuable lesson. Having said that, in a situation like that, your thinking goes out the window and it's all down to reflex. And since I use my left foot to brake, I probably won't have the time to think about whether to t-bone the driver or not.

It's funny you should say that, because I happen to have a rental today and was just driving back home from getting it, when that happened

Apart from the fact that you're right - you are all reflex in such a moment, especially when you didn't see it coming -, I also was in a new Mercedes E-Class Coupé and it would have hurt me more to wreck that one, than wrecking that stupid woman in her Polo. I have no problem admitting that, because there are levels of stupidity that should be punished physically, no matter what.

So no need for spoiler tags.

[SirEdward]

Originally Posted by MacGuffin

I almost crashed into a woman in a Polo today. She is very lucky to still be unharmed because of my reflexes but I bet she didn't even realize what happened.

I had stopped at a red light. On the left of me was a big van blocking my view, so I couldn't see the traffic situation on the left. It's a wide, spacey crossing, so there is a lot of time between one direction getting red and the other getting green light.

The lights went green for me and the van on my left and I accelerated together.

I was already doing about 40 km/h, when suddenly I noticed the van braking hard and in that split second a white Polo shot from the left right in front of me. I guess my instincts and reflexes are still good, cause I was able to hit the brakes in time and so hard, that the anti lock went on. I bet I missed the Polo by not more than 50 cm.

It all happened so fast, that I barely noticed it was a woman, staring straight ahead, obviously not noticing anything. I wasn't even able to honk her, because she was gone again already. All I could do, was stare after her in mild shock and go on.

I know that crossing from all 4 directions. When you hit the yellow light on the side she came from, you have at least 5-6 seconds time, before the other side gets green. So she must have completely ignored the red light, going over the crossing when she already had red for at least 3 seconds.

Exactly the same things happened to me a couple of years ago. Except it wasn't a car breaking the red light, but a bicycle, at a very wide intersection. I managed to stop... no, in fact my reflexes and my anti-lock brakes managed to stop my car at a meter or less from the gentle oblivious-student-girl-on-a-bike, who also stopped. Then, she just rose her eyes towards me, and suddenly looked down again in shame. I said nothing to her, but I must have had the look of someone reeeeeeally cross. I'm still trying to figure out how to replicate that Eastwoodonian stare at will...

[prizrak]

Exactly the same things happened to me a couple of years ago. Except it wasn't a car breaking the red light, but a bicycle, at a very wide intersection. I managed to stop... no, in fact my reflexes and my anti-lock brakes managed to stop my car at a meter or less from the gentle oblivious-student-girl-on-a-bike, who also stopped. Then, she just rose her eyes towards me, and suddenly looked down again in shame. I said nothing to her, but I must have had the look of someone reeeeeeally cross. I'm still trying to figure out how to replicate that Eastwoodonian stare at will...

I don't brake for bicycles, ever..... (well OK if they are in a bicycle lane then I *might* consider it).

P.S. Yes I fucking hate cyclists especially the ones here in the city they are either complete douchebag hippies or couriers, which more or less amounts to the same annoying blocking everyone and running red lights riding style.

Saw something funny the other day not quite stupid. I was comming to an intersection with a red light for me at a leisurely 40mph or so. Clear road no cars fairly late for that part of town. In situations like these I tend to brake fairly late for no reason other than liking the negative G it generates (not hard enough for ABS to kick in though). There is a car comming through the intersection and he has a green I still have about 60 feet or so before I need to brake, which makes it around 70 before I'm actually in the intersection (the stop line is somewhat far). So I brake at my normal pace and the guy going through the green stops in the middle of the intersection. Not sure if he thought I was gonna run the red or would just take him out but it was somewhat funny.

[Hemihead]

A lady backed straight into my car once, she had a small Hyundai Atos, looking like this:

I, on the other hand have a weak spot for large sedans and was driving a Ford Scorpio/Granada:

You can see the disaster here already, she backed straight into me and the Atos gos stuck on the trailer hitch on the Scorpio. Then the lady came running, yelling that is was my fault, cause i didn't have the parking lights on, so she didn't see me... Police later came and explained that she was guilty 100%, but she would not believe them.

[matt2000]

MadCow: I always wonder what I would do in that situation, because I know that they are going to come off much worse in any type of accident, whereas I might need to touch up the paint on my front bumper a bit.

Chances are I wouldn't have a choice thought, because the brakes are drums and I won't be making an attempt to swerve at anything over 20-25mph in case I roll it. I'd just pile into the mad... cow and write her car off.

