another brick in the...
So, today seems to have been a banner day for shitty drivers. Two nearly averted accidents, and I really didn't do much driving today.
The first was fairly clean-cut. A guy in a copped out car simply decided that he didn't want to stop at his stop sign. I was halfway through the intersection when he just came barreling in. I'm convinced that if I hadn't represented a larger threat to him than he did to me, he would have just kept on coming. As it was though, I have a pickup, he had a late '80s copmobile, and I was going to win that one. He stopped in the middle of the intersection, a good 6 inches from having hit me, and looking quite incredulous that someone had dared to occupy his intersection while he was trying to opportune himself to its many splendors.
The second is even more impressive, and requires even more explanation.
So, I drive a red pickup truck, but a small toylike one. It's a Dodge Dakota, and while not as tiny as some of the smaller japanese trucks, its still a small truck. I was driving in the right lane, with a rather large example of an american pickup just in front of me. I was preparing to make a right hand turn at the intersection we were approaching, when the truck in front of me merges signal-less into the left hand lane and slows down. "perfect" I think, and I pass the truck on it's right (while maintaining my own speed) coming up on my turn.
Out of nowhere, the trucks right hand turn signal comes on, as it simultaneously starts trying to turn into a gas station on the right hand side! Apparently this driver was mislead into believing that a shift into the left hand lane is the appropriate signal for a right hand turn into a parking lot. Naturally he begins this turn without looking, and slams his brakes on just in time to prevent a collision. I was also stopped at this point, but being unarmed I felt that the best course of action was to just drive around the front of his truck (which was at this point *in front of me*) and keep going.
As I looked back a few seconds later, the cars behind me were *still* stopped, undoubtedly trying to piece together what had just happened in front of them.
Literally, the guy shifted into the left hand lane, then immediately initiated a right hand turn. It wasn't like he had just shifted a little left to prepare for the turn, he was fully in the lane, and didn't start signaling until after starting the turn.
so yeah, that was my driving fun for the day. Funny enough, the truck incident happened less than a quarter mile from my last accident (also the other drivers fault, rear ended). I'm beginning to think that this might just be a dangerous stretch of road.
The first was fairly clean-cut. A guy in a copped out car simply decided that he didn't want to stop at his stop sign. I was halfway through the intersection when he just came barreling in. I'm convinced that if I hadn't represented a larger threat to him than he did to me, he would have just kept on coming. As it was though, I have a pickup, he had a late '80s copmobile, and I was going to win that one. He stopped in the middle of the intersection, a good 6 inches from having hit me, and looking quite incredulous that someone had dared to occupy his intersection while he was trying to opportune himself to its many splendors.
The second is even more impressive, and requires even more explanation.
So, I drive a red pickup truck, but a small toylike one. It's a Dodge Dakota, and while not as tiny as some of the smaller japanese trucks, its still a small truck. I was driving in the right lane, with a rather large example of an american pickup just in front of me. I was preparing to make a right hand turn at the intersection we were approaching, when the truck in front of me merges signal-less into the left hand lane and slows down. "perfect" I think, and I pass the truck on it's right (while maintaining my own speed) coming up on my turn.
Out of nowhere, the trucks right hand turn signal comes on, as it simultaneously starts trying to turn into a gas station on the right hand side! Apparently this driver was mislead into believing that a shift into the left hand lane is the appropriate signal for a right hand turn into a parking lot. Naturally he begins this turn without looking, and slams his brakes on just in time to prevent a collision. I was also stopped at this point, but being unarmed I felt that the best course of action was to just drive around the front of his truck (which was at this point *in front of me*) and keep going.
As I looked back a few seconds later, the cars behind me were *still* stopped, undoubtedly trying to piece together what had just happened in front of them.
Literally, the guy shifted into the left hand lane, then immediately initiated a right hand turn. It wasn't like he had just shifted a little left to prepare for the turn, he was fully in the lane, and didn't start signaling until after starting the turn.
so yeah, that was my driving fun for the day. Funny enough, the truck incident happened less than a quarter mile from my last accident (also the other drivers fault, rear ended). I'm beginning to think that this might just be a dangerous stretch of road.