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I think the complaints about people making lefts are less about how far they do or don't pull out and more how they loaf around making the turn once they actually have a gap. Everyone around them - the left-turners behind them, oncoming traffic, anyone in the other directions etc. - would really appreciate if they'd give that accelerator a touch and move decisively out of the danger zone. This includes cases of carrying a few miles an hour over the bump into a parking lot or something instead of crashing to a fresh halt with their rear end still hanging in the breeze of the oncoming lane. (See: how driving hellaflush makes you look octogenarian.) CT drivers have a habit of thinking it's OK to block traffic if you do it gradually enough. It's routine to see a car trying to turn left on a 4-lane road cranked around far enough that they're blocking the inside lanes of both directions, or a car trying to turn left out of a parking lot, with its front wheels firmly planted in the nearest lane (and, of course the accidents that inevitably result)
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Oct 12, 2013 08:23
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Opensourcepirate posted:When I wrote the post, I was thinking the Audi driver was at fault. Deciding whether the Audi or the biker is more at fault is rather subjective though. Almost all of the close calls I've had while driving have been the result of more than one little thing going wrong at the same time, rather than one big thing. Here it was A) Audi wasn't giving bikers the room he should have B) Car was parked poorly, and then because of those C) Cyclist looked back for too long. Unfortunately, no the Audi driver is entirely not at fault here, it's all on the cyclist for riding casually into the back of a car that had slowed down. I say that as an occasional cyclist as well. Where I've been treated like that I've just pulled over for 2 seconds to let them past.
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Oct 12, 2013 16:39
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Well, the Audi driver did an illegal thing - not giving the cyclist a reasonable distance - which lead to an accident occurring. If you want to assign blame primarily to the cyclist, and 100% legally to the cyclist, that's fine with me. I mean there's legally at fault and then there's who's really at fault. A friend of mind crashed his car because some lady ran a stop sign. He succeeded in avoiding her and totaled it on a high curb. If he had collided with her, it would have legally been her fault, but since he was in a one car accident it was %100 on him.
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Oct 12, 2013 17:34
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It is his fault because he failed to control his car, legally and for all other purposes. You can't cause an accident trying to avoid one and have it not be your fault.
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Oct 12, 2013 18:23
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So the lesson to learn there is that if someone runs a stop sign in front of you, you're likely better off smashing into them than you are trying to avoid a collision. It makes the fault easy to assign, but I think it's a sad lesson. You deal with a lot of stuff like this when biking. If someone opens a car door while I'm coming up on my bike quickly, should I try to go around it into unknown traffic conditions, thereby making myself the at fault party, or should I just put my head down and hit it? I may have milliseconds to make that decision.
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Oct 12, 2013 18:44
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Opensourcepirate posted:So the lesson to learn there is that if someone runs a stop sign in front of you, you're likely better off smashing into them than you are trying to avoid a collision. It makes the fault easy to assign, but I think it's a sad lesson. You're pretty much hosed in that situation too, if my experience is anything to go off of. I was involved in two fender benders in the summer of 2010; one guy tried to pass me on a shoulder and ran out of room and hit me instead of the guardrail and the other changed into my lane without looking or signaling. Both times the other party claimed I caused the accident and the responding officer said they couldn't rule fault so it was a "no-fault" accident. If I still drove as much for work as I used to I'd be buying a dash cam (and even with the fraction I do now I'm still considering it.) Unless you catch it on camera all bets are off, and I guess if you are at fault just lie your rear end off and at least you won't get cited and your rates won't go up as much since your insurer will only be covering the damages to your vehicle.
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Oct 12, 2013 20:35
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^^^^ How the gently caress is that a no-fault accident? Isn't it illegal to pass using the shoulder?Opensourcepirate posted:So the lesson to learn there is that if someone runs a stop sign in front of you, you're likely better off smashing into them than you are trying to avoid a collision. It makes the fault easy to assign, but I think it's a sad lesson. It's kind of hard to know the outcome, but I keep thinking about it when I drive and different "what if" scenarios present themselves on the road. "Would I swerve into oncoming traffic or hit this idiot / kid that just pulled / ran out in front of me". Thankfully nothing ever happens, but I've come to the conclusion that I'd only swerve for a kid running out on the road if there was oncoming traffic. But then again, thankfully at those speeds (40km/h or 50km/h since I never speed in those areas) it's faster and better to just stop. A few months ago there was a family hanging around (with their backs turned to the road) a crosswalk and the son was jumping around and suddenly ran out on the crosswalk in front of me. Thankfully I saw it coming and had my speed down and foot on the brake, ready to brake. Swerving is pretty dangerous when it's a kneejerk reaction and can result in worse crashes than would have happened if they'd just carried on. A very good example of how swerving can go horribly wrong is when people swerve for animals. Over here we're taught to only swerve for a moose, since they gently caress you up badly if you hit them. But that doesn't stop people from swerving for squirrels and end up flipping their cars 10 times and totaling it and perhaps themselves. I think the lesson should be to never be in such a hurry that you can't deal with most situations. Some poo poo is just random and unavoidable and "luck", but some can be avoided.
