Almost hit head on
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I was almost hit head on yesterday in the covered bridge in Plymouth. I had just entered and a driver on the other end of the bridge was veering into the wrong lane and continued coming head on. I laid on the horn and they swerved back to their lane.
I have noticed an increase in bad driving lately, and my perception is borne out by the numbers. Traffic deaths in NH have risen 40% in the past 10 years. Yesterday, our state police enacted a "traffic enforcement initiate". They clocked 30 drivers going over 90 mph on I-93, with 5 of them going over 100-mph.
Distracted driving and impaired driving apparently account for a large percentage of the increase in accidents.
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What @Jodi said. I have always been a defensive driver but I've taken it to new lengths; I operate under the assumption that everyone else is not giving their driving their full attention.
@Bernard - So glad to hear that you are OK.
When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
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Yikes! Glad you’re OK!
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@wtg said in Almost hit head on:
What @Jodi said. I have always been a defensive driver but I've taken it to new lengths; I operate under the assumption that everyone else is not giving their driving their full attention.
@Bernard - So glad to hear that you are OK.
Yes indeed! to both.
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That’s what they teach you in motorcycle safety school.
“Every driver on the road wants to kill you.”
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Scary
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Glad you escaped injury.
Distracted, careless driving has discouraged me from riding my bike on the roads. I ride in the local park, but that doesn’t afford much exercise. Eventually I’ll probably regain my nerve and brave traffic again.
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That’s definitely a good use of your horn, Bernard. Glad you’re okay.
I’ve never driven at 90 mph. I’m astounded that so many do.
@AdagioM I am surprised by the aversion people have, up here, to using their car horns. I often wonder what they think they're made for, and some get angry if you hint with a quick beep that they're lingering when they shouldn't be.
Maybe it's because I lived in NYC for so long, where horn usage is ubiquitous.
The industrial revolution cheapened everything.
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@AdagioM I am surprised by the aversion people have, up here, to using their car horns. I often wonder what they think they're made for, and some get angry if you hint with a quick beep that they're lingering when they shouldn't be.
Maybe it's because I lived in NYC for so long, where horn usage is ubiquitous.
@Bernard said in Almost hit head on:
Maybe it's because I lived in NYC for so long, where horn usage is ubiquitous.
That comment reminded me of an incident many years ago.
My wife had injured her knee in a sports accident and couldn't work the clutch in our cars, both of which had manual transmissions. To let her drive, we arranged to swap a car with her parents so she would have a car that she could drive with one good leg.
I met my father-in-law at a midway point between our homes to do the swap. The car that I was driving then had a problem with the horn ring accidentally shorting and sounding the horn unexpectedly, so I had pulled the connection to the horn until I could get it fixed.
Returning home after the swap, I said to my wife, "I probably should have told your father about the nonworking horn." She said, "He already knows. He called to ask how to work the horn, because he couldn't get it to sound. He even stopped to look in the owner's manual for information."
As you may have guessed, my father-in-law grew up and learned to drive in NYC,
I'm glad your horn was working when you needed it.
Big Al
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That is terrifying, Bernard! I'm sure glad your horn works! I think Jodi is right. The kid who rear-ended me last fall was on his phone.
@pique Oh, no. I didn't know you were rear-ended. I hope you haven't suffered any lasting consequences from it. Whiplash can be very bad. I knew someone (in the sense of an online acquaintance, though I did meet him and his partner one time in a yarn shop in MA) from a weaving forum who was rear ended by someone at high speed. He and his partner ended up in hospital with him in ICU. His partner came online a week later to inform us of his passing from his injuries. It was a shock to all of us. He was a dear man, a minister in fact, and prolific weaver. Always learning new techniques.
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@Bernard said in Almost hit head on:
Maybe it's because I lived in NYC for so long, where horn usage is ubiquitous.
That comment reminded me of an incident many years ago.
My wife had injured her knee in a sports accident and couldn't work the clutch in our cars, both of which had manual transmissions. To let her drive, we arranged to swap a car with her parents so she would have a car that she could drive with one good leg.
I met my father-in-law at a midway point between our homes to do the swap. The car that I was driving then had a problem with the horn ring accidentally shorting and sounding the horn unexpectedly, so I had pulled the connection to the horn until I could get it fixed.
Returning home after the swap, I said to my wife, "I probably should have told your father about the nonworking horn." She said, "He already knows. He called to ask how to work the horn, because he couldn't get it to sound. He even stopped to look in the owner's manual for information."
As you may have guessed, my father-in-law grew up and learned to drive in NYC,
I'm glad your horn was working when you needed it.
Big Al
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Glad you're OK, even at 30+30mph a collision is going to be nasty.
We were nearly ko'd in a side street off Picadilly Circus today by a Brabus Mercedes G-wagon 6x4.
Must have a turning circle close to that of a Lear Jet (and engine and price to match).
A seven point turn had pedestrians on both pavements scurrying for cover.
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I like trucks more than most people, but what would you even do with such a thing?
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I have pondered on who buys such a behemoth, and why.
Built perhaps for desert or jungle terrain, and to have an ack-ack gun mounted on the rear platform for your security to shoot down drones and helicopters?
So Venezuelan or Albanian drug lord, or middle eastern Sheikh might be target customers?
Or simply a mega successful rapper with a million quid to spare and a garage as big as his ego?London is an overbusy place of extremes, noise/vulgarity and serenity/refinement almost adjacent.
Ten minutes later we were drinking Silver Needle tea in Yushu.
