a disturbing trend

[smileyeagle1021]

I spend a lot of time on the west side of the valley and as such have a decent amount of experience with the proper courtesy to show big rigs (most of the warehouses are on the west side). I know for example that when a truck is having to maneuver to make a turn the proper thing to do is stop back at least one truck length to give them room to maneuver (seems like common sense right).
Well, for the last two weeks every time I've come to a stop to allow a truck room to move some asshole has passed me and gone up to less than a car length away from the truck making it so they don't have the space to move. Seriously, what the fuck people? Is it that hard to tell this guy needs space and all you've accomplished is to slow everyone down as the trucker has to now move even slower because he has to worry about not hitting you?
Gah, I hate Utah drivers.

[EricKei]

I can assure you, this particular bit of Darwin-Award-nominee stupidity is NOT confined only to Utah. Unfortunately.

[Shalom]

I know for example that when a truck is having to maneuver to make a turn the proper thing to do is stop back at least one truck length to give them room to maneuver (seems like common sense right).
Well, for the last two weeks every time I've come to a stop to allow a truck room to move some asshole has passed me and gone up to less than a car length away from the truck making it so they don't have the space to move. Seriously, what the fuck people?

Yes And No is a classic from the early days of flash animation (and ought to be required viewing for anyone who posts in Roadkill). Watch what happens 25 seconds in; is that what you're talking about?

[LillFilly]

Nah, it's here too. Some sort of vehicle-transferred pandemic!

[smileyeagle1021]

Yes And No is a classic from the early days of flash animation (and ought to be required viewing for anyone who posts in Roadkill). Watch what happens 25 seconds in; is that what you're talking about?

not quite, what I've seen is people crowding trucks when they've had to get into drive ways and have to either back in or simply gee and haw to get around a tight corner. I almost wish for the person to be in the trucker's blind spot and that the trucker will "accidentally" hit them

[drunkenwildmage]

not quite, what I've seen is people crowding trucks when they've had to get into drive ways and have to either back in or simply gee and haw to get around a tight corner. I almost wish for the person to be in the trucker's blind spot and that the trucker will "accidentally" hit them

Problem is, if they do get hit, the truck driver will get


1) a drug test
2) cited by the police for whatever reason
3) suspended (if he is lucky) or fired
4) black balled from the trucking industry.
5) black balled from any other job.

why do you ask?

Because the person in the car will lie like a rug to the cops, and also call the local "Call for (over re)action" TV Station phone number, so they can plaster the trucking company all over the news, and ambush the management of said the trucking company and/or the driver until the company that owns the truck "displines the driver(fire)", replaces their car, pays for their house, and food for life, sends theirs kids to college and basically offer to perform oral sex for the guy on demand because their truck "Hit" him despite that face that he is a total douche bag and had no business driving a car to begin with.

does that sum it up?

[AriRashkae]

Pretty much.

I've had to inch backwards at some intersections because the poor trucker is trying to take a right onto my street, and between the intersection size and the traffic next to him, he couldn't really swing wide enough to take the turn (or at least be comfortable taking it.) I've gotten grateful looks from the truckers, and catbutt faces from drivers behind me, until I point to the truck stuck in the intersection trying not to take down a light pole or run anyone over.

[protege]

I see that crap every morning on the way to work. Several blocks from the parkway, there's a rather tight intersection. It's made worse, because people park along the right side. As such, most people know that there's a bus...which *will* turn right, and usually has a hard time doing so.

It never fails--I'll stop a bit short at the light, to give the bus plenty of room. Then, either one of two things happens:

1. the idiot behind me will start yelling and/or blasting his horn because I'm not up "far enough" or,

2. the idiot behind me will go around me...to sit at the *exact* same light, for a fractionally less amount of time.

At least if #2 happens, it's a good show. The bus comes, tries to make the corner...and the idiot has nowhere to go! Since by then, I'll have about 5 cars behind me, I refuse to back up for those fools--they'll have to either turn right, or go forward into the intersection, and hope that nobody is going to blow through the light and/or hit the bus.

[Primer]

Problem is, if they do get hit, the truck driver will get

1) a drug test

because in the US, it's a federal law

2) cited by the police for whatever reason

not necessarily

3) suspended (if he is lucky) or fired
4) black balled from the trucking industry.
5) black balled from any other job.

don't know about all that

Because the person in the car will lie like a rug to the cops,

The cops never talked to me. I was rushed to the hospital via Ambulance, lights and sirens going full blast. Five more minutes to cut me out of my vehicle, and I would have been on a life-flight helicopter. Had I been in my little Nissan, as was the original plan that day, I would have been in a coffin.

But all I have to compare to is the Mack truck that "just didn't see (me)" sitting in a line of vehicles at a red light.

Three years, 4 surgeries (and one scheduled for Dec 18 for the 2nd hip replacement) and hundreds of thousands of dollars that MY insurance company wants repaid, later...

...still no verdict. Thus, my sig line:

[Andara Bledin]

The cops never talked to me.

Of course the cops never talked to you. They didn't need to. They likely had more than enough testimony from the half a dozen witnesses, plus a driver who seems to have indicated that they weren't paying enough attention.

Since I suspect you're not the type to go around people who've stopped and then park yourself right up against a semi that's trying to maneuver, you're also unlikely to be the type that would lie about what you did to try to shift blame away from yourself.

^-.-^

[LewisLegion]

I saw an accident between a big rig and an suv that I'm still not sure the big rig ever realized happened...and I'm also positive it wasn't the big rig's fault at all.

It was at the exit of a freeway ramp. At the bottom of this exit is a stoplight, then a right hand turn to another stop light which is at most probably twenty feet away from the first. It makes almost a hairpin turn from one light to the next in order to take a right off the ramp and go straight down the road to the truck stop. The lights were never timed together so the offramp light would be green and the next light red.

Trucks would have to swing especially wide to make the second light and go straight. I was behind a big rig doing just that. He had done most of his turn but had to stop because the second light had turned red. So he's basically jackknifed with the end of his trailer just past the first light and his cab waiting at the line for the second light. I'm right behind him, still behind the first light but with a fabulous view.

Asshat in a bronco decides he doesn't want to wait. He plans to turn right at the second light. So he RUNS the first light (which is now also red), goes onto the shoulder to go right and plants himself right beside the truck. Right in the jack-knife of the cab and the trailer. Now, he can't turn right because the CAB of the truck is already in that lane preparing to use it to go straight (it's the only lane). The cab is mostly straight where its supposed to be. The SUV has no where to go because a light pole and sidewalk with a fence are on the right hand beside it. He's right in the blind spot of the truck so the truck driver has NO idea he's there.

Light turns green, truck goes. As the trailer pulls straight it hits the side of the SUV, scooting it with sheer bulk over until it bangs the fence, and scrapes the SHIT out of the entire side of the vehicle (takes the mirror off and everything). Truck straightens out and continues to go (such a big semi didn't even rattle at the impact). SUV, as soon as the trailer clears, scoots out and takes a right and speeds off, shedding trim, paint, and bits of plastic after him.

[Chromatix]

You'd be surprised how few people are mechanically inclined. You need that to realise that a jack-knifed lorry is going to need to occupy extra space to straighten itself out.