Near Miss

[shatto]

"A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage - but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage."

I heard the four cylinder engine, straining to manufacture horsepower at full throttle, before I saw the Subaru coming into view from the right of my rear-view mirror headed left at break-neck speed. Cruising along at 55 MPH in the far right lane of the freeway in my Tundra; 'Clyde The Ride' I realized instantly that he had 'punched it' as he accelerated around the curve and onto the on-ramp to my right and.....lost it. He was going sideways coming from my 5 o'clock and narrowly missed me, perhaps because I had begun moving left, fishtailed a few times then 'T-boned' a Suburban right in the door which caused him to lose control and smash, head-on into the freeway sound wall.
Well...

Last week I was in Petaluma, "The egg capitol of the World" headed south from Santa Rosa and took the off-ramp off the 101 Freeway to go to Vallejo (Va-lay-ho unless you really speak Espanol and say Vi-yay-ho) but I digressed; I would be turning into the setting sun so I had the visor full down and my polarized sunglasses on. I was set. Ready. Prepared.
It is an old-time off-ramp. It did have a long slow down lane that ends in a 90 degree right then a short, maybe 8-car long run to the traffic light. Nobody in front of me as I slowed to ten miles per hour and less, to make the sharp left turn. Looking back and forth I was almost at the intersection, made my final check left, then right and was ready to begin accelerating when RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME WAS A BICYCLIST!
Good thing I brake with the left foot and my foot was already on the pedal. How close? My hood blocked out his wheels.
I don't think he ever knew I was there.

[FrugalFloyd]

That's two. I was driving a Dodge maxivan, stopped at a stoplight in downtown San Francisco. Two pedestrians were crossing from left to right in front of me, and disappeared from view just as my light turned green. Something about it bothered me, as I hadn't seen them reappear to the right of the van. I didn't go. Seconds later, one of the pedestrians rose up right in front of the van. His companion had tripped and fallen out of sight in front of the van.

[kamesama980]

I live in a college town. there's a section of 5 lane road near the school that we call the frogger strip. I especially like the ones with headphones on and hood up that don't even pretend to look.

[IndyFetch]

Originally Posted by kamesama980

I live in a college town. there's a section of 5 lane road near the school that we call the frogger strip. I especially like the ones with headphones on and hood up that don't even pretend to look.

Amazing that students will get a degree in astrophysics, but cannot have the common sense to look at traffic.

I have seen this many times. Elementary school kids are more likely to watch for traffic than college students. Maybe that's why young people are (generally) such poor drivers.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Fetch

Amazing that students will get a degree in astrophysics, but cannot have the common sense to look at traffic.

Celestial ballistics =/= safe traffic navigation.

[Fuel Miser]

Pedestrian Detection
By DAN NEIL Wall Street Journal Jan 21, 2011

"I've driven 200 miles per hour in a Bugatti. I've dared Bolivia's "Highway of Death" and Baghdad's airport road. I've eaten at the Stuckey's out by the interstate. But the most unnerving experience I've ever had on the road was routine, stop-and-go driving at night in urban Los Angeles, a city of notoriously ill-marked and unlit crosswalks, where pedestrians are possessed of the belief they are from the planet Krypton.

West Side, Koreatown, East L.A., Santa Monica. It doesn't matter. Angelenos will wade into fast-moving traffic and amble leisurely across the street, at night, in dark clothes, occasionally with children or a stroller. It's terrifying and maddening. And while one cannot know the state of mind of complete strangers, it seems that a few of these pedestrians are daring me to hit them—slowing their stride, loitering provocatively in the lane—in a way that's partly aggressive and fully suicidal."

"Volvo's Pedestrian Detection system raises some interesting philosophical points. It's one thing to pay extra for safety features such as side-impact airbags, rollover protection, advanced stability control and more, technologies that protect occupants in your vehicle. But would you pay extra—Pedestrian Detection is part of Volvo's optional $2,100 technology package—to protect those outside your vehicle, to save the health and perhaps life of a stranger?"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...tos_LS_Autos_4

[VetteOwner]

nah world needs less idiots. if a person doesnt understand the concept that they are a bug when compared to a car and will get squashed without denting the car then i say natural selection at its best.

i have almost hit people crossing the crosswalk when i have a green (for a good 10 seconds green even) ive had to lock the brakes and lay on the horn to prevent hitting them then they proceeded to yell at me. i have spatted out very politically incorrect slurs before back at them - prolly why they have gun laws as i was about a pinhead away from snapping and hitting a guy with a tire iron i have by my left hand at all times in my truck.

KAMESAMA - i know exactly what intersection your talking about - Illinois and Grand - T intersection. I just graduated from there and have seen those morons do it too - ALOT of semis go thru there...I was always the jackass on a bike riding way too fast around campus but when i came to a street i always slowed way down and crept across (supposed to walk the bike accross but ehh) haha. SO they ever get that waste of 90 million dollars done??? or the 100000 they spent on trees??? lol. I bet they still dont know how to properly remove snow...

[shatto]

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Poor Driving Skills Here...


Cause This.....