My kid’s just finished the classroom part of driver education and it prompted a discussion of crazy things we’ve seen other drivers do.
The craziest thing I saw, many years ago now, was I came up behind a guy driving a Ford Ranger pickup and could see through his rear window that he was doing tricep extensions with a dumbbell in his right hand. I was more surprised as I passed to see he was shaving with an electric razor in his left hand. I don’t really know how he was steering.
Kiddo said they were told personal grooming was the fourth leading cause of accidents.
Flip a car while streetracing on a narrow three-lane highway in the middle of the city, in moderate traffic that was moving 70 km/h ish at most. Amazingly they didn’t take anyone else out.
I called 911. They redirected the call to the police station. After I described the incident, I could feel the officer’s eyeroll through the phone. It was odd to realize that something so extreme for me was literally just another day for them.
Edited to add:
personal grooming was the fourth leading cause of accidents.
An old co-worker liked telling the story of how he was rear-ended on a very busy city highway. The other driver was a young woman who stepped out the car all distraught and said “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you, I was putting on my makeup!” My coworker was ready to wave off the incident because there was basically no damage to any car but he changed his mind as soon as he heard that.
There was a guy I used to see in traffic who used to play trumpet as he drove. It’s been more than 20 years since I saw him and I still think about it from time to time.
When I was younger I stopped by QFC and got a cup of chicken noodle soup. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t wait to eat it when I got home. I straddled straddled wheel with my elbows while eating it with a spoon while on the highway going 60. I am not sure if I should be alive at this point.
Was back when I was 19 or 20, was hanging out with my buddies from home over the summer while on break
We were at a McDonald’s at 1:30 or 2 am. Kid around our age comes screeching into the McDonald’s parking lot, going over curbs and everything, sparks flying from two wheels. He had punctured both his front tires and was riding on rims. Turns out one of my friends knew him - he takes a look, looks at the guy, goes “yo man, you probably don’t wanna drive on those”
Kid goes “yeah well I really want McDonald’s I’m gonna go home after”
My friend goes “you live about 15 min away, you really shouldn’t drive.”
He gets his shit and starts driving, sparks still going off. Were a little concerned so we follow him. 200 feet later he gets pulled over, so we pull over behind the cop. The cop looks at us and goes “do you guys know this idiot?”
My buddy’s like yeah…
Cop says you should get him in your car.
Kid refuses. Drives 8 miles home in rims. Smoke everywhere, most awful sound you’ve ever heard. We follow him home, I find out he’s dumb rich.
We go into his guest house, which was bigger than all of our actual houses, smoke one, then leave.
The cop just let him go? I have a hard time believing that especially if you guys were right there in another car.
Bro wtf? Even if I’m rich AF I don’t want to wake up the whole fucking neighbourhood and doing such damage to my car.
We were all 19 or so and he was an idiot idk lol
I didn’t really hang out with him or know him before or after that night
Me and a few other drivers were parked by an unmanned gas station (late night near airport pickup that charged per minute from entry) - anyway, an early '00s renault hatchback swings into the station, pulling a U-turn before three unmarked police vehicles with sirens on surround it.
Officers step out and walk over, having a chat with the driver for a bit. Then, the driver steps out and the other passengers start to come out, one after another. After a little bit, there are twelve adults have exited this little hatchback along with a bunch of luggage. Driver is arrested shortly after.
Never seen anything like it before or after.
I saw someone who mantained the legal speed limit and safe following distance.
I hate when I leave an actual stopping distance between me and the person in front of me and someone else just decides to dart in and then tailgate the person in front of them.
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In Attack of the Clones, Kenobi probably broke a handful of driving laws.
This has gotta be made up!!!
I saw someone who used their turn signals.
Everyone knows that you save on car battery lifespan and look 134% cooler without turn signals
Besides the orange light doesn’t fit the paintwork and whole aesthetic and you turn too fast and too often anyway
I remember commenting about people going over the speed limit here on Lemmy, and getting so many downvotes from people who could never explain to me why they thought they deserved to go over the speed limit. Emergencies, with your emergency lights on? By all means! Going over the speed limit because you got up or left late for work? No bueno.
To be fair, most speed limits aren’t very accurate to the design of the street. If you wanted, you could speed up for straightaways and slow down for turns. Obviously though, they aren’t going to put a speed limit sign every 5 feet, so it won’t match the street design everywhere.
Case in point the freeways where I live are limited to 65MPH but you cross the border into either neighboring state and magically 70-75MPH is the safe limit. It makes no sense apart from generating revenue from speeding tickets. Most commuters do 75-80MPH depending on traffic.
The low speed limit also has the side effect of causing those slow, oblivious drivers to immediately crank the wheel over into the left lane the second they merge on the highway and then set their cruise control to 62MPH while they get passed by every car around them causing massive congestion behind them and lots of lane changes.
While I understand both of your points and views, the fact of the matter is that the speed limit is set to whatever it is, whether it be 65 or 70. You are aware of this, and daily commuters are also aware of this. In my eyes, that means it is not a surprise, or shouldn’t be, to anyone except travelers. This also means that you should be prepared for that commute at that speed limit. Unless it is an emergency, just follow the speed limit. It’s as simple as that.