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Oct 13, 2013 07:27
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NOTinuyasha posted:After two hit-and-runs I installed a dashcam, but it's still primarily for my own amusement. This is what I bought and this is what the video looks like for anyone curious. I know some day I'll get something of value on video so it's basically a guaranteed investment. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 09:45
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some texas redneck posted:
That's the knockoff with the pinhole camera, versus his which is the genuine one. Let us know how the video quality is STR. Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 09:48
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 Goddamnit, you're right.Thanks for pointing that out, cancelled the order. e: Dash Cam Talk seems to think this is the best cheap one right now. I was hoping to order something stateside so I could get it a bit quicker, but the US based sellers want $150+  Same seller that NOTinuyasha linked, so... we'll see how soon it shows up. It's also on Dealextreme, but DX wants a bit more... and it'd probably be a month before I got it from them. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:20 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 09:53
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some texas redneck posted:e: Dash Cam Talk seems to think this is the best cheap one right now. I was hoping to order something stateside so I could get it a bit quicker, but the US based sellers want $150+ I ordered one of these earlier this week based on Dash Cam Talk's recommendation. I'll let you know how it looks when it arrives in 8 months time.
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Oct 13, 2013 11:09
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The ebay listing claims I should have it between the 22nd and 28th. 2 weeks is pretty impressive for budget overseas shipping. I have my doubts on that thanks to my dealings with DX 
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Oct 13, 2013 11:12
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Lightbulb Out posted:Don't forget about the people who won't pull into an intersection when turning left.
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Oct 13, 2013 11:37
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Dominoes posted:That's me. I just smile at the guys who get angry and honk. Not going to enter an intersection without knowing I can clear it safely and quickly. My drivers ed teacher beat this into my skull nearly 20 years ago: "if you're turning left, don't park in the middle of the intersection unless you know drat loving well you can turn before the light changes!"
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Oct 13, 2013 11:47
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So in heavy traffic, no one ever gets to turn left? Just go into the intersection, yield to oncoming traffic and turn left if there's a gap or when the light changes. It's the correct way to do it. A red light doesn't mean 'you done hosed up!', it means 'clear the intersection'.
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Oct 13, 2013 13:12
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That's a good way to get t-boned in large parts of the country. Green means go go go go go! and if you're the first car in line at a light and you aren't going right after that poo poo turns green you might get rear ended by the impatient person behind you.
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Oct 13, 2013 14:37
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So people will accelerate from a complete stop into a car that's blocking their way? That seems a bit hard to believe. There's also an all red signal overlap on most intersections to help with this.
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Oct 13, 2013 14:45
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rscott posted:That's a good way to get t-boned in large parts of the country. Green means go go go go go! and if you're the first car in line at a light and you aren't going right after that poo poo turns green you might get rear ended by the impatient person behind you. Maybe in your part of the country. Around where I'm at in the Midwest it is far more common for people to wait a full three to four seconds before finally hitting the gas regardless of any red light delay. some texas redneck posted:My drivers ed teacher beat this into my skull nearly 20 years ago: "if you're turning left, don't park in the middle of the intersection unless you know drat loving well you can turn before the light changes!" This is a confusing issue because while it may not be all that smart, it is entirely legal (and sometimes the only way to make a left during busy hours) in parts of the US.
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Oct 13, 2013 15:00
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If I waited for an actual gap in traffic (no light) when making a left it would take me 20 minutes to get out of the road my company is on every night after work. I have to force my way through oncoming traffic literally one lane at a time. Having a really beat up DD helps, no one plays chicken with me if they want their 5 year old middle class status symbol unscathed. (And I'm not afraid of small gaps or throttle, either, I have left a cloud of tire smoke pulling out of that road into traffic many times when it isn't bumper to bumper. You can always tell when someone is new to the area because they wait a few minutes before forcing their way into traffic.)
