Stupid Driver Stories

[Eye-Q]

We were going along a totally straight piece of road in the city (doing maybe 55 km/h (35mph)), the visibility was superb, everything was fine. Then I saw a small Fiat 500, standing in the lane coming towards us waiting to cross our lane turning left. I remember I wondered why he was waiting, cause the road was free, he could have easily done his turn. But he waited until we were close, and then took the turn. My dad slammed on the brakes, but we hit him.

Same situation in November last year for me - I had my first own car for just 6 weeks.
I was on my way to work, to the right there was a gas station, on the opposite lane a BMW 3-series (current model; driver ~ 80 years old). Fortunately I had a quick reaction and there was no building on the right so I "just" jolted up the curb and got to a halt on a small plastered spot.
The opponent driver briefly looked at my car, said "well, fortunately we didn't have an accident", bought his newspaper at the gas station and drove away. I was in shock for about 5 minutes so I didn't realize he went away, fortunately the filling station attendant knew him so I could get back the money for verification if the axle was harmed (and it was harmed because of the impact on the curb...).

 

[Cryptopygia]

I was riding in a big delivery rig, looked down at the car beside us at the stoplight and the driver was huffing paint thinner.

Paint thinner. While driving.

 

[Micra]

I read this in the paper a while ago: some guy was DUI and ran through a red light at the big roundabout near my house. He drove straight onto the roundabout, into the huge round fountain in the middle of it, and started driving around in circles in the fountain to find the exit with his drunk head. He did so for about 5 minutes, then the police pulled him out. The mental image just makes me crack up every time (sadly there was no picture with the article).

Also, I'm ashamed to say, my dad was pretty stupid once. We were on our way to go hiking somewhere and driving at least 80kph. I was sitting in the back with the dog in my lap, my dad was driving. And while we were going that fast, he let go of the wheel, put on his reading glasses and checked the map/roadbook/whatever. Needless to say I told him to never EVER do that again.

When my brother just got his license and had to park in a multistorey car park for the first time (a narrow one, it has to be said) he a) hit the gas instead of the brake at the entrance beam and subsequently stalled the engine when the beam opened, b) as he was driving forward into the parking space, drove into the wall (slowly, thank god) and c) on the way out tipped his right front wheel over the edge/curb of the ramp instead of taking the bend properly. Parking in multistorey car parks has been going absolutely perfectly since then.

And as for my own stupidity: during a driving lesson I almost drove straight into a bus corridor (is that the word?) which was closed off with roadblocks only a bus could drive over and I didn't notice until my instructor slammed the brakes so hard I almost flew out of my seat (with seatbelts on)

 

[Punisher Bass]

Micra, I think I've seen videos of thoes things. They are metal poles that come out of the ground right? Several months ago I saw a couple videos of multiple people trying to follow a bus/truck going through one them and all of them crash into it.

EDIT: I'm not Takumi found a better copy of said video.

 

[I'm not Takumi]

I got a few doozies.

Given I live in Hawaii, we have Tourists. Tourists who eventually will get lost. Unfortunately, one couple decided to "park" their Mustang on the highway. With hazards on.

Another one I saw stopped in the middle of the road while a Fire Engine and an Ambulance raced to an emergency. Right in the middle of the road. I'm going like "WTF are you idiots doing?!?!"

 

[I'm not Takumi]

Micra, I think I've seen videos of thoes things. They are metal poles that come out of the ground right? Several months ago I saw a couple videos of multiple people trying to follow a bus/truck going through one them and all of them crash into it.

EDIT: found a copy of the video I was talking about. http://video.aol.com/video/road-block/1883230

[YOUTUBE]DvZu_qzZmIo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[IceBone]

@ mum in her SUV.

I think this is a more elaborate representation of what those things can do:

[gvideo]7032957814174795479[/gvideo]​

 

[thedguy]

I have loads, but only have one for the moment: a crash we had when I was a kid.

Oh that reminds me of one my dad told me about.

My mother was driving a Chevette, my dad was riding shotgun, I was, an infant at the time, in the back with one of my brothers. Driving somewhere in Washington state on a cold winters night, and my dad sees some black ice and naturally says "BLACK ICE! DON'T STOP!" My mom panicked and slammed on the brakes.

Once the wreck was over my dad looked down the road and saw me, laying face down in broken glass, not making a noise. Picture the situation, your 2 month old boy has just been ejected from the back seat of a car, THROUGH a windshield and is not making a peep laying in broken glass...

He came running over, and picked me up and I started crying. Ever since that day my dad has been training himself to watch how he words things in situations like that, as he still wishes he had said "DON'T STOP, Black ice!"

