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Last night I made it all the way to my block without a near miss. But that last street... I crossed, LED flashlight in hand. An old dude in a big BMW made a quick right out of the strip mall, and roared toward me with the clear intention of not stopping for anything to make his right turn onto the main street. Stop sign? Ha! Pedestrian? Pshaw! Like so many people he began to brake, but then I heard the engine surge and the car leaped forward before stopping again, just before hitting me. And like so many people his face was completely blank as I swore at him and hurried to get out of the way. Nothing registered. As soon as I was clear his car leapt forward again, almost smashing into the traffic on the main street that had been stopped dead since before he even pulled out of the strip mall. But boy did he need to almost kill me in his rush to sit at the corner.
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Nov 21, 2015 00:50
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| # ? Jun 1, 2024 08:25 |
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I hate BMW drivers.
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Nov 21, 2015 02:14
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Had some nut in an Acura TL go off on me while headed home on the highway tonight. Apparently he was the official highway pace car and wouldn't let me pass, but when I let him get ahead and changed lanes behind him he'd slow waaaay down until I changed lanes to pass again at which point he floored it and took off again. I was eventually able to get around him, at which point he started aggressively tailgating me for a few miles until he settled in as an obvious tail - changing lanes whenever I did, following me onto and then back out of an exit lane, etc. I tested both ideas pf recording someone with your phone and driving to the police station when faced with a road-raging rear end in a top hat - I pulled into the police department parking lot and he tried to box me in by blasting up the other side of the lot and pulled in front of me and got out of his car. I rolled my window down and showed him my phone and asked if he was aware we were in a police station parking lot (I don't think he did at first), and I had ~15 minutes of footage of him following me (while actively trying to lose him) for about 12 miles and his entire demeanor changed from "guy about to kick your rear end" to "oh, I wasn't following you - I was headed this way anyways and just wanted to 'set the record straight.'" Regarding "going this way anyways/not following you home" - when we both left the parking lot he tried really hard to stay behind me and ended up going back the way he came, so yeah, he was definitely trying to follow me home.
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Nov 21, 2015 02:27
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lookslikerain posted:
You can easily recreate the tabs, never in a million years is that a replacement cover.
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Nov 21, 2015 03:18
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Bovril Delight posted:You can easily recreate the tabs, never in a million years is that a replacement cover. It is if the other guy's insurance is covering it.
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Nov 21, 2015 10:11
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PCOS Bill posted:It is if the other guy's insurance is covering it. They wouldn't replace it either. It doesn't warrant a replacement.
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Nov 21, 2015 15:32
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I hate New Jersey but being able to set my cruise to 75 and hang out in the truck lanes on the Turnpike is fantastic. Now that I've been in Connecticut for a day, I immediately saw all the dumbasses again. Came up to an intersection where a cop had someone pulled over blocking half the lane, and just past that some cyclists riding 4 wide and taking up the whole lane. I'm also laughing at all the "3 feet!" Signs on roads that are not wide enough to have an actual shoulder.
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Nov 21, 2015 15:57
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I discussed a terrible road here where the bike lane is squeezed into regular traffic every intersection so every ~500m so people ride in the main lane blocking everybody. I encountered a new one there this morning, a cyclist riding the wrong way down the bike lane. I came face to face with him at the intersection and had to slam on my brakes, and he just swerved around me and hopped onto the sidewalk anyways. He was riding as if he had the right of way, and the laws of physics would side with him when he met 6000lbs of steel.
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Nov 21, 2015 18:04
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Drove with a buddy who just got his license last night and I just about strangled him. He drove way too cautiously. Every time he had right of way, he would just wait for the other guy to go, even when the other guy had a stop sign. It was maddening. I really hope he snaps out of the 'No, you first' new driver mentality soon.
sleepy.eyes fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Nov 22, 2015 |
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Nov 21, 2015 18:22
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Powershift posted:I discussed a terrible road here where the bike lane is squeezed into regular traffic every intersection so every ~500m so people ride in the main lane blocking everybody. I encountered a new one there this morning, a cyclist riding the wrong way down the bike lane. I came face to face with him at the intersection and had to slam on my brakes, and he just swerved around me and hopped onto the sidewalk anyways. There truly are idiots using every mode of transportation.
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Nov 21, 2015 18:45
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Despite the days getting shorter I still see a lot of people driving either without lights, or with at least one busted headlight or taillight. Worst was earlier this week though: Guy driving with two busted headlights(one fully dark), one busted taillight, and both front and rear fogs on to compensate for it somehow. Drove like an rear end in a top hat too.