This is specially egregious since most speed limits are too high
why they thought they deserved to go over the speed limit.
So I don’t obstruct traffic? To improve safety by driving consistently with other vehicles. Yeah, sometimes I speed but most of the time I’m over the speed limit is to go with the flow of traffic.
My bigger annoyance is construction/school zones. I’m not compromising there but it is frustrating to get honked at, or have other drivers try to pass
Had a guy pass me on the right going 20+ over the limit while taking a bong hit.
One of my friends(absolute stoner who smokes every day) went 70kmh over the speed limit(170kmh) while smoking a joint.
Dutch? I’m guessing because the speed limit. That’s insane though, 170 is flat out in most cars.
German. We drove on a random street between cities where you’re allowed to drive 100 kmh
Oh right you drive 100 there, forgot about that. That makes it even more insane!
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That was me sorry was in a hurry
About 3 months ago on my way home picking up burgers for my bro and i. On a major route and this sketch pedo van (early 90s white ford econoline rusted out and ratty as hell) busts out of a side street, almost hitting one person, slams on their brakes, slides over 2 lanes into oncoming traffic passes me and 2 other people before cutting someone off as an oncoming car almost hit them head on, the. Makes a left hand turn on a red light at the next intersection.
This could have been in a movie except somehow no accidents happened in my view. Fucking crazy.
Besides that a few years ago at 3 lane traffic circle on one side of an overpass to our largest highway(settle down, its only 3 lanes each way!)hear someone absolutely gunning it over the overpass. Comes into view, brand new metallic blue BMW M3 goes the wrong way into the traffic circle (everyone stopped because we all heard it coming) loses control, spins like 480° almost hits the retaining wall in the middle of the circle then proceeds to gun it back over the overpass they came from.
I blame drugs
A couple of county highways near me got roundabouts put in on bad stopsign intersections where people would speed excessively. The number of single vehicle accidents after they were initially put in because people sped excessively and or drove drunk was kinda hilarious
Since then it’s made turning at both intersections way nicer and the traffic calming effect has worked
He must have been training for the Over The Top arm wrestling competition.
Of course I’ve seen people shaving, reading a book, playing flute, playing violin, but the best is a woman who looked like Jocelyn Wildenstein in a top $$$ Mercedes drinking a Corona beer from the bottle, I’m pretty sure it was her.
Seen too much shit.
People driving and: texting, watching movies, reading with books or newspapers pinned to the steering wheels, working on a laptop with those steering wheel laptop holders, applying makeup, shaving. Sometimes more than one of these things at a time.
The cellphone video/text/surfing is a multiple times a day occurrence. People drive with their phones in their hands and use them all the damn time.
Seen two people deceased, one hit while attempting to cross a busy road well away from a crossing area, another thrown from the car after rolling it because they’d clipped a car while they were speeding and weaving through traffic.
People backing up in breakdown lanes on freeways to make an exit. People crossing multiple lanes rapidly, cutting off other cars, to avoid missing an exit. People OUI weaving in a lane. People nearly coming to a full stop in traffic to avoid missing an exit or turn.
Yeah, think that’s most of it. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some. I’m sure I’ll see more tomorrow.
working on a laptop with those steering wheel laptop holders
Remember when they were an onion-style joke to begin with?
Pittsburgh has some of the worst drivers I’ve ever seen. Running red lights and waiting for yield signs to turn green is the norm there. I’ve seen at least 5 accidents caused by a Pittsburgher stopping at the end of an entrance ramp to a highway.
Unfortunately my car was finally sent to the body shop after 7 years dodging people, and 3 months from leaving the city by a lady who decided to make a left turn from the right lane. Luckily I always have a dashcam running, no one was hurt and the police wrote her a ticket. This lady was a high level Karen, and went ballistic when I asked if she was ok after she crashed into me. Best part was when her husband showed up 10mins later and apologized to me for his, “dumbass wife” who just knocked the mirrors off his truck.
Saw a dude driving down the wrong side of the free way once.
I’ve been known to have “British moments”. When I saw the bit in Arrested Development, I cried laughing.
"Bloody yank!”
I had to pull off the road a bit and almost into the ditch on the highway to avoid someone who misjudged his passing distance and was still using my lane.
I signaled in the hopes he would see it and not zig to my zag.
He passed right in with the car he was passing, I edged the ditch a bit and then we all continue on our way.
I was a ways down the road before the chemical dump and realization. Had to pull over, of course.
Picked up my daughter from her school parking lot years ago and while waiting at the stop sign to turn back onto the road a car goes by with their back tire smoking. I thought it was locked up from braking, but it was punctured and tearing apart. They made no effort to stop or really even slow down much. They continued on and the tire shredded to the point they were driving on the rim. They kept going and onto an even busier major road, which is when I lost track of them as we were turning the other way.
My dad. He drove the wrong way on a highway, fell asleep at the wheel, and unknowingly ran from the cops.
To this day, my dad doesn’t believe me that he’s ran from the cops twice.
Since none of you know my dad, imagine if Mr Rodgers were cranky, racist, and stubborn.
What was the other time he ran from the cops?
