So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
He's going where you're going.
Straight.
The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
turns) is filling up with cars.
Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
his left-turn signal.
20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
idiot waiting for the light to change.
Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
honk
r
On Sep 23, 9:05 pm, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Robatoy wrote:
>
> | So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> | He's going where you're going.
> | Straight.
> | The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and
> | right- turns) is filling up with cars.
> | Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> | his left-turn signal.
> | 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the
> | left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
> | farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
> |
> | Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> Hmm - would you have been equally irritated if he'd signaled his left
> turn sooner?
There you go again... clouding my rant with logic and common
sense.....
No. I would then have made a choice based on complete information as
opposed to leaving it up to some schmuck finally figuring out that
there is such a thing as courtesy and a legal requirement to use
signals to inform other driver of one's intentions...
The reason I pulled behind him, was that he was going straight, and as
a courtesy to the people turning right (allowed at a red light), I try
to leave the right lane open.
>
> I won't even bother to suggest that it might have been both faster
> _and_ less stressful to have been in the right lane...
See above. If I had taken the right lane, to go straight, anybody
behind me, wanting to turn, would have sat behind me with their
blinkers flashing, tapping impatiently, and visibly, on the steering
wheel, rolling their eyes and pretending to be whistling. <end rant,
and I'm almost out of commas>
>
> So what did you lose - an entire minute? I guess it's not really
> wrong, but life's just too short to waste on being pissed at the
> inevitable.
>
Pissed = miffed, a fair bit shy of livid. :-}
(Besides, that was WAY more than a minute..like 2.5 anyway...)
r
On Sep 23, 8:21 pm, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Robatoy" wrote in message
> > Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> Lean heavily, without cessation, on the horn ... even if she doesn't remove
> the cell phone from her ear and go straight, you'll have at least vented
> some artery clogging frustration.
>
> ... and what's with the these 20 something females tailgating on the freeway
> at 80 while driving with one leg cocked up in the seat?
Recently, near Toronto, IIRC, 4 teens dead... the driver was frickin'
TEXTING a message to one of her freinds at the time of the accident..
On Sep 23, 9:51 pm, Robatoy <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sep 23, 9:05 pm, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Robatoy wrote:
>
> > | So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> > | He's going where you're going.
> > | Straight.
> > | The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and
> > | right- turns) is filling up with cars.
> > | Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> > | his left-turn signal.
> > | 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the
> > | left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
> > | farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
> > |
> > | Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> > Hmm - would you have been equally irritated if he'd signaled his left
> > turn sooner?
>
> There you go again... clouding my rant with logic and common
> sense.....
>
> No. I would then have made a choice based on complete information as
> opposed to leaving it up to some schmuck finally figuring out that
> there is such a thing as courtesy and a legal requirement to use
> signals to inform other driver of one's intentions...
>
> The reason I pulled behind him, was that he was going straight, and as
> a courtesy to the people turning right (allowed at a red light), I try
> to leave the right lane open.
>
>
>
> > I won't even bother to suggest that it might have been both faster
> > _and_ less stressful to have been in the right lane...
>
> See above. If I had taken the right lane, to go straight, anybody
> behind me, wanting to turn, would have sat behind me with their
> blinkers flashing, tapping impatiently, and visibly, on the steering
> wheel, rolling their eyes and pretending to be whistling. <end rant,
> and I'm almost out of commas>
>
> > So what did you lose - an entire minute? I guess it's not really
> > wrong, but life's just too short to waste on being pissed at the
> > inevitable.
>
> Pissed = miffed, a fair bit shy of livid. :-}
> (Besides, that was WAY more than a minute..like 2.5 anyway...)
>
> r
I wasn't really THAT miffed...it was, after all, a beautiful day:
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/Robatoy/EsDad.jpg
> #2 Boston downtown
How true! But after living near there for several years, I started
figuring out that "Massholes" are generally not totally reckless, but
instead they simply drive by an entirely different set of rules. Then
I moved a little ways west and out of a major metro area, and got
annoyed at how slow and lazy everyone drove. For instance, say you're
at a 4-way stop sign with 1 or more other cars waiting. In eastern
Mass, the most aggressive driver gets out first - you have to start
going and just go, or you'll never get anywhere. A second example:
many "entrance ramps" on the expressway (i.e. 128) have stop signs and
no merging lane - if you want to get on the highway, you just have to
step on it. All in all, things move pretty quickly, even to the
extent of bumper-to-bumper traffic moving at 50mph down Rt 1.
In other parts of the US, it seems, there's this ambiguity - it might
be called generosity or friendliness, but it almost makes driving
difficult for me sometimes. At that same 4-way stop, everyone will
pause a little bit too long, inch forward a bit, stop again, inch
forward again, and then maybe wave you on, even if they were there
first. And merging onto the freeway, if you see an opening and go for
it, people get upset at you.
After a while, I got to almost admire Boston drivers who could drive
quickly and aggressively, yet somehow safely, since everyone else
there usually knows what to expect.
Oh, well. Enough of that.
In response to the OP, yes, I certainly would have gotten annoyed
too. But I have to agree with the other replies that STAYING annoyed
is useless, and people are just gonna be jerks. That's the way it is,
so we may as well live with it.
Andy
On Sep 24, 12:34 pm, Larry Blanchard <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:13:07 +0000, Lee wrote:
>
> > "mac davis" wrote in message
> >> On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600,
>
> >> Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't bother you
> >> nearly
> >> as much...
>
> > You got that right. Scariest place I've ever driven....#2 Boston downtown
>
> I haven't been to Mexico - I was going to put Boston first :-).
Who needs to go to Cedar Point when you can get the crap scared out of
you by a 20 dollar cab-ride in Montreal?
Roundabouts in the UK during rush hour are a trip-and-a-half.
The part I do like about those, is when the traffic blob finally spits
you out onto one of the spokes (exits), you get to go see things you
ordinarily wouldn't have planned for.
Another fave, is to go off the East-bound Express lanes...then across
5 lanes of collector lanes to get to the Yonge Street exit off the 401
in Toronto...all at 130-140 KPH.
r
On Sep 24, 11:06 am, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
> mac davis wrote:
>
> | Gallagher was right, again...
