Bone headed driving incidents

DoreSlamR · 03-11-2008, 07:27 PM

Thought I might start a thread about bone headed traffic incidents and near misses, this is brought on by a couple of recent incidents.

The first was a couple of days ago. I was driving home at night on a dual lane highway that was ending and going back to single lane.

There was an old camper van with hazards flashing and was obviously being towed by the Pajero right in front of it. they were in the left lane.

In the right lane was myself and another car who was in front of me. They were a bit undecided if they should pass the van and Pajero or not. At this stage we had about 500m of dual lane plus another 400-500 of merging space, so plenty of room.

This is where the car in front decides they wanna merge over to the left lane BETWEEN the van and Pajero, I don't know how they didn't realise there was a tow rope in between. So they're indicating to move over, while I've now backed right off expecting a three car pile up any time soon. Luckily the gap was too small for them to merge so they pull back away, they then decide to have another shot at it, this time leaning on the horn while trying to merge. By now they're running out of road and finally the car decides they aren't gonna make it and slams on the brakes and starts flashing the van.

I can just imagine the poor guy in the van shitting themselves and not being able to do anything except hope for the best.

Was scary stuff.

P.S. Sorry if it's hard to read.

Keepleft · 03-11-2008, 07:35 PM

Just how long was this rope do you think? Any flag etc on it?

DoreSlamR · 03-11-2008, 07:40 PM

The second incident happened today. I was driving down main street of town which is two way traffic with reverse parking bays down the sides.

Refer to picture:

So the blue car was starting to reverse park into the spot and the green car rightly stopped to give the blue car room. For some unknown reason the red car wanted to pull out at that exact moment (Santa Fe), even with the blue car reversing and the green car currently parallel to them.

I dunno how they got out but I was dumbfounded!!

What goes through these peoples heads?

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Anyway, share your stories!

DoreSlamR · 03-11-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keepleft

Just how long was this rope do you think? Any flag etc on it?

3-4m long

I know what you're gonna say, towing like that is illegal, which it is. and wuld have contributed to the accident if it happened. Would hate to try and explain it all to the police

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xy500 · 03-11-2008, 07:59 PM

i love it when i try to reverse parallel park and the dunce behind me decides to stop about a metre behind me... and then get upset that i have stopped and i am trying to park

gz1 · 03-11-2008, 08:22 PM

Picture this. Three lane road about 3-4 cars in center lane doing the speed limit. (I was car 3).
Two cars come speeding from way back, split up so one goes to the left lane and the other to the right lane, overtake us like we are parked and then both merge into the the center lane. At the same time. About 10 feet in front of the first car.
Needless to say there was a three car pile-up, the two twits and the poor victim in the center lane. Lucky no one was hurt, but the cars looked like write-offs.

Yellow_Festiva · 03-11-2008, 08:44 PM

I started a similar thread ages ago.

In the space of a week or 2, I had 3 near misses. Ones that if I didn't take evasive action myself and other car would have been in the poo.

Of the 3 incidents, all 3 other drivers didn't care, abuse back or just didn't know what they almost caused.

Last week, driving home... I'm in the right lane, doing just under the limit on the freeway, but going faster than the middle and left lanes.

A driver races up behind me... the usual thing, they slam on the brakes at the last minute, realising that I wasn't (couldn't) go any faster.

I could see their face in my review mirror... all twisted and contorted with a plethora of profanity... their so close that the front edge of their bonnet is out of my line of sight..

They do the left hand swerve, and come to my left side. Yup there are slower cars there. There is a car to my 11 o'clock....

She tails that car, then just swerves... yup, hooked it right and wedged them selves into a gap of 3m, me in the right lane, and the left lan car that was slightly ahead of me.....

No amount of horn made them stop... it was either I slamed the brakes and let them in, or get wiped out at 100km/h....

I let em in....

she stayed in front of me for a few more km... no spaces this time for her to weave in and out of...

Eventually the motorway opens up... a bunch in the left exit, and I go into the empty left lane to get next to her and try and make eye contact....

She stares straight, oblivious to my horn and the death stares...... meh...

It's this sort of crap that should be stopped... speeding, tailgating, dangerous driving, no indicators.... If only there was an under-cover cop around...

As calm and placid as I am... had this been done before a set of lights I would have jumped out and tried to have a friendly chat with her... I was in such a shock as to how dangerous a person could be... all to gain a single bloody car space ahead..

