You're suppose to follow the Pilot car, not race it!

[karma_gypsy]

Not quite sure where exactly to put this post since it didn't happen to me and doesn't contain SCs . . .

My husband and his buddy were driving home from a neighboring town (town is merely a hop, skip and a jump from where we live, just right over a bridge). My husband's buddy was driving.

So, they were on their way back and they came across some road work. They were on a highway, heading towards the bridge. No problems though, there was a pilot vehicle. It would just take a little longer is all.

The relatively quick wait apparently wasn't good enough for one lady though . . .

She took it upon herself to try and PASS the pilot vehicle. Yes, PASS IT. You all are familier with Pilot vehicles, right? The ones with the flashing lights on top of the vehicle with the big sign saying "PILOT CAR" and "FOLLOW ME."

Who in the right mind would try and pass the pilot vehicle is beyond me. The driver of the pilot vehicle was smart to her though and made every attempt to block her (if she would swerve left, so would he and so on). The rest of the vehicles, I'm assuming, were probably watching in horror and disbelief.

Little did she know that the driver of the pilot vehicle was keeping in contact with his work buddies at the end of the road work area.

The next I'm a little hazy on, since this story was told to me a few weeks ago. But I think, once the pilot vehicle and the bitch, er, lady, reached the end of their journey, she was met with a blockade of road vehicles - either that or she was forced to the side of the road.

Anyways, there was a police officer already parked at the side of the road in the road work area - he was keeping an eye out for speeders. 'Cause, you know, fines DOUBLE in work areas. The pilot car driver pulled to the side of the road, got out of his vehicle and simply pointed at her car (where, I think at that point she was just pulling over). Police officer jumped up and did his thing.

The rest of the vehicles were allowed to continue on their merry way, my husband and buddy being one of them. When they passed by the lady, my husband, not being a big fan of morons, leaned out his window and screamed, "HA HA!" at the top of his lungs (Police officer was still approaching the vehicle and still was a ways off).

Needless to say, it made her jump. She already had the "oh shit" look on her face, now having all these vehicles pass by her, was probably pretty embarrassing.

dumbass . . .

[KatL]

Once, this guy went flying past me all pissed off because I wasn't going fast enough for him. I was actually doing about 5 miles over the speed limit because I'd just gone into a lower speed limit area but he was right on my tail and I was afraid he'd hit me if I slowed down. So anyway, he went flying passed me, flipped me off, screamed BI*CH!!!! and sailed off into the sunset. A few minutes later when I caught up with him he was bathed in the pretty red and blue glow of police car lights. When I passed him and the cop, I smiled and waved at him like he was my bestest friend

[FormerCallingCardRep]

We have a little town just north of us that the police will ticket you for going 1 mile over the speed limit. In the mornings there are three spots where he sits waiting for speeders. Going through there every day I know where he sits. A couple of weeks ago I slowed down before where he had been sitting all week and the truck in front of me was flashing me with his high beams. I pulled over and let him pass. Just after I came around the curve in the road I saw him pulled over just above where the officer had been sitting.

[MadMike]

Back when I was in junior high, I saw some idiot on a motorcycle go flying past the school bus I was riding. A few minutes later, we saw the same guy pulled over by a cop. Of course, being the mature 12-14-year-olds we were, we all pointed, waved, and laughed at him.

[tollbaby]

So anyway, he went flying passed me, flipped me off, screamed BI*CH!!!! and sailed off into the sunset. A few minutes later when I caught up with him he was bathed in the pretty red and blue glow of police car lights.

that happened to me the other day (thus vindicating my rigid adherance no ABSOLUTELY NEVER MORE THAN 10K over the speed limit!!!). I discovered that the street I work on is a major speed trap... you'd think that would PREVENT people from going 20-30km over the speed limit, but nope...

[blas]

I'm afraid I've never heard of a Pilot vehicle. Please explain what a Pilot vehicle is used for.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'm afraid I've never heard of a Pilot vehicle. Please explain what a Pilot vehicle is used for.

I've never seen that either. If road work is cutting the road to one lane there will be a worker or a cop at either end of the area alternately stopping traffic, and if you have to detour around or the lane shifts there will usually just be signs or maybe a worker or cop waving people over to where they need to be (even though it's usually pretty obvious...).