> |
> | In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one
> | of those little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag
> | saying "stupid" on it.. Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted
> | for being stupid..
> |
> | Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
>
> ROFL - I love it!
Me too! BRILLIANT!!
On Sep 25, 10:52 am, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Statistically, there are damn few "Texas drivers" in Texas ... except for
> the armed ones, most are transplants from the North East, Florida, and
> California, and points South.
>
You said a mouthful. There are VERY few Canadian drivers in GTA
(Greater Toronto Area.).
Hence the joke (and you may insert your own choice of ethnicity here):
"How do you blind a Belgian?" (this is the one they use in Holland)
Answer: "You put a windshield in front of their eyes."
I know, I know... that was bad...I don't make 'm up, I just tell 'm.
Q: How do you make a Venetian blind?"
A: "By poking one in the eyes."
Q: " What's a Grecian urn?"
A: " U*sually minimum wage plus tips."
*barumpbump-crash*
...somebody stop me....
On Sep 25, 12:41 pm, Tom Veatch wrote:
.
>
> If the phone call is important, why not pull off the road at a safe
> spot, stop the car, and make the call safely.
My bet would be that the bulk of those emergency calls would, by
default, be made from the side of the road.
>
> I've found that when I'm driving, even phone calls made by other
> passengers are distracting.
>
Yessir. On my way back from my daughter's wedding, last Saturnday
night my other two sweet daughters both flipped open their cell-phones
and set the entire backseat aglow in fluorescent blue light...
As we were on a dark country road, that startled me. Them little
suckers really light up!
If they're talking on them in the day-time, and I'm driving...that
doesn't bother me so much.
Morris Dovey wrote:
> Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to shoot.
>
> While I was in Phoenix a couple of years ago, a guy did exactly that.
>
> I'm fairly certain that being charged with homicide didn't really
> improve his day.
Ignorance of gun laws is rampant. There ARE rules, carefully worked out over
generations.
The method I was taught was to tap the offender's bumper a few times, while
honking and yelling. He will then exit his auto and storm back to your car
to enlighten you on being polite.
"I was in fear of my life, so I smoked him" is then a valid excuse.
"Robatoy" wrote:
> HE gets to make the
> left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
> farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
Many years ago, my mother was in the left hand turn lane waiting for the
light to change when her car stalled.
As she was trying to get the car restarted, the light changed and the guy
behind her started blowing his horn.
After a couple of minutes of listening to the horn while unsuccessfully
trying to start the car, my mother got out of her car, walked back to the
car behind her and tapped on the window.
When the guy rolled down the window she said, "If you will start my car I'll
blow your horn."
Lew
Robatoy wrote:
> Roundabouts in the UK during rush hour are a trip-and-a-half.
> The part I do like about those, is when the traffic blob finally spits
> you out onto one of the spokes (exits), you get to go see things you
> ordinarily wouldn't have planned for.
>
Just got back from Ireland, where they have those same roundabouts. Even
the Irish don't like them. But, with my sense of humor, I decided that
they have an advantage in that you don't have to commit to an exit until
you are good and ready ... once in the circle, you have right of way so
you can just keep circling until you see an exit you like.
And circling and circling.
'U' turns are a piece of cake. I got plenty of practice, too.
It took me three hours to get from Shannon airport to my hotel in
Limerick -- a 20 minute drive. That is WITH a map and three stops for
assistance from humans -- the first of whom should have simply told me
to turn back around and look to my left at the bridge coming into town.
That would have done it.
Bill
Ok, now tell us, what was your peeve like -before- you domesticated it?
In article <[email protected]>,
Robatoy <[email protected]> wrote:
>So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
>He's going where you're going.
>Straight.
>The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
>turns) is filling up with cars.
[[.. munch ..]]
J T wrote:
> However, I will contribute this. Lately I've been seeing a LOT of
> idiots at a two way stop, stop when they've got the right of way, and
> I'm at the stop sign. I'm basically stuck because I have no idea what
> they're going to do. Actually I'm afraid to to anything xcept sit
> there, for fear if I do anything they'll run into me.
>
>
>
> JOAT
> What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
> humiliations?
> - Peter Egan
>
I wave'em through. That way I KNOW what they are going to do because
they've already done it.
dpb wrote:
> Peter Huebner wrote:
> ...
>> NZ special: you're going down a windy highway with the odd bit of
>> straight.
>> (There are few straight straight highways in this country). And going
>> along in front of you is a heavily laden truck and trailer cattle
>> truck, or a logging truck (brings us half way back on topic), or a
>> Japanese tourist in a 'camper van' (basically a very small Winnebago)
>> - which is fair enough, only they're being tail-gated by half a dozen
>> little old ladies (of either gender) who have no fscking intention to
>> overtake, ever, yet they all tailgate the slowpoke and
> ...
>
> But there's nothing unique in any of that (or any of the other "special"
> places or actions to NZ or any other place where there are moving
> vehicles on public thoroughfares.
>
> --
Yep, morons are the great leveler. That's probably why no civilization
has ever been able to rule the whole planet.
Leon wrote:
>
> "mac davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> out of his ear.
>>>
>> ahh... Texas drivers...
>> I remember getting warned by my brother-in-law on my first visit to him
>> in Dallas that "Texans don't drive well in the elements, and air is an
>> element"..
>>
>> Spending most of my life driving in "a sign for everything" Calif., I had
>> a
>> little trouble getting used to lanes ending in TX without merge signs and
>> a line
>> of cars that were NOT going to let you in...and most of those drivers
>> probably
>> were armed..
>
>
> It used to be that Texas drivers were quite courteous and in many places
> they still are. It's where the cultures get blended in that the
> variations of driving techniques gets added.
> As for not letting some in on a long line, typically in Houston you have
> been setting in line for 5-15 minutes to take an exit ramp in rush hour
> traffic and you get those "special" drivers that feel that they are
> entitled to cut in at the front for the line, and of course they tie up
> traffic in their lane.
yep One of my pet peeves. Sign says "lane ends, 1/2 mile" So, even
though most people merge into the other lane in plenty of time, there are
those "special drivers" who stay in that lane until the bitter end, then
force their way into the line that has been patiently waiting in the lane
that didn't end. One of those times when one develops tunnel vision and
the habit of tailgating the car in front of them.
