Buses and peak hour traffic...

[sarahj]

Yesterday, as I was driving in peak hour traffic down a busy but narrow (2 lanes either way) road, I had a slight issue with a school bus. It was in the left lane, I was in the right. (Remember that here in Australia we drive on the left, so I was in the 'passing' lane.)

It was ahead of me, with no one in my lane next to it. It veered over into my lane, then corrected itself. I don't like traveling next to large vehicles, so I thought I'd pass it, cos we were both doing less than the speed limit. As I was next to it, it veered again! It forced me very close to, if not slightly into, the lane next to me of oncoming traffic. So at the next red light, I took its details, and I called up about it when I got home.

Anyway, they gave me a call back today to say they'd had a word with the driver and noted it in his file. So hopefully he'll stick to his own lane from now on.

Anyone else ever called up about a bus/van/truck etc? C'mon, some of those things take like three lanes to turn, and come really close to hitting a ton of cars! Please let's here some scary/amusing ones.

[CanadaGirl]

Oh wow, scary!

Something like this actually happened to my mom and I, about a year ago. She was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We went through a 4 way stop and there was a merging lane coming up from off highway 2A (or now called the QE2 whatever). We were right at the part where both roads connected so the merging vehicles were to yield, obviously. But, some stupid ass in an 18 wheeler wanted to get into that lane we were in so bad, that he nearly side swiped us! I swear he was within 2 feet of turning my moms Grand Prix sedan into a compact. Of course I shook my fist at him and called him every name under the sun, because we could have been killed or seriousy injured.

[powerboy]

Oh wow, scary!

Something like this actually happened to my mom and I, about a year ago. She was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We went through a 4 way stop and there was a merging lane coming up from off highway 2A (or now called the QE2 whatever). We were right at the part where both roads connected so the merging vehicles were to yield, obviously. But, some stupid ass in an 18 wheeler wanted to get into that lane we were in so bad, that he nearly side swiped us! I swear he was within 2 feet of turning my moms Grand Prix sedan into a compact. Of course I shook my fist at him and called him every name under the sun, because we could have been killed or seriously injured.

Happened to me, once, when I was driving home, from one of my past jobs. I would have gotten the details, but he was going way to fast. And my cars mileage, was about half under the 1/4 mark

[IT Grunt]

Two incidents I've had that I can recall:

My wife and I were driving along on our way back from NYC. She'd come along with me on a business trip, which really made it a nice trip, and we took our time going up and back. We're on I-78, a little ways outside Newark when this large RV passes us. Instead of checking that he's all the way past us, the idiot starts back into our lane while we're in the way! I had to go on the shoulder to miss him, and I laid into my horn HARD. Did he hear it? Doubtful, but if he did, I hope he realized what he did.

Second incident I've had was driving along by myself on the way to work. Our car was in the shop so I had my sister's Plymouth Horizon for a bit. This 18 wheeler passes me, and does the exact same thing! I had to get on the shoulder to miss him, and I moved to make darn sure I was in sight of his mirrors when I got back on the road. Sometimes the attitudes of those big rig drivers ticks me off. It's like they take that 'king of the road' thing just a little to literally.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I've seem school buses drive dangerously on my way to work. I saw one driver speed up to run a red light. Yes. A SCHOOL BUS. I wanted to call someone about it, but didn't know who. Who can you call when you see something like that? Is there some sort of "school bus" office somewhere?

[IT Grunt]

I've seem school buses drive dangerously on my way to work. I saw one driver speed up to run a red light. Yes. A SCHOOL BUS. I wanted to call someone about it, but didn't know who. Who can you call when you see something like that? Is there some sort of "school bus" office somewhere?

I'd call the school board for the county the bus serves. That's reckless driving to the extreme, especially with kids aboard.

[protege]

I reported a guy for unsafe driving, shortly after I got to work. This guy, was driving a company van, and just being an asshole. Not only did he cut me off twice, but he ran a red light, and nearly broadsided a school bus His van had one of those "report unsafe driving" numbers on it...which was routed into the safety officer at that company. I went one better though--grabbed the website off the van, and simply sent an email describing the driver's actions. About 2 days later, I got a reply stating that the guy had been suspended pending an investigation. Shortly after that, I got another reply thanking me, and that the guy had been fired.

