Driving question.

[boobatuba]

Alright, it is risky and usually illegal. However, I've been at intersections where there is a railroad crossing that often have trains take 20 minutes or more to clear the intersection.

And I've been in construction zones with a flagman that sometimes take that long to clear and allow me to proceed. That doesn't mean it's ok for me to drive on the right-hand shoulder even if I happen to be in a hurry.

Driving is a privilege. Drivers need to follow driving laws (even the ones they don't think are reasonable or make sense) or people can get hurt.

 

[Amaris]

We have a train crossing here (3 in fact) where the average train wait time is 30-60 minutes, on average. There are no turning lanes, yet I see people going around other cars all of the time. It's not an acceptable "rule of the road", but these people do it anyway, and it's dangerous.

 

[Kestra]

Trekker, if you want to do stupid shit, that's fine. But don't do it on the road where you're endangering other people. And don't come here and waste our time trying to justify it.

 

[MANT!]

if one does that in view of a cop, I'm sure a ticket would be provided to the stated offender...

I've seen it happen, just as you describe, and I've seen the ticket given...

it's not normal or acceptable to do shit that dangerous to unseen pedestrians

 

[boobatuba]

Trekker, if you want to do stupid shit, that's fine. But don't do it on the road where you're endangering other people. And don't come here and waste our time trying to justify it.

No one ever thinks their little "breaking of the rules" will result in any harm. That doesn't make it any less dangerous, though.

Turning into the improper lane comes to mind. I see lots of people turning left into into the outside lane at intersections and (I would assume) thinking nothing of it. They'll learn the first time someone opposite them turns right how dumb that is.

 

[Trekker4747]

When I do it I endanger no one considering no one else is around.

Christ, you'd think I'd be pulling up behind this guy and would be saying, "Fuck it!" and then slam om the gas and whip around the other guy at 60 miles an hour.

You know how you normally make a right on red? Where you pull up to the intersection, stop, turn on the turn signal, look around, make sure it's safe and then make the turn? That's what I do, and what plenty of other people all do. Make sure the way is clear of other traffic and of pedestrians and make the turn.

This isn't the intersection of Broadway and 5th Avenue or something with dozens of cars going by and score of passengers this is a small, simple, intersection with normally very light to no traffic, practically zero pedestrian traffic and a slow-ass train crossing.

And waste your time? I'm so sorry I made you click on the thread's link, read it, and then respond. I know you've got a problem with me for whatever reason, fine. Don't like me then ignore me.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Gee, Trekker, were you off to get the last ingredient for your dinner?

 

[shivkala]

Yeah, definitely dangerous and not cool. What if Car 3 were coming and turning right on the road as Car 2 enters the left lane? Car 3 might end up crashing head-on with Car 2 (thus making Car 2 even later).

Assuming the place Car 2 has to go is not too far, simply calling and letting the place they need to be know that they are running late due to the train might let them off the hook, so to speak.

And yes, the person who has an appointment has the responsibility of making sure they leave in time to cover most eventualities. If it takes 5 minutes or so for the train to go through the intersection, the person should have accounted for that. If it is a longer train, though, and takes considerably longer, then it would definitely, at least in my opinion, be excused from not making their appointment on time, especially if, as I suggested, they called ahead to explain why they would be late.

 

[Kestra]

Trekker, if you want to do stupid shit, that's fine. But don't do it on the road where you're endangering other people. And don't come here and waste our time trying to justify it.

No one ever thinks their little "breaking of the rules" will result in any harm. That doesn't make it any less dangerous, though.

Turning into the improper lane comes to mind. I see lots of people turning left into into the outside lane at intersections and (I would assume) thinking nothing of it. They'll learn the first time someone opposite them turns right how dumb that is.

I know that I'm coming off pretty harsh here but we all have loved ones driving around and I can't stand the thought that someone would put them in this kind of danger because of impatience. I would be ashamed of even considering something like this, not trying to justify it.

Please be considerate of others when you drive, guys.

