Bus v. Fiero, if only

[wagegoth]

On the bus last week, heading home. Yea! Bus was packed. Boo! So I ended up sitting on a sideways facing seat right behind the driver. I can't read, I can't see anything except the miserable people seated across from me, and I'm having to brace myself so as not to bang into the divider behind the driver. But, I'm on my way home, so I'm pretty happy. Also, the driver was driving carefully, taking it easy in the turns, and accelerating gently so it wasn't too bad.

Then it happened: Just as we passed an intersection, we heard a loud horn. They held the horn down. We all shrugged, "Whatever," reminded ourselves it would be about 30 minutes, and we would be HOME. (It does become a mantra, doesn't it?) Next thing I know, I'm slamming my shoulder HARD into the divider as the bus driver hits the brakes. Leaning forward, I look out the window to see a tiny, red coupe from the 80s (not a Fiero, but close) sitting right in front of the bus. It's barely moving, leaving us stuck behind it. Obviously, the driver had somehow decided that the bus had offended him in some horrifying, unforgiveable way, and wanted to make sure the driver knew it.

The bus driver was very cool, said, "I don't know what they're thinking," and backed off the car a bit. The car driver slowed down, nearly stopping, making sure we missed the next light, then jumped on the freeway away from us.

I thought about how satisfying it would have been karmically if the bus driver had not been able to stop, but then I balanced that against how much guilt the driver would feel and how much trouble she would probably be in and how likely the transit authority was to be sued over the accident. Seriously, that car was so small, it probably would have gone right under the front bumper with hardly a bump.

I was also close to forcing my way off the bus and going after the car. I bet I could have scared the crap out of him. Picture a rather large, extremely angry lady, approaching a Fiero, swinging a purse on a shoulder strap that is the size of a whole ham and weighs about the same. I think they would have bailed.

[Jack7957]

Leaning forward, I look out the window to see a tiny, red coupe from the 80s (not a Fiero, but close) sitting right in front of the bus.

Was it a Toyota MR2 (http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3002/aw11mr2xc0.jpg)?

[protege]

I still don't know what people are thinking when they do that. Do they really think that the bus can stop on a dime? Even a slow-moving one can take a bit to stop...as one Honda driver found out recently. The idiot tried to make a right turn from the left lane; right in front of a Port Authority bus. Bus couldn't stop, and promptly knocked the Honda on its side :eek: Accident wasn't the bus driver's fault--quite a few people said he'd just left his last stop (less than a block away), and that the Honda, which had been waiting to turn *left,* suddenly pulled in front of him. Crunch.

[blas]

Just the same as when you see someone tailgating a semi truck. Some people must really, really want to die, or their life insurance policy is going to be taken away soon at work!

[Gerrinson]

The guy in front of me last night was turning to follow the same route I take. As we approach the stop sign, he signals left and then pulls completely into the oncoming lane and stops. I was like :wtf: Then he pulls out in front of a garbage truck coming one way and a tractor trailer coming the other. I'm still not sure how the guy didn't get crushed by one or the other of them.

[Broomjockey]

I doubt a lawsuit would go anywhere, as forensic investigation would probably be able to show the speeds involved, but the guilt drivers of big vehicles have when they get in an accident like that is incredible. Most drivers involved in a fatality accident end up not being able to drive commercial vehicles anymore, apparently. All because some twit can't figure out that large vehicles are dangerous road hazards to be playing around with.

[drunkenwildmage]

Simple Easy rule of the road to follow

"Bigger Vehicle had Right-a-way" :yes:

[Geek King]

"Bigger Vehicle had Right-a-way"

Also stated as: "The Traffic Laws can be occasionally circumvented, the Laws of Physics, however, are immutable*"

*may or may not be immutable. not responsible for proximity to large gravitational forces and magical phenomena.

[Salted Grump]

Reminds me of a story about my great-uncle back when he Drove logging trucks in BC. We're talking 20+ wheels per truck carrying upwards of 300 tons of Old-growth wood per trip, on twisty mountain roads Common sense dictates that one does NOT goof around near one of those, as they're almost impossible to stop quickly, even when empty.

