stupid drivers

[MikeC]

We were talking about stupid drivers at work and I was wondering about the fools you have run into. The pros, police, firefighters, EMTs, and insurance people, must have some real good stories.

The best one I have was when I stopped at a pizza place near home. I had just gotten out of the car, traffic light at the intersection was red for the main street. There were two cars at the light, one a village police car... well, the other car decides to make a LEFT turn on red in front of the cop!!! The officer sat there for a second or two then turned his lights on and went down the side street after the fool. I didn't see what happened but I do think the guy should have been publicly shot for that one.


Yes, the pun above was intended.

 

[diverlady]

I saw a car that police were attempting to stop on a freeway. The (ahem) woman driving stopped in the middle lane of the highway. Transports and cars were all swerving to avoid running both down. The officer yelled at her to pull onto the shoulder so eventually she did about a click further down the road. The officer then reamed her out for a good 5 minutes for being stupid.

Diverlady

 

[Jchoby]

Seen enough to make me sell my motorcycle....too many out there!

 

[Phaethon]

I had qualkifications in advanced driving and Motorcycling but gave up both activities in London (I still drive abroad) - people will deliberately try to kill you here and it grates on the soul after a while.

Spotted a headline in the local paper thiis morning - "More drivers sent to prison than burglars." Of course there are some 35 million drivers compared to a few tens of thousands of burglars - it's like saying that there are more pheasants shot in Suffolk than elephants. Also more people are killed by drivers than burglars.

I had a student advanced driver that twice in the same drive tried to turn the wrong way up two separate a dual (divided) carriageways. The same student complete a fast drive with a knocking on the rear of the vehicle, assuring me she had just had a mechanic look at it and it wasn't a big problem. As it got worse I stopped her and inspected the back end of the vehicle - the offside rear wheel was loose on the axle, the wheel nuts had not been properly tightened at the garage.

One bad situation I was told of by a Road Traffic Police Officer who was assigned to investigate one of Britain's worst motorway (freeway) accidents that occurred in a particularly bad fog in South Brimingham. Dozens of vehicles were involved with many fatalities. The Fire Brigade, on their way to the scene with sirens and blue lights flashing in the thick fog, said they were being overtaken by other vehicles =8^O

In Cuba a few weeks ago I came across a road sign which read "Caution! In this section there have been 26 accidents and 65 deaths - 30 (kph)" In Cuba, where hitching a lift is part of everyday life and few vehicles travel less than full, it's easy to believe an average of nearly three deaths per accident.

Cheers,

K.

 

[Snowbear]

are the boneheads who tailgate and follow the fire and EMS vehicles through the traffic that does clear - including through the red lights/stop signs at intersections :eek_2:

Every once in a while there's a PD unit around when you need one

Not so long ago I was at an somewhat minor but dramatic-looking accident scene and a rubber-necker almost hit me as her head was turned 90 degrees to the side to try to satisfy her morbid curiosity. I saw her coming, stepped aside and slapped the hood of the car as it went by. Scared her so bad I thought she was going to pee herself! But she did hit the brakes and I asked her nicely to please watch where she is going.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Of course the locals don't look at it that way, but their driving leaves something to be desired.

Caribbean drivers are known for driving at breathtaking speeds on questionable roads. Add to that some of the peculiar habits that become normal and driving can be taking your life into your own hands.

Tourists often do not realize that speed limits on Cayman are posted in miles per hour. Some of our local drivers are screeching around East End at 50mph and then come up behind someone driving 50kph (31mph) and slam on the brakes.

Speaking of slamming on brakes, locals sometimes do it when they see someone who might want to turn onto the road. Doesn't matter that oncoming traffic is not clear. People bring traffic flow to a screeching halt to wait for someone to hang a right turn onto the road. Sometimes it is for no apparent reason. Consider it a way to meet new and interesting people.

And turning can be and adventure in itself when a large portion of our tourists come from areas that drive on the other side of the road. We have a simple system to help provide and early warning - rental cars have white license plates. If you see a car with a white license plate being driven on the wrong side of the road with its windshield wipers going for no apparent reason then you need to look out! Maybe even slam on the brakes and meet someone new.

 

[LAWDIVER]

Being in Law Enforcement I have seen my share of bad drivers. One in particular comes to mind. I was on regular patrol when I saw this car weaving in front of me. I activated my lights and got no response from the driver. I activated my siren, still no response. I pulled along side to get this guys attention and observed the following:

On the cell phone holding with left hand
Writing directions with right hand
map spread out on lap
steering with his knees
traveling 65mph in 55mph zone

I finally got his attention and he pulled over. The first words out of his mouth were "IS THERE A PROBLEM OFFICER". Well he was very upset when I issued him a citation for careless driving and even had the nerve to contest it in court. I told the judge my side and the judge then asked the driver if my account was accurate. The driver agreed with me. THe judge was so upset about this guy wasting his time he imposed the maximum fine of $500.00. If this guy would have just paid the ticket it would have been $85.00. This guy just had zero comman sense.

 

[Wildcard]

Ive been involved with EMS since 1979 including 10 years full time on an ambulance. Every time i think I have seen everything, some one new invents a new way to be stupid! My ex also a medic was driving home from work one morning. 55mph two lane road wide open and straight. Elderly male pulls up to a stop sign from a small cross road, looks both ways while doing a rolling stop and pulls in front of a pickup going each way! First truck T boned the drivers door, spun him 180 and my ex then hit him in the exact same spot....He had three stories about where he was going. When asked what happened, he told the cop that the little truck ( the first one) ran off the road and hit him while he was stoped at the stop sign. When asked about how the second truck then hit him his reply was "What second truck?" The cop replyed "the one parked on top of your car!"

 

[MikeC]

A new one. A "granny" type is waiting to pull out of a parking lot as I am turning in. She has this BIG teal colored shopping bag on her dashboard. She can barely see over this obstruction. Gee, why does she need her glasses??!!!! Some common sense would be nice.

 

[Tao of the Dive]

Let's see I've pulled people over doing:

Woman attempting to put on pantyhose while driving.

While undercover, had a man driving a pickup truck with two kids in it pulled over because I had observed him drinking a 40oz beer.

Had a woman blatantly run a redlight that had been red for well over forty seconds hitting an SUV with an infant inside, severely injuring the infant. (See the thread this was discussed in at: http://scubaboard.com/t47952.html )

Pulled a man over for watching a DVD, talking on his cell phone, and making notes on his PDA. At 55 in a 35 in a residential neighborhood.

Pulled a woman who was speeding and sideswiped my police cruiser.

Pulled a woman over while running code 4 to a burglary call. (Code 4- Lights and siren until you get to the near viscinity of the call, then black out and run silent). She had been tailgaiting me even while i was running code.

Worked an accident where a woman was following her husband who was transporting some antique furniture in a pickup truck. A chair falls off, so she stops on the interstate until her husband can turn around, and retrieve the chair. So she sits in traffic, doesnt bother to get the chair and get out of traffic or anything that makes sense, then wonders why she was rearended and caused a 5 car pileup.

I could go on for hours....