Schadenfreude.

Like looking at the road in front, instead of looking where you want to go.
Go to the light. geesh

When we have an MVA on the highway, we block the scene with our apparatus. Warning lights galore. People still run into us..


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Yep, people fixate on the "pretty, flashing lights" and head for them like moths. I've never understood that, but it seems to happen plenty.

Right, I was thinking the same. I thought shining the light on the accident was a good move. It was unfortunate that the main vehicle was black.

THere was definitely a whole lot of crazy going on in the video. Glad I wasn't there.

It’s shocking (but not surprising) how many cars flew past the wreck, or made an evasive move at the last second. Obviously these drivers are not looking any further than at the pavement, about 20 feet in front of their car. If they were looking ahead, they would have seen the wrecked car several hundred feet ahead, and had time to slow down and change lanes.

Many times I have been a passenger in a car when the driver basically watches the pavement just ahead of the car (“keeping the car in the lane”). It’s most obvious when driving through a turn, when a smooth curve becomes a series of jerky motions as the driver “connects the dots” every 20 feet.

The funny thing is, when I mention it to the drivers, they always deny it and say they always look ahead. But yet, in other situations, when something far ahead is going to require action (slow down, lane change, etc), these same drivers don’t take action until the last second, confirming that they watch the pavement, 20 feet ahead, as they drive.


-rb

When I drove a lot (25,000 miles/year and never left the county) I used to like to play with women drivers. I'd get one following me and I'd systematically speed up gradually and slow down as much as 10 MPH either way. They would hug my ass for miles. I would also drift towards the dots on one side of the land and then the other and watch in the mirror as they did exactly what I was doing.

Keeps you entertained while driving 30 miles just to give an estimate. Often times I'd have to do this in the evening after driving 30 miles to a job, then coming home for a shower and a quick dinner. I had quite a few 100 mile days with hours of labor during the day.

So, yeah, I've seen a few wrecks.

I was thinking about the poor souls who happened to be passengers, like spouses and children, or those who did the right thing after coming upon some calamity in the road when they themselves get pulverized by some idiot not paying attention.

In my mind, the last thing that comes to my mind about this is the humor of it. I realize this is just an insignificant interweb chat room that really doesn’t have any relevance to real life and people say things here because there are no consequences therefrom, but really, funny?

Bob, you're reading too much into this. Of course it was terrible for those involved spare the idiots that swerved ridiculously out of control. There is nothing that can be done about what happened even if you knew someone involved. The tragedy is that a few were indeed injured, hopefully they will fully recover. And certainly any fatalities are awful.

But the context of the video was pretty much the same as seeing a bunch of cars sliding out of control on black ice. Sometimes it looks like bowling pins. It's only the action as seen, the visual, that seems humorous to me. I didn't see anything gross or the humor would have disappeared.

People take hellacious spills on skateboards, bikes, skis, etc. and others laugh no matter how bad. Until the person doesn't get up, that is. I didn't see anything like that. Just another video some cars crashing as seen 1000's of times on social media.

I'm sorry you're upset at my outlook on these things. Personally, I don't laugh much at mishaps when it's in person. But this isn't. Totally remote to me other than the fact that this is about 10 miles from me and I'm completely aware of the dangers of SoCal freeways and stupid drivers. I go out of my way to not be anywhere near the potential, taking side streets and traveling only during lighter traffic periods. I refuse to drive at rush hour and don't drive at night.

Every minute I spend in a car I see something stupid being done by another driver. I used to get upset but I would be upset for the entire trip. I had to find a way around that and it's the funny side that makes that work.

That and the fact that it's part of our culture from the Roadrunner cartoons to NASCAR. People simply like to see others fall down. That's all I have to say.

OK, Zeke.

Thank you for responding. I honestly didn’t think you were genuinely laughing at tragedy, but I wanted to be sure. You’ve always been a good guy in my book and still are.

Merry Christmas to you!

Was that a fatality the second time?

One problem of driving in dense traffic on a freeway. A constant problem on my I-5 runs to my favorite pool hall..."look ahead" gives only the view of the ass end of a taller SUV or a semi.

Yeah, just try to leave a hole between you and the car ahead...see how long it lasts.

Well, there’s two ways that you look ahead. What you’re talking about is a look ahead for what you will face in the next 1-2 seconds. I’m talking about looking ahead, as far as possible, and updating that view as often as possible. So, if you see a bunch of brake lights and the tail end of a group of cars, 500 feet ahead, lift off the throttle and start planning what to do NOW, not after you’ve reached the pack.

I drive with what is termed ‘situational awareness’. So, I check ahead of me, to the rear, and to the sides, often enough that I know which vehicles are around me at all times, where are gaps if I need to take an evasive maneuver, how hard can I brake based not only on how close the vehicle ahead is, but how close the vehicle behind me is, etc.

If you’re paying attention as you drive, this is fairly easy to do. But if you’re making the conversation in your car your primary focus of attention (whether talking to a passenger, or on a phone call, or worse…TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!), then you can kiss situational awareness goodbye, and you can crash just like the other idiots on the road.


-rb

a driverless Tesla woulda’ done better.

hahaha...i'm reading responses and just hearing the multiple hits. unbelievable.

At 2AM, a lot of folks are on "auto" drive mode, where you can't remember how you drove there but somehow you got there.

What a sad human

I do a lot ( "a lot", as in about two Saturdays per month :D) of after-2AM driving between N/E Dallas and south Ft. Worth (about a 60 mile stretch), and while you are correct about some motorist at that time of night, a saving grace around here is that the highways are almost deserted then, compared to any time of day prior to midnight. For example, and this is no exaggeration, it takes me 20-30 less minutes to drive home from Big D than it does to drive there (driving there takes place around 4-5 pm), and that is not due to speeding as I barely go over the posted limits at that time of night as I do not want to get fuuked with by a Midnight Cowboy police officer.

As far as possible..LOL! In the scenario I described, that IS looking far ahead...Oregon loves putting $$$ into mass transit while pretty much ignoring highways. The I-5 stretch I mentioned is the same 4 lanes that were there when it was first built in the 1950's, despite the population and resulting traffic having quintupled since then. Gaps? What gaps? Bumper to bumper..both lanes. There are few "holes" to escape to in event of an emergency.

Can you come up with something new in 2022?