Be safe out there - you're surrounded by clueless idiots...

"WilliamsSW" (williamssw) 02/25/2019 at 14:12 • Filed to: None

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25

Was just coming home and exited a highway (speed limit 55). Pulled up to a stoplight to turn right, and was right behind a Camry (of course it was a Camry), with a *completely* flat right rear tire.

The guy took off normally (quickly even) from the light, and I sped up to catch up to him - and caught him at the next red light. I opened my window and look over, honking multiple times. It’s a guy about 85++ years old, and gave no indication that he heard me - perhaps couldn’t hear, or maybe was afraid I was some road rager, who knows.

Saw him again 5 minutes later, pulling out of a parking space in town, but couldn’t get his attention then, either.

Let’s just hope that he doesn’t have to make a quick left turn any time soon...

Spanfeller is a twat > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 14:30

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Big problem here: DLRs.

I have seen so many idiots with their DLRs on and their mains off. It’s specially worrisome because even cops do it on their ford fusions.

I have tried to signal people that they don’t have their lights on, but when some dude behind you starts flashing his lights at you, you think he’s trying to pass.

So what I try to do is get in front of them and switch my lights on and off with my blinkers on... maybe that way they understand I’m not brake checking them... but it is a struggle.

Biggest idiots: Prius C owners, cus the DLRs are just the main beams with less power, but they go without any lamps in the rear. It should be illegal to have them set up that way.

facw > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 14:35

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I’ve driven on a flat tire (like really flat, I thought it might have been off the bead when I saw it) without noticing. Not sure how long it was like that (I don’t think the whole trip, because I walked past it to get in ), but it was definitely flat when I got out. Was a back tire, which I’m sure made it harder to notice, but still I was shocked I didn’t feel anything (even at highway speed, though I’m not sure if speed would make things better or worse) . I’m pretty sure I didn’t ignore anyone honking at me though.

WilliamsSW > facw 02/25/2019 at 14:42

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I’ve had rear tires go on me while driving a couple of times , and it was always quite noticeable - both the noise and the vibration. Though I suppose that might have been after the tire came off the bead.

I suspect that he didn’t actually hear me, because he didn’t even flinch when I honked - and I had just pulled up behind him previously, so there’s no reason on earth why I would have been angry at him.

WilliamsSW > Spanfeller is a twat 02/25/2019 at 14:44

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Daytime running lights haven’t really caught on in the US much, so that’s a bit less of an issue around here - though I do see it occasionally. I suspect some of those people don’t realize that DRL’s don’t turn your taillights on.

And I think the vast majority of people don’t realize what headlights are really most useful for (it’s NOT so the driver can see - - it’s so others can see the car).  (Edit- that is really true in city/suburban locations, obviously not true in rural areas)

OPPOsaurus WRX > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 14:44

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i was n an intersection waiting to take a left.  The light turns red and the mother fucker in Dodge Promaster runs the red light.  I saw him not slowing so i moved up a bit just to get him to shit his pants.  the mother fucker beeps at me.  well fuck you you ran the fucking red light.

Spanfeller is a twat > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 14:46

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Its an even bigger problem when entering tunnels in broad daylight 

facw > Spanfeller is a twat 02/25/2019 at 14:46

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On my car, the DRLs are just the headlights (at the same power), though this is no longer allowed in Europe so not a great solution. My taillights are always on. The only difference between the Off (DRL) and On headlight settings is that on the Off setting the high beam control functions as a momentary switch while with the lights on it functions as a toggle. Nice to not have to worry much either way.

Regardless, it’s absurdly dumb that here in 2019 we have people driving with their lights off. The hardware for auto lights costs basically nothing, and they work pretty well. It should be trivial to force the lights on when the wipers are going. There’s really just no excuse. Just have the lights on auto with the car on, and off with the car off. You can add an override to turn them on when the car’s not on, or if the auto lights aren’t working for some reason, but there’s really no reason not to have auto lights, or for people to disable them.

WilliamsSW > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/25/2019 at 14:50

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That’s a pretty common occurrence around me - except for those stoplights that are marked as having cameras.

Once in a while, I do see some idiot pull that move in a red-light camera intersection.  I giggle profusely when I see the camera flash. :)

WilliamsSW > facw 02/25/2019 at 14:54

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They’re fully automatic on my car, and seem to come on pretty appropriately, too - though I’m not sure they’re linked with the wipers.

Spanfeller is a twat > facw 02/25/2019 at 14:54

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Making DLRs also light up in the back could help, but then again, that’s like making quarter lights obligatory at all times.

Spanfeller is a twat > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 14:55

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Never seen auto lights linked to wipers, though when it rains there’s less light, so it typically has the same effect.

