My morning fun...a car accident!

[ghost's bestest buddy]

There is no gap big enough to avoid someone who has no brakes.

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

Don't let these big meanies tell you how to drive, ghost! They don't know what it's like to have to constantly make left turns into the oncoming traffic of life like you do!

((((((hugs))))))

[gsabc]

There is no gap big enough to avoid someone who has no brakes.

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

Don't let these big meanies tell you how to drive, ghost! They don't know what it's like to have to constantly make left turns into the oncoming traffic of life like you do!

((((((hugs))))))

And they probably never had to drive in Boston. During normal working hours, and usually well beyond, there IS no such thing as a gap large enough to make a left turn without flooring it and testing your standing stop acceleration rate.

[Jeemie]

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

Don't let these big meanies tell you how to drive, ghost! They don't know what it's like to have to constantly make left turns into the oncoming traffic of life like you do!

((((((hugs))))))

And they probably never had to drive in Boston. During normal working hours, and usually well beyond, there IS no such thing as a gap large enough to make a left turn without flooring it and testing your standing stop acceleration rate.

I've driven in Boston.

But I haven't golfed with Pat_Summerall.

[littlebeast13]

Don't let these big meanies tell you how to drive, ghost! They don't know what it's like to have to constantly make left turns into the oncoming traffic of life like you do!

((((((hugs))))))

And they probably never had to drive in Boston. During normal working hours, and usually well beyond, there IS no such thing as a gap large enough to make a left turn without flooring it and testing your standing stop acceleration rate.

I've driven in Boston.

But I haven't golfed with Pat_Summerall.

But have you golfed with Boston?

lb13

[Jeemie]

And they probably never had to drive in Boston. During normal working hours, and usually well beyond, there IS no such thing as a gap large enough to make a left turn without flooring it and testing your standing stop acceleration rate.

I've driven in Boston.

But I haven't golfed with Pat_Summerall.

But have you golfed with Boston?

lb13

No...but funny you should mention it!

I've partied with Boston!

Well- with Brad Delp.

I was in the marching band when Penn State played Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for the 1986 national championship, and he was staying at our hotel.

[silverscreenselect]

Estonut says:

Statistics or not, in my state, the left-turner is at fault for not yielding the right-of-way to oncoming traffic. If you are turning in front of someone and forcing them to brake, the gap isn't big enough, and you are at fault for not waiting for a bigger one.

There is no gap big enough to avoid someone who has no brakes. It would be nice if people with bad brakes would not drive. And, for that matter, you can leave a 15-block gap, & someone with good brakes but who is speeding can zoom down & hit you too. About the only way to avoid left-turn accidents with you as the vehicle hit is to never make left turns.

And the only way to avoid bad drivers, which would include people driving around with bad brakes by definition, is not to drive yourself.

I can't imagine anyone making a left turn if there is a car close enough to hit him unless it decides to slow down or hit the brakes to avoid an accident.

[ghostjmf]

Jeemie says:

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

No, I didn't miss it. I responded to it by saying that there is no gap big enough, & no interval long enough to avoid someone who really means to plough into you, either because their car has bad brakes or because they're speeding from miles away.

[Jeemie]

Jeemie says:

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

No, I didn't miss it. I responded to it by saying that there is no gap big enough, & no interval long enough to avoid someone who really means to plough into you, either because their car has bad brakes or because they're speeding from miles away.

Drivers in Boston have a death wish?

[Rexer25]

Jeemie says:

Did you miss the part where he pointed out you should be waiting for a gap large enough so that the oncoming traffic doesn't HAVE to brake?

No, I didn't miss it. I responded to it by saying that there is no gap big enough, & no interval long enough to avoid someone who really means to plough into you, either because their car has bad brakes or because they're speeding from miles away.

Drivers in Boston have a death wish?

No, they just drive like it.

[Paddy O'Furniture]

They've gotta pay for those gawdoffal ads somehow. Just when you think they couldn't come up with anything worse than the cavemen, here comes that money wad with the googly eyes. Yeesh!

Mini-me LOVES the googly-eyed money! He cuts the picture out of the ads we get in the mail and uses it for a bookmark. Of course, he's only 10, so...

My oldest has the manual from the DMV and wants to apply for his permit at the crack of dawn on April 5th when he turns 15 and 6 months. I don't think I'll bother covering my greys after that.

I'm glad all the crash victims around here are healthy, though!

