Why do I always get the vehicles with the cloaking device?

[Catwoman2965]

I had this happen to me today. Due to unseasonably warm temps in the Northeast, and some rain, its foggy. Really foggy. So that you really cannot see too far in front of you. I'm on the count highway, and its 3 lanes, that go down to two. I'm in the left, and as many people do, someone shot over from the right to center lane, as that one ends.

But much faster than normal, and then began to come into the left lane. Problem was, I was there, occupying the space he was trying to get into. Again, much faster than he should be too. So I laid on the horn, he swerved back, sped up, then cut me off, and shot ahead. Fine, go rush to the red light ahead.

Then i was attempting to get from the left lane to the right, but couldn't go yet. Did i mention the fog? So I'm going a bit below the speed limit. Some jackass behind me starts flashing his lights because the fact I wasn't up on the bumper of the car ahead of me nor going faster than th speed limit was unacceptable to him! WTF dude? Finally moved over, and he shot up. Like the other car, he managed to speed to the next red light.

I swear, people are idjits.

[Kogarashi]

We've had those inattentive mergers before.

Most notable one I can think of was while we were living in western NY. This happened about two years ago. We were driving down the highway in our bright red jeep, Hubby behind the wheel, me in the front passenger seat, with the kids in the back seat. We passed under an overpass bridge and merged into the left of the two lanes so that on-ramp traffic would have space to merge over when they joined the highway.

This SUV comes down the ramp and merges successfully into the right-hand travel lane. So far so good. It then continued to drift toward the left lane, where we were. Not so good.

I alerted Hubby just as he noticed it veering toward us, so he laid on the horn. I saw the driver of the SUV, a teenager by appearances, get this wild-eyed "where did that vehicle come from!?" look as she swerved back into her lane. I couldn't quite make out the older woman's expression in the passenger seat, but I sure hope it was a parent going, "And this is why you look before you change lanes!"

I'm pretty sure the driver was, in fact, a teenager still learning, judging from her apparent age. I hope she got an important lesson from that incident and looks before merging from now on.

I have had so many inattentive people nearly hit our bright red jeep that I honestly do think it has some sort of cloaking device. Or a powerful magnet.

[wolfie]

At least the teenager got off that one with just a scare - if there had been traffic in the left lane (preventing a "move over to make space"), they could quite easily have merged into a lane occupied by a big rig, and gone under the trailer. The side is at just the right height to take off the "greenhouse" of a light-duty vehicle, with SERIOUS consequences for the occupants.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Just had my first real big scary "cloaking device" moment today.

So I pop by "Titus Harrier" to pick up dinner before going to work. I park in their underground garage (simply because it's otherwise aggravating to me to get to their above-ground parking lot and then find a space) and as I'm leaving, I'm heading up to the traffic light to make my turn onto my route to work.

I see there's this SUV waiting to make its left turn into my path, but being that I therefore had right of way, I kept going. And then suddenly the SUV is coming into the turn regardless of the fact that I'm RIGHT THERE.

Fortunately, there was nobody in the lanes next to me so I could swerve out of this maniac's way, and I didn't have a chance to lay on the horn to express my displeasure.

[wolfie]

Ah, the old "I've got 3 tons of steel to protect my family, so get the eff out of my way" mentality. Of course, my answer is "I see your 3 tons and raise you 37".

[Jay 2K Winger]

Ah, the old "I've got 3 tons of steel to protect my family, so get the eff out of my way" mentality. Of course, my answer is "I see your 3 tons and raise you 37".

Ah yes, the ol' Peterbilt of Natural Selection.

[Chromatix]

Cue obligatory reference to Jeremy Clarkson, a clapped-out Class 31, and a Renault Espace.

"THAT"S TOAST!"

[Jay 2K Winger]

Cue obligatory reference to Jeremy Clarkson, a clapped-out Class 31, and a Renault Espace.

