Let's be careful out there

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by pdxfj

Not cock-blocking anyone, just riding and minding my own business.. I am not a squid by any stretch of the imagination. If a cager wants to go faster, be my guest. If I want to go faster than the cager in front of me, I'll make a legal pass on the left.

I live in Portland, OR and have ridden all over the western U.S. (WA, ID, CA, UT, CO, AZ, NV) and I feel way safer riding in and around L.A. anytime during the day, than I do just about anywhere in Oregon. Even in the bay area during rush hour in the HOV lane passing stopped traffic with all the other bikes.

In no other state have I had to deal with cagers that are literately out to kill me. As an example, they have on many occasions gone out of their way to ensure I do not pass them and when I do, they damn near cause accidents to get in front of me again. Times I've sped up to get away from these people only to have them riding my back wheel into triple digits. The whole time flashing their lights, honking their horns and flipping me off. All for the simple reason of passing them legally on the left, while going 10mph faster than they are. If I pull ahead of them and get a couple of miles away, they don't give up. They just keep coming at me.

That is only a very small part of things I've witnessed. As soon as I get out of Oregon and Western Washington the attitudes of cagers completely change I no longer have people trying to run me over or run me off the road.

I have even noticed the same aggressive behavior cropping up when I'm in my P-Car. Tailgating, middle finger, brake checking and so on. When I drive my pickup, none of this happens.

Pray for Cindy & I. Later on we will be driving I-5..from Albany to Salem, in order to play on some nice old Brunswicks. Your observations have a ring of truth to them. Thankful that I now can avoid the PDX area. I hated driving up there...it's just insane.

One plus I've discovered with the Bullitt Mustang. People pull to the right for it more than they ever did for the Porsche. My theory is that it's dark green color and lack of trim make mirror watchers think it's a stealth cop car?

Not that there are a lot of mirror watchers in Oregon. 20 years ago, it wasn't bad at all.

[jwasbury]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I live off of Rt80 not far from the PA border. I see the PA drivers getting busted a lot. The JC area may be different.

^I'm currently living in Bucks Cty PA, commuting daily to NYC while my home in Hudson Cty NJ is renovated. Nobody keeps right except to pass. There is a nearly endless train of vehicles eastbound in the left lane. The right lane is often moving faster. People are lazy and don't want to change lanes so they park it on the far left to avoid ever having to yield or shift lanes to accommodate traffic entering and exiting.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

^I'm currently living in Bucks Cty PA, commuting daily to NYC while my home in Hudson Cty NJ is renovated. Nobody keeps right except to pass. There is a nearly endless train of vehicles eastbound in the left lane. The right lane is often moving faster. People are lazy and don't want to change lanes so they park it on the far left to avoid ever having to yield or shift lanes to accommodate traffic entering and exiting.

Suggestion...buy a car that is like the cars cops use..same color, etc. Watch the lane hogs pull over for you. I know a guy who bought a crown vic at a state auction for just that reason...he swears it works.

[Adrian Thompson]

I think I must be watching a different vid to all those calling the lead driver out. I see another vehicle in the middle lane. The front guy in the left could be passing the middle lane drive at or just above the speed limit. He could have been in the middle lane for some time and come up behind the other vehicle, signaled and pulled out in a perfectly legal manor. We don't know what the closing speed of the truck was. If he was seriously booking the guy could not have realized the closing speed.

I'm not saying he's totally in the right, but the video doesn't start soon enough to show the whole story. Heck it could be the other way around, he could have just passed the truck on the right, pulled back in front then brake checked him. No one watching the video knows.

No matter. Two, three, four or more wrongs still don't make a right. The truck guy shouldn't have done it and needs to be punished.

Remind me never to let my wife see this for the times I've lost my cool and flipped off an A-hole, she's always telling me that I don't know if the other guy is nuts or carrying and she's right.

[pcardude]

I only saw 1 guy force another motorist into a crash personally.

[pcardude]

This thread is a lot like the Disney thread.

