When impatience hurts!

Anything that distracts from keeping eyes on the road, and the brain engaged in driving/controlling one's vehicle, creates a hazard. We all tend to overlook the fact that many lives can drastically be altered in the blink of an eye.

When I first got my drivers license, the insurance agent told me they replaced the word "accident" with "collision" because the majority of them are preventable. This video clearly shows a preventable collision.

The MH was also tailgating (traveling too close to vehicle in front), creating another hazard if the vehicle he/she was approaching needed to brake due to a road hazard, or other unforeseen circumstance.

nickthehunter wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

nickthehunter wrote:
You should tell NHTSA their data is wrong; I’m sure they would want to correct their error.

Well, it is a governmental agency, so the probability of their data being in error is pretty high. :)

I fully agree with your general assessment - although they would be more likely to know the truth and lie about it rather than it being an error. But if I where betting on the the accuracy of the reported accident data between one truck driver and the NHTSA, well, let’s just say I’d be highly skeptical of the scientific method of one of them more so than the other.

If somebody had said the driver of car that hit tow truck was distracted, I would agree 100%. I would agree there is a high probability texting was the issue. But when you understand distracted drivers have been hitting things since before most people had cars, "Had to be texting" don't ring true.
As to government regulations; When I retired, mandates where starting to say if I wanted to talk on the phone while driving, I had to have "hands-free" device. Now it would still be legal for me to pull out of sandplant grossing 110,000 LBS with 427 GMC, 2 stick 5&4, where I'm likely to be shifting more than 4 times a minute, but hauling the same weight with 3406E, shift maybe 7 times, (some just button) and big brother is worried my hand is busy? I think the too busy is between ears, hands free don't solve that. The problem is most of our lives, once phone rings, it becomes most important thing in the world. That was not normally issue until we put phones in all the cars. Now nobody wants to talk on phone, but still thinks what somebody types must be responded to now makes it worse.

fj12ryder wrote:

nickthehunter wrote:
You should tell NHTSA their data is wrong; I’m sure they would want to correct their error.

Well, it is a governmental agency, so the probability of their data being in error is pretty high. :)

I fully agree with your general assessment - although they would be more likely to know the truth and lie about it rather than it being an error. But if I where betting on the the accuracy of the reported accident data between one truck driver and the NHTSA, well, let’s just say I’d be highly skeptical of the scientific method of one of them more so than the other.

nickthehunter wrote:
You should tell NHTSA their data is wrong; I’m sure they would want to correct their error.

Well, it is a governmental agency, so the probability of their data being in error is pretty high. :)

You should tell NHTSA their data is wrong; I’m sure they would want to correct their error.

wa8yxm wrote:
Did you folks see the video of the woman doing a Rosco P Coltrain on a tow truck (That's what I call it when a "Dukes of Hazzard" Jump goes.... Bad)

She had to be texting.

Millions of miles of driving, I can assure you that texting has never been even the most common distraction for drivers.
The best thing about car seats is mom has to spend less time controlling kids.

Semi truck drivers are brilliant at judging distances - their job entails parking massive trailers with inches to spare on either side and negotiating through heavy traffic. I'm sure the semi driver realized there was not enough space for the Class C to pass and assumed that Mr Speedy RV would exercise a shred of patience and back off a bit?

Many trucking companies heavily penalize drivers for having an accident - even a not-at-fault one. I really doubt the semi driver would risk that - his only fault was not realizing the stupidity/impatience of the RV driver.

Also - the RV driver was super-lucky that his rig ended up sliding backside-forward when it peeled open like a sardine can and burped a kid out the front of the cabover.

I have been on that stretch of I-84 driving cars, trucks, towing trailers, Class B and C RVs. It is wide open subject to crosswinds, dust and smoke not to mention snow and ice. I have seen some pretty dumb moves there. The way I stay out of trouble is to defer to the truck drivers and let them sort it out and get around them when it is safe and when they can see me. The truck that was cut off looks like he was passing the one in the right lane. Complete idiocy to pull up and try to pass on the right. I would hold back patiently for the truck to pass and find a place in line. I would also keep the space to the right of the truck open because there are some grades where the passing truck could run out of steam and need to fall in behind. The smart thing to do is to give the professional driver the option. Ahead on I-84 past Pendleton, Oregon is 'Dead Man's Pass'. That is one steep grade and you better know what your rig is capable of and not get in the way of a truck that has a running start at the hill.

Here's a fun one w a Super Dooty. Go to 12:20 - hilarity ensues

Super Dooty in the car wash