Talking with The Old Lady this morning about close calls we've had because of other driver's stupidity. She mentioned how recently she almost rear-ended someone because they almost stopped on the highway to see what a cop was doing. Probably writing a ticket or assisting a motorist. Slowing down is one thing, but you don't have come to a stop. I recalled how someone stopped on the highway (two lane blacktop UP on the Tundra) to let a school bus stopped on the highway make a left turn (why the FUCK they thought they had to stop to allow the bus to turn, I'll never know) and I came over a hill with a loaded semi. I laid on the air horn and passed them on the shoulder because there was no way I could stop in time. Hopefully they had to go home to change!! If the driver of the school bus had been dumb enough to make the turn, it could have been a real nasty accident.
Until then I had thought the stopping to allow on-coming traffic to make a left turn was a Cape Cod phenomenon. During their busy summer months it almost makes sense as there is usually a steady stream of traffic in both directions on the roads on Cape Cod. When it makes no Fucking Sense Whatsoever is when I am the only car behind the one that stops to allow a left turn. That happened to me and after about the third time this asshole stopped to let someone make a left turn or pull out of a side street, I laid on the horn to let him know I was not pleased. He got out of his car and came back to mine and said he was being courteous to other drivers and did I have a problem with that. I said, "I sure as hell do have a problem with that when I'm the only fucking car behind you and if you would just keep moving the other car could make its turn after I go by!!" Flipped him off and drove around his car to get in front of him!!
And something that happens fairly often UP here on the Tundra, someone pulls out in front of a loaded logging truck. Those trucks can have up to 164,000 pounds of logs on them, but some people either don't see them or think they can stop on a dime!!
I didn't know that you had driven trucks, I sure had some close calls when driving them, and did tag a lady in Idaho that hit the brakes cuz a couple of dogs ran out of a ditch.
ReplyDeleteWell, tagging the corner of her bumper beat hitting her square in the ass end.
164,000 pounds of logs? Is that figure a brain fart? Without special permits most trucks are limited to 80 thousand pounds.
Can't recall ever stopping to let someone make a left turn and certainly never had it happen for me.
ReplyDeletePulling out in front of heavily loaded trucks tends to be a one time only happening. Of course, heavily loaded trucks tend to pull out in front of traffic more often, which also tends to be a one time thing for the oncoming car too.
Man, I drive a motorcycle and I have to stay heads up and expect bone head motorist to hit their brakes, cut in front of me or shoot out from a parking lot or even to move into the same lane as me. I don't know how many cars I have actually kicked over the years that have crowded me in my lane.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
BBC, I looked up the load limit for log trucks in Michigan and with 11 axles on the truck and pup trailer they can legally haul up to 164,000 pounds. That is in-state only, but they are usually just hauling from the woods to the mill (which could be 100 miles or more at times) or where they can load the logs onto a railcar.
ReplyDeleteAh, eleven axles.
ReplyDelete