Had she just driven over it like it wasn't even there (and had he said nothing she may have not even noticed), the wreck wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't have a fear of Chevette's.

If anyone ever wonders why I am the way I am, I was born near a nuclear power plant, and had that wreck happen to me... :lol:

 

[IceBone]

What's black ice?

 

[Cryptopygia]

^Ice on a road surface that is very difficult to see. (you normally don't know it's there until you drive onto it.)

 

[Jacobfox]

I've got a pretty scary one. My friend told me today about how a guy almost killed him about 15 times yesterday.
What happened was he was merging onto the highway and he thought he had to get over, when he had a full lane, he pulls out in front of a guy doing 100 Mph in a 65 and the guy almost plows into the back of him. The guy then overtakes on the right and pulls up right in front of him and hammers his brakes and slows to 15 on the freeway. My friend swerves into the empty lane on the left of him, the guy tries to tap his bumper and my friend nearly spins, holds it together, and mashes the gas. The guy goes up to 115 and does the stopping trick again. This went on for about 5 minutes before my friend is able to ditch the guy. Scary shit from normally laid back californian drivers.

 

[No Boss]

What's black ice?

SOMETHIN INVENTED BY THE WHITEMAN TO KEEP THE BLACK MAN DOWN.

/got nuthin...
//it's too late.

 

[IceBone]

 

[the Interceptor]

Here's another one from not too long ago. I was driving to work in the morning on the Autobahn. Opposed to the majority around me, I actually do care about other drivers and what they are planning to do, because I have the opinion that traffic only works if everyone participates a tad. Anyway, I was driving in the middle one of three lanes with maybe 130 km/h (81 mph), when I saw a group of faster cars approaching on the left lane. It was obvious that the car in front, an average black Golf V with an average, middle-aged couple in it, was tailgated by its followers, because it seems he was not going fast enough for them (maybe doing 150-160 km/h (94-100 mph) though). As soon as he had passed the truck he was overtaking at the time, he changed to the middle to let them by. At the same moment, I spotted a fairly large gap on the right lane, and immediately decided to jump in there to let him pass on the middle lane, and then jump out again.

Unfortunately, the guy gradually decreased his speed and ended up right on my left side, doing exactly the same speed as I did. That couldn't work for long, because I was approaching another truck on the right lane. So, I let myself drop back a bit checking the rear view mirror making sure the lanes are free, crossed the middle lane to the left and accelerated again. Unfortunately, it seems the Golf couple understood this as an act of war, because he immediately jumped to by back and tailgated me. I just thought I won't put up with this crap, but I couldn't go anywhere else because the right and middle lane were occupied, so I out-accelerated him on a straight piece to maybe 210 km/h (131 mph). Obviously, he couldn't follow. But shortly after that, a junction was coming up, together with a 100 km/h limit (62 mph). So I slowed down and changed to the middle lane which was almost empty, when he approached from the back, braked hard to sit right next to me on the left lane and block me. I had to drive behind a huge truck doing 80 km/h (50 mph), and he actually matched his speed to make sure I stay there. Only when a few cars had gathered behind him starting to honk, he slowly accelerated away.

I had to wait quite some more time, to let all the cars on the left lane pass, and then went out again. As I said, I didn't want to put up with this, so I didn't pay any more attention to him. He had other plans it seems, cause he was driving slowly in the middle lane, waiting for me. After I had passed him, he tailgated me again. As I had to leave the Autobahn here, I changed to the right lane and slowed down gradually. Until now I had thought that it all was his idea, and she was waiting to die or even trying to talk him out of it ... until they passed me for a final time, and she gave me the finger through the side window. I couldn't do anything but to laugh out loud.

I mean ... what the hell did these guys smoke? Just because I am in a BMW, does it mean that I'm a reckless driver and that I'd like to push everyone off the road? I behaved correctly here, I was even trying to help him. That however led to a middle-aged couple driving recklessly and dangerously and giving me the finger. What has the world come to?

 

[Punisher Bass]

If I remember the Autobahn special on The History Channel, isn't giving the finger illegal over there?

 

[the Interceptor]

If I remember the Autobahn special on The History Channel, isn't giving the finger illegal over there?

Yes, and it may become quite expensive as well. I just remembered this as an all time classic Autobahn happening and didn't worry anymore. In court, I wouldn't have much of a chance anyway, as it would be close to impossible to find any witnesses, and I'm sure they'd both say they didn't do anything.