Apparently, he'd been driving like that for awhile...and it was only a matter of time before he got fired over the complaints. Many firms take unsafe driving *very* seriously. After all, it's not only their name on the van, but their reputation as well.

If you decide to report someone, either via email or phone...be polite about it. A company is more willing to do something if you're not dropping obscenities or screaming about it. Just tell them what happened. Be as specific as you can--give road names/numbers, times, the type of vehicle, it's number (if it has one) etc.

If you can, conclude your message with something like "I'd hate to see (your company's) fine reputation get tarnished because of the careless actions of a one individual..." Companies take their reputations and how they are perceived seriously.
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About the school buses--many places have the school district name painted on them. Call up the district office and ask to speak to whoever is in charge of transportation.

[BookstoreEscapee]

When I was in college I got a ride home with a guy who lived near me. We were on the PA Turnpike on the way home one weekend and an 18-wheeler started to move over into our lane when we were right next to his back end. Much horn honking ensued. We weren't able to catch any info on the truck, though. And quite frankly didn't think of it.

My mom called on a pizza delivery guy once. I was driving with my parents in the car and this kid was tailgating me really close for several miles. He had at least 2 perfectly clear chances to pass us but didn't do it. He got next to us in the turn lane at an intersection and my mom noted the restaurant and looked them up in the phone book when we got home. The manager told her she was the 2nd person who had complained about this kid that week.

One of the teaser stories on my local news last night was about a bus driver seen dialing her cell phone while driving, with kids on the bus, and someone got it on their video camera. I didn't catch the whole story, though.

[Rine]

The school bus I rode on for four years in high school was one of those crazy bus drivers. The guy was nuts and did very risky turns to cross the highway in front of on coming traffic. He would speed and hardly give warning for other drivers before switching lanes. It was actualy quite scary.

One time, we actually had someone he cut off follow us down my street and after the bus's first stop ("running" the bus's stop signs), the car passed the bus and then stopped right in front of the bus, blocking the bus from moving forward. A man gets out and marches over the bus and starts yelling at the bus driver. Freaked all of the kids out on the bus. The man yelled for about five minutes, banged on the door, as my bus driver called for help over the radio. The guy left eventually and I think my bus driver got the message to stop cutting off drivers, at least for a little while. About a week later, he was back to his old, speeding and cutting off ways.

It's a wonder that he has never had an accident.

[draftermatt]

One of the teaser stories on my local news last night was about a bus driver seen dialing her cell phone while driving, with kids on the bus, and someone got it on their video camera. I didn't catch the whole story, though.

I had a bus driver in high school do that a lot. She talked for the whole trip once.

I didn't mind the quick calls to the dispatch office the one lady did, but this other lady was all the freaking time!

One thing that you have to remember with big trucks and buses is that they can't see you all the time. They have bigger blind spots than regular vehicles, and a 50 ton concrete truck with 10 tons of concrete in it can't stop. Not to say that some truck drivers don't do stupid things, but sometimes they just didn't know they were there.

(Sorry to soap box but my father, uncle, step father-in-law, & father-in-law are all truck drivers. Not to mention many of my friends)

[Primer]

Anyone else ever called up about a bus/van/truck etc? C'mon, some of those things take like three lanes to turn, and come really close to hitting a ton of cars! Please let's here some scary/amusing ones.

OK, I guess I should tell the story about my sig...

Sunny day, just before noon, I had stopped at the side of the highway to get gas before going home, as we (my family) were planning on heading out halfway across Texas to a re-enactment. As I was waiting to pull back on the road, I noticed an 18-wheeler pass. I pulled in, and fell in behind him. There was a stiff wind that day, and I saw him swerving onto the shoulder a few times, but figured he had just caught a few bad gusts. He was doing about 5 mph below the speed limit, and I passed him. There was very little traffic. About 3 miles later is the first stoplight coming into my little town, and this is where I turn right to head home. I'm stitting at the light, waiting to turn right, and he slams into the back of me.