WilliamsSW > Spanfeller is a twat 02/25/2019 at 14:56

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Typically, yes - but in my state, you’re required by law to have the headlights on when the wipers are on, so it would be nice if they actually were linked.

facw > Spanfeller is a twat 02/25/2019 at 14:59

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I’ve got no problem with that. I feel like a see cars much better when they have their lights (maybe only slightly more visible, but it seems like they are much easier to track, and in some contexts provides a useful hint that the car is on and probably not parked ).

Spanfeller is a twat > facw 02/25/2019 at 15:00

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It is useful, also for short tunnels in broad daylight. I’ve seen many not turning on their lights for tunnels

BigBlock440 > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 15:03

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The main reason is that for decades, the instrument panel was backlit when the headlight switch was turned on, now with the switch to mainly digital gauges, the panel is always backlit, so there’s no visual cue that your headlights are on or off.

Azrek > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 15:03

4

H ad that with a girl in a Civic leaving work. I caught up to her and yelled her tire was flat. She thanked me, sped up and disappeared into a neighborhood.

My current gripe is idiots in traffic trying to get into my lane. They will be just slightly ahead of me, flip their blinker on, hit the brakes and try to get into my lane. Noooo.....you aren’ t coming into my lane if you are going 20mph under the cruising speed here!

Am I supposed to smash on the brakes to let these idiots in ? I’ ve beeped and had dodge many idiots who seemed to believe they were allowed to get into my lane because they had a blinker on...despite not matching my speed.

WilliamsSW > BigBlock440 02/25/2019 at 15:15

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That’s a good point - I hadn’t really thought about that, but it’s true.

Although I would hope that most drivers would have the wherewithal to realize the road in front of them isn’t being lit very well - but that is easy to miss in brightly lit areas.

WilliamsSW > Azrek 02/25/2019 at 15:18

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Ugh - don’t get me started on those people.

Invariably, they’re trying to cut into a longer line of cars in order to make their turn.  And 99% of the time it is because they’re impatient assholes, not people unfamiliar with the area.

BigBlock440 > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 15:37

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There’s a lot of situations that you’d need headlights (and taillights) on, rain, fog, tunnels, dusk etc. that they wouldn’t necessarily illuminate the road if it were daytime as well.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 15:48

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It’s always so difficult to know what to do because no one can hear from a horn honk whether you’re angry at them or trying to communicate something. Our culture is mostly predisposed to assuming it’s anger. In your case, you may have had an oblivious person or just someone who doesn’t want to acknowledge you and get into an exchange that they may have assumed would be confrontational. It’s tough to be helpful sometimes.

I feel bad for the old guy’s rims.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 02/25/2019 at 16:17

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Yeah, this isn’t th e first time I’ve tried to point out a flat tire and failed.

I was hoping he would realize that there was nothing he could have done to anger me - he hadn’t even changed lanes in the time I saw him, and he was driving at or slightly above the limit. If it wasn’t for the flat I wouldn’t have registered anything at all about the car. 

But I tried to get his attention before honking - he didn’t even flinch when I beeped, so I suspect he’s hard of hearing, but who knows?

smobgirl > Azrek 02/25/2019 at 18:58

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I love the people who get r ight next to you and then put their blinker on. If you get in the “window” in front and to one side, I’ll make space, but I don’t think you understand how physics work if you match my speed and position. Especially when the car doesn’t have signal lights on the mirrors. 

smobgirl > WilliamsSW 02/25/2019 at 19:02

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I watched a woman scrape pulling out of her driveway because the front passenger tire was totally  flat. Her PT Cruiser sh ould’ve had clearance (and the scraping noise is what caught my attention, so she definitely should have noticed it ). I was walking the dog and ran after her yelling and waving my arms for a bit but she just ignored me.

lscrx > WilliamsSW 05/14/2019 at 08:24

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A few weeks ago a new Tacoma was following me on my commute with their high- beams on, I was 99% sure they were oblivious. I ended up at a McDonalds drive-thru, and when I was leaving I saw the same Tacoma about to back out of a space in front of the store... still with their high-beams on. I pulled up behind him, made sure he saw me, and then hopped out to talk to him (with a friendly face!). The guy was probably 80 years old,  it was a brand new truck and he said he probably turned them on when trying to find the cruise control switch. Since my MIL drives a Rav4, I quickly educated him on the Toyota cruise control stalk, and all was right with the world.

WilliamsSW > lscrx 05/14/2019 at 09:19

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That’s nice of you! Considering that you never know when the other guy might be some aggro psycho.

Wish I could have gotten the attention of the flat tire guy. I’m sure he would have appreciated the heads up, but I couldn’t do it.