DTJ wrote:

....
> So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
> on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
> thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
> he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.
>
> I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
> darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.
>
> So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
> drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.

That would have been pleasant -- my 1980 Datsun was totaled under similar
circumstances. I honked, I tried to evade, but the bitch just kept
accelerating and hit me square in the passenger door and knocked me into the
next lane.

--
Cheers,
Bev
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"We need to cut more slack for the stupid; after all, somebody has
to populate the lower part of the bell curve." -- Dennis (evil)

In article >,
The Real Bev > wrote:

> DTJ wrote:
>
> ...
> > So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
> > on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
> > thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
> > he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.
> >
> > I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
> > darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.
> >
> > So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
> > drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.
>
> That would have been pleasant -- my 1980 Datsun was totaled under similar
> circumstances. I honked, I tried to evade, but the bitch just kept
> accelerating and hit me square in the passenger door and knocked me into the
> next lane.

ya know , I had a similar experience with my 42 y.o. Karmann Ghia cabrio.
but my motorcycle training saved the day. I did have to hit the air-horns
and change lanes but we survived.
get air horns and drive with the lights on. be seen.
and have good luck. or else.
>
g adds.
MONEY , what a concept

"DTJ" > wrote in message
...
> The other day I was coming home from work, doing 55MPH on the frontage
> road. I saw a car coming down the side street that connects to the
> frontage road, but knowing he has a stop sign I did nothing more than
> "prepare" for him to be an idiot.
>
> Good thing, as idiots are plentiful.
>
> Idiot doesn't bother to stop, and obviously never looked to his left
> to see me ( can't miss me driving with my brights on at dusk... ). He
> pulls out right in front of me. There is no way for me to stop. The
> question is whether I am going to t-bone him, drive off the road and
> **** up my car, or figure out how to wake him up. He obviously still
> does not see me, as he is VERY SLOWLY moving out of my way.
>
> So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
> on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
> thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
> he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.
>
> I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
> darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.
>
> So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
> drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.

Um, no. Not only is that an at fault collision on YOUR part (or the part of
anyone else that chooses to drive right at them) if a collision occurs, it's
also an opportunity to be charged with vehicular assault since the intent
was there to actually hit them.

In your situation above, the fact that you caused someone to drive off the
road should, at the minimum, be considered as reckless driving.

At the very least, honking the horn and applying the brakes--before the
anticipated point of collision and not afterwards--is a perfectly viable
option. That way, even if a collision does occur, the slowing down and
braking action shows some sort of intent to avoid the collision, again,
IMHO.

How to really avoid an accident
 

The other day I was coming home from work, doing 55MPH on the frontage
road. I saw a car coming down the side street that connects to the
frontage road, but knowing he has a stop sign I did nothing more than
"prepare" for him to be an idiot.

Good thing, as idiots are plentiful.

Idiot doesn't bother to stop, and obviously never looked to his left
to see me ( can't miss me driving with my brights on at dusk... ). He
pulls out right in front of me. There is no way for me to stop. The
question is whether I am going to t-bone him, drive off the road and
**** up my car, or figure out how to wake him up. He obviously still
does not see me, as he is VERY SLOWLY moving out of my way.

So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.

I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.

So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.

On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 17:45:50 -0500, DTJ > wrote:

>On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 22:27:05 -0700, "Daniel W. Rouse Jr."
> wrote:
>
>>> The other day I was coming home from work, doing 55MPH on the frontage
>>> road. I saw a car coming down the side street that connects to the
>>> frontage road, but knowing he has a stop sign I did nothing more than
>>> "prepare" for him to be an idiot.
>>>
>>> Good thing, as idiots are plentiful.
>>>
>>> Idiot doesn't bother to stop, and obviously never looked to his left
>>> to see me ( can't miss me driving with my brights on at dusk... ). He
>>> pulls out right in front of me. There is no way for me to stop. The
>>> question is whether I am going to t-bone him, drive off the road and
>>> **** up my car, or figure out how to wake him up. He obviously still
>>> does not see me, as he is VERY SLOWLY moving out of my way.
>>>
>>> So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
>>> on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
>>> thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
>>> he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.
>>>
>>> I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
>>> darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.
>>>
>>> So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
>>> drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.
>>
>>Um, no. Not only is that an at fault collision on YOUR part (or the part of
>>anyone else that chooses to drive right at them) if a collision occurs, it's
>>also an opportunity to be charged with vehicular assault since the intent
>>was there to actually hit them.
>
>You miss the point. If you actually read what I did, you will see
>that my actions caused an accident to be avoided that otherwise would
>not have been.
>

If you had braked and laid on the horn, an accident could have been
avoided and the other car would not have been put at any FURTHER risk
by you driving him off the road.

I hope you were careful to note that there were no pedestrians on the
side of the road and that he could safely maneuver off of it.

Had you tried to avoid it by braking, if there had been an accident
anyway, it would have been less serious.

Both you AND the idiot who pulled out in front of you shouldn't be
behind the wheel.

You're the reason everyone else's insurance rates are so high and we
have sub-moronic speed limits.

>>In your situation above, the fact that you caused someone to drive off the
>>road should, at the minimum, be considered as reckless driving.
>
>No, his was reckless driving, my driving saved me and my vehicle. I
>am not the one who recklessly drove out in front of someone doing
>55MPH.
>
>>At the very least, honking the horn and applying the brakes--before the
>>anticipated point of collision and not afterwards--is a perfectly viable
>>option. That way, even if a collision does occur, the slowing down and
>>braking action shows some sort of intent to avoid the collision, again,
>>IMHO.
>
>IMO you could be charged with failure to avoid an accident. In my
>case, I avoided one. How? By forcing the other driver to wake up.

