Almost head-on totaled the 911 yesterday.
 

Taking a right turn on a quiet street.
I look left, and see the road is clear, so I start the right turn.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2rz86qp.jpg


I made the turn and then saw a car in my own lane, heading right at me.
Guy is passing on a double yellow, where no one ever passes.

http://i66.tinypic.com/i6jf2x.jpg


We ended up passing 3 in a row.
http://i68.tinypic.com/bwwp5.jpg

Whew! Close one! I'm sure that got your attention!

I’m glad that worked out OK.

Yep....you learned somethin'....and lived to tell about it ;). Now change yer drawers....

So did you all squeeze thru ok? Or was your 911 totaled? Are you ok?

Did you look right before you started out?

He does now :)...

I'm 65 yo, but I still remember my drivers ed instructor saying..."You've got to look both ways at an intersection when turning..even if you have the right of way. Or else it will come back to bite you sooner or later"

Good that nothing bad happened.

That would have given you a fright :eek:


I used to take the dogs walking early-ish each morning at a particular beach but I've had to stop going to that one. I had so many cars coming the other way on the wrong side of the road on blind corners. Passing cyclists usually. My heart couldn't take it any longer LOL

I had a similar but different situation years ago. I was waiting behind another car to pull onto a feeder (that is what they call frontage roads around here). It is usually one way traffic except early Saturday mornings when the drunks are trying to get home. The guy in front of me saw a break in traffic and pulled out. I decided I could make it too as the gap in the cars was adequate. Only problem was the guy in front of me had his car stall once he had turned. Blam, I nailed him.

Another thing I've noticed at my place of work (in a progressive "pedestrians have the right of way" land), is to check the running/cycling lane/sidewalks to the immediate right. So many times I do the left right left thing looking for cars, and some runner comes from the immediate right on the sidewalk/ running lane and bolts right in front of me. It's like they come out of no where. Glad sugar/car okay.

if you had turned on your moron detector, you'd have sat at the stop sign longer

Back in the days when I still commuted to work, my first turn on the way back home was onto a one way, three lane wide interstate access road. 1/2 a mile to the left was traffic exiting the interstate, and some traffic from the flow of traffic from a mile away. All three lanes go north. I would look the south and see a nice opening, but I always looked the other way before I pulled out. More than a few times some moron was going the wrong way realized it about the time they got to the street I was pulling out from.

That would be 3 abreast, not 3 in a row. :)

You almost turned into traffic and bought the farm. It doesn’t matter if the other driver was doing something illegal, you are dead either way. You turned w/o even looking where you were going and just assumed that it was clear. Glad it worked out for you this time.

”Assumption is the mother of all fk-ups.”
-Steven Seagal

Congrats on staying alive. Truth of the matter is our cars are no match for modern day vehicles.

Don't think the other driver saw you on the side of the road. Tiny cars, especially in the stealth colors, are not easily visible to modern day drivers not to mention the drunks. I avoid driving my 911 at night or under poor lighting conditions.

Exactly, I assumed it was clear since it has been clear for the last 20 years. At that spot, no one passes over those double yellows, since all traffic is already slowing for a major red light intersection that is to the left of the diagram. Reflex.

When I turned, I could not believe there was a car in my lane, going the "wrong way", heading right at me. Close call, and a good reminder to not make any assumptions of other drivers

The passing car probably appeared suddenly. I know cars seem to come out of nowhere for me. But I live in L.A. County (Long Beach, the Oakland of SoCal)

Is it just me or do most people drive like aholes today? I thought it was only in NY but as I travel I see people driving like idiots everywhere.

I am thinking much of this is due texting,talking on the phone and/or having an on board computer screen, eating and of course removal of driver education classes in the school system.
People sitting back in the seats relying on what they can see in their side view mirrors.
They don't dare turn their heads or lean to get a better view of things.

While he did pass illegally, I doubt it ever occurred to him that he could risk a head on collision. He probably only looked to see how much space he had to pass, and the lane was WIDE OPEN, and figured it was 100% safe. He did not factor in a car pulling into the lane from an intersection. I did not factor in that someone would be passing and that my lane would contain a car going the "wrong way"