Driving 101

[Aethian]

Thanks for the well wishes folks. As for the head injury comment thats most likely, I was told I might have had a slight bout of amensia caused by the disbelief that what happened...happened. At least thats what a nurse said.

Since I know everything that happened now I'm still in disbelief as to that it happened. But yea will be looking both ways when I cross the street.

Bruise looks horrible but I'm feeling okay today, going to the chiropractor today and then I have some light cleaning to do before the trip. They have given me a couple days off to recoup but I'm not sure if I need more then that, as I said I feel good right now.

[gerund]

Sucky drivers

I saw one this morning. Going into town and at a major intersection on my side of the road, there was a blocking sign right across two lanes on the side street. "ROAD CLOSED" and "DETOUR" and black and yellow stripes across it.

In the turning lane on the opposite side, waiting for the green arrow was a new silver Mercedes car.

In front of the sign were two men in bright yellow vests waving their arms in the air, pointing at the signs and the detour direction. As I went past I looked down the street and there were gravel trucks, asphalt laying machines and rollers - all blocking both lanes and all clearly visible from the lane where the Mercedes was still waiting for the green arrow.

As I went on into town I watched in my mirror and saw that the Mercedes stayed there.

As the workmen had not started the resurfacing process, it would have been at least another hour until the road was open.

[sms001]

I will cease feeling weird when I turn my heads both ways as I cross a one-way.

I had a buddy tease me about it once. Told him "The driver going the wrong way down a one-way street is the one you REALLY want to watch out for."


Glad you seem to be recovering ok Aethian!

[tamezin]

Honestly, I live on a busy one way street and due to the volume of accidents, I always look both ways. I have taught my children to always look both ways. There are too many idiots out there who do not pay attention to where the heck they are going. My skin is worth more than an assumption that the other person is going to do the right thing.

Hope you feel better soon.

[tollbaby]

I am paranoid enough that I do look both ways, even if it is a one-way... even if I'm driving! I've seen too many people disregard the signs, as if they're invisible in their precious little world *shudder*

What happened here is not even the worst-case scenario. The OP was able to get up and walk away (well, was forced to be wheeled away).

Hope the bruises and pain fade quickly! *hug* What a shitty thing to have happen

[reimero]

Glad to hear you're okay! I hope there aren't any lingering effects!

[otakuneko]

Man what an ass.

Get well soon, but not too soon, if you know what I mean.

[Chromatix]

Even when all the motorists go in the right direction, you have to watch out for cyclists who have a tendency to ignore certain rules of the road. A bicycle might be lighter than a car, but it's got a lot more pointy bits on it, and can't always swerve or brake very quickly.

[Victoria J]

I hope your holiday isn't affected (not even by big bruises !). Good luck.

I hope the driver learned his lesson too, but idiots like that so rarely do.

I love when SD's (sucky drivers) try to blame you for their accidents.

A couple of years ago I started studying law part time, I'm hoping to go back to doing so but had to take a break due to depression. Anyway in the second year we had a course where the normal lecturer was absent and they got in a replacement. And the replacement was quite the heavy weight - a high profile barrister (the ones who appear in court in wigs, rather than in offices advising people of their rights ) who also works at a fairly prestigious mainly graduate college. He's slumming it with us somewhat

He told us one day, while lecturing on personal injury cases and why you should be very careful about what you say following accidents, about an incident he witnessed.

He was crossing the road just outside the high court (where the serious lawyers and judges play) when a taxi swings round carelessly and knocks this poor cyclist to the ground. The driver leaps out and starts berating and swearing at the cyclist, who is lying confused in the road, and apologising. Given the cyclist (a) needs medical attention, and (b) is the injured party he isn't very happy with what he's seeing.

So he goes up and says to the cyclist "I saw what happened, and this man swerved badly and hit you. If you need a witness contact me, I'm a barrister working in there" and he gives the guy his business card.

Cab driver is looking less happy.

Then someone else comes up - someone the barrister knows, so they greet each other. And the new guy says to the cyclist "I saw what happened as well, I also work there. I'm a judge" and gives him contact details again.

Cab driver is now silent and pale, and looks sick.



In fact there never was a court case, the cyclist wasn't hurt (badly enough) to make a claim. But at least with witnesses like that the bad driver didn't try and make the cyclist pay for scratching up his paintwork as his run him over.

I love that story. (And I like an occassional story where the lawyer isn't the bad guy )

Victoria J

[QASlave]

Car versus person is usually not a pretty site. Glad to hear bruises are the worst of your injuries. (You're gonna be stiff, guaranteed!) Both of my sisters are ER nurses, they have see leg amputations from these types of accidents. (I don't mean the legs had to be amputated, they were TORN off.) Shudder!

[Balgram]

Wow. Can I just say I love your narrative of what happened? Neat.

The fact that you got hit by a car? Less neat.

As for looking both ways, my parents taught me a really neat poem. It pretty much applies all the time, not just when crossing the road.


Here lies the body of Johnathan Day,
Who died defending his right of way.
He was right--quite right--as he went along,
But he's just as dead as if he was wrong.


I don't blame you for not looking both ways, but I'll bet $10 you'll be double-checking before leaving the sidewalk for a while.

Get well soon! Have some sub-zero ice-cream, or apricot ice cream with chocolate sauce. If you live nearby, you can even have my homemade apricot ice cream. Mm-mmm.

[Amina516]

Where I live, straight through traffic gets the right of way, so you'd have been in the wrong. I actually can't fathom anywhere where turning traffic has the right over a "crotch rocket" going straight, but maybe you just didn't explain it very clearly. Obviously if he was told you could sue him you were in the right, but it sounds strange to me.

I probably didnt explain it good enough.. The crotch rocket was going straight, but decided instead of waiting behind a stopped van that was letting us turn, he got on the shoulder and went around the van as we were turning and so was the van. Im sure that made less sense..lol..but I tried.
He still got the ticket and the pwnage..

[jedimaster91]

Glad to hear you weren't hurt badly and that the driver got punished for going the wrong way.

Today I had some lady decide she wanted my lane and didn't even look to see if I was still occupying the space. Luckily, I drive VERY defensively and had been keeping an eye on her car starting to drift toward my lane. I hit my brakes so she didn't sideswipe me. My horn got a workout, though, lol.

[ArcticChicken]

Today I had some lady decide she wanted my lane and didn't even look to see if I was still occupying the space.

That happened to us one year when we were driving to Florida to visit my Gramma, except we wound up upside down on the verge. Nobody was hurt, but I don't think they ever caught the stupid bitch.

[One-Fang]

Here lies the body of Johnathan Day,
Who died defending his right of way.
He was right--quite right--as he went along,
But he's just as dead as if he was wrong.

Hey! My grandfather taught me the second half of that on it's own. I like the start. Gonna try and remember that.

Some people just don't get that basic premise - it really doesn't matter who was RIGHT, it matters that you're SAFE.

Actually, I think I recall the last line slightly differently. I have:

He was right, alright, he was right all along
But he's no less dead than if he was wrong

I like that better. "No less dead" really hammers it home for me.

Oh, and on looking ... I was driving on a one-way one time on what would be the 'wrong' side of the road if it was two-way. A pedestrian just walked out, basically right in front of me. I had time to brake and honk, but as I did, I startled him and he looked up the other way - where he obviously expected the traffic to come from! LOL. Wrong way grandpa, this is a ONE WAY street, I'm over here!