I went to the grocery store this evening...

[McGrude]

I went to the grocery store this evening and as my wife and I were leaving we heard the familiar sound of screeching tires, crushing metal, and breaking glass.

Some young college aged frat boy made a left turn in his Ford Explorer right in front of another person in a Toyota pickup going the other direction. Fortunately the speed limit is 25MPH there. The Toyota driver only had about 30 feet to stop.

I walked over and everyone was ok. The frat boy pulled into the parking lot and parked followed by the Toyota. The front end of the Toyota is pretty much toast. When the frat boy got out of the car I yelled over to him saying "If that'd been a motorcycle you'd have killed them." and "Open your f***ing eyes!".

Man do I hate unqualified drivers. Our driving requirements really need to be increased.

- Mike

[mdqueenz]

People need to wake up and smell the roses. You're behind the wheel of a 4000 lb weapon. Be attentive for god's sake. Get off the cellphone or whatever else you do when you should be paying attention.

[A2rider]

You mean there's other people on the road besides me? I have to share the road and look out for other people? AND put down my cell phone?


LOL

[mkelley]

Young drivers need a better way to learn to drive.
I have a 17 yr old driver.

[khonius]

Congrats! Most people ignore stuff like that and don't give appropriate societal negative feedback.

I was driving through a Safeway parking lot once and this 6 or 7 year old kid, who was with his mom, jumped out in front of my car making me break hard and swerve to avoid him. As I got going again and drove really slow past him I yelled at him that he almost got killed and that if he does something like that again he's probably going to die. Then I thought, oh s**t, what's his mom going to say to me? What she said was, to her son, see what you did? Listen to that man.

That was a great moment.

[Da_Honest_Truth]

Originally Posted by A2rider

You mean there's other people on the road besides me? I have to share the road and look out for other people? AND put down my cell phone?


LOL

you talk on your cell phone??? i've usually got my laptop out and the web cam going. gotta stay on top of the news... yahoo.com is my friend while i'm driving... i also know where the traffic is... (darn people with cell phones), so i can make my wrong turn and get lost

[Smp1151]

I'm usually the looney one hanging out the car window with a camera trying to catch that " Ultra rare train engine"

Also, +1 on the comments regarding the negative feedback given and young drivers needing a safer way to drive. I drove my mom CRAZY when learning how to drive just because she overexaggerates ( or maybe I was driving around like a maniac, can't quite remember )

[Da_Honest_Truth]

i remember learning how to drive. i was forced to learn how to drive a stick shift in a manner of ONE hour. mom said... get in the car, learn to drive cause you are driving to school tomorrow and i'm not getting up in the morning to take you.

so it was either learn to drive, spend another 10 bucks on a taxi, or walk the mile down the road to the nearest bus stop (since i lived out the district, but was good friends with staff).

i learned to drive and haven't looked back since

[A2rider]

My 15 year old son ran a go kart into a tree at 35mph. And he wonders why his dad won't let him out on the road yet. Wouldn't be so bad, but it's the only tree on a 2 acre lot.

[antiq]

They can't cut grass with a riding mower but they think they can drive a car! Be paranoid. They ARE out to kill you.

[pat0021]

My Daughter is 10 and I try and point out all the stupidity on the road as we drive or ride. Especially if its something very dangerous to bikes. Hopefully some of this will sink in and she won't do it.

[KickassKX125]

Backroads are brilliant when your 13 and have taught yourself to use a manual gearbox. OOPS did I just say that well we all have to start somewhere .
I drove better on the backroads that this guy we caught up with who was obviously p1$$ed beyond belief espessially as he over exaggerated with a car in the other direction and collected half a hedge in his front grille.

[angel2cdwings]

I see wrecks all the time on the freeway...I just don't get how 2 cars can come in contact with each other if both are going the same direction with no chance of someone pulling out in front of you from a side street. Someone has to do something STOOPID (worse than stupid) to have this happen. I think there needs to be a reeducation course for people like that, I also think that if you are involved in or cause a wreck involves a motorcycle, that your license should be suspended pending a MSC.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by angel2cdwings

I see wrecks all the time on the freeway...I just don't get how 2 cars can come in contact with each other if both are going the same direction with no chance of someone pulling out in front of you from a side street. Someone has to do something STOOPID (worse than stupid) to have this happen. I think there needs to be a reeducation course for people like that, I also think that if you are involved in or cause a wreck involves a motorcycle, that your license should be suspended pending a MSC.

Take your pick of stupid:

- Changing lanes without loking, or even bothering to signal.
- Passing on the right (in countries that don't use the Queen's money).
- Following too close.
- Driving way faster than the average speed of traffic (note I didn't say speeding).
- Riding in the blind spots of other vehicles.
- Failing to secure your load properly. Seriously, strap that 500lb washer or couch down - it really will fly out of your pickup at highway speed.

I didn't include cell phone and other device useage because all of the above are what happens when you distract yourself. It's not the cell phone or the stereo - it's the inability for people to honestly do more than one thing at once, yet think they can.

[angel2cdwings]

Like I said, it takes someone doing something STOOPID to make this type of accident happen.

[LuckyArmpit]

Past few weeks around here, there have been two really bad motorcycle accidents and both involved one bike out of control, crossing center line and striking an opposing rider. Few weeks ago, a buddy of mine, his neighbor was out riding. A bike, harley I think was coming the other way around 70 mph. Lost it around a bend and hit the neighbor head on. No fatalities but my buddy's neighbor is still in intensive care at UPMC in pittsburgh. The other rider said his steering locked up. Now, how can your steering be locked up on a bike? Aint never heard that before. Me thinks he was either drinking or his woman dumped him or something like that and he figured what the h3LL, don't care.
The other one, about 4 miles from my farm...rider not familiar with route 318 missed a bend, hit another biker going the other way. One died and the other rider got life flighted to pittsburgh.

Lucky...

[lilredridingliz]

Originally Posted by A2rider

My 15 year old son ran a go kart into a tree at 35mph. And he wonders why his dad won't let him out on the road yet. Wouldn't be so bad, but it's the only tree on a 2 acre lot.

OMG, Tina, that is HILARIOUS!

[lilredridingliz]

Originally Posted by pat0021

My Daughter is 10 and I try and point out all the stupidity on the road as we drive or ride. Especially if its something very dangerous to bikes. Hopefully some of this will sink in and she won't do it.

Yep, I do this, too. I have heard that the best driver's ed comes early in life from parents who are careful and considerate drivers.

[Michael600r]

Originally Posted by A2rider

You mean there's other people on the road besides me? I have to share the road and look out for other people? AND put down my cell phone?


LOL

And stop drinking my latte and stop eating my fast food?

[TheReaper]

I'll chime in because I'm guitly of not paying attention. 2 weeks ago I was driving my ex to her doctor and got distracted by a guy on a Big Dog that was screaming the other way. Lunch time rush hour traffic... I looked back forward and traffic wasn't moving. Thank God the center lane was empty. I had to swerve over not to hit the stopped car at over 40mph. Scared the crap out of me and gave me a reality check. I have an excellent record and almost caused a bad wreck. Just pay attention... That being said I totaled a car a few years back to miss a squid that laid his bike down in the rain and slid into my lane. I swerved and ran off the road and it was a 4 foot drop. The car was dead. That was some scary sh!t...