WOT - Almost bought the farm today

[Axe_34]

Thanks SM. Not to get all religious. But in a way I think that God had to kind of take my car, and slam it a round a bit to teach me a life lesson. I'm serious when I say that. - w

 

 

Glad you're okay, relatively speaking. Any crash you can walk away from and all that.

 

Question though -- what kind of life lesson is this god teaching all those who died in crashes today?*

 

*also known as the Lottery Ticket Fallacy.

 

"I won the lottery!! God exists!! He answered my prayer!!"

 

Says the winning lottery ticket holder as he walks past a garbage bin filled of losing tickets.

[Woody_in_MN]

Thanks all. I am really touched.

 

Right this minute I am feeling badly about how I could have put other drives in danger. I am thinking more about this right now than how I came out of it. I guess this is part of the life lesson.

 

Honestly, I almost did not post this since it had nothing to do with guitars. But I am glad I did. Besides my luck, or whatever, coming out as clean as I did from the accident, this thread has been the best part of my day.

 

Thanks again all. I means a lot to me to get so many nice notes.

 

- w

[cratz2]

That sucks for sure man. I'm 37 and used to road rage kinda bad. But 'they' always started it. I had one instance where I was an big idiot, the guys in the other car were even bigger idiots. They passed me on the right and slightly touching my front bumper when they got back over, but I kept control. I followed them and they knew I was following them. There was an altercation... none of us got out of our cars but... I was armed. My guess is there's a decent chance they were too. Could have been VERY ugly.

Now I just let it go and that's my best advice for you too, my friend.

Glad you made it through though.

[Woody_in_MN]

 

Glad you're okay, relatively speaking. Any crash you can walk away from and all that. Question though -- what kind of life lesson is this god teaching all those who died in crashes today?* *also known as the Lottery Ticket Fallacy. "I won the lottery!! God exists!! He answered my prayer!!" Says the winning lottery ticket holder as he walks past a garbage bin filled of losing tickets.

 

 

I can't explain it. Its more of a feeling. I can not logicially prove to you there is a God. You can not logically prove to me there is not. I think it is something that either resonates with a person or not. All I can say is I try to keep an open mind, and be true to myself.

 

- w

[cbh5150]

Woody, glad you made it OK.

 

Round these parts, I gotta keep the RR in check on an hourly basis, so I knows your pain; just gotta not get caught up.

[_pete_]

First, I'm glad you're ok and nobody was hurt.

 

Were you in the left lane? If so, you should have gotten over to the right lane and let him go. That's why there are multiple lanes and signs that say "Slower traffic keep right'.

If someone wants to go faster than you, let them. It's not a competition.

[Elias Graves]

Glad you're OK. Let that kind of stuff go.

I got smacked with an airbag once. Ouch. I guess it's better than the dashboard though.

EG

[CrackerD]

Glad you are okay.

 

 

But, this could have been avoided by just moving your ass over. It's what courteous drivers who obey the simple rules of the road do.

 

Slower traffic keep right. Faster drivers pass on left. It's simple and makes it safer for everyone.

 

I'll never get my head around why people can not follow these simple rules.

[geetarded]

glad you are ok

[Mike Fiasco]

Hey Woody, I know how it is to give into the driving anger. I've kind of grown out most of it, but I used to be kind of...



Meanwhile...

anger only hurts yourself because the person you're angry with either doesn't know it or doesn't care.

Roy knows.

[whyflipoverthefrog]

I like to recommend taking your foot off the accelerator when getting tailgated like that.

 

Nothing makes them madder than going 70 in a 60, wanting to go 75... than going 50 in a 60. It's a slow deceleration, and a sure-fire way to get him to change lanes and leave you free to get back to 70mph.

 

Y'all stay safe out there. We've all had our moments on the road.

[Pope on a Rope]

 

A couple people have said it is better to just move over. I felt no obligation to do this - but since a couple member have posted this advice I hope next time I will do this. Better plan. I used to be quite an angry person when I was younger. I think I have mellowed a lot, but obviosly when I drive I can still have some "issues'. I really hope that this lesson stays with me, and you know, I think it will. Just dealing with the traffic, and towing, and highway patrol, etc. was unpleasant enough. I have to say there was a good samaritan, a kid of about 25 that stopped and stayed wth me until the tow truck came. A genuine good guy. Thanks for the kind notes. I know I was in the wrong, and feel grateful to be sitting here typing this. BTW - Lamb Chop is fine, and was happy to see me get home. - w

 

 

Whether you feel obligated or not you should just move over as a courtesy. Especially, if you are in the far left lane. Keep one eye on your rearview mirror and move over before someone even gets close enough to tailgate.