[SirEdward]

Originally Posted by Hemihead

Police later came and explained that she was guilty 100%, but she would not believe them.

It's incredible how pride can make people (that woman, in this case) appear more and more ridiculous as they struggle to save some dignity...

[AiR]

I was honked at by a man in a RV today because he indicated he would turn right and slowed down. So I got out onto the road. But he didnt turn, instead he accelerated, continued straight ahead and honked at me. I now officially hate everyone in a RV/mobile home/caravan.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by matt2000

I'd just pile into the mad... cow and write her car off.

lol

[mmap]

I was standing at the light as I heard the police sirens behind me. I looked into the mirror and saw this Golf driving at approx 30kph and it was followed by the police flashing their lights. The Golf driver didn't stop.

The cops drove alongside the car and I could see the other cop waving his hands at the driver to stop the vehicle. Nothing happened... The cops had to fall behind again to avoid hitting me and as the Golf passed me I saw the driver who was a very old lady who could barely see above the steering wheel.

As they passed me the cops drove (bumbed) into the rear of the Golf to get the drivers attention but, nothing... She just kept trundeling along at 30 kph (in a 50kph zone).

At this point I had to turn away and I could't see if they actually had to ramside the Golf in order to stop it. Not easy being the police sometimes

[MacGuffin]

Today seems to be that kind of day.

On the Autobahn I was thwarted by a driving school Golf. They were doing 140 km/h on the right lane and I was doing 240 km/h on the left lane. Then there was a truck about half a kilometer away and he pulled out in a rather un-driving-school way right in front of me. I had to break very hard.

Too bad I didn't get the look on the driving instructor's face, when he saw me in his rear view mirror, lights flashing. I only noticed that they accelerated to 170 km/h rather quickly, so I suppose the driving instructor put is foot down

[DanRoM]

Originally Posted by MacGuffin

I was doing 240 km/h

You were not driving your Golf, I suppose?

[shad_68]

On my way to Uni I have to go through a small industrial estate, and as I rode through there today on my beemer a lady in a Golf (or Polo, can't really remember) tries to exit a parking lot on the left side of the road ahead of me.
Before turning, she stopped for a good 2 seconds, so I thought "Good, she'll have checked and seen me then" ... except of course, she didn't. Suddenly she pulled out and into my lane about 20 or so meters ahead of me, so I had to brake quite hard.
When I honked at her she didn't even react at all, and proceeded to crawl through the estate at 30kph when you're allowed to go 50.

The best thing though, as the industrial estate turns into a residential area it becomes a 30kph zone, and guess what? Right in that area she accelerated to 50, ploughed through to the next intersection (priority to the right), where she came to a complete halt, although nobody else came out of the crossroad...

I can't wait for the moment when one of those stupid fucks doesn't pull out in front of me, but into me ...

[Buktu]

Yeah, sometimes you just wish something would happen. It's the only way these people will have any chance of learning.. And as long as it's a relatively low speed accident with only material damage..

Some people are just not supposed to be driving.. :b

[Speedtouch]

Originally Posted by MacGuffin

I suppose the driving instructor put is foot down

Do the instructors have a throttle in Germany? In the UK they don't - only a brake and clutch. Presumably so any speeding cannot be blamed on them in the United Nanny State.

[Cowboy]

I have a new job as for about a month .....It involves driving at least 8 hours a day over some off the busiest roads in europe.... GOD, hammer of fucking GOD! the shit I see in a day is enough to fill half off this thread......

[lip]

Originally Posted by Speedtouch

Do the instructors have a throttle in Germany? In the UK they don't - only a brake and clutch. Presumably so any speeding cannot be blamed on them in the United Nanny State.

In Switzerland they have all three pedals. In my first driving lesson I had to overtake a lorry, I only steered and signaled while the instructor did the footwork.

[MacGuffin]

Originally Posted by DanRoM

You were not driving your Golf, I suppose?

No, I was driving this:

[shad_68]

Originally Posted by Buktu

Yeah, sometimes you just wish something would happen. It's the only way these people will have any chance of learning.. And as long as it's a relatively low speed accident with only material damage..

Some people are just not supposed to be driving.. :b

Actually I meant that sarcastically... since I am riding a bike most of the time, I really don't want anything like that happening. Any sort of stupid shit like that by other drivers isn't just annoying - it's potentially life threatening!

And all the time when a car driver is at fault they say "Oh my gosh I totally didn't see that bike!". RUBBISH! Learn to pay attention then you obnoxious twat.
/rant