@texases: Ain’t that the truth! No insurance, no license…probably won’t ever get a dime from him. Better hope your “uninsured motorist” coverage is up to snuff!
In addition to losing his driving privileges for life, he needs to spend time in prison. His sentence needs to act as a deterrent for others temped to behave similarly.
He should also have all of his assets (if he has any) taken, liquidated, and divided between the pickup driver and the semi driver. Both have not only been undoubtedly traumatized, but both have also sustained undoubtedly very expensive financial damages. If Camaro guy has no assets, his future paychecks when he gets out of prison should be attached… say, 50% to be divided between the aforementioned damaged parties.
I’m fed up with tolerating drunk drivers.
^
I don’t tolerate drunk drivers either, but I don’t believe that the driver of the pickup was blameless. In the early part of the video, I am pretty sure that the pickup was being blocked by somebody in front of him, but toward the end of the video–just before the jerk in the Camaro decided to use the median as his passing lane–it is obvious that the pickup driver could have gone just a bit faster, and then moved over in front of the semi, thus allowing the jerk in the Camaro to get past him.
By refusing to yield the left lane, the pickup driver essentially threw gasoline on a smoldering fire and turned it into a conflagration. If I am being tailgated at high speed–especially by somebody who tried to cut me off just a couple of minutes earlier–I pull over and allow the nut-case to get past me.
Yes, the Camaro driver was 95% of the problem, but if the pickup driver had simply moved to the right, it is entirely possible that this multi-vehicle collision could have been avoided.
The state where this happened is unknown to me but a point for discussion could be this.
What if that state has no law about traffic staying in the right lane unless passing?
What if the truck was doing the same legal speed as the semi and other vehicles on the roadway?
The pickup driver could be thought of as inconsiderate and possibly even a supreme jerk but completely legal as to the traffic code in that state.
Bottom line, the Camaro driver is the one who created the situation where someone (or plural) almost died. If I was the driver of the semi I’d be on that Camaro driver before the dust settled and would be beating some common sense into him.
Just an observation. Note how many cars including the tanker truck kept on going and didn’t even stop?
The accident happened in NY on I90. No excuse for the Camero but the pick up was clearly trying to block the Camero and prevent him from passing. The Pick up was driving in the left lane well before passing the semis. Stay right except to pass, then if you are going to pass, then pass, don’t just drive along side the semi.
I live in the left lane driving capital if the world. It’s very frustrating. Especially blue-hairs who drive BELOW the speed limit. But no matter how frustrating it is…the Camaro driver was 100% at fault. Look at the first part of the video where the Camaro driver tried to cut in front of the pickup driver. That almost caused an accident.
I’m with MB on this one…we can’t tolerate ANYONE driving drunk.
The incident in question took place in upstate NY.
NY MV laws do specify that you are supposed to stay in the right lane unless you are passing another vehicle:
http://www.safeny.ny.gov/drrt-vt.htm#1120
Although the Camaro driver was a drunken creep, the fact remains that if a trooper had seen the pickup hogging the left lane prior to the collision, the pickup driver would have been eligible for a traffic ticket. And, of course, the Camaro driver could have been ticketed for tailgating.
However, the reality of the situation is that very rarely are drivers ticketed for either of those offenses.
I don’t disagree but prior to the Camero trying to pass on the right, the pick up had been just driving along in the left lane with the right lane clear. He should have moved over to the right lane well before the Camero tried to pass on the right. Then when the Camero got aggressive and tried to pass on the right, the pick up clearly blocks him and the situation worsened. Maybe I’m a little prejudiced with the ladders on the the pick up and I imagine a macho type contractor enforcing his idea of right of way. Again no defense to DUI but in a fight if one backs away, there is no fight.
Like they say,
“It takes two to tangle.”
I am always curious how chronic drunks are able to afford expensive cars and the outrageous cost of insurance with a DUI record.
And this thread brings me back to considering how beneficial it would be to issue restrictive licenses and require that the license be posted visibly in the rear window on passenger vehicles. An underage driver or overage driver would have somewhat stricter limits on speed, etc., as would drivers with convictions for reckless driving or especially DUI. And those who have a clean record would have a license denoting that. I would imagine that such a licensing system would discourage bad driving while giving the public a heads up when dealing with problem drivers.
the fact remains that if a trooper had seen the pickup hogging the left lane prior to the collision, the pickup driver would have been eligible for a traffic ticket.
Yup…it’s illegal…and I’ve never seen it enforced. It’s illegal here in NH and even MA…but NEVER enforced. As long as the police don’t enforce it…it’s no longer a law.