--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough
Tom Veatch wrote:
> On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:07:40 GMT, [email protected] (Doug Miller)
> wrote:
>
>>In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke"
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
>>>equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to render
>>>cell phones unusable in a moving car.
>>
>>Bad idea. Very bad. You DON'T want to disable emergency calls, under any
>>circumstances.
>>...
>
> Perhaps the operative word is "moving". I suspect that an emergency
> call from a moving car, especially one made by the driver, is even
> more dangerous to other parties on the road than one of the
> "Whatcadoing? I'm bored." variety.
>
Well, since we are engaging in hypotheticals, I suspect that one would be
in much greater danger pulling to the side of the road and making an
emergency call if the subject of that call were the fact that one was being
followed down a dark road by a suspicious vehicle. Would think that it
might be best to keep moving while making that phone call.
--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough
Swingman wrote:
> "mac davis" wrote in message
>
>> ahh... Texas drivers...
>> I remember getting warned by my brother-in-law on my first visit to
>> him in Dallas that "Texans don't drive well in the elements, and air
>> is an element"..
>>
>> Spending most of my life driving in "a sign for everything" Calif.,
>> I had a little trouble getting used to lanes ending in TX without
>> merge signs and a line of cars that were NOT going to let you
>> in...and most of those drivers probably were armed..
>
> Statistically, there are damn few "Texas drivers" in Texas ... except
> for the armed ones, most are transplants from the North East,
> Florida, and California, and points South.
>
> That's why the armed ones are armed. :)
It's getting better. As of Sept 1st, righteous Texans may now carry a
firearm in their car.
We have very few instances of "road-rage" here. But one of the best was the
first shooting by a concealed handgun license holder.
Happened in Dallas traffic. Two vans scraped mirrors and the dude in van #1
got all punchy on the driver of van #2. The driver of van #2 smoked the #1
van driver.
Now here's the even funnier part. The (deceased) driver of van #1 was a
trainee, first day on the job, supervisor riding with him to show him the
route.
Imagine, if you will, later that day as the supervisor made his way to the
coffee-shop back at headquarters. Some of his mates gather around and ask
"How's the new guy working out, Stan?"
As Stan fills his cup, he shakes his head and says: "KIA. We need another."
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to shoot.
Sun, Sep 23, 2007, 5:06pm (EDT-3) [email protected] (Robatoy) doth
sayeth:
So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal. He's going where
you're going. Straight. <snip>
I can live with that, don't like it, but live with it. What pisses
me off is when there's a separate turn lan, and instead of using that
the idiot stays in the traffic lane.
Don't want to get me started on idiot drivers. I dould go on this
for a lonnng time.
However, I will contribute this. Lately I've been seeing a LOT of
idiots at a two way stop, stop when they've got the right of way, and
I'm at the stop sign. I'm basically stuck because I have no idea what
they're going to do. Actually I'm afraid to to anything xcept sit
there, for fear if I do anything they'll run into me.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
In article <[email protected]>, Larry Blanchard <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:13:07 +0000, Lee wrote:
>
>>
>> "mac davis" wrote in message
>>> On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600,
>>
>>> Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't bother you
>>> nearly
>>> as much...
>>
>> You got that right. Scariest place I've ever driven....#2 Boston downtown
>
>I haven't been to Mexico - I was going to put Boston first :-).
>
Yeah, same here. Downtown Boston is one scary place to drive. On my second
visit there, I decided "Screw driving. I'll take a cab."
I did that *once*. On my *third* visit, I walked everywhere I went.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
Robatoy wrote:
| So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
| He's going where you're going.
| Straight.
| The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and
| right- turns) is filling up with cars.
| Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
| his left-turn signal.
| 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the
| left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
| farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
|
| Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
Hmm - would you have been equally irritated if he'd signaled his left
turn sooner?
I won't even bother to suggest that it might have been both faster
_and_ less stressful to have been in the right lane...
So what did you lose - an entire minute? I guess it's not really
wrong, but life's just too short to waste on being pissed at the
inevitable.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
| Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to shoot.
While I was in Phoenix a couple of years ago, a guy did exactly that.
I'm fairly certain that being charged with homicide didn't really
improve his day.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
mac davis wrote:
| Gallagher was right, again...
|
| In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one
| of those little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag
| saying "stupid" on it.. Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted
| for being stupid..
|
| Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
ROFL - I love it!
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
Yes it is OK. My problem here in NY is that I work in a primarily college
town. Run into this all day long. Usually some blonde with the name "Hoover"
or "Eureka" stamped on her forehead to let everyone know her intelligence
all the while talking on her Blackberry or whatever, smoking a cigarette,
reading her class assignment and putting her makeup on. Then has the
ignorance to flip you off for honking your horn because you would like to
get moving through the second green light instead of her trying to get
turned into Starbucks from the center lane.
Yes it is OK, in fact the next time you might want to reference what part of
their family lineage that they should procreate with when the offender tells
you that you should become a hermaphrodite. Make sure to address them as
"Charmin" or "Cottonelle" or they might think you are talking to someone
else.
As the bumper sticker says "Horn broken, Watch for finger"
Allen
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> He's going where you're going.
> Straight.
> The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
> turns) is filling up with cars.
> Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> his left-turn signal.
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
> honk
>
> r
>
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
*trim*
>
> OK, fine, don't jam 911.
>
Actually, keeping only 911 open could be a bad thing too. Let's say your
passenger has a special medical condition and starts acting up. If you
call 911, you might get someone who's only able to operate the
switchboard and read first reponse cards. However, if you call their
doctor (yes, special cases are indeed special) you can get instructions
on what to do.
Before you respond with how unlikely it is, remember that 1 in 1,000,000
means that it should happen once. Godwin's law is a Usenet specific
example of this.
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:15:11 -0400, "Lee Michaels"
<leemichaels*nadaspam*@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>"Robatoy" wrote
>
>> On Sep 24, 11:06 am, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> mac davis wrote:
>>>
>>> | Gallagher was right, again...
>>> |
>>> | In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one
>>> | of those little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag
>>> | saying "stupid" on it.. Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted
>>> | for being stupid..
>>> |
>>> | Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
>>>
>>> ROFL - I love it!