"THAT"S TOAST!"

If the "little old lady" driving that Renault had been wearing a high-visibility vest, that might not have happened!

[notalwaysright]

Had a very close "cloak of invisibility" parking lot incident today. I am backing out of a diagonal space. I keep an eye behind me, and just as I am all the way out of the space and put the car in drive, I see in my passenger side mirror that the car parked on the other side has just started back up, not that slow, either. Since I was completely out of the space, they got really close, really fast. I had it in drive already, so I jerked the wheel and managed to get out of the way. No time to honk.

Best thing is that I know that brand of car (new-ish Prius) most likely has a backup camera. They became standard a couple years ago, and were fairly common before that. If so, they weren't looking either in front of them or behind them.

[Pagan]

I've lost count of how many times I've been almost backed into. My prevailing theory, which I have heard from a few people, is that people backing up don't need to look. It's up to the people already in the aisle to get out of their way. Regardless that they're entering the flow of traffic.

I've almost been run over by people not looking when backing up. Once, I was walking in and a man with a kid in a shopping cart was coming the other way and this idiot in a truck starts backing up. Wasn't too happy with me when I hit the tailgate with my hand. So sorry I prevented you from running over a kid there, Sparky.

[crazylegs]

Who the eff doesn't see an 18 wheeler?

The same type of people who don't see my flashing blues nor hear my siren...

[Dreamstalker]

If I'm in the town center when I hear an ambulance/fire/cop vehicle bearing down on the intersection I usually go up to the corner and see how long it takes it to get across and how many people (if any) move voluntarily.

The 'record' is one minute just to cross the main intersection (two traffic lanes on either side of trolley tracks). It wasn't gridlocked, people just didn't want to move.

[LoTech]

Had a very close "cloak of invisibility" parking lot incident today.
*trim*
Best thing is that I know that brand of car (new-ish Prius) most likely has a backup camera. They became standard a couple years ago, and were fairly common before that. If so, they weren't looking either in front of them or behind them.

Part of me wants to push the start of this behavior back WAY further than backup cameras. I know someone who keeps both hands on the wheel while backing up, thereby insuring that she can't turn her head far enough to actually see behind the car. I kind of want to attribute part of this to the death of bench seats. With no seat top edge to rest their right arm along, some drivers forgot that turning your body to look backwards was even a thing.

[Kogarashi]

I kind of want to attribute part of this to the death of bench seats. With no seat top edge to rest their right arm along, some drivers forgot that turning your body to look backwards was even a thing.

I'm not willing to blame the death of bench seats. I learned to drive after bench seats were not really a thing anymore (only ones I'd ever seen were in my grandma's station wagon and some (but not all) pickup trucks). When backing up, my parents and my Driver's Ed teacher all taught me to put my hand on the back of the front passenger seat and use that to pull myself around.

I figure it's just people who get into the habit of only using their mirrors to look behind them when they back up, which starts the downward spiral. When you're not turning around anymore because you use your mirrors instead, it becomes easier to just not look at all. In my immediate friends and family, I notice this most with the people who exclusively drive trucks with caps on the back, or similar vehicles where turning around to look behind you will only net you a view maybe one foot square, if not just a blank wall.

[greek_jester]

I have very poor eyesight when I'm not wearing glasses, so turning around doesn't do much for me as I can't pick up details in my peripheral vision.

That being said, my mirrors are all properly adjusted so that I have the maximum field of view, I do turn around fully for a blind spot check before starting (I can't reach the clutch and the accelerator/brake properly in that position) and do lean as much as possible at certain points in the manoeuver to ensure my side mirrors give me a glance into my blind spots.

Given that I am very aware that backing out of spots is problematic for me, I make sure that I reverse park whenever possible so that backing out of a space is incredibly rare for me. On the rare occasions I do it I do it slowly and carefully, and usually have my windows dropped to keep an ear out for traffic noise/someone yelling at me.