What I can't figure out is how he did not see me, the red light, the line of cars stopped at the red light, the frickin' construction zone warnings and barrels...the past 20 miles had been construction zone, and there is a 1 mile clear line of sight to the intersection. On a sunny day. I had my lights on. I had my foot on the brake. He claims he didn't see me.

I was really lucky, though. I spent the night in the hospital with a head injury and multiple bruises, but no broken bones. The only 2 things that saved my life were that I had a full tank of gas (no fumes to explode) and the engineering of the Dodge Durango I was in.

Yes, I have a lawyer.

[KuzcoLlama]

Primer, my dad had a similar incident. He was driving in his tiny car (forgot what kind, but it was SMALL) and at a stoplight that was red. He saw in his rearview a semi was coming up behind him, doesn't think about it. Still waiting, he looks again, and the guy is not stopping. Split seconds before he got hit, he thought "Oh shit," and then he laid down, draping himself across the front. That action was the only reason he escaped injury at all, the car crumpling all around him, except right where he was lying down.

Makes me mad that people with such large vehicles have such blatant disregard for other people's lives.

[sportsmom]

The school bus I rode on for four years in high school was one of those crazy bus drivers. The guy was nuts and did very risky turns to cross the highway in front of on coming traffic. He would speed and hardly give warning for other drivers before switching lanes. It was actualy quite scary.

The neighborhood I grew up in had 6 bus drivers in it, including my next door neighbor. One day my mom asked B, the neighbor, if one of the other ladies, P, had finally retired because she hadn't seen the bus in front of her house lately. B told my mom "No, she was fired."

Apparently P was driving for a school field trip and got so far ahead of the other bus that she had to stop and wait for it to catch up. One of the teachers reported her, so the school system pulled her bus in for "routine maintenance." When they got in the garage they found out the she had removed the governor so that she could speed.

I had always told my mom that woman was a crazy driver, I guess she really couldn't argue with me after that.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Primer, I'm betting the truck driver really didn't see you. Because he was more than likely asleep.

[SuperDan]

One of my co-workers was telling me about an accident that he saw one day while leaving our parking lot. There was a truck at one of the west entrance/exits to the parking lot, stopped roughly in the middle with room on either side for a vehicle to pass. He was signaling for a LEFT turn.

A car pulls beside him on the right, preparing to make a right turn herself. The truck shouldn't have mattered, as it was signaling for a LEFT turn.

Who can see where this is going? Yes, you're exactly right. When the truck started moving, it turned RIGHT. We all (ok, those of us who aren't morons) understand that trucks take much wider turns than cars. Had this truck been signaling properly, the lady in the car would have not pulled up next to the truck and this whole thing would have been avoided. Instead, she ended up under the truck and being pulled about 100 yards (one yard is slightly under one meter for those of you who prefer that their measurement system actually make sense) down a busy road.

My co-worker didn't own a cell phone at the time, but he is the responsible type. He knew as a witness to the actual accident, he really needed to stay around. He also knew that the lady in the car could have been badly hurt, so he needed to make sure the police and EMS were called right away.

Several motorists had pulled into the parking lot to watch at this point, but all were unwilling to dial three simple digits on their phone, so my co-worker went into a Jimmy Johns in the strip mall where our store is located, as it was the closest open business to the scene of the accident. He came in and said what was going on, and immediately every employee, manager, and customer were either out on the sidewalk or against the front window. It took some pleading for him to get an employee to make the phone call.

While the lady's car was badly mangled, she luckily escaped with just scrapes and bruises. The truck driver tried to tell the cops and his boss (who was aparently called by the driver himself although neither the driver nor the boss called the cops) that he was signaling for a right turn. He also tried to suggest this alternate reality to my co-worker, who refused to budge from the current reality. The police talked to my co-worker after they talked to the truck driver, and they ended up going back to talk to the truck driver again to ask "if he may have incorrectly recalled any details in his account of the accident." He did.