[EMJ]

Truck driver was the only one at fault. Slow car in left lane doesn't give him the right to wreck him out of his way. Period.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by Adrian Thompson

I think I must be watching a different vid to all those calling the lead driver out. I see another vehicle in the middle lane. The front guy in the left could be passing the middle lane drive at or just above the speed limit. He could have been in the middle lane for some time and come up behind the other vehicle, signaled and pulled out in a perfectly legal manor. We don't know what the closing speed of the truck was. If he was seriously booking the guy could not have realized the closing speed.

I'm not saying he's totally in the right, but the video doesn't start soon enough to show the whole story. Heck it could be the other way around, he could have just passed the truck on the right, pulled back in front then brake checked him. No one watching the video knows.

No matter. Two, three, four or more wrongs still don't make a right. The truck guy shouldn't have done it and needs to be punished.

Remind me never to let my wife see this for the times I've lost my cool and flipped off an A-hole, she's always telling me that I don't know if the other guy is nuts or carrying and she's right.

There are only 2 lanes n the video I watched. If there were 3, and the right lane was open, the truck should have passed there, albeit carefully.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by EMJ

Truck driver was the only one at fault. Slow car in left lane doesn't give him the right to wreck him out of his way. Period.

Haven't read a post where anyone thinks the truck driver has "the right" to wreck him. Only that the lane blocker is at least partially to blame too, (but certainly less so than the truck), if not committing an offense as well - depending on the state.

[EMJ]

How is the lane blocker "partially" at fault that the truck wrecked him? Because he didn't move? Preposterous. This is the issue - he got wrecked for driving slow on the left lane and blocking the truck. He bears no fault in that since he shouldn't have been wrecked. The truck committed a crime. The blocking driver should've moved over, but he shouldn't have been wrecked for not doing so.

[vash]

I wasn't there. But it looks like he was shadowing the other car for the most efficient block.




Sent via Jedi mind trick.

[EMJ]

Yup.

[ficke]

Originally Posted by EMJ

How is the lane blocker "partially" at fault that the truck wrecked him? Because he didn't move? Preposterous. This is the issue - he got wrecked for driving slow on the left lane and blocking the truck. He bears no fault in that since he shouldn't have been wrecked. The truck committed a crime. The blocking driver should've moved over, but he shouldn't have been wrecked for not doing so.

It is illegal to travel in the passing lane in 29 states, so yes the first broken law could easily have been the car traveling in the passing lane. Left-Lane Passing Laws: A State-By-State Map

But of course one law breaker does not give truck driver the right to break the law also and cause a wreck. Truck diver should have not got so upset of a law breaker or at the very lease a very poor driver, tailgating is also illegal.

[EMJ]

I agree with the illegality of "riding" the left lane for many states. But a driver cannot wreck you for doing it. In the eyes of the law, you wouldn't be "partially" at fault for getting wrecked.

[pcardude]

I hope the truck diver fella gets eaten by an alligator

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Oracle

Getting a ticket is not the same as a criminal charge.. so they're both breaking the law in plain terms, difference is that one you pay ~$35 and the other one will put you behind bars...

Kind of like that analogy of all toes are fingers but not all fingers are toes.

I was just commenting on the "rights" if the lane whore.

[ficke]

Originally Posted by EMJ

I agree with the illegality of "riding" the left lane for many states. But a driver cannot wreck you for doing it. In the eyes of the law, you wouldn't be "partially" at fault for getting wrecked.

No one is saying the truck driver can wreck someone for breaking the law or that it was ok what the truck driver did.
What I am saying is I will never have some one tailgate me while I drive slowly in the left lane, why? because I will never drive slowly in the left lane. And If the car driver did not he would not have gotten punted off the road by an idiot.
Bottom line, do not instigate a situation and your chances go way up to not get hurt.

[EMJ]

You're debating a point no one is arguing against. And I'm certainly not defending the left lane rider. Little dick truck driver, however, caused the wreck. He's 100% at fault, IMO, for causing a very avoidable accident. Instigated or not isn't being debated.

[Tervuren]

Car on the right could of slipped into neutral and defused that situation by allowing the truck around. If car on left continued to to parallel, gun it. Just be aware of someone being a prick, and perhaps you yourself can avoid a situation like this from happening.

Truck driver seemed to understand exactly how to take a car out properly.

[EMJ]

Three complete idiots in that video. One criminal.