>>
>>
>> Me too! BRILLIANT!!
>>
>>
>
>If you have ever seen Gallagher perform, he is inspired silliness. He is a
>prop comedian. In the above bit, he hangs a prop car door on himself,
>explains the use of the stupid suction cup arrow and proceeds to stick them
>to the door as he is walking around.
>
As I remember, he isn't walking, he's riding a tricycle, with his elbow resting
on the car window frame?
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"Larry Blanchard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> I haven't been to Mexico - I was going to put Boston first :-).
>
Boston is one of the worst in the US. For a real treat, try Rome or Naples.
Swingman took a can of maroon spray paint on September 23, 2007 08:21 pm and
wrote the following:
>
> "Robatoy" wrote in message
>
>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> Lean heavily, without cessation, on the horn ... even if she doesn't
> remove the cell phone from her ear and go straight, you'll have at least
> vented some artery clogging frustration.
>
> ... and what's with the these 20 something females tailgating on the
> freeway at 80 while driving with one leg cocked up in the seat?
>
> Sheeesh, talk about faith in brakes ...
>
How about if she is wearing an east indian type head-dress, absolutely no
peripheral vision, followed one today for about a block, watched her bounce
of the curb three times, all the while going 40km/hr in a 60km/hr zone.
--
Lits Slut #9
Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code.
Robatoy wrote:
> On Sep 23, 8:21 pm, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>"Robatoy" wrote in message
>>
>>>Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>>
>>Lean heavily, without cessation, on the horn ... even if she doesn't remove
>>the cell phone from her ear and go straight, you'll have at least vented
>>some artery clogging frustration.
>>
>>... and what's with the these 20 something females tailgating on the freeway
>>at 80 while driving with one leg cocked up in the seat?
>
>
> Recently, near Toronto, IIRC, 4 teens dead... the driver was frickin'
> TEXTING a message to one of her freinds at the time of the accident..
>
>
Five teenagers, Canandaigua, N.Y., a town about 10 miles southeast of
Rochester, NY.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289365,00.html
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
[email protected]
On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:06:54 -0700, Robatoy <[email protected]>
wrote:
>So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
>He's going where you're going.
>Straight.
>The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
>turns) is filling up with cars.
>Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
>his left-turn signal.
>20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
>turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
>idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
>Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>honk
>r
That was YOU behind me..??? ;-)
Mike O.
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:24:18 GMT, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
<snip>
>
>NO. And if you drive in Houston that person in the left lane in front of
>you is equally as likely to want to turn right also even though he is in the
>left or straight lane. He will hold up traffic waiting for the right lane
>to clear so that he can make an illegal right hand turn. It seems in
>Houston that it is OK to go any direction you want regardless of which lane
>you are sitting in. I guess most drivers think those arrow signs are a
>suggestion rather than a rule. And if someone is driving too slow, in two
>lanes, are holding up traffic in general, it is about a 99% chance he has a
>cell phone hanging out of his ear.
>
ahh... Texas drivers...
I remember getting warned by my brother-in-law on my first visit to him in
Dallas that "Texans don't drive well in the elements, and air is an element"..
Spending most of my life driving in "a sign for everything" Calif., I had a
little trouble getting used to lanes ending in TX without merge signs and a line
of cars that were NOT going to let you in...and most of those drivers probably
were armed..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"mac davis" wrote in message
> ahh... Texas drivers...
> I remember getting warned by my brother-in-law on my first visit to him in
> Dallas that "Texans don't drive well in the elements, and air is an
element"..
>
> Spending most of my life driving in "a sign for everything" Calif., I had
a
> little trouble getting used to lanes ending in TX without merge signs and
a line
> of cars that were NOT going to let you in...and most of those drivers
probably
> were armed..
Statistically, there are damn few "Texas drivers" in Texas ... except for
the armed ones, most are transplants from the North East, Florida, and
California, and points South.
That's why the armed ones are armed. :)
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 8/8/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)
"mac davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
out of his ear.
>>
> ahh... Texas drivers...
> I remember getting warned by my brother-in-law on my first visit to him in
> Dallas that "Texans don't drive well in the elements, and air is an
> element"..
>
> Spending most of my life driving in "a sign for everything" Calif., I had
> a
> little trouble getting used to lanes ending in TX without merge signs and
> a line
> of cars that were NOT going to let you in...and most of those drivers
> probably
> were armed..
It used to be that Texas drivers were quite courteous and in many places
they still are. It's where the cultures get blended in that the variations
of driving techniques gets added.
As for not letting some in on a long line, typically in Houston you have
been setting in line for 5-15 minutes to take an exit ramp in rush hour
traffic and you get those "special" drivers that feel that they are entitled
to cut in at the front for the line, and of course they tie up traffic in
their lane.
In article <Z%[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> If you had a nice cold can of beer in your hand you probably
> wouldn't have objected to the wait near so much. I find I have a
> lot more patience with the idiots if I have a good cold beer with
> me.
>
>
My pet peeve is people who drink and drive. Do us all a favor and drink
at home instead.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
> honk
NZ special: you're going down a windy highway with the odd bit of straight.
(There are few straight straight highways in this country). And going along in
front of you is a heavily laden truck and trailer cattle truck, or a logging
truck (brings us half way back on topic), or a Japanese tourist in a 'camper
van' (basically a very small Winnebago) - which is fair enough, only they're
being tail-gated by half a dozen little old ladies (of either gender) who have
no fscking intention to overtake, ever, yet they all tailgate the slowpoke and
each other. So you're looking at trying to overtake 50 - 100m of slowpokes with
nary a chance to cut in should something come hurtling around the corner from
the other direction, on roads that are mostly windy. Fun. Not a matter of a
single light-change, but often a matter of 15 - 25 km before you can get past
the bozos. And that often only because I drive a 200-ish hp Volvo that
accelerates like a bat out of hell...
Yeah, I like to hit the speedlimit from time to time. I don't go over much,
because it's too expensive, but I hate sitting there at 70km/h for 20 minutes
even when I don't have to be some place at a set hour.
