Almost had me a Smart car today.

[JHZR2]

We have a street like this that I turn on routinely. I never assume anything for this very reason.

But what annoys me, because it happens more often then not, is that people that ARE turning dont have their blinker on, so I sit and wait when I could have gone.

 

[GMBoy]

Imagine if it wasn't a Smart car? You would have surely hit a longer car. That guy is lucky...for 2 reasons..he made it and you actually tried to avoid hitting him.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I've seen people do it on purpose. Wait until you are close then pull out and slooowwwwly accelerate. I can imagine them saying " i'm saving the world in my prius, you will just have to wait for me!!!"


OK, another prius bashing thread?

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
When I teach someone to drive one of the things I do is ask them what are the two directions you can turn a vehicle? They respond right and left. And I say NO, from now on think Right and " I do not have the right of way". And from then on when I give directions to them I tell them to make a right, or to make a I do not have the right of way.

It is corney I know, and sometimes they get tired of hearing it, but from then on they think twice before making a left turn.

Turn left from a parking lot into a busy street is the most dangerous move a driver can make. You have to look for traffic on both left and right and left and right quickly and only start to move when both directions are clear.


No kidding, I fairly regularly have to make a left turn onto Central Ave down here where I work in albany, and it's 5 lanes, 2 each way and a center turn lane. It's usually at night after I get gas on the way home on the way to I-87 and it's definitely my least favorite turn. That and turning left onto Route 9 heading into Saratoga by Spa State park.

 

[TooManyWheels]

The idea of turning right and then making a U never seems to occur. That is just waaay too inconvenient.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Heck...I plan my errand-running route to make mostly right turns! But it's more a time consideration with heavy traffic around here...I keep my sanity better (and don't hit that frustration level where I take more risk) if I can just turn right, pull out and be on my way...


UPS and Fedex try and plan their driver routes this way.

 

[andyd]

Yah , traffic on the local main street is bad during peak hours. So my gas stops and incidental shopping is dictated by which direction I am traveling in. My left turns are only made at traffic lights.

 

[morris]

did you called that a CAR? you need help

 

[expat]

I'm not sure I understand the significance of the Smart car in the OP??

A car pulls out in front of you, you avoid an accident OK.

There are a great variety of vehicles on our roads, Motorcycles ans Bicycles to semi trailers.

The Term used "Almost had me" sounds provocative, You got a thing about these cars?

Personally, I'd not buy one, but if I lived in the City, I could see there use.

I figure a guy buys what suits his/her needs best, and that's no concern of anybody else.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Turn left from a parking lot into a busy street is the most dangerous move a driver can make. You have to look for traffic on both left and right and left and right quickly and only start to move when both directions are clear.


Unfortunately, it often turns into "pull out in front of oncoming vehicles, block all traffic from the left, wait until the right is clear, then wave at all the irritated folks who had to stop for you when you didn't have the right of way.".


I am convinced this is somewhere in the drivers handbook in CA as the proper thing to do.

 

[Shannow]

Went down to the big smoke yesterday to take my son to the pediatrician specialist bloke, and nearly came back with 20 wheels, all of the red "P" Platers (Provisional Licence, 50MPH restriction.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I've seen people do it on purpose. Wait until you are close then pull out and slooowwwwly accelerate. I can imagine them saying " i'm saving the world in my prius, you will just have to wait for me!!!"


OK, another prius bashing thread?


No sorry i should not have said prius, Just any generic tiny economy car. I did not mean prius drivers specifically. I have not seen many tahoe, suburban f-250 drivers do this.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: expat

Personally, I'd not buy one, but if I lived in the City, I could see there use.

I figure a guy buys what suits his/her needs best, and that's no concern of anybody else.


I live in a rural area and yes we see them on the open road.

As far as concerning me, I could see me having an accident with someone driving one with a child in the front only seat and killing or severely injuring them for life and I must live with that for the rest of my life.

Course I could have the attitude that, what the heck, they bought the dern thing, all their fault. Ya, that works out well!

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: Dave Sherman
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

Turn left from a parking lot into a busy street is the most dangerous move a driver can make. You have to look for traffic on both left and right and left and right quickly and only start to move when both directions are clear.


