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which comes first? Cell phone or Stupidity?

Started by karl, June 13, 2004, 06:57:22 PM

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karl

Sat'day we had a ride through one of our "cities"on a mill buying trip 8). I have a tendancy to leave more room between me and the vehicle ahead than the locals, ::)
Anyway, we're rolling west down the four lane street when from the right here comes Miss Blonde in her little two seater Beemer with the top down and, you guessed it -C-phone to left ear. Apparently checking makeup and talking took priority over vehicle control, as she just rolled right out into traffic. Suddenly "the light comes on" and she nails it right through two lanes of moving traffic, into the inside eastbound without looking anywhere but ahead. Big smile as we rolled by ::)- the traffic gods must have been watching out for her. Let's see 2800# BMW broadsided by 7800#GMC dually packing 3200# @35mph= bodybag?

Also, what does a teenager need a c-phone for? - bet I saw fifty of 'em in half an hour at the Mall- I'm getting old and dour I guess.????

Sorry 'bout the rant, probl'y ought to stay out of the city ;) ain't no wood there anyways
karl
"I ask for wisdom and strength, Not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy, myself"  - from Ojibwa Prayer.

Tom

It'll scare you half to death, want it?

It amazes me that they will pass me and dive right under my left fender.   Whew!

Look in the rear view and they'll be tucked up under the back of the mill so close that I can't see anything but their back bumper around the corner of the mill.  I always wonder how they figure I can stop quick enough, .....or that they can stop quick enough. :)

I usually come home from town drawn up tighter'n a ditty bag and shaking in my boots. :-/ :)  Just can't take the strain anymore.

Frickman

A friend of mine had a young girl pass him doing 70 down the highway a week or two ago. She was talking on her phone, putting on makeup, and eating breakfast too. He said she must be alot better driver than him if she could do all that other stuff too.

In a very unscientific study I did one day while driving around I estimated that at least 30% of all drivers were talking on their cell phones. That's alot of distracted motorists tooling around.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

Ron Wenrich

Its not just the cell phone users.  Some of those truck drivers are getting pretty reckless.  Too many of them don't have enough experience bethind the wheel to be doing 15 over the speed limit.  I've watched trucks weave back and forth over the white lines on the 4 lanes.

Wait 'til the Mexican truckers get their green light to drive in the US.

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Tom

I have to agree, Ron.  We see more truck accidents on I-95 now than we used to see. Usually single vehicle accidents where they went to sleep.  The secondary roads are littered with the results of the chip trucks hitting the ditches.  Much of it from following too close and aggressive driving.  

OneWithWood

Do you think the c-phones are the reason most of the younger drivers never use their turn signals  :o
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Tom

I don't think so.  Even the older set doesn't use them.  I'm probably guilty in some situations like being alone (I think) on county roads and exiting the expressway when the lane is a "get off only" and I don't use it in any turn lane unless I'm in heavy traffic.  It's not a conscience thing because I turn it on when I realize it isn't.  I just don't think of it in those situations.  In most situations it's just habit and comes on almost by itself. :D

I still use hand signals sometimes too.  I always wonder if the driver behind me knows what I'm doing.  It can be rather obvious when they wave back. :D

Haytrader

 ::)
Hey Tom,

 Were they useing all thier fingers when they waved back at ya?

 :D  :D  :D
Haytrader

Tom

Jed Clampett: Now why you suppose he's doing that?
Jethro: I reckon that's how people wave hello in Beverly Hills.
 ;D

iain

as of the start of the year here you can only talk on you phone if its hands free
they enforce with passion around here :)

SwampDonkey

You outta drive the back farm roads here and get behind the old retired farmer, going 30 km/hr under the minimum speed and look'n at everything but the road, pull'n out onto the road without even lookin up or down. sheesh. There have been 5 old timers and their passengers the last 2 years gettin creamed by trucks for pullin out without lookin. Then there's the hired hand workin for the farmer that don't fold the wings of that 30 foot wide harrow in before goin down the road, 20 feet across the road bed and the other ten out over the ditch, weavin in and out to avoid the mail boxes. Or the guy in the combine taken up too lane on the secondary and not pullin over the the shoulder to let ya by. :D :D :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dom