By the same token, we now have an up-and-coming generation of teenage 'boy-
racers' whose favourite trick, lately, seems to be to hit the accelerator the
minute they see a cop cruiser with flashing lights (because they're afraid
they'll get the car impounded or the license revoked or told off for having
passengers they're not supposed to have on a limited license or because the car
is stolen anyways) and so they go and pile into a bridge some place or hurtle
over a cliff or whatever. We seem to have about 1 or 2 of these a month at the
moment, in a country of 4 million. I can't feel too sorry for the idiots - as
someone said: Darwin's Law in action. But they tend to have passengers ... and
there's other people on that road.
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> But there's nothing unique in any of that (or any of the other "special"
> places or actions to NZ or any other place where there are moving
> vehicles on public thoroughfares.
>
Not that special, except that many highways here really are quite windy
(although not as windy as some mountainous roads in Italy that I've been down)
but nowhere else have I seen this many 'little old ladies' tailgating. In most
countries where I've driven (practially all over Europe) it's young and/or
aggressive drivers doing the tailgating. Little old ladies there keep a safety
distance so you can cut in.
cheers, -P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>, Mark & Juanita <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Well, since we are engaging in hypotheticals, I suspect that one would be
>in much greater danger pulling to the side of the road and making an
>emergency call if the subject of that call were the fact that one was being
>followed down a dark road by a suspicious vehicle. Would think that it
>might be best to keep moving while making that phone call.
Another example of the usefulness of making 911 calls while moving -- not
merely hypothetical, but drawn from my own multiple experiences -- is calling
the State Police to report a dangerous driver (usually an apparent drunk, but
most recently a bozo driving 75mph on the interstate at 9pm with no lights),
and being able to give the dispatcher continuous updates on the vehicle's
location until they're able to get a patrol car out there to pull him over.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> He's going where you're going.
> Straight.
> The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
> turns) is filling up with cars.
> Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> his left-turn signal.
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
NO. And if you drive in Houston that person in the left lane in front of
you is equally as likely to want to turn right also even though he is in the
left or straight lane. He will hold up traffic waiting for the right lane
to clear so that he can make an illegal right hand turn. It seems in
Houston that it is OK to go any direction you want regardless of which lane
you are sitting in. I guess most drivers think those arrow signs are a
suggestion rather than a rule. And if someone is driving too slow, in two
lanes, are holding up traffic in general, it is about a 99% chance he has a
cell phone hanging out of his ear.
Andy <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
>> #2 Boston downtown
>
> How true! But after living near there for several years, I started
> figuring out that "Massholes" are generally not totally reckless, but
> instead they simply drive by an entirely different set of rules.
> <snip>
You folks have to get out and around more :) As a NJ driver who dealt
regularly with Boston traffic during the year of a relative's terminal
illness and weekly visits, I found Boston to be quite easy and civilized
to drive in. MA drivers are quite polite and will tend to yield rather
than be aggressive drivers. As a NJ driver (YOU GOT A PROBLEM WIT DAT?)
and having just recently driven coast to coast - only the Californiacs
rival the NY Metro drivers and still seem to be in second place.
One amusing MA problem was when I was a passenger with my NJ BIL who
tends to "talk with his hands" (go figure). Boston drivers seemed to
interpret his random jestures as hand signals leading to some
interesting meeting mid intersection until I strongly suggested that he
keep his "friggin hands on the wheel."
Jerry
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
<snip>
>
> OK, fine, don't jam 911.
>
Actually the multiple calls in to the 911 switchboard do "jam" it with
repeated reports of traffic accidents where none of the passerbys stop to
see if there are injuries, medical emergencies, entrapment, or other
serious conditions that you just can't tell by cruising by at 65 mph. So,
yes, cell phones can be a lifesaver but also can be an impediment to
efficient dispatch of emergency services.
Jerry
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
>> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
>> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>>
>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to shoot.
>
I don't think so, in Canada.
"Robatoy" wrote
> On Sep 24, 11:06 am, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> mac davis wrote:
>>
>> | Gallagher was right, again...
>> |
>> | In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one
>> | of those little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag
>> | saying "stupid" on it.. Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted
>> | for being stupid..
>> |
>> | Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
>>
>> ROFL - I love it!
>
>
> Me too! BRILLIANT!!
>
>
If you have ever seen Gallagher perform, he is inspired silliness. He is a
prop comedian. In the above bit, he hangs a prop car door on himself,
explains the use of the stupid suction cup arrow and proceeds to stick them
to the door as he is walking around.
He then hauls out a hundred or so props and make his jokes. He is most
famous for the "sledge -a-matic". That is that big wood hammer that he
smashes everything with. That includes his trademark watermellon smash.
At his shows, the first three rows are covered by plastic tarps, to protect
the audience members from flying smashed fruit.
If you had a nice cold can of beer in your hand you probably
wouldn't have objected to the wait near so much. I find I have a
lot more patience with the idiots if I have a good cold beer with
me.
--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
[email protected]
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sep 23, 9:05 pm, "Morris Dovey" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Robatoy wrote:
>>
>> | So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
>> | He's going where you're going.
>> | Straight.
>> | The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through
>> and
>> | right- turns) is filling up with cars.
>> | Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you,
>> puts on
>> | his left-turn signal.
>> | 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make
>> the
>> | left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are,
>> like a
>> | farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
>> |
>> | Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>>
>> Hmm - would you have been equally irritated if he'd signaled
>> his left
>> turn sooner?
>
> There you go again... clouding my rant with logic and common
> sense.....
>
> No. I would then have made a choice based on complete
> information as
> opposed to leaving it up to some schmuck finally figuring out
> that
> there is such a thing as courtesy and a legal requirement to use
> signals to inform other driver of one's intentions...
>
> The reason I pulled behind him, was that he was going straight,
> and as
> a courtesy to the people turning right (allowed at a red light),
> I try
> to leave the right lane open.
>>
>> I won't even bother to suggest that it might have been both
>> faster
>> _and_ less stressful to have been in the right lane...
>
> See above. If I had taken the right lane, to go straight,
> anybody
> behind me, wanting to turn, would have sat behind me with their
> blinkers flashing, tapping impatiently, and visibly, on the
> steering
> wheel, rolling their eyes and pretending to be whistling. <end
> rant,
> and I'm almost out of commas>
>>
>> So what did you lose - an entire minute? I guess it's not
>> really
>> wrong, but life's just too short to waste on being pissed at
>> the
>> inevitable.