 

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, definitely dangerous and not cool. What if Car 3 were coming and turning right on the road as Car 2 enters the left lane? Car 3 might end up crashing head-on with Car 2 (thus making Car 2 even later).

Uhhh. No. There's three lanes, the regular straight-through lanes and then the left-turn lane. For Car 2 and Car 3 to crash Car 3 would have to enter into Car 2's path, that is driving onto the wrong side of the road.

 

[boobatuba]

I know that I'm coming off pretty harsh here but we all have loved ones driving around and I can't stand the thought that someone would put them in this kind of danger because of impatience. I would be ashamed of even considering something like this, not trying to justify it.

Please be considerate of others when you drive, guys.

You're not coming off "harsh" at all. Expecting others to follow traffic laws should be the norm.

The fact that Trekker is trying so hard to justify breaking this particular traffic law is disturbing to say the least. Being "in a hurry" is no excuse at all.

 

[shivkala]

My mistake, I did not see that from the drawing or the description. However, the rest of my posts still stands.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

People like Trekker are the reason driving sucks. You start thinking the rules are for other people and don't realize that it's you who becomes the public menace.

I do my best to follow all the rules of the road, and sometimes that means I get pissed off because some dickhead cut me off, didn't signal, drove around me illegally, etc. But you know what? My insurance rates are low as fuck and I've never, ever had a serious accident. The results speak for themselves.

People like Trekker who think it's okay to bend the rules whenever they become inconvenient make driving dangerous for everyone and I have precisely zero respect for that.

 

[boobatuba]

People like Trekker are the reason driving sucks. You start thinking the rules are for other people and don't realize that it's you who becomes the public menace.

Especially when you consider that safe driving is predicated on reasonably assuming what other people will do. When other people do things unexpected (like pulling around a car in front of them illegally), accidents can and do happen.

 

[Trekker4747]

Nope, it's not an excuse. I'm not even in a hurry, it's just a matter of convenience, why stop, park, and sit there for 20 minutes burning gas, causing a back of cars along the road when I can just make a simple turn? Again, it's not like it's a very busy intersection, the cross traffic is pretty much 2 cars, "South" pretty-much leads to a dead end, there's practically no pedestrian traffic as it's just not that busy an area.

If it's done safely with being aware of what is going on where is the "danger" beyond any danger that normally exists on the road? I fully admit and realize it's illegal and I'd take the ticket if I got one, but at the same time when I do it I do it while ensuring there's no oncoming traffic from the South, no pedestrians in the crosswalks/waiting and hell I don't even do it if I have to pass more than one car to do it.

I feel it's one of those situations where it's an acceptable maneuver to make, illegal as it may be, there's justification for it (shitty urban design) and it can be done safely without endangering anyone as we're not talking about high speeds here, hell if I do it the going-straight guy decides to make a right on red the worst I'd get would be a dented fender/door since his car doesn't likely have warp-drive and is going to jump to 60 miles an hour the instant he takes his foot off the brake.

Again, I admit it's illegal, and probably a dickish thing to do, but when I do it I try and to do it in a safe as a manner as possible and I've no problems when I see others doing it as I can see the reasons for it.

I do my best to follow all the rules of the road, and sometimes that means I get pissed off because some dickhead cut me off, didn't signal, drove around me illegally, etc. But you know what? My insurance rates are low as fuck and I've never, ever had a serious accident. The results speak for themselves.

Guess what? I've got low insurance rates as well, have never had a serious accident, have had two minor accidents -neither of which were my fault- and one traffic ticket for speeding because I was traveling at the highway's speed 100 damn feet before that speed's zone officially started. I obey all traffic laws, drive no more than 5-miles over the speed limit and a courteous driver to others on the road.

Just occasionally the one time every couple of months that my time on this road coincides with the train schedule, and if I'm one car back I make this illegal turn. Given how many people I've let on the highway by moving to the center lane or reducing speed because no one understands the concept of the acceleration lane or merging I think I'm allowed.