RegSpec · 03-11-2008, 08:45 PM

Were' coming home from the drags one afternoon ( Ford Bronco with 26 foot enclosed dragster trailer with big LONG VEHICLE signs on the back).....two lane road with 100k zone and were' doing about 90 odd ks. up a gentle grade.
We come to a short straight....and this tool in a Toyota Starlet decides he's gonna try and pass...(there was an overtaking lane only 2ks up the road mind you)
I can't believe it when I see him in the mirrors....flat to the boards...the straight's running out and he's not even up to drawbar on the trailer yet!!
I can see a car coming the other way....I'm having visions of the mother of all headons.....but he still keeps coming..

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Jeeesus....the Starlet panics....the poor woman coming the other way probably does too....I put the truck and trailer onto the dirt to give him some space...the oncoming car also has to go for the dirt to miss him as well....the woman driving it almost loosing control as she does so...
As he gets past, he gives me the bird...WTF....
About 20 odd ks. up the road, I see him in a servo....and as I'm walking across the forecourt to get stuck into him...I see the baby capsule in the back of his car!!! which only makes me madder still....
If it wasn't for my wife settling me down after I'd abused him for his stupidity....I'd have been up on an assault charge,

ing_sm

EgoFG · 03-11-2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keepleft

Just how long was this rope do you think? Any flag etc on it?

Keepleft - you are the man for this - I thought the only legal road tow was a fixed bar.

(I is in NSW)

Airmon · 03-11-2008, 10:50 PM

Some of those are bloody scary, how can these people be on our roads?

I have 2 pearlers.

I was on a straight 6 lane road (3 lanes, 2m median strip, 3 lanes). There were no side streets, it was 70km/h. I was in the middle lane, a bloke in a 4WD comes flying out of a Driveway trying to go across to the other side of the road (across 3 lanes of peak hour traffic and over a guttered median strip into the other flow of traffic), I slam on the brakes and get hit side on.

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2nd one was about 2 weeks ago, I had just come up from Coalcliff up through Natio (for those in the area). It was about 10pm at night I was headed to the Freeway (F1?). Going down a 80km/h 2 lane road, I go onto the on Ramp for the Freeway, the freeway is a typical 4 lane (2 a piece) 100km/h road with a large 10m Median strip in the middle.
So I hop onto the on ramp, which is a very long (about 1-2km) single lane on-lane at 100km/h.
Im travelling down at 100ks and I see headlights coming towards me! Some half-wit in a Statesmen was coming down the on ramp at 100ks with his High beems on! I stopped and hit the shoulder so I (and the other 3 people in the car) didnt get cleaned up, he drives past and I yell at him. He stops, reverses up and asks "Im looking for Old Sydney Rd", I told the idiot he was on the wrong side of a freeway and on an On-ramp and he doesn't seem to care. He Turns to his Mobile which is in his other hand and goes "Yeah some d**khead is telling me I'm on the wrong side of the road". WTF?!

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tankclare · 03-11-2008, 11:48 PM

Recent one i had. A mate was driving my car and we were coming out of the singleton movie cinema around about 11pm on friday night. A p plater in a wrx full of peoplecomes flying up behind us and cuts through the Mitre 10 car park and proceeds to cut us off on the main road just missing my car.. Pulled at the traffic lights down the road and gave him bit of a death stare and what not and he reved his car. My mate reved mine and mine sounded better lol I laughed at him so he looked away and turned off.

seduced_xr · 03-11-2008, 11:49 PM

there are some shockers out there. im a learner driver and even i think wat a are you. i was driving towards the big roundabout on nicholson road on sunday accross from the CV cop shop. so im approaching it at 70kmh (the posted speed limit. and i see a corolla coming from a side street. and for wat ever reason he crept foward and turned up onto the kerb a bit. and then i hesitated and just slammed the anchors about 2 -3 cars lenghts away from him, just as well i did as he toddles up the kerb and straight infront of me. me now being very ****ed off and a bit anxious at this point. start going again. and hes doing 30kmh in the 70kmh zone and slams his breaks. me being even more annoyed now wondering wat this guy is thinking puts on the highbeams and the spotties. then he moves into the right lane. me thinking thank god hes turning right here (im going left at the roundabout) as were almost on the white line on the roundabout he flicks his left indicator once and swaps across the 2 lanes and goes left. i had enough. i put the pedal to the floor and toor past him at about 95 in the 70 zone. some old indian who didnt have a clue wat year it was

vanman_75 · 03-11-2008, 11:55 PM

nearly had 2 yesterday ,first 1 was young fella having a go at drifting around the corner i was aproaching so i gave him the finger ,got 200 metres up the road and a fool in a ss ute was coming out of the 1 way entry to a carpark. i gave him the finger 2 ,god its dangerous getting around my town with all the cashed up youth and crazy mums in clubbies .

