Caused an accident :(

[UncleImpy]

So I'm sitting behind this...person...in one of those little crossover SUVs, waiting to turn left so my roomie and I could go get lovely tasty steaky goodness (Okay, I was a little hungry). The light is flashing yellow (yield to oncoming traffic, but turn legal).

Oncoming traffic clears up. SUV does not move.

I mentioned I'm hungry, right? STEAK! So 2-3 seconds go by, I honk at her. There might have been some impatient, unkind things said about drivers that aren't paying attention to the road.

They sit there for another 2 seconds or so, then start trundling through the turn at a slow rate of speed. Only NOW there is an oncoming car!

Roomie and I jut sort of wince and brace for what we both see is coming. Oncoming car plows into the side of the SUV and spins it around, parts go flying everywhere.

Considering they both got out and seemed unhurt, and the SUV driver spent most of their time staring down at their cell phone while they were waiting for police and tow...I think I know what they were doing behind the wheel.

Sigh.

[eltf177]

Agreed, it's not _your_ fault they were paying more attention to their phone than traffic around them.

I'm only sorry some poor innocent person had to meet this idiot in this manner...

[thatcrazyredhead]

Ditto to what patiokitty said. It's not your job to tell them when the intersection is clear and when it's not. They're supposed to look and see for themselves. I hope you enjoyed your steak and that canoe didn't ruin it for you.

[bhskittykatt]

It was not your fault, it was their fault. Completely. They weren't paying attention at all and they cut the other car off. You even mentioned that they sat and twiddled their thumbs for a bit even after you honked. They just weren't paying a lick of attention, plain and simple. Hopefully they're insured so the other driver's vehicle is able to be repaired/replaced (I am having trouble giving a crap about the SUV being replaced).

[It's me]

Title should be changed to "Witnessed an accident"! All you did by honking was to remind them to pay attention to their driving...

[LillFilly]

What do you want to bet they were texting "OMG some as*hole just honked at me!" But really, not your fault at all; you didn't force them to go, you didn't push them into oncoming traffic. I just hope for the sake of the other driver that they have insurance!

[An Haddock]

Hopefully the driver of the oncoming vehicle might have seen - at the last second - the SUV driver using their cell phone.

And glad you weren't involved in the accident!

[protege]

You didn't cause the accident. The idiot...who was too busy fucking around with their phone did. Seriously, what is so damn important that some people have to be on the phone 24/7?