Anyhow, my great-uncle was coming down the mountainside on a series of switchbacks, and, as a result was slowing down to nearly 10 KPH per turn, for safety's sake. Near the middle of the mountain, a young driver in a brand-new sports car (can't remember the type) Sideslipped into the path of the truck, and went Under the trailer bed.

My great-uncle stopped the truck, because the impact of the sportscar sheared off the entire rear wheel assembly, causing the entire load to Drop onto the Sportscar. He then radioed for Police and medical backup, and, thinking that somebody had to do it, went to the Now nearly-flat sportscar and used a johnson bar to pry open the passenger-side door, to find that the Driver of the car was completely uninjured, except for a scrape on his forehead.

When the trailer had dropped onto the car, the crossbar for the wheel assembly landed on top of the centre of the (high) engine block, which crushed the suspension and superstructure, but left the driver enough room to lie down flat across the legspaces in front of the seats.

End result was it took 3 weeks for the trailer to be repaired, the driver was arrested for reckless driving, and my Great-uncle was spared having to use a hose to get the guy out of his car by pure blind luck.

[Anakah]

Anything big: A bus, big rigs, tow trucks, anything that cannot stop at a drop of a hat will always have the right of way. I don't want to be someone's hood ornament.

Drives me up a wall when I see cars pass them and don't get them much leeway to stop.

Or the newest thing, you know where you have to yield to oncoming traffic while turning left on a green without an arrow? I've seen several idiots NOT yield and come inches away from being smashed by cars coming towards them!

[ditchdj]

Gotta say it again.....

People do dumb things. And I'm not talkin' about paying too much for car insurance either. *


*My best friend's wife actually cracked up laughing when she heard me say this.

:confused:

[Chromatix]

This goes double for trains, too. Typical weight is in the hundreds if not thousands of tons, the brakes take *time* to apply and take effect, and then deceleration is limited by steel/steel interface rather than rubber/tarmac interface.

It's one thing to not see the train coming. It's quite another to deliberately cross in front of it...

[crazylegs]

I still don't know what people are thinking when they do that. Do they really think that the bus can stop on a dime?

God only knows, having been to a Bus v Pedestrian collision where the guy just stepped out I think he figured they would.

(The pedestrian was ok in the end, luck of the drunk I guess... :shrug: )

[wagegoth]

Was it a Toyota MR2 (http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3002/aw11mr2xc0.jpg)?

Thinking about it more, it may have been a Mazda.

[Javarod]

Hmmm, would the end result have looked like this? http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/fail-owned-car-train-fail.jpg

[Chromatix]

FWIW, a rail vehicle - even a tram - tends to weigh more than a bus.

Class 142 "Pacer" DMU: 24 tons per coach (built with a bus body and a rail chassis)
Manchester Metrolink tram: 22.5 tons empty per half-unit (strictly a light-rail vehicle)
The Sheffield Supertram is a similar weight to the Manchester vehicles.
The Helsinki Nr.II tram is about 27 tons per vehicle.

By contrast...

Dennis Trident Bus: 14.5 tons tare (double decker, oldish)
Dennis Enviro300 Bus: 14.4 tons tare (single decker, newish)

Of course I'd rather not get hit by any of them...

[crazylegs]

What is it with buses...?

I went to a car v. bus collision recently, the car was a write off, but everyone walked away from it...

[PepperElf]

swinging a purse on a shoulder strap that is the size of a whole ham and weighs about the same. and ooo the joy of watching that purse hit the car and popping the air bags (if they have any) :devil:

[the toy guy]

This goes double for trains, too. Typical weight is in the hundreds if not thousands of tons, the brakes take *time* to apply and take effect, and then deceleration is limited by steel/steel interface rather than rubber/tarmac interface.

It's one thing to not see the train coming. It's quite another to deliberately cross in front of it...

reminds me of this
http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2008-17.html