L Sternn wrote:

>
> If you had braked and laid on the horn, an accident could have been
> avoided and the other car would not have been put at any FURTHER risk
> by you driving him off the road.
>


I'm pretty sure he braked--it is an instinctive reaction.

What he refused to do was swerve into oncoming traffic or
into the ditch. He did the right thing. Better to T-bone the
idiot that gets into your way than put yourself in danger
by driving off the road or risk a head on collision.

On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 06:22:14 GMT, 223rem > wrote:

>L Sternn wrote:
>
>>
>> If you had braked and laid on the horn, an accident could have been
>> avoided and the other car would not have been put at any FURTHER risk
>> by you driving him off the road.
>>
>
>
>I'm pretty sure he braked--it is an instinctive reaction.
>

If he braked, and used his horn before he passed, then he did
everything he could to avoid the accident.

Except of course for his initial "preparation". Something tipped him
off that this car might blow the stop sign.

He didn't say exactly what he did to "prepare", but am I to assume
that included braking or at least slowing down too?

>What he refused to do was swerve into oncoming traffic or
>into the ditch. He did the right thing. Better to T-bone the
>idiot that gets into your way than put yourself in danger
>by driving off the road or risk a head on collision.

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 22:27:05 -0700, "Daniel W. Rouse Jr."
> wrote:

>> The other day I was coming home from work, doing 55MPH on the frontage
>> road. I saw a car coming down the side street that connects to the
>> frontage road, but knowing he has a stop sign I did nothing more than
>> "prepare" for him to be an idiot.
>>
>> Good thing, as idiots are plentiful.
>>
>> Idiot doesn't bother to stop, and obviously never looked to his left
>> to see me ( can't miss me driving with my brights on at dusk... ). He
>> pulls out right in front of me. There is no way for me to stop. The
>> question is whether I am going to t-bone him, drive off the road and
>> **** up my car, or figure out how to wake him up. He obviously still
>> does not see me, as he is VERY SLOWLY moving out of my way.
>>
>> So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive at him head
>> on. I figure if I have to suffer, he should as well. The interesting
>> thing is that now he sees me. In fact, he is now scared ****less, as
>> he finds his accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.
>>
>> I calmly move back into my lane, and honk once as I drive by the
>> darwin-waiting-to-happen fool.
>>
>> So, the next time someone pulls out in front of you, make sure to
>> drive AT THEM, as it wakes them up much faster.
>
>Um, no. Not only is that an at fault collision on YOUR part (or the part of
>anyone else that chooses to drive right at them) if a collision occurs, it's
>also an opportunity to be charged with vehicular assault since the intent
>was there to actually hit them.

You miss the point. If you actually read what I did, you will see
that my actions caused an accident to be avoided that otherwise would
not have been.

>In your situation above, the fact that you caused someone to drive off the
>road should, at the minimum, be considered as reckless driving.

No, his was reckless driving, my driving saved me and my vehicle. I
am not the one who recklessly drove out in front of someone doing
55MPH.

>At the very least, honking the horn and applying the brakes--before the
>anticipated point of collision and not afterwards--is a perfectly viable
>option. That way, even if a collision does occur, the slowing down and
>braking action shows some sort of intent to avoid the collision, again,
>IMHO.

IMO you could be charged with failure to avoid an accident. In my
case, I avoided one. How? By forcing the other driver to wake up.

Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:

> Um, no. Not only is that an at fault collision on YOUR part (or the part of
> anyone else that chooses to drive right at them) if a collision occurs, it's
> also an opportunity to be charged with vehicular assault since the intent
> was there to actually hit them.

Anyone happen to remember the video where a car ran a stop sign and was
broadsided by a pickup truck going around 55 mph?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...5f1b8f8f3571d5

From what I read in the thread, the driver who was broadsided was
seriously injured while the pickup truck driver only suffered minor
injuries.

> So, in the spirit of sharing the pain, I decide to drive
> at him head on. {...} he finds his
> accelerator and hits it so hard he drives off the road.



Reminds me of one of those classic psych/philosophy questions that are
supposed to provoke thought and discussion rather than an answer. J.
Pompous Blowhard has spent the whole party being ever more
objectionable in a wider and wider variety of ways. After spraying
spittle and opinions from the second floor balcony awhile, he gets a
fresh drink, starts down the stairs, and takes a spectacular pratfall,
end over end, ice cubes and hors d'oevures flying. All the guests are
laughing at his self-inflicted comeuppance and when he hits the bottom
there's scattered applause. He doesn't get up. He'd broken his neck.
He's dead. The question: On which step did it stop being funny?


I think in this case if it gets that unfunny (with respect to him or an
innocent bystander) the district attorney starts using terms like
"vehicular homicide" and "reckless endangerment" and the detectives
talk to witnesses and maybe come up with a description of a car that
looks kinda like yours.

Even if nobody was hurt but the other guy turns out to be a well
connected member of the community who wants his lawyer to find the
so-and-so who ran him off the road and present a repair bill not to
mention attorney's fees, you might find that the laughter stops before
you're done.

Oh, yeah, and maybe a "scared ****less" person who has already proved
himself to be a dangerous driver freezes up at the wheel... after
you've set yourself up on a collision course. Before you do that
again, see if you can get a "pre need" discount on a tombstone
inscribed, "Oops!"


The trick is to figure out a bit earlier when it's GONNA get unfunny.
In cars, that usually means slowing or maneuvering early so as to obey
the First and Second Rules of Driving* until the idiot is safely clear.


Certainly it does *not* mean deliberately increasing your proximity (in
both position and vector) to a dangerous driver.

--Joe

*
1. Don't hit anything.
2. Don't get hit.