The pickup truck driver was driving recklessly when he cut off the Camaro. If it had been me and the Camaro jumped in fron of me, I would have hit the brakes AND the horn. I get this garbage occasionally during rush hour. I’m sure it does no good, but leaning on the horn for several seconds is therapeutic.
The pickup truck driver was driving recklessly when he cut off the Camaro.
When did he cut the camaro off? The Camaro tried to cut in front of the truck and the car in front of the truck. I didn’t see the truck cut him off. In order for the Camaro driver to pull into left lane SAFELY AND LEGALLY…based on the speed limit of 65 (which I assume everyone was traveling…the Camaro driver would have to be about 60’ in front of the Truck…AND 60’ behind the car in front. It’s clear he wasn’t.
Initially, there was a shadow in front of the truck indicating that the truck could not pass the tractor trailer rig. Later, just prior to the accident, it was evident that the truck diver was blocking the the Camero as he refused to continue to pass when the car in front of him did. Regardless of how idiotic the Camero driver was, the truck driver when in a passing lane, should have passed and pulled back into the cruising lane. The accident could have been avoided. Whether it is a boat in maritime law or a car on the highway, drivers do have a responsibility to avoid a collision, even if the other party is at fault. If this is argued in court, you could hear that point made. Whether it has any bearing on a final judgement is debatable, but it is a valid factor that does put the pick up,driver into an area of responsibility.
It is the responsibility of every driver to minimize the risk of a collision, regardless
“It is the responsibility of every driver to minimize the risk of a collision, regardless”
A BIG +1 to dagosa’s comment.
Unfortunately, a lot of drivers are intent on “proving” that they are right and that the other driver is wrong, and in the process of…proving…something, they frequently act in a hazardous manner.
I don’t care about proving that I am right.
All I care about is avoiding an accident, and by consistently driving defensively, I have been able to avoid being involved in a MV accident of any kind for 45 years.
In Minnesota there are special license plates for chronic offenders, those with restricted licenses, caught with no insurance etc. I’m not quite sure how it works but it is a WX or WU or something for a provisional use of the vehicle. Evidently they can be pulled over at any time with no cause to check if they are living within their restrictions.
My boss had a nice caddy but lost his eye sight and ran into his garage a number of times. When he gave up driving he sold the car to a co-worker and I got it to put new fenders and tail light housings on. Unbeknownst to me it had the WX plates on it. I only drove it down to have the pin stripes put back on and never got stopped but wonder how much trouble I would have had in the process.
VDC, Absolutely. The law looks at it the same way as you too. , . According to the evidence of the video camera, if it was ever used by the authorities ( don’t know if it could) and is part of an accident report, I could see a citation written for the truck driver, obviously the guy in the Camero could be charge with a crime, but even the guy with the camera was following too close. If the insurance companies were privy to this evidence, There is no gurantee the guy in the truck, if he survives, will keep his job or get a maximum settlement on the truck. There are no winners in auto accidents.
VDC: congratulations. I think I can come close to that, but my memory is a bit fuzzy. The last accident I can remember was in my 65 Volvo, about 1968.
Not counting the one in 89 where my car was parked and another car skidded into it.
b
Thanks, @BillRussell!
And, for those who are interested, driving defensively does not necessarily mean driving slowly.
On the highway, I drive above the speed limit–unless weather conditions make that inadvisable.
It just means that I always maintain a “safety zone” around my vehicle, and that includes in front, to the sides, and to the rear.
It also means constantly scanning the mirrors for vehicles in my blind spot, and anticipating what other drivers are likely to do.
As but one example of defensive driving, last year–while driving at ~70-72 mph on the interstate–an old Chevy van in front of me had a blowout, threw the tread, and began weaving dangerously. Because I look so far ahead, I was easily able to perform an extreme evasive maneuver without endangering other vehicles, and in the process to avoid any danger from that van. My friend, who was riding with me at the time, said that he was amazed at how readily I was able to avoid a potential collision.
@VDCdriver
You’re reading my mail. Everything you say really makes lots of sense. I too will speed up and pass cars if there is lots of congestion with drivers who all want to tailgate, or slow down, what ever is necessary . Keeping that safety zone is the only way you can have time enough to react to anything. One thing I do is use the cruise control as much as possible. Many of us inadvertently let out speeds move up and down making it difficult for other safe drivers ( and I believe most try to be) to keep their safety zone relative to us. On roads like 495 or i93 or others around Boston, it’s almost impossible to maintain a large safety zone. If I see a line of “sane” drivers, I will try to stay amongst them.