GORDZ · 04-11-2008, 01:39 AM

i drove along side a taxi tonight on flinders st... nuff said? I did however discover the ute can now spin them in 2nd with the new clutch, christ I was ****ed.

two lanes, sort of does an S bend from one side of the intersection to the other. So the right lane on the other side of the intersection lines up with the left and lane before the intersection. Taxi in the left lane drives straight across the intersection, nearly forcing me into the tram stop. so after abs has finished doing it's thing i let her rip from 6000rpm in second, holding the horn, making alot of noise. get along side him, slam the brakes on to hold even with him and kindly ask him to return from whatever country he came.

I just don't know what it is with taxis. I had two near misses with taxis, a ute pull out of a servo in front of me and a pensioner couple slam the brakes on for an impossibly small car park without indicating. Maybe I just had a crap night, all i wanted was a quiet cruise

DoreSlamR · 04-11-2008, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GORDZ

i drove along side a taxi tonight on flinders st... nuff said? I did however discover the ute can now spin them in 2nd with the new clutch, christ I was ****ed.

two lanes, sort of does an S bend from one side of the intersection to the other. So the right lane on the other side of the intersection lines up with the left and lane before the intersection. Taxi in the left lane drives straight across the intersection, nearly forcing me into the tram stop. so after abs has finished doing it's thing i let her rip from 6000rpm in second, holding the horn, making alot of noise. get along side him, slam the brakes on to hold even with him and kindly ask him to return from whatever country he came.

I just don't know what it is with taxis. I had two near misses with taxis, a ute pull out of a servo in front of me and a pensioner couple slam the brakes on for an impossibly small car park without indicating. Maybe I just had a crap night, all i wanted was a quiet cruise

I know what you mean, sometimes it's like they're lining up to take you out.

You know the best time for a cruise? 2-3am, absolutely no one on the road to bother you, I went for a drive the other morning and only come across 1 truck.

Was magic!

Jesk · 04-11-2008, 07:35 AM

last night riding home (pushie not motorbike) Im in a residential street coming up to a t-intersection to turn left onto a main road so im hugging the gutter approaching the intersection, when this camery comes up beside me also wanting to turn left and just keeps getting closer to me still 2 m short of the stop line, i rap on his passenger door as my wheel is in the gutter with scarce an inch to go and my handle bar has an inch to go before it gouges the side of his car, and this asian looking chap just looks at me dumbly so i have to lean my bike over in the gutter and push along with my foot on the footpath to move myself outta there, but man i was ****ed off!

manxman · 04-11-2008, 09:15 AM

I've had an 'educated' Indian lady hit my handlebars whist driving past my Honda Elite. It was slow, and no damage to me, but she couldn't see a problem.......... Then there's ALL the suicidal pedestrians who just can't wait for me to pass & won't leave me room to manouver whilst they're rushing across the road. I'm gonna hit one one day, then they'll blame me, and claim on the MAIB for injuries. It's bloody frightening, I tell ya!!!1

Dezza · 04-11-2008, 09:40 AM

Twice recently I've seen a soccer mum in a BMW X5 that can't stay in her lane. She looks WAY too small for the car. Anyway twice I've come across this car sitting 10kph below the speed limit, gone to overtake, as I've got alongside, she's started to drift across into my lane. I mean if you can't control a car that big, you shouldn't be in one.

Probably the worst incident I've been involved in was when 3 lanes merged into 2. I was in the left lane, nobody was beside me but there was a Corolla behind me but in the middle lane. Anyway I put the right indicator on to merge across. All of a sudden the Corolla has sped up and pulled right alongside me. I didn't have the time to speed up to get past it as I was too close to the end of the lane, so I had to slow down... so they slowed down too. By this stage cars had caught up to the back of them, and I was about to run out of road so I had 2 options. I had to stop or have an accident. So I've had to stop in this left lane, because of this tool of a Corolla driver. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity waiting for a gap in the traffic. Finally a VT slowed right down and the driver waved me in.

scoupedy · 04-11-2008, 09:49 AM

Some of these new drivers its not really there fault, they get an international drivers license before coming here and the only thing they have driven before is a herd of sheep,goats or cows..