>>
> Pissed = miffed, a fair bit shy of livid. :-}
> (Besides, that was WAY more than a minute..like 2.5 anyway...)
>
> r
>
>
"mac davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Gallagher was right, again...
>
> In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one of
> those
> little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag saying "stupid" on
> it..
> Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted for being stupid..
>
> Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
>
It is extremely frustrating for a "Public Safety Officer" who is, at times
EMS, Fire or Police to realize that he's in the vehicle with wrong color
lights when some moron won't yield. We were going to get some paintball
guns to mark non-compliant vehicles for pickup by trailing officers in the
blue-lighters, but realized that, though it might make us feel better, it
wasn't the primary task when we were EMS.
When we had an officer or relative of an officer in the back of the rig, we
generally got a couple of patrol cars to run interference, so we never had
to slow down.
I actually don't mind their 'cleaning the gene pool', but WHY do they have
to endanger the rest of us !!
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote
> Robatoy wrote:
"Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Recently, near Toronto, IIRC, 4 teens dead... the driver was frickin'
> > TEXTING a message to one of her freinds at the time of the accident..
>
> Five teenagers, Canandaigua, N.Y., a town about 10 miles southeast of
> Rochester, NY.
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
>> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
>> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>>
>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to shoot.
The Solution?: http://navlog.org/q_car.wmv
On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:06:54 -0700, Robatoy <[email protected]> wrote:
>So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
>He's going where you're going.
>Straight.
>The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
>turns) is filling up with cars.
>Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
>his left-turn signal.
>20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
>turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
>idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
>Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
>honk
>
>r
Gallagher was right, again...
In an early routine, he said that every driver should be issued one of those
little suction cup dart guns and 3 darts, with a flag saying "stupid" on it..
Get 3 flags on your car and you get busted for being stupid..
Might not be effective, but it's a stress relieving thought..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"DanG" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Z%[email protected]...
> If you had a nice cold can of beer in your hand you probably wouldn't have
> objected to the wait near so much. I find I have a lot more patience with
> the idiots if I have a good cold beer with me.
>
Where do you live? I'd like to know so I can avoid your drunk ass on the
road.
Robatoy wrote:
> So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> He's going where you're going.
> Straight.
> The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
> turns) is filling up with cars.
> Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> his left-turn signal.
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
> honk
>
> r
>
That warrants a good "pissed" alright. But there are MANY things people
do that would rate a good "pissed". I get pissed at people who think
they can drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time. I drove my
pickup to the local blue borg the other day, maybe a 10 minute drive
round trip, and had to exercise my anti-lock brakes THREE times. All
three times by young females (probably late teens or early twenties) and
all talking on the *&@&%#@& CELL PHONE! People that say they can talk
on the phone and it doesn't affect their driving are lying to themselves.
Wayne
Steve Wolfe wrote:
>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> *Wrong?* We can't answer that, it's a personal judgement call.
> But
> it is certainly *useless* to get worked up over.
If you're going to talk about driving peeves, the one that peeves me
is the kind of asshat who'll put his gorgeous girlfriend on the back
of his motorcycle with no protective equipment and then go hotdogging
so this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-XdZq4-_TQ happens and she
ends up like this
http://www.speedfreakinc.com/content/articles/riding/roadrashqueen.html
or worse. Note that the two are _not_ of the same person.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
tak wrote:
> "Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the
>>> left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
>>> farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
>>>
>>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>>
>> Check your local gun laws. I'm pretty sure you are allowed to
>> shoot.
> The Solution?: http://navlog.org/q_car.wmv
It is possible to register one of these
http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=65 for street
use. The Israelis have a version with a 90mm gun, although the
standard 37mm should suffice for any likely traffic condition.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Lee wrote:
> "mac davis" wrote in message
>> On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600,
>
>> Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't
>> bother you nearly
>> as much...
>
> You got that right. Scariest place I've ever driven....#2 Boston
> downtown
Boston requires local knowledge. "xxx Boylston Street" doesn't tell
you _which_ Boylston Street. And they never bothered to put back the
street markers that they removed in 1776 to confuse the British.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Ron Magen wrote:
> I actually don't mind their 'cleaning the gene pool', but WHY do
> they
> have to endanger the rest of us !!
I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to render
cell phones unusable in a moving car. This is one where people will
_not_ engage in any kind of common sense and laws prohibiting
cell-phone use in cars seem to be substantially unenforceable.
> Ron Magen
> Backyard Boatshop
>
> "Nova" <[email protected]> wrote
>> Robatoy wrote:
> "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> Recently, near Toronto, IIRC, 4 teens dead... the driver was
>>> frickin' TEXTING a message to one of her freinds at the time of
>>> the
>>> accident..
>>
>> Five teenagers, Canandaigua, N.Y., a town about 10 miles southeast
>> of
>> Rochester, NY.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Tom Veatch wrote:
> On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:07:40 GMT, [email protected] (Doug Miller)
> wrote:
>
>> In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
>>> equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to render
>>> cell phones unusable in a moving car.
>> Bad idea. Very bad. You DON'T want to disable emergency calls, under any
>> circumstances.
>> ...
>
> Perhaps the operative word is "moving". I suspect that an emergency
> call from a moving car, especially one made by the driver, is even
> more dangerous to other parties on the road than one of the
> "Whatcadoing? I'm bored." variety.
>
> If the phone call is important, why not pull off the road at a safe
> spot, stop the car, and make the call safely.
Because if it is truly an emergency there may not be a safe stop and
stopping at the time the emergency is in progress may be the most unsafe
action you can possibly take, maybe???
It's a two-edged sword--the casual usage is bad, but there are valid
reasons for not disabling the facility entirely.
--
Peter Huebner wrote:
...
> NZ special: you're going down a windy highway with the odd bit of straight.
> (There are few straight straight highways in this country). And going along in
> front of you is a heavily laden truck and trailer cattle truck, or a logging
> truck (brings us half way back on topic), or a Japanese tourist in a 'camper
> van' (basically a very small Winnebago) - which is fair enough, only they're
> being tail-gated by half a dozen little old ladies (of either gender) who have
> no fscking intention to overtake, ever, yet they all tailgate the slowpoke and
...