[Gurndigarn]

I'm afraid I've never heard of a Pilot vehicle. Please explain what a Pilot vehicle is used for.

When you get looooong stretches of road under construction (more common in some states than others*), they have a lead vehicle to make sure that traffic really ends up doing the one-way thing; also to moderate everyone's speed, and maybe a few other thigns as well.


* I was in Montana once and found 23 miles of road under construction. No, I have no clue why.)

[powerboy]

I hate it when people are tail-gating me. I once had this one right on my butt, I had saw a cop just a couple of cars ahead me. So what did I do, I slowed down , and he went speeding past me and the cop.

[IT Grunt]

When you get looooong stretches of road under construction (more common in some states than others*), they have a lead vehicle to make sure that traffic really ends up doing the one-way thing; also to moderate everyone's speed, and maybe a few other thigns as well.

We get them here a lot. They're used mostly when there is only 1 lane open for traffic in a construction zone, and when that lane is not uniform. IE, it crosses lanes, the lanes are not marked, etc. Therefore people may not know exactly where to go to get through it. The pilot car (or truck, as it usually is here) has a large orange sign on the back (or in the bed) reading 'PILOT VEHICLE - FOLLOW ME', usually equipped with lots of flashing yellow lights. (Oh, the faith they have in humanity...) They will take the line of traffic from one side of the construction zone, and lead them through the open lane at a controlled speed. At the end, it moves out of the way while the traffic it was leading heads onto open road while the pilot vehicle turns around, then it leads the traffic from that side through the zone. Rinse and repeat.

[tollbaby]

Does humanity really deserve that much faith? Think about that now....

[protege]

I'm afraid I've never heard of a Pilot vehicle. Please explain what a Pilot vehicle is used for.

I was wondering the same thing. Here, we don't have them. Whenever a lane gets closed, it's usually blocked off with cones, or concrete barriers. Temporary lane markers get painted on the road surface as well. Two-lane highways are another story. If a lane has to get closed, it's usually blocked off the same way. Traffic lights or stop signs are used to alternate traffic. With all of these, cops usually aren't far away, and they *will* nail you if you do something stupid. Usually, fines are doubled in construction areas, and the speed limits are 10-20mph lower.

[reformedwaitress]

My favorite is back up because of a wreck or construction or just traffic and people that try to use the emergency lane on the right side of the road to get around it. Pisses me off to no end. I'm that bitch that will sometimes pull part way into that lane so regular cars can't get around me, but where I can easily pull back into my lane so cops or emergency crews can.

However, the best thing I've EVER seen happen was when I was on the Fl. turnpike coming back from Key West and caught in traffic from a wreck. There was a cop behind me and I look in my side mirror (I don't remember why) and I see three cars barreling up the emergency lane. I just start laughing cause I know they don't see the cop. And, sure enough, they don't. As the front one is coming up on him, the cop flips on his lights and pulls into the lane and they all have to slam on the brakes to stop. No one in the right hand lane would let them in so they couldn't get away. As I drove off, her was writing like 4 people tickets.

[protege]

MThere was a cop behind me and I look in my side mirror (I don't remember why) and I see three cars barreling up the emergency lane.

People do that in south NJ too, usually because of those damn traffic lights around Dennisville--they're timed to *cause* delays. The residents don't want people cutting through their town, since it's shorter than taking the parkway. Anyway, last year, we got to see a *huge* accident. Some dumbass decided to roar up the shoulder...only for someone else to pull out. He couldn't stop in time, and broadsided the other car. Try explaining *that* to the insurance company

[blas]

23 miles of road construction isn't shit in Wisconsin. As soon as the snow appears gone for good, and spring is in full blossom, out come the orange barrels and "Ramp closed" and "Lane closed" anywhere and everywhere they see fit.

I have to take a 7 mile detour to get to the mall in my city because the on ramp onto the highway is closed. So I have to go down 5 miles of residential area and the a quick skip of about 2 miles on a different highway to get there.

3 years ago, they were redoing the pavement on on a very busy freeway. There was over 30 miles of "lane closed" road construction. Not to worry about asshole drivers though, the WI state patrol always has a cop in every median or every other median.

I love the "Orange barrel" song on the Bob and Tom show.