sigma@usl.UUCP (Spyridon Triantafyllopoulos) (01/16/85)
I have followed the discussion on left line hoggers for a while. What surprises me is that nobody has mentioned MY version of the worst problem in driving: I believe the term is "cut through in front of you". In most cases, i have to slam the brakes. It only happens on crowded places, with speeds around 35-45 mph. The jerk will see a hole and without any signals, will cut in front of me. If the 1/2 jerk puts signals, it is usually AFTER doing it and looks sympathetic when I honk with all the power of my whistles. The funny thing is that I get 1-2 every day when i drive my little bitty Toyota (72 corrola). But it only drops to 1-2 A MONTH with my fiance's Olds Delta 88 Royale monster. I guess people are afraid of it and leave all kinds of distance, signals, etc. The worst thing is that if an accident happens, the friendly police and insurance companies will consider it my fault since I hit from behind..... Any comments, netpeople? -- Spiros Spiros Triantafyllopoulos <> USENET {ut-sally, akgua}!usl!sigma Computer Science Dept, USL <> CSNet TriantafyllopoulosS%usl@csnet-relay.ARPA "This file contains no opinions whatsoever"
mroddy@enmasse.UUCP (Mark Roddy) (01/19/85)
> I believe the term is "cut through in front of you".
Just don't leave enough room in front of you for a car to fit :-)
dbr@cybvax0.UUCP (Douglas Robinson) (01/24/85)
First, only if you allow 'it' to cut successfully in front of you and THEN run into 'it' will you be judged at fault. You therefore have two options: Run into 'it' WHILE 'it' IS STILL CHANGING LANES (the insurance company will find 'it' at fault since 'it' was changing lanes; slow down as fast as possible to give yourself the necessary new clearance. The first option may seem a little harsh, but sometimes.... Secondly, note that when people DO use their directionals properly, for the most part, all it does is warn the person to his/her left/right so that they can speed up and block the move. This happened to me so consistently on the SouthEast Expressway (Boston, MA) that I have given up using directionals on ANY expressway. I still DO use them on local roads. -- Doug Robinson Jobs don't kill programmers... programmers kill jobs! Cybermation, Inc. 617/492-8810 377 Putnam Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 (USA) ...!{mit-eddie, harvard, mirror}!cybvax0!dbr
pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) (01/28/85)
I think I read a traffic study once that indicated smaller cars get less respect on the highway from other drivers (especially in larger cars). As for it being your fault if you hit someone from the rear when they cut in front of you without signalling, are you sure about that? If someone cuts into your lane they are violating your right of way, making the accident their fault. -- Paul Dubuc cbscc!pmd