Something else that really grinds my gears...

[BrightEyes1082]

Y'know how dumptrucks and other construction
equipment put big signs on the back of them
that say they are not responsible for anything
flying up from the road? Or not responsible for
hitting you because they can't see you? Well,
I think I'm gonna put a sign on my car that says
I'm not responsible for slamming into someone
when the sun is in my eyes and I can't see. Or
not responsible for hydroplaning. Better stay
500 feet behind me! If you don't know how to
estimate 500 feet, you're still responsible for
staying 500 feet behind me, so I guess you'll
just have to tape 166.6666666 yardsticks and
stick them to your front bumper. Yeah... that'll
do just fine.

 

[KrazieDog]

You know in this vein BE, another thing similar that bothers me is if you drive into a ditch and your car has to be towed out, even if it's just in the mud and too slippery to drive out, you get a "failure to maintain control" ticket. I've always said I'd go to court and fight it if I weren't at fault. Case in point, a kid, animal, pedestrian, etc comes into the road suddenly and I purposely put my car in the ditch (I have gone through this in real life before), at no time did I lose control. I steered myself into the safest possible location to not kill someone. At what point did I fail to maintain the control?

In my case, the way we do it in the south 😉) We knocked on three doors before we found a family in the outdoor kitchen having a fish fry and the husband and his father were nice enough to drive out their dually and tractor to pull my Mustang out of the ditch and bypassing the law altogether. Rant over 😀

 

[badreligion]

strong family guy reference lol

 

[kered]

Y'know how dumptrucks and other construction
equipment put big signs on the back of them
that say they are not responsible for anything
flying up from the road?

Because they are mainly off-road construction vehicles. They pick up small rocks and other debris from construction sites that can and will do damage to tailgaters or anyone else around. Never crowd a construction vehicle if you can.

Or not responsible for
hitting you because they can't see you?

This is because of the blind spots that every large truck has. If you have ever sat in one you would know that there are just places beside you that you can't see. If a car is riding in this blind spot it could be very disasterous. The rule of thumb is if you can't see the driver in his side mirror, then he can't see you. The placards on big trucks are a serious warnings, not some macho pretention.


Wuv ya, Mondy

 

[Deleted member 66627]

Understandable, but-- they are employed through the town. And as much as this sucks to say; they have a lot more to lose if they get sued.

 

[Bugman]

I drive a good sized work truck myself,and what Kered said is right.If you can't see the rearview mirrors on my truck i can't see you.

Stay back a bit folks,you are not going to reach your destination any faster by tailgating and its nerve wracking for all involved.I've blown through some very late yellow lights because i just don't know if someone is riding my bumper.

 

[kered]

Most big tri-axles here are independently owned. And those placards are for the insurance companies protection really. Even in a small car if you throw a rock into someones windsheild the insurance won't cover it. They have it under "act of God". I've been through this plenty, believe me! Most state troopers just look at the injured party and tell them sorry about their luck.

 

[Deleted member 66627]

Most big tri-axles here are independently owned. And those placards are for the insurance companies protection really. Even in a small car if you throw a rock into someones windsheild the insurance won't cover it. They have it under "act of God". I've been through this plenty, believe me! Most state troopers just look at the injured party and tell them sorry about their luck.

We have a Regional International here which harbors large tri-axles. Those aren't independently owned, though?

And, Manda-- I don't fuck around with driving close to rigs or construction vehicles. Especially if they have a full load.

 

[kered]

I really don't know, Jo. Most of the rigs around my state are owned by aggregate haulers and paving companies. Of course the State Highway and County governments own their own trucks. New York may be different but all have federal mandates to adhere to.


And good advice to Mondy!

Like Buggy said, it can get nerve wracking for all concerned. Tri-axles carry at least 21 tons on their backs and don't stop on a dime

 

[Bugman]

Heres a good place to pick up some tips.Most people are not good at estimating distances,especially when driving,and don't understand how much ground they cover in a very short period of time.



http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffi...afe-following-distance-the-3-second-rule.html

 

[Marquis De Sade]

when the sun is in my eyes and I can't see.

I hate the sun. Off topic, slightly, I know. But I just had to get it out.

 

[kered]

Heres a good place to pick up some tips.Most people are not good at estimating distances,especially when driving,and don't understand how much ground they cover in a very short period of time.



http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffi...afe-following-distance-the-3-second-rule.html

That is true. Trucks with a total weight of 34 tons can do a lot of damage in a wreck with a 2 ton car.