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Oct 13, 2013 15:47
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Re: Left Turns. Really depends what part of the country/what country you're in. I say follow local norms (as long as they are safe) and unless what you're doing is safer, then you're the rear end in a top hat. In Fargo, ND, there are more intersections without protective arrows than with. So, typically you approach the situation by pulling into the intersection (taking "command" of the intersection as they say up there), but not enough to block opposing traffic turning left, and either wait for a gap, or wait for the lights to change. Typically the faux pas is more than one car in the intersection at a time or someone who will wait behind the line and then try to jump the intersection when the light changes, effectively running the "orange"/red light and using the person who was "in command" as their shield against any cross traffic that would begin moving. In most of the Florida Panhandle, having more than half your car in the intersection, or past the crosswalk is generally not kosher. Sometimes local mounties will tag you for "taking command" like you can in NoDak. Daytona Beach seemed the same way, but during tourist seasons you'll see more of the former behavior because it's just hard to get around any other way. Here in the CAK area, you get a mix. There are usually plenty of protective arrow intersections, but you'll still get people creeping into the intersection, and there are a few intersections (especially in Akron) where this is the only way to make a left turn. The big problem is, of course, people in this area are the worst at actually stopping their cars behind the lines, and I've seen people "creep" halfway through an intersection before the light turns green (often done at night, because I guess they want to scare the poo poo out of an unsuspecting driver?) Basically, in Florida I would never have thought to crawl into the intersection, but having spent a year in NoDak and now in NE Ohio, I will typically judge the intersection and traffic before I decide whether pulling into it is a good idea or not.
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Oct 13, 2013 18:26
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MrOnBicycle posted:^^^^ How the gently caress is that a no-fault accident? Isn't it illegal to pass using the shoulder? It is, but not when the guy passing on the shoulder proceeds to drive two miles down the highway before stopping and then lies to the cop about what happened, and the cop doesn't want to stick his neck out and rule on who was at fault.
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Oct 13, 2013 19:26
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xpost from craigslist gold because I sometimes drive around where this thing resides: http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/4137809095.html  The text is the best part.
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Oct 19, 2013 03:33
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quote:he Good: Custom Geo Truck, water tight, turns heads, stays warm inside, great for hauling tools, or whatever and getting great gas mileage. lots of new parts, to many to list, nice kenwood stereo and kenwood speakers. bench seat makes it feel way roomier, very comfy and fun to drive, fully functional cobra CB with a loud PA system. radio shack radar detector. new tires, brakes good, new wipers, battery, oil changed every month on the 1st. I only run royal purple full synthetic oil and premium fram oil filters. dont want to sell but i am moving east and need 4 wheel drive. passed final emissions test recently. and got rid of the catalytic converter and put new exhaust on it and gained 2 mpg. new radiator and electric radiator fan. If it needs new doors and a hood, it is not a 7/10 on exterior condition. Also, it is not and can never be 7/10 on anything because it is a Geo Metro with a hacked-on reclaimed-wood pickup bed on it. Also lol at "premium fram filters" and "I only run Royal Purple."
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Oct 19, 2013 03:48
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The text on that ad is seriously the gift that keeps on giving. I keep finding new things to laugh at every time I read it. If there were a redneck engineering museum, this would be the centerpiece along with that 350 swap porsche someone bought on AI a while back.
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Oct 19, 2013 03:54
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What ever happened to that Porsche anyway?
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Oct 19, 2013 09:15
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some texas redneck posted:What ever happened to that Porsche anyway? That was EinTier's project... he's still around, but no updates.
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Oct 19, 2013 10:00
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I found a 350 swapped Porsche in Toledo, Ohio at a classic car show once. I will have to get the pictures of it up, it looks like it was ready for track time. It was just the oddest thing looking at the engine bay and seeing a 350 block back there.
