@jtsanders , I do live in DC.
I’d taken the tags off before I took the pic.
Bought the car in Timonium. Wasn’t too far for a good deal.
How about this one, that I observed about 40 minutes ago:
An ambulance, with its siren screaming and its strobe lights going full blast, was racing in the direction of the local trauma center. As is required by law, every car–in both directions–pulled over and stopped in order to give the ambulance plenty of room to pass. The sole exception was an 18-wheeler, whose driver chose to ignore the ambulance that was attempting to pass him, and who continued to drive along at a very leisurely pace, effectively preventing the ambulance from passing him.
This truly infuriated me.
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I guess you just pay attention. Yesterday a MNDOT truck pulling a trailer with a back hoe on it wasn’t slowing down much for the yellow light and it turned red before he got there. Just went smack through the red light. Maybe it was a she-I didn’t see the driver. Might have been worse trying to stop the thing in a 45 mph limit but just a caution that just because a light turns green, doesn’t mean you should start right up.
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I’m off as soon as the light turns green. I also look both ways while the light is red and then as it changes to make sure no one is going to hit me. That works, too.
From a few years back. Accident reports submitted to insurance companies. My favorite from a driver who rear ended another vehicle. “As the light turned red, the vehicle in front of me unexpectedly stopped”!!! I rest my case.
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We call them “organ donors” in my neck of the woods!
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That 18-driver better not need an ambulance in a hurry. Karma is a cruel payback.
“Could it be that ~10% of driver should be limited to local roads with speed limits of 55mph and under for any of several reasons?”
I am thinking maybe the 10% who are actually CAPABLE of safely using the over 55 mph highways should be be allowed on these, and the “…Idiots, inconsiderate A-Hs, stressed out people…” and inexperienced be kept off the higher speed roads? Of course, the inexperienced will need to get experience at some point–I see a real industry for driving instructors for the 3rd thru 10th year of one’s driving career!!
I had to think about what you meant: “When fighting the Nimitz and MacArthur…”–maybe you were doing anti-aircraft carrier simulations?? But then realized that you were probably in a Navy town, San Francisco area? I too did not like the driver I had become / had to be on NYC streets and was just as glad when vehicle was stolen! Before I killed someone. Only replaced when I moved to rural Maine upon retirement.
Your guess was good. the Nimitz and MacArthur were the primary northbound expressways on the east side of San Francisco Bay. I lived between those freeways 13~miles from work near the Bay Bridge and on an early morning I could get to work in less than 15 minutes and on a bad afternoon it was sometimes a 2 hour drive home. I gave up a great job to get out of that madhouse.
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This past Wednesday on the Highway #4 crosstown freeway in Stockton CA at afternoon rush hour (five lanes each way) I was passed by a 70s vintage white Ford sedan weaving through all five lanes of traffic about 90 miles per hour. By the way it was bouncing and swaying, I could tell the old Ford had worn out shocks and probably other suspension problems and I thought “This is going to end badly. I hope no one gets hurt.”
About 10 miles later, northbound on #99, I came on the accident. White Ford sedan vs a half-ton Ford pickup. Thank God it looked like everyone was OK.
Yep! Riding their “Donor Cycles”.
Back in the '50s or '60s, there was an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on that exact theme.
I think that it might have been titled “Roadhog”.
In a very rural area with very narrow roads, a family was trying to get a seriously-ill person to the hospital, but a roadhog refused to yield, and the very ill person died. The roadhog was a traveling salesman in that neck of the woods, and when he returned to that area a few weeks later, he visited (unknowingly) the home of that family.
They were very hospitable to him, and gave him food and drink. The refreshments were laden with some kind of poison, and when the roadhog realized that he had been poisoned, he raced to his car. However, the family had planned-ahead, and drove in front of him on that same very narrow road–at a very low speed–while the roadhog got sicker and sicker.
Eventually, he died because he wasn’t able to get to the hospital fast enough.
Karma is a b**ch!
Edited to add:
I found that episode!
Thank you for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents link I will watch it when I have chance. I experienced something similar in 2006. We were returning from a rental car tour of the Yuca’tan peninsula to our resort in Can’cun. I somehow missed the exit and was caught in the “mother of all road jams”! An ambulance with lights flashing was about 1/8th mile behind us. If someone pulled over to let it pass a jerk would fill the space. When the flashing lights were turned off I knew what that meant. So sad.
This would probably be true in Seattle WA. Visualize whirled peas bumper sticker, seat belt hanging out under a door, turn signal on (RARE) what kind of a driver is like that in the Emerald city. Anyway, brake lights are the universal signals there. They mean stop, accelerating, left or right turn, OR I’m backing up into the front of your truck. NO LIE! I’m at the top of a hill watching this car go down approaching a stop (whole new story) when suddenly it starts to back up the hill towards me. Brake lights on all this time. As it is approaching my front end I start hitting the horn which results in a soft tap on front bumper vs full speed ahead and damn the torpedos. Car stops, woman gets out and states with a straight face “I’m sorry I didn’t see you”. As far as I could tell she never bothered to even look. So going back to sgtrock21, highly likely in Seattle with sober drivers.