What is the dumbest thing you have seen while on the road?

Was on I-69 going thru Flint about 7pm, dusk light and light traffic. Me and a car ahead, I keep a good distance between me and anyone else on the road, I see an ambulance coming up from behind in the Inside lane, we are in the outside lane with an empty middle lane. Bonehead in front of me sees the ambulance and slams on his brakes and stops in the lane. Fortunately I had plenty of distance to change lanes and miss him as the ambulance had gone by us by then.

Outside of Columbus Ohio saw a car weaving all over the lane in front of us. Thought he was drunk it was so bad. Got up to him and cautiously approached to pass him and saw a very obese man, I mean he filled the seat and belly was pressing all over the steering wheel, big bag of potato chips in front of him and he was shoveling them in his mouth like it was his last meal.

Other drivers! :)

Yup, seen a few on our highway out to the coast. The ones that get my goat are the bozos who, while they use the pull-outs (which are marked), they don't slow down or stop to let traffic pass, then pull back into traffic, often cutting someone off. I don't know how many times I've almost acquired a new hood ornament because of this!!:E

The worst spot is the top of Hydro Hill (those of you who've traveled to Tofino will know where I mean - it's the hill with the 18% grade on it). The westbound pull-out is short, and ends in a rock face. More than a few times I've tried to pass someone who's gone into the pull-out then abruptly tries to re-enter the travel lane right in front of me. That usually results in both feet on the brake pedal, my a** off the seat and my hand on the hard on the horn button. And the looks I get are priceless. Do these boneheads not realize that a) it will be their fault, not mine, if I hit them; and b) I will literally flatten them into the rock face if an impact occurs?:R

Unless I miss my guess, when pulling out (this is a merging situation) you're supposed to check for traffic prior to completing your intended maneuver. Does a 1-ton pickup not constitute traffic? And on the pull-outs on our highway, when you use a pull-out you SLOW DOWN, STOP if you have to, so ALL immediate traffic can get by. Then, once clear, re-enter the travel lane.

The latest incident occurred the other day, but I wasn't the the one having to slam the brakes. The car ahead of me (a rental being driven in a manner that suggested the driver was a long-time resident of Tofino, or local) almost flattened a Kia hatch-back into the rock face. I actually felt sorry for the rental driver.:o Luckily, I had the foresense to back off a ways as I figure this might happen.

*shakes head*

Cheers!
Mike

Coming home from an out of town trip a few years back I passed an exit and observed a guy in a pickup trying to pull another car out of ditch with a long cable. And the cable was stretched across the exit ramp. Anyone coming off that exit at any speed couldn't miss it.

That one was so bad I called 911 and described it. They said they'd send an officer. I never heard of anyone dying so maybe he got there in time.

Two dumbest things I have seen

Second: Was driving the speed limit, and perhaps a bit more, passing a semi when another motorist (This was on a multi-lane freeway) Came zipping around me WAY over the limit, realized his exit was just ahead, Turned 90 degrees and somehow managed to keep it weels down, Almost got smeared by the semi I was passing and took the ramp.. Ahead of him was a steel hauler who was obeying the ramp speed limit of 45 mph.. He make like the ramp was a skate board half-pipe (IT was shaped like one) and managed to miss the steel but we were all wishing he had failed in that.. IDIOT.

OH, and one I only heard about,, from the officer involved, I also called the tow trucks,, actually there are two of these slightly different.

Areested for Driving during suspension and vehicle impounded at the start of shift one morning the idiot bonded out and redeemed his car and did it again that very afternoon. #2 tried to hide his suspended license from Trooper, but alas I found it on the computer.. next day he gets stopped by same trooper "Good evening officer I seem to have left my wallet in my other.... OH HI THERE" and off tehy went once again to jail.

#1 on the dumb things list, and I have seen the set up many times.. From the very first when I got my first car I had to INSTALL (Back then) Seat belts and I required their use. #1 Stupid thing is people who do not use their belts.. Here is why....

Passed a "Chevy Love" class pickup full of household goods (Likely a bit overloaded but that's not the issue) in it were, originally 3 people

Daddy (Driving) did not believe in seat belts and no law at that time required him to buckle up. When the vehicle rolled and the door came open he was tossed out and got some serious road rash.. He survivied.

Mommie also did not believe in seat belts.. She too was tossed, then the truck rolled over her. Dead as Scene

Junior.. Well the state had a seat belt law for children at the time, so he was properly belted.. ... He needed a wash cloths for a couple of flying glass nicks but frankly I've done worse shaving. NOTE I saw this one first hand.

Same story #2: Drunk driver did not believe in seat belts and as he went round the curve (West bound I-94 to North bound I-75) the door on his beater pick up opened and he fell out, Relative (to the last) minor road rash.

The truck went straight, over the curb, over the embankment and became airborn landing atop a car on I-75 below killing two people.... On this one I am the lucky ESO who got the 9-1-1 call from the AAA courtesy patrol driver who was behind the unlucky motorists upon who the pick up landed.. Poor man had to take a few days off to recover (I checked) (ESO = Emergency Services Operator or Police Dispatcher assigned to phones) .

Of course... When it comes to dumb/stupid, idiot drivers, In my job. you get to hear about/from many of them.

ECones wrote:
We live in a rural area and were driving into town a few weeks back. I noticed something rather large and blue lying in the traffic lane probably a quarter mile ahead of us. It was a downhill straight which started back up, and the big blue thing was very obvious from way back. The cars in front of us just kept going, and when the front one got to it, all heck broke loose -- tire smoke from brakes, cars swerving violently to miss it. It turned out to be an ice chest that didn't survive the ordeal. But I was amazed. It was very large, very obvious, and very blue. Why in the heck, out of 4 or 5 cars, was I the only one that managed to see it until too late?

"Why in the heck, out of 4 or 5 cars, was I the only one that managed to see it"

Simple... You were the only one actually watching the road ahead. I'm always surprised by how many drivers don't look down the road any farther than the back of the car in front of them.

Had a couple of speed enforcers or road owners in front, of us, the last couple of days.
First one, Monday sat off the corner of s truck, at about six or seven car lengths in the right lane at about five under. Ky plates. I flashed my lights and he just sat on that spot trying to keep anybody from getting, in front, of him, near as I can figure. I got in the right lane and tried to go around him and he sped up closing the interval, to where I couldn't get by. After a couple or three miles, I let him hear my exhaust as I went by him. Today same kind of thing with wife driving. This woman kept us a nd a line of traffic from getting by as she cruised, at about five miles under, keeping pace with an apparently governed semi, in the right. The semi got off the Interstate and then she floored it.

With Vermont tags. and then they slow down to below the limit and force you to pass. And over. And over. Just best to pull over for 10 minutes sometimes and check the tires when the car from hell won't get away from you.

A Prius

I don't have a camera either, as I indicated, but neither am I stupid as the driver in the van. Cutting someone off simply because you can is never smart.