And I'd say someone going 40 miles an hour trying to merge on to highway with 70 miles an hour traffic the instant the on-ramp meets the highway is doing something vastly more dangerous than me making a simple illegal turn at 5 miles an hour with no moving cars or pedestrians around.

 

[shivkala]

^
My mother constantly told when I got my driver's license that she wasn't worried about me, per se, but by other drivers.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Nope, it's not an excuse. I'm not even in a hurry, it's just a matter of convenience, why stop, park, and sit there for 20 minutes burning gas, causing a back of cars along the road when I can just make a simple turn? Again, it's not like it's a very busy intersection, the cross traffic is pretty much 2 cars, "South" pretty-much leads to a dead end, there's practically no pedestrian traffic as it's just not that busy an area.

If it's done safely with being aware of what is going on where is the "danger" beyond any danger that normally exists on the road? I fully admit and realize it's illegal and I'd take the ticket if I got one, but at the same time when I do it I do it while ensuring there's no oncoming traffic from the South, no pedestrians in the crosswalks/waiting and hell I don't even do it if I have to pass more than one car to do it.

I feel it's one of those situations where it's an acceptable maneuver to make, illegal as it may be, there's justification for it (shitty urban design) and it can be done safely without endangering anyone as we're not talking about high speeds here, hell if I do it the going-straight guy decides to make a right on red the worst I'd get would be a dented fender/door since his car doesn't likely have warp-drive and is going to jump to 60 miles an hour the instant he takes his foot off the brake.

Again, I admit it's illegal, and probably a dickish thing to do, but when I do it I try and to do it in a safe as a manner as possible and I've no problems when I see others doing it as I can see the reasons for it.

^ That right there? That's one long fucking excuse. You cannot "safely" break the rules of the road. They're rules, not suggestions. Period.

 

[RoJoHen]

I would sit there in park behind Car #1, grumbling and cursing and wishing a pox on all trains.

 

[boobatuba]

Nope, it's not an excuse. I'm not even in a hurry, it's just a matter of convenience, why stop, park, and sit there for 20 minutes burning gas, causing a back of cars along the road when I can just make a simple turn? Again, it's not like it's a very busy intersection, the cross traffic is pretty much 2 cars, "South" pretty-much leads to a dead end, there's practically no pedestrian traffic as it's just not that busy an area.

"Convenience" is no excuse for breaking the law, either.

If it's done safely with being aware of what is going on where is the "danger" beyond any danger that normally exists on the road? I fully admit and realize it's illegal and I'd take the ticket if I got one, but at the same time when I do it I do it while ensuring there's no oncoming traffic from the South, no pedestrians in the crosswalks/waiting and hell I don't even do it if I have to pass more than one car to do it.

You don't seem to be understanding that there's no way to do something against traffic laws "safely." Everyone else is not expecting you to disobey the traffic law. They base what they are doing on expecting you to follow the law.

I feel it's one of those situations where it's an acceptable maneuver to make, illegal as it may be, there's justification for it (shitty urban design) and it can be done safely without endangering anyone as we're not talking about high speeds here, hell if I do it the going-straight guy decides to make a right on red the worst I'd get would be a dented fender/door since his car doesn't likely have warp-drive and is going to jump to 60 miles an hour the instant he takes his foot off the brake.

Again with the "shitty design." How could they have designed a right-turn-only lane on a street not wide enough for one? Sheesh.

The speed of any collision that might results is irrelevant. What you fail to acknowledge is that doing this illegal act could cause another driver the same "inconvenience" that you claim is the reason for breaking the law in the first place.

Again, I admit it's illegal, and probably a dickish thing to do, but when I do it I try and to do it in a safe as a manner as possible and I've no problems when I see others doing it as I can see the reasons for it.

The problem is that you see no problems.

 

[Trekker4747]

Again with the "shitty design." How could they have designed a right-turn-only lane on a street not wide enough for one? Sheesh.

Yeah the street is too narrow for a right-turn only lane. If only there was some way we could make streets wider! Oh, wait. They can by just, you know, widening the street. There's room to do it.