Just got back from dropping the kid at school. Driving up a one way road, some guy driving a pickup truck is in the right lane and slowwing down to a crawl. There is a cross street with a car going in each direction waiting at stop signs... I slow down and go past onthe left side, (one way road) the truck hits the gas and turns left taking up about 3/4 of my lane right even with my passenger side door... I do a violent swerve and come within inches of the curb but just get past him. I get the "where did you come from" look from the driver, He gets a slap in the head from what I assume is his wife who is in the passenger seat. This all happens at under 25 MPH....
If I was driving a normal sized car and not paying attention (like him) I would still be picking up pieces off the road. Lucky for both of us I was driving a Smart!!! I guess I pushed that cloaking button by accident again.
P.S. this was 1/2 block from the police station. I hope he wasn't going to pay off a ticket for inattentive driving...
Another near hit! Around here brake lights are an indication the other car is about to do something unexpected; guess I'll have to add sudden slowing down to the list. Glad you managed to avoid the big one.
I forgot to add that I had been in the left lane following this guy (about 6 car lenghts back) for 4 blocks, his brake lights were on most of the way.
I have seen people driving the wrong way, left turns from right lane, even a u-turn on that street. They should putup a video camera as the reults would be quite funny.
I agree with the observation that brake lights indicate "I'm going to do something unexpected."
I had a cut-off, short braking incident with a fool who was behind me at a 4-way stop. The car to my right was due to move but stayed still. He finally started rolling and then I went through the intersection on my turn. The guy behind me tailgated through the stop sign and stayed close on my tail, so I slowed down to get him to go around (one-way on a split residential road). He did, then he cut me off and slammed on his brakes.
If I could have reached my phone fast enough, I'd have called him in as an "impaired" and/or aggressive driver and hope some action was taken. I was rear-ended a few years back by a drunk and while I was standing there collecting information, a driver pulled up and said, "She's drunk, she's been driving erratically for the last mile." Then he drove off. Thanks for telling me the obvious, but when she left the scene, my case against a DUI went with her. I had her name from her driving license, so it wasn't hit and run. I also had her front license plate which came off in the impact, so we knew who, but without her present when the police arrived, we couldn't document the intoxication. I wish that guy had told an appropriate authority he was following an erratic driver before she ran down the road and hit me.
So I was disappointed when I couldn't report a driver whose behaviour was clearly inappropriate for some reason. Hope he didn't speed on down the road and hit someone else.
In the end, I blamed the Smart. I think the guy to the right at the stop sign was staring at my car, though from the angle and distance of the broad intersection, I couldn't see the driver. Perhaps this story belongs under the thread on "These Cars Are Dangerous."
In the end, I blamed the Smart. I think the guy to the right at the stop sign was staring at my car, though from the angle and distance of the broad intersection, I couldn't see the driver. Perhaps this story belongs under the thread on "These Cars Are Dangerous."
Just dangerous drivers and those not paying attention to their surroundings. I've had a couple of close calls in the smart - one was my fault (mirror blocked merging traffic) and a couple that belonged to the other driver being inattentive. . . cell phones and what-not.
I'm very alert for this when driving . . .
We, too, have had a time or two with impatient drivers. Once when crossing a set of unrepaired rough railroad tracks, we slowed down to a crawl in 1st gear. Experience has shown that the short coupling of the frame and wheel base along with a tight suspension makes for a jostling ride over these tracks. A driver in a large SUV stepped on the gas and crossed the double yellow line squealing tires and making a public nuisance of himself as he was in such a big hurry to go a mere half mile up the street to turn right into a residential neighborhood. I don't get it!!
Just dangerous drivers and those not paying attention to their surroundings. I've had a couple of close calls in the smart - one was my fault (mirror blocked merging traffic) and a couple that belonged to the other driver being inattentive. . . cell phones and what-not.
I'm very alert for this when driving . . .
The large rear view mirror on the windshield was removed on the trip home from picking up my Smart. The second stop light, I just about hit a pedestrian that I didn't see because of the mirror. It looks good under the passenger seat.... I like the bumper sticker that says "Hang up and drive"
Too many years riding motorcycles has taught me that the other guy is out to get you. Guess it is true with Smarts too.
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