 

Unless you're racing I see no reason to not let someone pass. If someone behind you is tailgating and driving aggressively it's a good idea to let them pass. Why would you want some asshole like that driving up your tailpipe? Just let them pass, it's easier to keep an eye on them when they're in front of you and then you don't become a target of their rage.

 

Just three weeks ago I narrowly averted a head-on when a northbound drunk crossed over into my lane. I had about a nanosecond to respond and all I could do was jam the brakes and spin my steering wheel as fast and hard as I could to the left in an effort to spin my car sideways to take the hit in the rear quarter. I ended up taking it in the right front. I was able to turn it into a glancing collision tagging him on his right rear quarter and bumper. Amazingly no one was hurt. Had I missed him entirely he may have killed whoever was behind me

 

What a {censored} accident that was. I was a hundred miles from home, car was undrivable, I had my mother with me and it was {censored}ing cold. I Am getting screwed out of my car for that asshole's negligence. I had about nine payments left on it. Insurance will pay the car off but I end up with a handful of nickels afterward. Because there were no physical injuries involved I can't find a lawyer to take the case to help me recover the what insurance won't pay. I want the {censored}er to pay what I paid for my car. I Am taking a big hit because of high mileage. This {censored}ing cocksucker is 100% at fault as he was drunk and in the wrong lane.

 

Today I received the police report in the mail and the cop who wrote the report {censored}ed up big time. It says that I said the other guy was pulling out of a parking lot where his vehicle ended up after the crash. That's the story he gave the cops. The cop who wrote it is not the one who interviewed me. I called the other officer I talked to at the scene who later returned my phone call and left me a message saying he's now aware that it's {censored}ed and is going to write a supplemental report.

 

It seems that the only way I can get proper compensation in order to replace my car is to lie and fake an injury. I've spoken to several lawyers and they all basically say "Too bad you weren't injured. There's not much that can be done if you weren't hurt." This bull{censored} is eating me up pretty bad.

 

That bastard is so {censored}ing lucky that he did not kill or hurt anyone because I was able to avert a head-on when there was almost no time to react which would have had a combined speed of at least 90-100 MPH. I know I was going about 45 MPH and I could see the other guy was going a good bit faster.

 

Anti-lock brakes are a must have in any future vehicle for me and I highly recommend them after this accident. I would have just skidded straight into the other guy's headlights without ABS. This was one helluva test and they proved themselves with flying colors.

 

Flo is a lying {censored} and from now on I will carry a spare steering wheel in my car just in case something like this happens again. Next time I will beat the guy with the steering wheel and toss it before the cops get there. If he claims that I beat him I'll just say he's delirious from banging his head on his steering wheel. That way I will get some satisfaction because insurance ain't gonna deliver.

 

Sorry to have jumped in and rambled on so long. Writing it about it was actually therapeutic. I can't talk about it without going into a Tourette syndrome like tirade.

[Rick 381]

A guy in a BMW SUV is tail gatting me.

 

 

You know the difference between a horse and a BMW?

 

The BMW's prick is on the inside.

[twotimingpete]

wow dude... just hope your insurance company doesn't see this thread. not sure if road rage is covered.

 

all I can say is that was a bone headed move and a grown man should know better, but you seem to understand that and acknowledge your mistake so I'm glad you're alright.

 

p.s. why chase him? what would you have done if you caught him? I don't understand the reasoning.

[Mid Life Crisis]

Good that you posted that story Woody and of course even better that you came out of that crash OK. Many others wouldn't have.

We get road rage over here in the UK too (our roads are heavily congested), as well as our share of bad drivers - jumped-up salesmen in BMWs, morons in white vans, yoofs in chavved-up Citroen Saxos trying to impress their mates, the lot. There's just no point getting mad with them; just move over and let them be their own problem.

Here's another BMW joke. Apparently, the BMW is going to be renamed the clitoris, since every {censored}'s got one now.

[Woody_in_MN]

I'm just checking this thread after getting up this (Sat) morning. There have been several comments about "just move over". I have moved over in the past. Maybe not consistently. This may have happened in a place in the highway where there is merging from the right. And there is not much opportunity to move to the right lane. I know there was some traffic in the right lane. I'm not 100% sure about this. I expect I will have a chance to see where this all happened on Monday, as it is part of my morning commute. Whatever the case, I said before that to move over is the best, and smart decision, and I hope I would do this in the future. And you know, I think I will.