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Oct 19, 2013 10:18
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To add to the (cheap) camera chat, Techmoan does really good camera reviews, he recommends this camera: http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/8/31/the-mini-0801-tiny-1080p-gps-car-camera-with-an-lcd-screen.html The video is really worth watching too 
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Oct 19, 2013 10:33
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Dash cams are always a great idea. When I have the time and placement down I want to have 360 degree camera coverage in my car. I've been found at fault for getting hit by a speeding drunk driver in the middle of a rainy night without headlights, you really don't know you'll need one until you do. Didn't even try to brake before hitting me. It would have easily been a possibly fatal accident if I hadn't caught a glimpse of his headlamps reflecting off of a street lamp and avoided. It ended up hitting my driver quarter instead of the door with enough force to shear the axle. This scumbag switched seats with his passenger and lied his rear end off and even handed money to the other driver who pulled over. It sounds so unbelievable that there's no way you're going to prove that without a camera. Actually with the way the laws are written up here I would have been at fault anyway, despite the other driver being drunk & speeding & not running even city lights, but at least that guy would have gotten a DUI. In Washington you are always at fault if you get hit while turning, no matter what the circumstances are. The law's even written in a way where you can get hit by a car swerving in the intersecting lane while you're at a stop or approaching the stop sign and still be at fault. Then half a year later my girlfriend's on vacation in the pass seat of her friends car, which gets hit by a 911 that bounced off the median, making their car spin out across the freeway and get hit by several other cars and a semi truck at around 50. Her friend got found at full fault for all of the cars involved because the driver that caused it hit&run. Here's the only picture I have of the carnage, where the semi hit. A testament to the safety of a semi modern Subaru.  Yeah just thinking about that I think I'm getting some cameras tomorrow. Drunken Lullabies fucked around with this message at 12:43 on Oct 19, 2013 |
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Oct 19, 2013 12:20
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I'm kind of curious what I'm actually supposed to do in the event my camera caught something that'd exonerate me in an accident. Is the bureaucracy at most insurance companies capable of handling and judging that sort of evidence? If only the cars were damaged would the police give a poo poo about my video at all? Can't assume anything.
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Oct 19, 2013 12:45
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NOTinuyasha posted:I'm kind of curious what I'm actually supposed to do in the event my camera caught something that'd exonerate me in an accident. Is the bureaucracy at most insurance companies capable of handling and judging that sort of evidence? If only the cars were damaged would the police give a poo poo about my video at all? Can't assume anything. You could use it in court to fight any tickets you get and use that ruling to contest the insurance adjuster's decision or use it to sue your insurance company (they aren't allowed to drop you or raise your rates for this.) I asked my adjuster and he said that a dash video like that would get factored in when they decide fault and they would be very interested in it because it would help them not have to pay anything. It could also help if the driver that hits you gets injured and sues you. My adjuster (progressive) was a scumbag and condescending prick so I'd take anything he said with a grain of salt though. From what I've heard from people in that industry, insurance settles with whatever side costs them the least unless there is physical evidence or a witness account. So you better hope your car is the most messed up and the most valuable. It's more complex of course because they factor in likelihood of either driver being at fault if both insurance companies don't agree, tickets, etc. There's a math formula for it. They even factor in what kind of damages you would have if you sued and they'll do illegal poo poo if the cost is worth the risk. It all boils down to the bottom line. Another example, the mother of the Subaru driver actually had a homeless guy attempt suicide by jumping infront of her car on a highway and she's still paying that settlement. She wouldn't get specific but the settlement was edit: a comical amount of money, don't want to get specific because it's not my business. I imagine a dash cam would have been a life saver there. Drunken Lullabies fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Oct 19, 2013 |
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Oct 19, 2013 12:53
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I didn't know left turns worked differently in other places. Here in Alberta, you drive into the intersection, so that you're in the intersection but not obstructing oncoming traffic. When the yellow light comes, you wait for the oncoming traffic to stop, then you complete your turn.b This is how you're taught in driver's ed, it's standard practice, and I consider it completely safe. Obviously, you can't obstruct oncoming traffic in the process, you only need to advance into the intersection straight, while keeping your wheels straight (in case of someone rear-ending you). Without this, I don't think you'd be able to turn left during rush hour ever.
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Oct 20, 2013 03:54
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That's how it works here too, theoretically. The problem is that people run yellow lights pretty much constantly. So I wait for the arrow unless traffic is light and I see a opening.
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Oct 20, 2013 05:56
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Due to the way stoplights are placed in many places in the US, if you pull into the intersection and stop, you can no longer see your (and sometimes any) stoplights. This is especially common in strange intersections that aren't straightforward crosses.
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Oct 20, 2013 10:10
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NOTinuyasha posted:I'm kind of curious what I'm actually supposed to do in the event my camera caught something that'd exonerate me in an accident. Is the bureaucracy at most insurance companies capable of handling and judging that sort of evidence? If only the cars were damaged would the police give a poo poo about my video at all? Can't assume anything. Police (if they show up to the accident - they won't if there's no injuries in a lot of bigger cities) will generally be very interested in the video, if you have a way to play it back. Even the cheaper cameras usually have an LCD on them; otherwise, many of them use micro SD (the ones that use SD... get a micro SD card and use the [usually included] adapter?), so if you have a phone with a micro SD slot, you can probably play it back on the spot. Assuming you have a camera without a display. I wouldn't mention a camera or video to the other driver without police present though; you never know how desperate someone might be to avoid proof. Drunken Lullabies posted:Dash cams are always a great idea. When I have the time and placement down I want to have 360 degree camera coverage in my car. I definitely want to do front/rear cameras eventually. Don't know about side, unless I found an affordable 4 camera mobile DVR. I'm not sure how long a HDD based DVR (mobile or not) would hold up to the summers here. No way in hell am I going to deal with 4 independent cameras.