Had a lady in a 4wd doing the school run, coming into a merger she was in the right lane (of course) as we get to the merge she is behind my rear bumper i indicate that i am moving over this is when she floors it and sits next too me, i get on the horn and she just sits there, almost put me into the sticks i never give way to 4wd anymore they are usually a bunch of jerks

King Nothing · 04-11-2008, 10:58 AM

I have seen a ton of these, a couple really stand out

1-I was sitting at a roundabout, waiting for my turn, when a volvo 4WD runs up the back of me. Not really very quick, but enough to feel it. I turn around in my seat, she gives me a sorry wave. So I indicate left into a side street and pull over, she just keeps going forward!

So I pull the quickest u-turn of my life (safely), and chased her across 2 suburbs, lights flashing before she pulled over. This bloody pommy woman in her 40s, blonde, and indignant gets out of the car. She said that she couldn't possibly have hit me hard enough to do any damage. I ask "are you a panel beater now?" The bumper mounting points were bent, the bar was warped and she had put a big mark across the back, which she denied all of but I still got her details.

Her husband rang me later that night, apologised for the accident and offered to sort it out without going to insurance (to keep his premium low). I said "If you wife had of pulled over and been far more corteous, then I would have. Tell your wife to pull her head in and pull over next time. I've already contacted my insurance company". He understood and was clearly annoyed at his wife.

2- Just the other day, I was turning right out of the petrol station. Another guy pulls up next to me in the left hand turn lane. When a break in traffic appears, we both go. Only he has decided that he wanted to turn right as well, cutting me off and just missing my car. He got a horn and lights show, moron.

uranium_death · 04-11-2008, 12:43 PM

I see schlongbrains constantly.
I recently saw some idiotic lady in the extreme left lane cut across a lane of traffic into the far right lane.

(left lane is to turn left, middle lane can turn left or right, right lane must turn right).

The car in the middle lane that was turning right had to stop just to let this fool through.

There's a good chance the fool had no idea they had even done wrong.

One of the best points I have read here regarding drivers is that road accidents are not purely due to speed (as we are to believe). It is the decision making of drivers that causes accidents.

Some people clearly do not know the rules, and it drives me up the wall.

seduced_xr · 04-11-2008, 03:36 PM

lights seem to be the go when your annoyed with another driver. i was driving the commy last week coming out of my estate and a VZ SV6 tears out of his driveway infront of me i had to swirve onto the wrong lane and just missed him. he then tailgates me to the end of the estate with his highbeams on. sits in the left turning lane and im in the right. right arrow goes he pulls the biggest burn out goes left and tears off past me.

red_hotxr6 · 04-11-2008, 03:49 PM

I cant even stay on the right hand lane, every time i do i have some sort of holden on my bumper bar wanting to go somewhere at a hundred and sixty kilometres an hour....where are the cops when you need them.....

Selwonk · 04-11-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EgoFG

Keepleft - you are the man for this - I thought the only legal road tow was a fixed bar.

(I is in NSW)

even a fixed bar is illegal in nsw now,all towing must be on a car trailer,towie etc.

Airmon · 04-11-2008, 04:38 PM

I've got a couple more.

Going up Mt Ousley, big 6 lane rd 80km/h up a giant hill. Its raining, I'm in the middle lane with 1 car in front of me, a WRX, and 1 car next to him who is following another car (right on their backside). And the bozo in the middle lane starts swaying towards the right side of her lane, as if they were going to going to overtake, with the WRX in line with them. And sure enough, Indicator comes on and they merge straight into the WRX, who is now between a Concrete barrier and a merging 4WD. So me and the WRX hit the anchors to avoid a pileup, even though the WRX has just missed the conrete wall.
Then the halfwit continues to overtake the car he was previously behind, gets in line with them, then goes to change back into that lane!! Pushing the car in the middle lane onto the far left lane. All this at 80ks in the wet.