 

As far as the law and the insurance company, I told them both I had to hit my breaks and turn quickly to the left to avoid hitting the SUV, which is the truth. I was not ticketed for any thing. The insurance considered me at fault, because I lost control of the car. It is possible too that I hit some ice when I made the quick correction. But to insurance, it does not matter, because I still lost control of the car. I will take responsibility for driving aggressively, and that was dumb, but you know the fact is that would have been no accident if the guy in the SUV hit his breaks.

 

I'm feeling mainly blue this morning, as I think about other people that could have been hurt. I think it will take a while to get over these feelings of remorse.

 

Thanks again for the notes.

 

- W

[Bob411]

Good that you posted that story Woody and of course even better that you came out of that crash OK. Many others wouldn't have. We get road rage over here in the UK too (our roads are heavily congested), as well as our share of bad drivers - jumped-up salesmen in BMWs, morons in white vans , yoofs in chavved-up Citroen Saxos trying to impress their mates, the lot. There's just no point getting mad with them; just move over and let them be their own problem. Here's another BMW joke. Apparently, the BMW is going to be renamed the clitoris, since every {censored}'s got one now.

That would be me.

[xStonr]

I think I saw a great deal in the great deals thread for a body shop. At least 15-20% off. :poke:

I'm sure you learned from your road rage to chill. It's not worth it any other way.

[ExiledCrow]

Dude that sucks, and I'm glad you're ok. I have a bit of a temper to and I try to control it, especially in the car, but every now and then it flares. The worst part is that sometimes when it hits you you go from zero to I'm-going-to-beat-you-to-death-and-piss-on-your-face-when-I'm-done anger almost instantaneously :mad: ... it just short-circuits all rational thought. When it's like that its only later that you say to yourself, "well THAT wasn't worth it".

All and all though, if you learn and grow from this then its a good lesson ... and cheap considering you walked away from it uninjured.

[maltomario]

close call! glad you're ok woody. did the other guy stop when you crashed?

[Woody_in_MN]

close call! glad you're ok woody. did the other guy stop when you crashed?

 

 

He did not. I'm sure he saw what happened. There was morning commute traffic, so it was not like it was the two of us all alone on a highway. He was driving like a dickhead. After he passed me he was weaving in and out of traffic without signaling. I'll probably never know what he thought of the whole thing. If he feels any remorse, or if he will continue to drive like a dickhead. I cannot control that.

 

I did not post this to point out what a dick I ran into, but hopefully that people can learn from my mistake, and make a decision not to feed into road rage.

 

Thanks guys.

 

- w

[Spike Li]

If you were doing the limit or over I see no reason for you to change lanes - I never do . Whats the point of being courteous to some asshole whos tailgating you?

 

And yeah, chasing him was a dumb move, but at least you know that now... When someone does that to me I either slow down, tap my brakes so the lights flash or just ignore them.

[hardtdc]

If you were doing the limit or over I see no reason for you to change lanes - I never do . Whats the point of being courteous to some asshole whos tailgating you? And yeah, chasing him was a dumb move, but at least you know that now... When someone does that to me I either slow down, tap my brakes so the lights flash or just ignore them.

 

That attitude just plain sucks. The applied road rules are for slower traffic to use the right lane and for faster traffic to use the "passing" lane, which is the left lane. There's nothing worse than a driver in the passing lane moving slower than the right lane traffic. It really jams traffic up more and creates more chance for increased risk of accidents.

 

Now if you are moving at a faster rate than the right lane of traffic, that's not an issue. But if someone is trying to get by you, once you pass other traffic on the right, you should slide over to let others by you then slide back in to again to pass others on the right. It's just common courtesy, which many people in this world have forgotten all about. Pretty much, everyone only thinks of themselves and their own "selfishness these days. And that's a bunch of {censored} that the good folks in this world have to put up with.

[ExiledCrow]

Some good points hardtdc, but I've also had people tailgating me while I'm passing up the slower traffic who seem to expect me to put my own life at risk by jamming myself into the right lane so they can get past me ... and wait behind the 4 cars that are already ahead of me in the left lane.

[hardtdc]

Some good points hardtdc, but I've also had people tailgating me while I'm passing up the slower traffic who seem to expect me to put my own life at risk by jamming myself into the right lane so they can get past me ... and wait behind the 4 cars that are already ahead of me in the left lane.

 

 

I agree, they should have to wait until you clear the ones you are trying to pass. They just have to learn some patience. I try not to look in the rearview too much, but if someone's tailgating, I make damn sure that I have sufficient distance between myself and the car in front of me so I can plan for any evasive (defensive) course of action just in case. Sometimes just adding some distance will send a mental message to the tailgaters and they will automatically back off a little. It could just be their subconscious taking over.