But there's nothing unique in any of that (or any of the other "special"
places or actions to NZ or any other place where there are moving
vehicles on public thoroughfares.
--
dpb wrote:
> Tom Veatch wrote:
>> On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:07:40 GMT, [email protected] (Doug Miller)
>> wrote:
>>
>>> In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
>>>> equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to
>>>> render
>>>> cell phones unusable in a moving car.
>>> Bad idea. Very bad. You DON'T want to disable emergency calls,
>>> under any circumstances.
>>> ...
>>
>> Perhaps the operative word is "moving". I suspect that an emergency
>> call from a moving car, especially one made by the driver, is even
>> more dangerous to other parties on the road than one of the
>> "Whatcadoing? I'm bored." variety.
>>
>> If the phone call is important, why not pull off the road at a safe
>> spot, stop the car, and make the call safely.
>
> Because if it is truly an emergency there may not be a safe stop and
> stopping at the time the emergency is in progress may be the most
> unsafe
> action you can possibly take, maybe???
>
> It's a two-edged sword--the casual usage is bad, but there are valid
> reasons for not disabling the facility entirely.
OK, fine, don't jam 911.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
A Lurker wrote:
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
> <snip>
>> OK, fine, don't jam 911.
>>
>
> Actually the multiple calls in to the 911 switchboard do "jam" it with
> repeated reports of traffic accidents where none of the passerbys stop to
> see if there are injuries, medical emergencies, entrapment, or other
> serious conditions that you just can't tell by cruising by at 65 mph. So,
> yes, cell phones can be a lifesaver but also can be an impediment to
> efficient dispatch of emergency services.
But the jamming of all 911 isn't an ideal solution, either...
As said, it's a mixed blessing as is virtually any technology.
--
dpb wrote:
> A Lurker wrote:
>> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>> <snip>
>>> OK, fine, don't jam 911.
>>>
>>
>> Actually the multiple calls in to the 911 switchboard do "jam" it
>> with repeated reports of traffic accidents where none of the
>> passerbys stop to see if there are injuries, medical emergencies,
>> entrapment, or other serious conditions that you just can't tell by
>> cruising by at 65 mph. So, yes, cell phones can be a lifesaver but
>> also can be an impediment to efficient dispatch of emergency
>> services.
>
> But the jamming of all 911 isn't an ideal solution, either...
>
> As said, it's a mixed blessing as is virtually any technology.
The ideal solution is for God to alter the human race so that nobody
natters on a cell phone while driving unless they have a bonafide
emergency to report. But that's not gonna happen so we do the best we
can with what we've got.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Peter Huebner wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>> But there's nothing unique in any of that (or any of the other "special"
>> places or actions to NZ or any other place where there are moving
>> vehicles on public thoroughfares.
>>
>
> Not that special, except that many highways here really are quite windy
> (although not as windy as some mountainous roads in Italy that I've been down)
> but nowhere else have I seen this many 'little old ladies' tailgating. In most
> countries where I've driven (practially all over Europe) it's young and/or
> aggressive drivers doing the tailgating. Little old ladies there keep a safety
> distance so you can cut in.
Try Tennessee/Kentucky/West Virginia hill and coal country for windy... :)
I'll nominate California or any of the other mountain areas near the
National Parks in the US up for the "old codger vacationing tailgating
award" w/ anybody, unfortunately. These will have the occasional
turnout for them to pull over to allow for backed-up traffic to pass,
but no, 80% can't be bothered... :(
--
"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
> He's going where you're going.
> Straight.
> The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
> turns) is filling up with cars.
> Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
> his left-turn signal.
> 20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
> honk
>
> r
In our little town, at 4 way stops 99% of the people are polite. First one
to stop goes first 2n ,3rd etc. Now the other 1%>> We are not allowed to
used guns. BUT baseball bats are OK. (G)
In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
>equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to render
>cell phones unusable in a moving car.
Bad idea. Very bad. You DON'T want to disable emergency calls, under any
circumstances.
>This is one where people will
>_not_ engage in any kind of common sense and laws prohibiting
>cell-phone use in cars seem to be substantially unenforceable.
So prosecute people, or sue them, as applicable, when their irresponsible use
of cell phones causes damage or injury.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 09:34:13 -0700, Larry Blanchard <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:13:07 +0000, Lee wrote:
>
>>
>> "mac davis" wrote in message
>>> On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600,
>>
>>> Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't bother you
>>> nearly
>>> as much...
>>
>> You got that right. Scariest place I've ever driven....#2 Boston downtown
>
>I haven't been to Mexico - I was going to put Boston first :-).
It's a bit different here...
One thing that's different is that when you put your left turn signal on, we
gringos think you're going to turn left, but Mexican driving law says that's a
signal to drivers behind you that it's safe to pass..
Makes it really interesting sometimes when you're slowing for a left turn off
the highway.. lol
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
"A Lurker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
> <snip>
>>
>> OK, fine, don't jam 911.
>>
>
> Actually the multiple calls in to the 911 switchboard do "jam" it with
> repeated reports of traffic accidents where none of the passerbys stop to
> see if there are injuries, medical emergencies, entrapment, or other
> serious conditions that you just can't tell by cruising by at 65 mph. So,
> yes, cell phones can be a lifesaver but also can be an impediment to
> efficient dispatch of emergency services.
>
Then there's the folks who have no idea where on the road they actually are
and don't realize that had they stopped at the scene we'd have a valid
location. Not a lot of good when they're five miles down the road and
clueless on landmarks. Snowmobilers were another pet peeve. We'd pull the
sled in five-six miles before we found the accident, when we could have
accessed it from a half mile if they'd had some idea where the were.
Not that dispatchers are blameless. I've had mine delay sending us because
they weren't sure we were the responsible agency or the closest to the call.
Turf!
It's a lot better than it was in the analog days where you just got a tower
as a position on your console. Drove up and down a lot of empty highway
because for some reason the tower farther away captured the call.
Bluetooth is a good idea. I use it rather than the radio to talk to the
hospital, because I can keep both hands on the wheel.
On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600, "Steve Wolfe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
> *Wrong?* We can't answer that, it's a personal judgement call. But it is
>certainly *useless* to get worked up over.