Does a truck deliberately trying to run you off the road count as a 'bone headed driving incident'?
I was in a mates lancer on the freeway when this Truck comes flying up behind us with the high-beems on and starts tailgating. He then pulls up next to us, and swerves into our lane pushing us onto the shoulder.
We brake get back onto the road behind him, and he brakes and locks up the front wheels, so we brake and swerve to avoid going up the back of him, and then drop it back a few gears and punch it past on his left hand side, we get in line with him again and he swerves into us again pushing us onto the median strip.
We eventually get past him and fang it up the freeway as fast as his Lancer will let us and the truck just keeps following.

Gotta love Sydney, I can think of millions of stupid driving incidents.

xbgs351 · 04-11-2008, 04:39 PM

Last year I went to pick up an XB coupe that a friend had just purchased. The carby had serious issues, so I thought it would be a better idea to tow the new coupe back to my brothers place rather than risk it going up in flames.

So we are towing the XB back to my brothers place, with my brother driving the tow car and me driving the coupe. We come to the one roundabout for the entire journey and my brother enters the roundabout and low and behold, a car on the left hand side of the round about tries to drive through the narrow gap between our two cars. Luckily she realised at the last second, but gee it was close.

Shortly after I got abused by some moron for not having my hazard lights on. NEWSFLASH for MORON - old cars don't have hazard lights!

**redxm** · 04-11-2008, 05:43 PM

A few weeks back was driving on a road that has quite a few level crossings. They are all marked as STOP but most idiots like to take there chances with trains and fly on through
I stopped at one, next second THUMP. Get out heres a P plater in a subaru that now is shaped like a towbar on a landcruiser. She said 'I wasnt looking in front of me, I was looking up the railway line'
The safety step on the back of my car was broken, but I reckon the dent in her alloy bullbar will take some fixing.

Archilino · 04-11-2008, 06:51 PM

Driving south on eastlink sunday afternoon after a wedding, had my wife and 2 cousins from interstate with me. In the middle lane cruise control on 100 (driving a rav4) noticed a bmw x5 tailing me but didnt think anything of it because the road was desserted and thought he would over take soon enough.

Over take me he did but as soon as he got past he swerved just in front of me then slammed on his brakes. Luckily the road was quiet because i swerved into the left lane to avoid hitting him, he then slowed and proceeded to flip the bird ranting and raving. by the way his wife and 2 very young kids also in the car. I couldnt believe it, i didnt provoke him at all was simply cruising at 100kmh.

The devil in me said catch him pull over beat the crap out of him in front of his family to teach him a lesson, the angel in me said let it go dont dirty your new suit. The angel won the argument, luckily for him...

Pinch · 04-11-2008, 07:17 PM

For some reason I can't think of any the billions of examples I have, one sticks out though.

Was giving a few people from work a lift home a few years ago. Never been in the car with me before, but knew from discussions from work that I had all THREE of our cars at the smash repairers at the time (one hail, one malicious damage and one rear ender). They were a bit hesitant to say the least!

Low and behold travelling in far left lane, 3 secs from car in front, headlights on in clear daylight weather, taking it very easy as it was a courtesy car - and an X5 (bit of a trend?) level with us changed straight into us. Hand on horn - no effect - kept coming. I pulsed the brake (no abs) swerved up on to the footpath barely wider than the car around a power pole and back onto the road. Not a scratch, some seats may have needed a clean though. Pulled up at the lights behind the X5 - they were not turning or anything, just wanted my lane more than me and... two unrestrained kids are jumping around in the cargo area. I 'kid' you not.

Ah, another one, I posted in the running amber thread. Some ricer pulled in front of me at the last minute down a steep hill to a red light. Was driving a fully loaded medium rigid truck with exhaust brake on and service brakes on the limit. Nothing to do but shunt him into the intersection a bit. Bus in the left lane of cross street saw my all 6 of my high beams and heard the trumpets and stopped short. Could have been nasty. They were charged with neg driving without any debate.

Unco · 04-11-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xy500

i love it when i try to reverse parallel park and the dunce behind me decides to stop about a metre behind me... and then get upset that i have stopped and i am trying to park

there are lots of them. it's about reading the traffic in front of you and a scary percentage of the population have no clue what this means.

i was driving through brisbane's cbd once with a girl in the car and came across a situation like the one you explained. i was the car behind though, so i slowed down as the car in front of me slows down looking for a spot. she asks why am i slowing down? then i point ahead at the car putting his blinker on and throwing it in reverse and she asks in amazement "how did you know he was going to do that?"

the relationship did not last long.

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