 

[Z102]

Three from from today, proving that drivers from Valencia are the worst in Spain, only second to those from Madrid

I'm driving along the middle lane of the motorway, doing around 90 Km/h. Right in front of me there's a ZX 16V (painted in a beautiful white hue, BTW). The driver doesn't seem to be willing to go any faster (perhaps afraid of the fuel consumption?), so I drop to fourth and change to the leftmost lane. Just as I'm done overtaking the ZX and reaching 120, I see the Ford Fiesta in front of me braking hard. I slam on the brakes myself and at the same time I let go out of my mouth a few "kind words" to him and all his family. There was no reason to brake that hard. The cars in front were slowing down, but they were a long way ahead. After almost coming to a halt, we go ahead, I change back to the middle lane and undertake him. As I pass by, I see some explanation of why he may have behaved like that: he's talking on his mobile phone... with an ear plug attached to his ear and holding the microphone to his mouth! That's not the hands-free kit the code talks about, certainly!

The next one is the cause for the above incident: this guy changing the tyre of his car on the side of the road. Poor guy, sure. Except for the fact that he had stopped the car so close to the lanes that his body was actually on the motorway as he changed the tyre, causing the oncoming traffic to change lanes as best they could to avoid hitting him. But the best is that he had a gas station a couple handred meters away. He could have just stopped there and be much safer.

The third one happened when I was driving in town, going home after visiting the local computer store. I reach an intersection and I see this blue van coming from the right at full blast. Of course I stop in the middle of the intersection and he blows by without even noticing me. Now, I must say that the street he was coming from is marked as residential zone, so the speed limit is 20. And also that there's a STOP sign just before the intersection. But this guy ignored both facts and decided to put me in danger. Luckily, I pass that intersection almost every day and I know that people either don't see the STOP or they tend to ignore it, so you'd better not come very fast from the other way...

So, here are today's three. And I'm ignoring the other minor incidents I witness everyday, because then this would be endless.

 

[Punisher Bass]

I can't believe you're not allowed to flip someone off. Now if there is no reason for it, like someone has been tailgating you and then passes in a no passing zone while giving YOU the finger that is one thing. But if someone has been tailgating you and you make a turn, then I have no problem giving the person the finger as they pass.

About 10 years ago after a bad snow storm ripped through town, my dad and I were on the way to the store. We were heading into an intersection and we had the green light, but some asshole redneck in the oncoming lane decided to make his left turn at that moment and we almost hit him. While the prick was making his turn he was leaning to the passenger window giving us the finger with a big smile on his face.

I just want to follow these people home and beat them with a baseball bat.

 

[thedguy]

SOMETHIN INVENTED BY THE WHITEMAN TO KEEP THE BLACK MAN DOWN.

/got nuthin...
//it's too late.

Thats a classic.

Icebone (I took you off my Ignore list): Black ice is just really hard to see ice on the road. And it likes to be in spots where it's not expected or at a time not expected.

 

[Ottobon]

after reading this im rather pleased with the way people around Ann Arbor (Michigan) drive, even though we have alot of stupid SUVs, people seem to pay some attention, atleast when the traffic isn't too busy, however when the traffic picks up (rush-hour) it can get really stressful.

Anyways the worst thing that has happened to me is i passed a maroon caddilac STS and the driver (lady i think) thought that for some reason i was the spawn of satan and that she had to hunt me down, i thought she may be chasing me as she started driving rather aggressive behind me, so i took a illogical route around, and sure enough she was chasing me, atleast until i got to a road that i know to be very open and very safe which i proceeded to go way to fast on, the thing is though im usually pro-speed (as long as everybody pays attention that is) but i don't like being forced to run-away from people, i would have driven home much much slower if she wouldn't have chased me, and i resent the fact that i was somewhat bullied into speeding (being that i'm none-confrontational)


one more thing, and this one isn't nessasarily "stupid" but i notice around here that everybody is willing to drive as much as 20mph over the limit as long as you do it in front of them, I can think of many people who are toodaling along at 45mph in a 55, and then proceed to drive 65-70 as long as i do so in front of them , around corners i have noticed that this happens as well around corners, theirs one tight right hander on the way to work that i usually take at 45 (its the speed limit so why not?) that most people take at about 15, however i've never had anybody behind me take it that slow

i think people in Michigan are actually pretty enthusiastic drivers dispite the fact we churn out so many land yachts, in detriot almost everybody drives 40mph over the speed limit on I-94 around the city, as well i have never seen a accident, and in Ypsilanti michigan its a similar story were people will drive anywhere from 15-30mph over the limit assuming their not in a school zone (people drive quick, but smart usually, which makes me happy) its worth noting that cops are included in this, actually in Ann Arbon i once followed a cop because he was consistently doing 20mph over the limit for no reason other then just because he felt like it, he didn't mind me keeping up with him, so all was good