[Jeemie]

Jeemie says:
No, I didn't miss it. I responded to it by saying that there is no gap big enough, & no interval long enough to avoid someone who really means to plough into you, either because their car has bad brakes or because they're speeding from miles away.

Drivers in Boston have a death wish?

No, they just drive like it.

If you don't like my driving...stay off the stairs!

[ghostjmf]

The brakeless driver who hit the people I know was driving in an undisclosed-to-you midwestern city, not Boston. Lets just say its midwestern enough for the hitter to have taken them by surprise. Hitter was also driving half-on-sidewalk while trying to make a right turn into same driveway as the people they hit, which is illegal in any locale (even Boston, though that doesn't stop 'em here).

[Jeemie]

The brakeless driver who hit the people I know was driving in an undisclosed-to-you midwestern city, not Boston. Lets just say its midwestern enough for the hitter to have taken them by surprise. Hitter was also driving half-on-sidewalk while trying to make a right turn into same driveway as the people they hit, which is illegal in any locale (even Boston, though that doesn't stop 'em here).

Maybe it was Madison, Wisconsin.

They drove like nutjobs there...especially during the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival

[Estonut]

The brakeless driver who hit the people I know was driving in an undisclosed-to-you midwestern city, not Boston. Lets just say its midwestern enough for the hitter to have taken them by surprise. Hitter was also driving half-on-sidewalk while trying to make a right turn into same driveway as the people they hit, which is illegal in any locale (even Boston, though that doesn't stop 'em here).

Well, that explains it all! I know if I wanted to make a left turn and saw someone approaching me from the opposite direction driving down the sidewalk, I'd definitely assume they'd slow down enough for me to sneak through with a left turn in front of them.

If you don't have a clear opening to make the turn safely, don't turn! If you are unable to judge the speed of oncoming traffic, perhaps it's best that you only make right turns.

[SportsFan68]

I have had the good fortune of having never been in an accident of any kind as a driver, but experienced my first one as a passenger just 10 days ago. Thankfully, since we were stopped at a stop sign and the truck that plowed into us was clearly in our lane, there was absolutely no disputing the fault in it. But thankfully, like me and my family, you came out of this physically unscathed, and that's what's important....

lb13

<off-topic>Your avatar should read "Scritch me, I'm Irish!"</off-topic>

Not everyone wants to scritch the Irish, but everyone needs a little good luck....

Especially Sprots......

lb13

Some of us don't need any good luck from a mangy fuzzface.

Keep that little rodent away from me.

[ToLiveIsToFly]

The brakeless driver who hit the people I know was driving in an undisclosed-to-you midwestern city, not Boston. Lets just say its midwestern enough for the hitter to have taken them by surprise. Hitter was also driving half-on-sidewalk while trying to make a right turn into same driveway as the people they hit, which is illegal in any locale (even Boston, though that doesn't stop 'em here).

Well, that explains it all! I know if I wanted to make a left turn and saw someone approaching me from the opposite direction driving down the sidewalk, I'd definitely assume they'd slow down enough for me to sneak through with a left turn in front of them.

If you don't have a clear opening to make the turn safely, don't turn! If you are unable to judge the speed of oncoming traffic, perhaps it's best that you only make right turns.

Two wrongs don't make a right. But three lefts do.

[sunflower]

Let me just clarify, for anyone who may skip ahead to end posts and not read those at the beginning...

I do not drive on the sidewalk...I know when it's okay to make turns...and this accident was not my fault!

[kayrharris]

Let me just clarify, for anyone who may skip ahead to end posts and not read those at the beginning...

I do not drive on the sidewalk...I know when it's okay to make turns...and this accident was not my fault!

Are you saying your thread got hijacked??

How's it going with Geico?(it was Geico,wasn't it? I'm too lazy to look back and check!)

Let me know if you need any advice...I work in insurance you know.

[ghostjmf]

Estonut says:

Well, that explains it all! I know if I wanted to make a left turn and saw someone approaching me from the opposite direction driving down the sidewalk, I'd definitely assume they'd slow down enough for me to sneak through with a left turn in front of them.

The sidewalk-driver-hitter-driver didn't assume the sidewalk position until they got real close.

And when the turn was started by innocent left-turn driver, the brakeless sidewalk-driver who eventually hit them wasn't anywhere close.

I really don't know why you find it so hard to believe that people making left turns are not automatically at fault when they get hit. Oh, actually I do. Its your "youness" coming through.