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Nov 21, 2015 19:35
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Still don't understand why daytime running lights aren't mandatory in the USA. Or why people in San Francisco don't understand using lights in the fog. One of the most terrifying driving moments of my life was driving along a completely socked-in ridgeline road at dusk, and having a fog-gray Prius suddenly appear out of the fog fifty feet in front of me, heading towards me with no lights on, halfway across the line.
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Nov 21, 2015 19:59
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Sagebrush posted:Still don't understand why daytime running lights aren't mandatory in the USA. Or why people in San Francisco don't understand using lights in the fog. I don't like drl for the reason that so many fuckers don't realise their taillights aren't on. And don't bother to switch from drl to low beams because the drl is the low beams just with none of the lights required after dark.
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Nov 21, 2015 21:51
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Deedle posted:I don't like drl for the reason that so many fuckers don't realise their taillights aren't on. And don't bother to switch from drl to low beams because the drl is the low beams just with none of the lights required after dark. Same. Then again last night I was driving toward Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, a Prius was waiting at a light near me, no lights on at all. I yelled "Hey your lights aren't on" to the driver, and they just shrugged.
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Nov 21, 2015 22:06
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I wish all lights were always on.
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Nov 21, 2015 23:47
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My VW has DRLs, but the gauges won't light up unless the headlights are on. Makes sense; if its too dark to see the gauges its too dark to drive without your headlights.
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Nov 22, 2015 00:33
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sleepy.eyes posted:My VW has DRLs, but the gauges won't light up unless the headlights are on. Makes sense; if its too dark to see the gauges its too dark to drive without your headlights. That works with old style gauges, but many modern gauges aren't really visible without being lit. On my subaru, the dash lights actually dim when you turn on the lights. It is a stupid styling choice, but reality.
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Nov 22, 2015 00:41
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I can turn the DLRs on my car on and off!
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Nov 22, 2015 01:07
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nm posted:I wish all lights were always on. me irl 
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Nov 22, 2015 03:10
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DRLs aren't bright enough to be very useful or noticeable in the day down here in San Antonio. Glare off of hoods is brighter.
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Nov 22, 2015 05:03
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DRL's are loving awesome on rural roads though.
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Nov 22, 2015 05:48
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DLRs are always awesome. There is no downside at all. Even if it on occasion happens to be too bright to see the front facing ones, it will do so much to keep morons from driving with no lights on when it gets darker / bad weather. It was pretty bad in Germany when I drove through. So much rain and water spray from the cars that often you'd only see floating windshields. I did actually put my fog light on there, because even decent rear lights didn't show up until it was too close.
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Nov 22, 2015 09:10
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MrOnBicycle posted:There is no downside at all. Research suggests that the use of DRLs negates the safety improvements that came from mandating motorcycles run a headlight 24/7.
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Nov 22, 2015 09:27
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Give motorcycles exclusive use of selective yellow. Boom, done.
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Nov 22, 2015 09:30
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Brigdh posted:Research suggests that the use of DRLs negates the safety improvements that came from mandating motorcycles run a headlight 24/7. Fair enough, but the amount of motorcycles on the roads are probably pretty insignificant compared to the amount of cars on the road. Also, you can't just have front DLRs. VVVV: Can't as in it's silly to just require people to have front facing DLRs, while having no lights on at the back. At least here that results in people having no clue that they don't have any lights on at the rear. The EU started requiring DLRs in 2008 or something, but only front facing ones, which is "overriding" our local laws which says that having low-beams / rear lights on is mandatory at all time. In fact, all cars sold here have been wired so that you can't turn the lights off while the ignition is on. MrOnBicycle fucked around with this message at 10:03 on Nov 22, 2015 |
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Nov 22, 2015 09:42
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MrOnBicycle posted:Also, you can't just have front DLRs.
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Nov 22, 2015 09:44
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MrOnBicycle posted:Fair enough, but the amount of motorcycles on the roads are probably pretty insignificant compared to the amount of cars on the road. It's the same in Canada. I really wish DRLs included the rear lights, because it seems like 90% of people don't realize that the point of turning your lights on isn't just so you, personally, can see what's ahead of you, it's so people all around you have a better chance of seeing your car.