 

[kilitiinko1]

I hate the sun. Off topic, slightly, I know. But I just had to get it out.

Someone needs to change that to a lower watt bulb...

 

[BrightEyes1082]

Yeah, I get all the safety reasons to not follow
a truck. I do stay away from them. The part
that pisses me off is that they think they can
make themselves not liable for something just
by placing a sign on the truck!

If I have a sign on my back door that says
"Beware of vicious weens" and someone
walks behind it, and the weens bust through,
(which they have done), and they bite someone,
I'm still liable, whether I claim to be or not.

 

[Helena]

Yeah, I get all the safety reasons to not follow
a truck. I do stay away from them. The part
that pisses me off is that they think they can
make themselves not liable for something just
by placing a sign on the truck!

If I have a sign on my back door that says
"Beware of vicious weens" and someone
walks behind it, and the weens bust through,
(which they have done), and they bite someone,
I'm still liable, whether I claim to be or not.

Brighty,
Although you have recently moved to southern NH, I'm sure you will soon have the pleasure of driving around the city of Boston, and Massachusetts in general. Construction on a lot of major roadways (that never seems to be completed) is a way of life here. Police merging three or four lanes of traffic into one on a highway will really annoy you.
I know that driving can be stressful at times for me, so to keep my cool, I clean my gun collection when I'm stopped at red lights. Try it. Or, if breaking the law is not to your liking, get some books on tape, or some CD's to help you relax while driving. Best of Luck.

 

[BrightEyes1082]

Brighty,
Although you have recently moved to southern NH, I'm sure you will soon have the pleasure of driving around the city of Boston, and Massachusetts in general. Construction on a lot of major roadways (that never seems to be completed) is a way of life here. Police merging three or four lanes of traffic into one on a highway will really annoy you.
I know that driving can be stressful at times for me, so to keep my cool, I clean my gun collection when I'm stopped at red lights. Try it. Or, if breaking the law is not to your liking, get some books on tape, or some CD's to help you relax while driving. Best of Luck.

Yes, I commute daily to Cambridge. 🙂 However,
I really don't stress while driving. I listen to my
music and I'm fine.

I am just pointing out that I think it's crap that
someone can release him/herself of liability just
by stating that they aren't liable. Make sense?

 

[Marquis De Sade]

Someone needs to change that to a lower watt bulb...

Yup.

 

[kered]

Yes, I commute daily to Cambridge. 🙂 However,
I really don't stress while driving. I listen to my
music and I'm fine.

I am just pointing out that I think it's crap that
someone can release him/herself of liability just
by stating that they aren't liable. Make sense?

They aren't just stating that, Mondy, and the people driving these trucks don't want any accidents for you or for them. The insurance industry has successfully lobbied for laws excluding these "acts of God" and thus saving money by continually replacing cracked windsheilds. The placards are mandated by law. These laws also cover insurances companies from a family vehicle picking up a rock in it's tire and cracking another cars window.

So these signs are mandatory on construction vehicles but they aren't a blanket coverage. If some type of material or rock flies up off the top of the ftruck or the tailgate is loose and tossing material off of the spread sheild then a person may have a case to press.

So if you want to be miffed at anyone about the subject of this thread then aim it at the insurance companies, Mondy.

 

[AffectionateDan]

You know what really grinds my gears?

When you're driving in rush hour traffic in town, and it's bumper-to-bumper assholes out there, and somebody's trapped in the driveway of a business, desparately waiting for a gap to open up in the traffic so they can get out and on their way... of course, nobody can be bothered to wait a second or three to open that car length for them. So you do them the courtesy of waiting for them, letting them merge out into the lane, and the ungrateful douchebags don't even ACKNOWLEDGE that you've done them the courtesy, much less wave and/or mouth a silent "thank you" (since of course you wouldn't be able to hear them if they said it). You could just as easily let them rot there, but you did them a solid and waited to let them get on their way, and they just take it as their due and zip out in front of you. Might as well thumb their nose at you or flip ya the bird. And that, citizens, is what really grinds my gears.

Back to you, Tom.

 

[Skipadeedoodah]

Ooh ya wanna know what drives me freakin banana-sandwich? When there are two lanes of traffic and there are like 103894709283749 signs telling everyone to merge right (or left) because the lane ends, and while most people do this, a few fuckers in a rush go all the way to the front where the lanes are actually merging!! And when no one lets them in because they're stubborn bitter drivers like me (LOL) they bully their way in and almost cause an accident!!!

Freakin douchebags.