QuoteYou outta drive the back farm roads here and get behind the old retired farmer, going 30 km/hr under the minimum speed and look'n at everything but the road, pull'n out onto the road without even lookin up or down. sheesh. There have been 5 old timers and their passengers the last 2 years gettin creamed by trucks for pullin out without lookin. Then there's the hired hand workin for the farmer that don't fold the wings of that 30 foot wide harrow in before goin down the road, 20 feet across the road bed and the other ten out over the ditch, weavin in and out to avoid the mail boxes. Or the guy in the combine taken up too lane on the secondary and not pullin over the the shoulder to let ya by. :D :D :D

Tell me about it!!!  ::)  I hate Sunday drivers that look everywhere but the road! I live on Route 925, and the last couple of years I've seen alot more Sunday drivers around here.

CHARLIE

The last of May I traveled down to Jacksonville to visit brother Tom.  I was still in Illinois and doing about 70 mph (5 mph over the speed limit ::)  )  when a car DanG near veered into me as he passed me.  Now, I've seen people reading maps or a sheet of paper while driving but this dude was reading a book! :o  He was doing about 80 mph and was all over the road.  That guy needed to be hauled off to jail.  Of course, I saw a lot of crazy stuff on that trip.  I've noticed that since the deregulation of truckers, that they are no longer "Knights of the highway".  The newer breed of semi-truck drivers seem to be a lot more aggressive with a "I'm bigger than you" attitude. Another thing I noticed was how fast everyone drives. I feel guilty driving 5 mph over the speed limit and I'm the slowest vehicle on the road.
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Stan

A cousin who took up truck driving after the Air Force didn't need him anymore, says the attitude is never give up one inch of highway.
I may have been born on a turnip truck, but I didn't just fall off.

Haytrader

My motto is (when I am in my big truck) "every man for himself".
 ;D
Some of the older semi's that I have had were under powered so one needed to get a run at the next hill. Seems they put all the roadside parks in between hills. I dreaded summer cause vacationers would put a big camper on an under powered pick-up and just as you were gettin a run at the next hill, they would decide that they could beat ya........not.
The ones that really pithed me off are the "do daddlers". They won't give ya a break and let you around for nothin when all yer tryin to do is make a livin. It gives me great pleasure (when I do get a chance to pass) to get the tractor passed em and turn the right turn signal on and start easin over.
 ;D  >:(  ;D
Haytrader

Tom

I am tempted to drive "vengefully" sometimes.  I stop myself with this thought.  

I don't know the experience of that other driver.  He/she may be Mario Andretti the race driver or Maude Mcdoof the elementary school teacher. Whether I actually wreck them or not, my actions may put them in a situation that they are unable to handle and they may die as a result.  I couldn't live with that.  

I have very close friends who are aggressive drivers.  It scares me to be in the car/truck with them.  They tail-gate, cut people off, flip birds, curse out the window, make jack-rabbit-starts and stand their vehicle on its nose to stop.  The speed limit's existence is only so that they can measure how much faster they can go than it allows.  

In the car with one a couple of days ago,  I commented that we shouldn't be going this fast here.  My friend commented that he was "only doing 60, the speed limit is 40.  That's not bad."

I said "listen to what you just said."

He said it again.]

The limit on our road is Maximum 40 mph.  I do 40.  most everybody runs quickly up behind me, pulls out and passes, giving me dirty looks.  

Tough!

ksu_chainsaw

And you guys think that the traffic is bad there, you should see the way that people drive in the middle east.  their saying is loosely translated as "god willing", and their lifestyle reflects it.  They think that they will live until god decides it is their time, and they can't do anything to change it- which means they drive like crazy people.  They probably think that we drive crazy too, but we are trying to protect ourselves from their driving.

Charles

ps- I hope that I don't start driving at home like I do over here, or I wont have a license for very long- too many speeding and reckless driving tickets  :-/

VA-Sawyer

Haytrader,

 I really have to take you to task for that attitude. I hope the DOT gets you off the road permanently, before you kill someone.  
If you won't maintain a safe distance for the speed, then I will maintain a safe speed for the distance.  In other words. I slow down for tailgaiters!
If you want to make your living on the road, then try driving like a pro!
VA-Sawyer

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