[sunflower]

Let me just clarify, for anyone who may skip ahead to end posts and not read those at the beginning...

I do not drive on the sidewalk...I know when it's okay to make turns...and this accident was not my fault!

Are you saying your thread got hijacked??

How's it going with Geico?(it was Geico,wasn't it? I'm too lazy to look back and check!)

Let me know if you need any advice...I work in insurance you know.

Lol...yes, and I had to bring it back to me!!!

I'm now waiting...the police report won't be ready for 5 days. Then they "will probably" accept that as proof that it was their insured's fault...but want to give him time to submit a written statement...I think partially because they couldn't even understand him on the phone. The adjuster yesterday said they'll wait up to 2.5 or 3 weeks for that. And they won't look at my car before that. So I'm just waiting. I took pictures with my camera phone at the scene, of my car and his...and took more pictures at home with my camera so they can't do anything shady, like say that the damage happened after the accident or something.

I work in insurance too, just at a small company now...and I know how the recent trend is comparative negligence and I'm not letting it happen to me!!! It is going to be 100% his fault, because it was!!!

[sunflower]

Let me just clarify, for anyone who may skip ahead to end posts and not read those at the beginning...

I do not drive on the sidewalk...I know when it's okay to make turns...and this accident was not my fault!

Are you saying your thread got hijacked??

How's it going with Geico?(it was Geico,wasn't it? I'm too lazy to look back and check!)

Let me know if you need any advice...I work in insurance you know.

And yes, it was Geico.

[Bob Juch]

Estonut says:

Well, that explains it all! I know if I wanted to make a left turn and saw someone approaching me from the opposite direction driving down the sidewalk, I'd definitely assume they'd slow down enough for me to sneak through with a left turn in front of them.

The sidewalk-driver-hitter-driver didn't assume the sidewalk position until they got real close.

And when the turn was started by innocent left-turn driver, the brakeless sidewalk-driver who eventually hit them wasn't anywhere close.

I really don't know why you find it so hard to believe that people making left turns are not automatically at fault when they get hit. Oh, actually I do. Its your "youness" coming through.

Maybe the guy going straight went on the sidewalk in a futile attempt to avoid the too-slow left turner?

If the other car wasn't anywhere close, how did it manage to hit the left turner?

[ghostjmf]

But not for lack of the Boston drivers trying.

This one did take place in Boston. OK, Somerville, Cambridge, thereabouts. All the same.

Driver with southern-state plates is at green light. And is signalling for left turn, but there are no obvious breaks in the traffic. Perhaps they did not know it is the Boston Custom to drive halfway across the intersection, blocking traffic & daring the brakeless sidewalk-drivers we do have around here as well to, well, hit them. So they wind up stuck at the light, safely not over even any white crosswalk lines, when the light turns red.

People behind them honk. People behind them & also in front of them, those potential hitters they were trying to avoid, start to shout & jeer. Epithets are heard referring to the state on the out-of-luck visitor driver's plate.

Southern-plate driver sticks head out of window & yells "It doesn't say left on red!".

[sunflower]

I have Allstate, they were no help. The cop told me to call them and they'd coordinate everything but they said no, if it wasn't my fault I had to deal with Geico.

[ghostjmf]

BobJuch says:

Maybe the guy going straight went on the sidewalk in a futile attempt to avoid the too-slow left turner?

There's no way driving half on the sidewalk is going to make you miss somebody turning in to a driveway, which is what was happening here. And anyway, brakeless sidewalk-driver was also aiming for that same driveway. They were turning too, a right turn for them.

If the other car wasn't anywhere close, how did it manage to hit the left turner?

It got close quickly due to driving very fast. Remember they had no brakes. Well, only half their brakes. So they couldn't slow down much, except by taking their foot of the gas, which they were not inclined to do, or by throwing on the emergency brake, which they apparently didn't think of.

Brakeless sidewalk-driver seemed upset that their car was being towed, not the car they hit. Perhaps this was their decision, so as not to arouse the ire of the policeman, who might figure out their car had no brakes (which they had already demoed to the hit people, as well as bystanders. Because they're an idiot. I find it hard to believe someone thinks "I have no brakes" works well after an accident, but, hey, it did for them!). But I don't think they planned to hit anybody. They just think that gunning their car really fast will make people get out of their way, even people in a driveway with nowhere to get. Except into a parking lot filled with parked cars. Not a good place to drive rapidly into.