>
Too true... In my experience in the bad old days of my personal road rage, I
would tail gate, flash my lights, gesture, etc...
I failed to notice that nothing I did or said bothered the idiot in front of me
in the least...
I finally realized in my 40's that I was the idiot..lol
Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't bother you nearly
as much...
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:06:54 -0700, Robatoy <[email protected]>
wrote:
>So, you pull up behind a guy at a red traffic signal.
>He's going where you're going.
>Straight.
>The lane to the right of you (normally for straight-through and right-
>turns) is filling up with cars.
>Then, the light goes green...and the IDIOT in front of you, puts on
>his left-turn signal.
>20-30 cars coming from the other end, later..HE gets to make the left
>turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
>idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
>Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
>
>
>
>
>honk
>
Not wrong to get pissed, just a total waste. I might get upset for
10 seconds, but that's it. Don't allow others to get your goat.
On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:06:54 -0700, Robatoy wrote:
> HE gets to make the left
> turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a farking
> idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
Nope - that one gets to me as well.
But the worst are the idiots that won't turn right on a red light, or left
from a oneway to a oneway on a red light.
Some of our streets have two right turn lanes and I've seen idiots sit
there in the left one and watch the people in the right one go. Then, of
course, the ones who turned into the right lane decide they should have
been in the other and cut in front of me.
And I can't discuss cell phones without descending into Anglo-Saxon!
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:13:07 +0000, Lee wrote:
>
> "mac davis" wrote in message
>> On Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:59:29 -0600,
>
>> Spend a few days driving in Mexico and your local idiots won't bother you
>> nearly
>> as much...
>
> You got that right. Scariest place I've ever driven....#2 Boston downtown
I haven't been to Mexico - I was going to put Boston first :-).
On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:04:31 -0400, "Allen Roy" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Yes it is OK. My problem here in NY is that I work in a primarily college
>town. Run into this all day long. Usually some blonde with the name "Hoover"
>or "Eureka" stamped on her forehead to let everyone know her intelligence
>all the while talking on her Blackberry or whatever, smoking a cigarette,
>reading her class assignment and putting her makeup on. Then has the
>ignorance to flip you off for honking your horn because you would like to
>get moving through the second green light instead of her trying to get
>turned into Starbucks from the center lane.
>
>Yes it is OK, in fact the next time you might want to reference what part of
>their family lineage that they should procreate with when the offender tells
>you that you should become a hermaphrodite. Make sure to address them as
>"Charmin" or "Cottonelle" or they might think you are talking to someone
>else.
>
>As the bumper sticker says "Horn broken, Watch for finger"
>
>Allen
>
I like the one that says "Don't bother me, I'm busy reloading"..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
In article <[email protected]>, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Robatoy" wrote:
>
>> HE gets to make the
>> left turn at the VERY end of the yellow..and there you are, like a
>> farking idiot waiting for the light to change.
>
>Many years ago, my mother was in the left hand turn lane waiting for the
>light to change when her car stalled.
>
>As she was trying to get the car restarted, the light changed and the guy
>behind her started blowing his horn.
>
>After a couple of minutes of listening to the horn while unsuccessfully
>trying to start the car, my mother got out of her car, walked back to the
>car behind her and tapped on the window.
>
>When the guy rolled down the window she said, "If you will start my car I'll
>blow your horn."
How long did it take before he stopped laughing?
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
On 24 Sep 2007 18:17:17 GMT, A Lurker <[email protected]> wrote:
>Andy <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>>> #2 Boston downtown
>>
>> How true! But after living near there for several years, I started
>> figuring out that "Massholes" are generally not totally reckless, but
>> instead they simply drive by an entirely different set of rules.
>> <snip>
>
>
>You folks have to get out and around more :) As a NJ driver who dealt
>regularly with Boston traffic during the year of a relative's terminal
>illness and weekly visits, I found Boston to be quite easy and civilized
>to drive in. MA drivers are quite polite and will tend to yield rather
>than be aggressive drivers. As a NJ driver (YOU GOT A PROBLEM WIT DAT?)
>and having just recently driven coast to coast - only the Californiacs
>rival the NY Metro drivers and still seem to be in second place.
Back in the mid-1980s I used to periodically fly into New York and
take a van (they called them limo's fo some reason ;-)) into
Connecticut to corp. headquarters. It was interesting to watch traffic
and how tyhe driver got you where you were going. About the third or
fourth trip I finally had to ask the driver what the basic concept was
for driving in NY. He responded that you watch the guys in front of
you (directly in front as well as in front toward the left and right)
and pay no attention whatsoever to those beside you or behind you.
They were supposed to watch you. As I watched after that it seemed
true as nobody used turn signals, they just cut in front any time they
felt like it. I was glad to only be a passenger.
Dave Hall
>One amusing MA problem was when I was a passenger with my NJ BIL who
>tends to "talk with his hands" (go figure). Boston drivers seemed to
>interpret his random jestures as hand signals leading to some
>interesting meeting mid intersection until I strongly suggested that he
>keep his "friggin hands on the wheel."
>
>Jerry
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:07:40 GMT, [email protected] (Doug Miller)
wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I'm slowly coming around to the opinion that all cars should be
>>equipped with cell-phone jammers or some other technology to render
>>cell phones unusable in a moving car.
>
>Bad idea. Very bad. You DON'T want to disable emergency calls, under any
>circumstances.
>...
Perhaps the operative word is "moving". I suspect that an emergency
call from a moving car, especially one made by the driver, is even
more dangerous to other parties on the road than one of the
"Whatcadoing? I'm bored." variety.
If the phone call is important, why not pull off the road at a safe
spot, stop the car, and make the call safely.
I've found that when I'm driving, even phone calls made by other
passengers are distracting.
Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA
"Robatoy" wrote in message
> Is it wrong for me to get totally pissed at that?
Lean heavily, without cessation, on the horn ... even if she doesn't remove
the cell phone from her ear and go straight, you'll have at least vented
some artery clogging frustration.
... and what's with the these 20 something females tailgating on the freeway
at 80 while driving with one leg cocked up in the seat?
Sheeesh, talk about faith in brakes ...
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 8/8/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)