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Oct 20, 2013 10:23
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Snowdens Secret posted:Due to the way stoplights are placed in many places in the US, if you pull into the intersection and stop, you can no longer see your (and sometimes any) stoplights. This is especially common in strange intersections that aren't straightforward crosses. Sounds like the same system as ze Germans use.
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Oct 20, 2013 12:10
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iv46vi posted:So people will accelerate from a complete stop into a car that's blocking their way? That seems a bit hard to believe. There's also an all red signal overlap on most intersections to help with this. I think you'd be surprised at the number of people staring intently at the lights waiting for the green and just pull away instinctively. I know one person who got rear-ended like this
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Oct 21, 2013 03:33
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I got rearended once while stopped at a red light by a woman who stopped behind me just fine, appropriate distance, waited, and then just drove into me. When I asked her why she did that, she told me she thought it was time for the light to change. Not even close. She could certainly see the light from her minivan over my hatchback and judging by the gentle acceleration she maintained up to the point of contact she couldn't have been in much of a rush.
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Oct 21, 2013 04:24
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Raluek posted:One other thing I've been wondering about : How much of a difference does it make that some speedos are farther off from reality than others? Perhaps the people going five under just have a more optimistic gauge. I happen to know approximately how far off mine is (about 10%), so I compensate, but perhaps others don't. When I don't have my GPS running, I tend to drive at the speed limit - but my in-car speedo says I'm speeding. When people try to kiss my back bumper as a result, I just ignore them. In this part of the world, a nice safe passing zone will open up fairly soon. TATPants posted:I am that guy. I will not drive into an intersection without being able to leave it legally. There are stop lines for a reason. Not only will I put myself at risk by driving into a busy intersection, I will put other drivers behind me in danger because they will not be able to see beyond my car. So honk at me all you want - I will not be an accessory to a potentially fatal T bone crash that kills my passenger. Geirskogul posted:I agree with this. When people pull forward on certain intersections, they make it so I can't see the oncoming traffic. If they were to just stay at the line, everyone can see the gaps in the oncoming traffic and, I believe, more people could make the left before the change. All pulling forward does is ensure that the first guy, and only the first guy, gets through on many lights. YF19pilot posted:Re: Left Turns. Really depends what part of the country/what country you're in. I say follow local norms (as long as they are safe) and unless what you're doing is safer, then you're the rear end in a top hat. PT6A posted:I didn't know left turns worked differently in other places. Here in Alberta, you drive into the intersection, so that you're in the intersection but not obstructing oncoming traffic. When the yellow light comes, you wait for the oncoming traffic to stop, then you complete your turn.b This is how you're taught in driver's ed, it's standard practice, and I consider it completely safe. Obviously, you can't obstruct oncoming traffic in the process, you only need to advance into the intersection straight, while keeping your wheels straight (in case of someone rear-ending you). Without this, I don't think you'd be able to turn left during rush hour ever. Snowdens Secret posted:Due to the way stoplights are placed in many places in the US, if you pull into the intersection and stop, you can no longer see your (and sometimes any) stoplights. This is especially common in strange intersections that aren't straightforward crosses.
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Oct 21, 2013 06:07
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ExecuDork posted:When I don't have my GPS running, I tend to drive at the speed limit - but my in-car speedo says I'm speeding. When people try to kiss my back bumper as a result, I just ignore them. In this part of the world, a nice safe passing zone will open up fairly soon. Mine is off by roughly the same amount, so usually I drive somewhere between the speed limit and 10km/h over as indicated by my speedo. I figure I'm never speeding more than about 3km/h by doing this so I should be in the clear. I have a pet hate that is speed-related, too. Traffic police around here use a lot of vans outfitted with speed cameras and park them by the side of roads where people tend to speed. These vans are somewhat easy to recognize to the trained motorist, as they are all on white license plates (passenger cars) instead of the usual yellow license plates that most commercial vehicles have. They also have a very distinctive tint job on the rear window with cutouts for the cameras. People usually spot these camera vans and adjust their speed to match the speed limit. That's great, but some people absolutely slam on their brakes, even though they'd been driving at like 10 under the limit. Goddammit people, just go the speed limit, it's not that hard.
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Oct 21, 2013 07:37
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