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Nov 22, 2015 16:41
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Most cars at least have the option now of having auto-on headlights. Just make it non-optional, and so that they can't be switched off. If it's dark and your car is in gear (or running, or whatever), then your normal running lights come on, and the high-beams always default to off so that they must be manually turned on every time.
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Nov 22, 2015 16:55
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My car has auto-on headlights, but I always turn them on manually during poor weather because I'm not sure if it's actually dark enough to trip the sensor and I don't want to leave it to chance. I usually switch from automatic to full-on when driving at night, just to be sure (and to make sure, if I'm driving a vehicle without automatic headlights, that I always remember to turn the lights on).
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Nov 22, 2015 17:45
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Brigdh posted:Research suggests that the use of DRLs negates the safety improvements that came from mandating motorcycles run a headlight 24/7. Research, or a bunch of bikers who think a car on jackstands with it's engine removed and disassembled to the component level still somehow reduces the relative safety of motorcyclists? I mean, you guys say this literally every time the topic comes up and I've never seen anyone link to one of these alleged studies showing putting DRLs on cars is like committing genocide...
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Nov 22, 2015 17:53
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sleepy.eyes posted:Drove with a buddy who just got his license last night and I just about strangled him. He drove way too cautiously. Every time he had right of way, he would just wait for the other guy to go, even when the other guy had a stop sign. It was maddening. O really hope he snaps out of the 'No, you first' new driver mentality soon. I had two lanes out of three stop the other day to "let" me turn left across a major arterial road from a parking lot. Neither of them seemed to understand why I wouldn't go across.
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Nov 22, 2015 17:58
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IOwnCalculus posted:I had two lanes out of three stop the other day to "let" me turn left across a major arterial road from a parking lot. Neither of them seemed to understand why I wouldn't go across. I can't wait to watch somebody die on the way home from work for this exact loving reason 
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Nov 22, 2015 18:00
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IOwnCalculus posted:I had two lanes out of three stop the other day to "let" me turn left across a major arterial road from a parking lot. Neither of them seemed to understand why I wouldn't go across.
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Nov 22, 2015 18:17
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OhsH posted:I can't wait to watch somebody die on the way home from work for this exact loving reason I have watched someone get T-boned doing that exact thing at that exact intersection. Luckily the guy who hit him had his wits about him and was in the brakes hard, so neither of them was injured. Traffic backs up a good way approaching the freeway so all these idiots think they're being so loving courteous. In reality, if they'd just go, the road would've been clear.
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Nov 22, 2015 18:17
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Geoj posted:Research, or a bunch of bikers who think a car on jackstands with it's engine removed and disassembled to the component level still somehow reduces the relative safety of motorcyclists? I'm not putting much effort into this based on your reputation, but here is a 2008 study from NHTSA that I found in 5 seconds which suggests there is an impact, but is reluctant to call it conclusive: http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811504.pdf Let me know when you decide to claim the NHTSA is secretly a motorcyclist lobbying group.
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Nov 22, 2015 20:58
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I'm 300+ posts behind on this thread, so not sure if this has been posted before, but I thought it was interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCwlV_94kPE The vehicle seems to be this guy: http://www.warren.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4461. It's for transporting part of our nuclear arsenal, the Minuteman missile. There's a bit of a debate about whether the transport was real or a practice run.
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Nov 22, 2015 23:24
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Brigdh posted:...which suggests there is an impact, but is reluctant to call it conclusive: http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NVS/Crash%20Avoidance/Technical%20Publications/2011/811504.pdf This changes things - I agree, based on this inconclusive study we should immediately ban DRLs on all vehicles with >3 wheels.
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Nov 22, 2015 23:26
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It seems sort of like the same nonsensical idea behind "baby on board" signs: like I was going to drive recklessly and/or hit you, but now I won't because it would be extra-inconsiderate. If I can see you, I'm going to do my absolute best not to hit you, no matter how many wheels your vehicle has or if you're a pedestrian. Ergo, increased visibility is good for all road users. If I see a light coming toward me, I'm going to avoid it, regardless of what manner of conveyance it happens to be attached to.
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Nov 23, 2015 01:02
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Sagebrush posted:Give motorcycles exclusive use of selective yellow. Boom, done. Not to mention that a 2CV with white headlights is sacrilegious.
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Nov 23, 2015 03:48
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Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera recording at the time, but today I passed a dog driving a car. Or, to put it more precisely, a woman driving down the freeway while holding a rather large dog on her lap. She had to crane her neck off to one side to see past the dog's head. 
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Nov 23, 2015 04:05
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