"cazzyodo" (cazzyodo)
08/26/2015 at 09:55 • Filed to: Rant
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"cazzyodo" (cazzyodo)
08/26/2015 at 09:55 • Filed to: Rant | 0
| 10 |
Last month, I made a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on how I survive traffic during my new commute (still going swimmingly, by the way). Today, I would like to rant about a topic that is near and dear to my heart: bright and shiny objects. Well...emergency vehicle lights.
I will not be ranting about how they are basically blinding at night as you drive towards them or how you should look for ones in suspiciously antennae’d vehicles. Oh no. I’m going to talk about how 99% of drivers on the road have to frickin’ come to a dead halt (or slow down suddenly) when they see them. Specifically, I’m going to rant about emergency vehicle lights...in the OPPOSITE side of traffic.
We all know the “oh shit” feeling when you see a trooper parked along the side of the road. Thoughts like “Am I going to fast?!?” or, more likely, “Does he know how fast I was going?!?” get tossed around as our taillights illuminate and we return to a legal rate of speed (which, seriously, speed limits should be revisited). That’s pretty normal and understandable because instead of going along at a rate of 75mph we are briefly at somewhere around 60mph. Still moving.
Yesterday evening saw my commute home come to a complete halt on three separate occasions. The last was typical of trying to go through the tunnel under Boston. The first two were COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. We’re all traveling along at about 70mph (nobody able to pass anyone for some reason) when all of a sudden, taillights.
Flashing lights indicated an incident of some sort. They were at the center of the divided highway so I thought something happened on our side but NOOOOOOOOOOOO it was the remains of a Camry being loaded onto a flatbed on the northbound side (I was southbound). Every...single...lane on my side had to stop and look. There wasn’t an ambulance or firetruck so everyone seemed to be fine, by the way.
Get back up to speed (and feel bad for the people in the massive backup on the other side) when ERMHAGERD IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN.
Volvo V60 this time, though. Bonus! The tow truck driver was spreading stuff to absorb spilled fluids! OOOOOOO AAHHHHHH!
The rest of the drive went off without a hitch. If it wasn’t for those two events I would have made it home in record time.
There is no reason for rubbernecking besides us being nosy. It’s funny that many drivers are so focused on themselves and getting where they want to that they can absolutely ignore flashing lights BEHIND them (just get out of the way for the ambulance!) but you throw a light in front of them and they flock like mosquitoes to a bug zapper.
So, do what you can to not be a part of this issue. “A house divided against itself cannot stand” but a highway divided should still flow.
64Mali
> cazzyodo
08/26/2015 at 10:05 |
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There was a huge slowdown on 128 North a few weeks ago. Due to a boat on a trailer that was abandoned on 128 South.
CalzoneGolem
> 64Mali
08/26/2015 at 10:11 |
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128 is the most bizarre road I have ever traveled on.
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cazzyodo
> 64Mali
08/26/2015 at 10:13 |
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You missed the CL ad: Free Boat...bring truck.
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64Mali
> CalzoneGolem
08/26/2015 at 10:13 |
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I have seen on the side of the road (not on trailers);
A boat, A Cessna, Many tables, Tool boxes, Wheels, Stuffed Animals, Trailers with no wheels, and so on. It is one of my most hated roads to take and I used to have to do it every day.
Boxer_4
> cazzyodo
08/26/2015 at 10:27 |
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My worst was when a tractor trailer flipped on a Turnpike on ramp (partially on the off ramp, too). The scene was stable when I got there, so everyone could easily go past the flipped vehicle. The A4 ahead of me stopped on the ramp so the passenger could take pictures. She even got in the back seat with her DSLR. I laid on the horn for a good 10-15 seconds before the driver got the idea that they should probably keep moving.
Urambo Tauro
> cazzyodo
08/26/2015 at 10:27 |
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Rubberneckers should all gather in the near lane to “pay their respects” or whatever. Single file, like a viewing at a funeral home. Leave the other lanes open.
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cazzyodo
> Boxer_4
08/26/2015 at 10:31 |
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I’m shaking my head right now at what you experienced...
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cazzyodo
> Urambo Tauro
08/26/2015 at 10:32 |
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I had the same thought and was disappointed by all lanes stopping.
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Urambo Tauro
> cazzyodo
08/26/2015 at 10:47 |
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Here in Michigan, the law is “move over or slow down” for emergency vehicles. NOT BOTH. And work zones are “45mph where workers present”.
Combine these two laws, and you end up with a pretty good system that works for any such situation. Doesn’t matter if it’s police, tow trucks, construction workers, or somebody just changing a tire. As you approach people on the road/roadside, move over to put a full empty lane between you. With this nice big safety margin, you can maintain speed; there is no need to slow down.
But if you cannot move over because traffic is too heavy, or perhaps there just aren’t that many lanes, slow down to 45mph. If people are walking too close to your lane, you can slow down more if you have to.
JGrabowMSt
> cazzyodo
08/26/2015 at 11:18 |
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This morning we had a pretty spectacular accident in the center lane forced everyone to come to a halt. That was something special.
But recently, I’ve had all sorts of traffic experience from raging car fires, cars off the road (did not turn going around an on/off ramp and flew straight off the road), 18 wheeler getting towed (surprisingly no traffic for that one), and my favorite one for this weekend, sunflower fields.