Unfortunately, it often turns into "pull out in front of oncoming vehicles, block all traffic from the left, wait until the right is clear, then wave at all the irritated folks who had to stop for you when you didn't have the right of way.".


I am convinced this is somewhere in the drivers handbook in CA as the proper thing to do.
Illinois too.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

I drive a lot going primarily from San Jose south to Monterey and over to Watsonville and Santa Cruz and this type of thing happenes to me about four times a month. I got Tee-boned in my truck back in May from a girl trying to cross four lanes of traffic. I'm at the point where I'm looking into a dash cam because it's only a matter of time before it happens again. Some people are too busy and have too much on their minds. For others it seems like it's an attitude of "Me first - I'm more important" because they can actually see you coming. I normally drive a bright candy apple red F150 - it's hard to miss. And for others it is a delibrate action.

With all the dash cams out there, maybe someone can start a new web site with the title of, "Have you seen this idiot driver?"

It is frustrating. In a span of 10 years, I have been rear ended, hit head on, my wife was ran over walking to her car, and recently Tee-boned in my truck. Of all of those, only one driver was here legally, only one had a license, and two of the vehciles were insured, but at less than $10k. Both my wife and I have perment injuries as a result. The cost to the drivers at fault? Nothing. The system is broke.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: expat

Personally, I'd not buy one, but if I lived in the City, I could see there use.

I figure a guy buys what suits his/her needs best, and that's no concern of anybody else.


I live in a rural area and yes we see them on the open road.

As far as concerning me, I could see me having an accident with someone driving one with a child in the front only seat and killing or severely injuring them for life and I must live with that for the rest of my life.

Course I could have the attitude that, what the heck, they bought the dern thing, all their fault. Ya, that works out well!


Well, I applaud your social conscience, but smart cars have been around 15 years now and I have yet to see any stats showing them to be listed as the most dangerous cars on the road.
Sure size matters, but there will always be Bigger vehicles on the road even if you drive a Hummer or F250.
As I said, they are not for me, but neither is a Motorcycle, However I will not deride anyone for riding one.

What Ido not understand is the hostility many people seem to have toward 'efficient' vehicles in general, and/or there owners!
What's the Gripe?

 

[L_Sludger]

In my Insight, my only safety system is the aggregate total of my sinew and wit. I'm smaller than everyone else on the road and would be mincemeat in an accident.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: expat

What Ido not understand is the hostility many people seem to have toward 'efficient' vehicles in general, and/or there owners!
What's the Gripe?


That is in the fabric of the culture of BITOG. I don't understand that either, but I was never drawn toward red neck values either.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: expat
What Ido not understand is the hostility many people seem to have toward 'efficient' vehicles in general, and/or there owners!
What's the Gripe?


Efficient? Per their own web site, 34 city/38 highway. Thats with preminum fuel to boot.

Heck I get the same with a 12 year old Ford Escort with 165,000 miles on it, and with regular gas.

And folks poked fun at the Corvair.

Whats the gripe? The sale of an unsafe vehicle in a real world crash on the open road. But then an accident in a motorcycle is deadly also.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: expat
What Ido not understand is the hostility many people seem to have toward 'efficient' vehicles in general, and/or there owners!
What's the Gripe?


Efficient? Per their own web site, 34 city/38 highway. Thats with preminum fuel to boot.

Heck I get the same with a 12 year old Ford Escort with 165,000 miles on it, and with regular gas.

And folks poked fun at the Corvair.

Whats the gripe? The sale of an unsafe vehicle in a real world crash on the open road. But then an accident in a motorcycle is deadly also.



True, the engine spec/mandated for the U.S. market IS more silly than Smart. But I think it still ranks as one of the more FUEL efficient vehicles available on the U.S. market.
But efficiency is more than fuel consumption if you need to park in a major city.

BTW please show me the stats that show the Smart to be eceptionally unsafe, I have read a lot of Folksy hear-say, but where are the facts !
Like I say, the car has been around 15 years now, if it's such a death trap, where are the stats?