Had a close one on the freeway today

[LVSteve]

Came close to converting somebody's disabled placard into a death's head card today. Consider the attached picture courtesy of our friends at Google. Guy in a black Cadillac (CTS or CT6) in the lane marked US-95 suddenly decides that he needs to cross the gore to get into the two lane off ramp on the right of the picture. Naturally, this was to be attempted with no signals and with little regard to who was already there, me.

Now my spidey-sense was already on high alert on this car because of previous behaviour. So I laid on the horn large to inform the so-called driver that the space was occupied, and physics being physics his attempt to occupy the same space would not end well. Fortunately, he saw sense and abandoned the plan. Just as well as no amount of me braking would have prevented a large scale Pitt maneuver which would likely have put him sideways into the barrier you can see by the second car in the lane to the right. No, I couldn't go right due to a vehicle alongside me.

He finished up stopped to the LEFT of the barrier. I strongly suspect it was his intention to reverse back past the barrier rather than continue on the other ramp and recompute his journey. That to me is almost as large a felony as his first bout of lunacy.

I have observed this behavior in other drivers. Is it because making a wrong turn is the ultimate loss of control? Really guys, will it affect your ability to sire children? Girls, will changing your route radically affect how you look in a tight dress? No, so when you're the wrong side of the gore or a barrier, you are committed to that path, so get over it.

 

[Beemer-mark]

Cell phones, drugs, spaced out on the high fidelity stereo with the 8 inch dash screen, no problem. Don't need to worry about those people in the 4000 lb destroyer going 80 mph; Just watch out for the forum members toting guns.

 

[Onomea]

Years ago, a colleague lost his daughter on the eve of her wedding day, returning from a bachelorette party, when she attempted a similar maneuver.

 

[Golddollar]

Having to commute with all the crazy drivers is one on the reasons I retired.

 

[LVSteve]

Having to commute with all the crazy drivers is one on the reasons I retired.

I'd retire tomorrow if I had the money.

 

[Toyman]

Driving in Las Vegas is an adventure, not a fun one, either. 2 motorcycle
fatalities today with in hours of each other. I try to stay off the interstates if at all possible.

 

[vytoland]

we see crazies and nascar wanna bees on the road everyday......

 

[D Brown]

Came close to converting somebody's disabled placard into a death's head card today. Consider the attached picture courtesy of our friends at Google. Guy in a black Cadillac (CTS or CT6) in the lane marked US-95 suddenly decides that he needs to cross the gore to get into the two lane off ramp on the right of the picture. Naturally, this was to be attempted with no signals and with little regard to who was already there, me.

Now my spidey-sense was already on high alert on this car because of previous behaviour. So I laid on the horn large to inform the so-called driver that the space was occupied, and physics being physics his attempt to occupy the same space would not end well. Fortunately, he saw sense and abandoned the plan. Just as well as no amount of me braking would have prevented a large scale Pitt maneuver which would likely have put him sideways into the barrier you can see by the second car in the lane to the right. No, I couldn't go right due to a vehicle alongside me.

He finished up stopped to the LEFT of the barrier. I strongly suspect it was his intention to reverse back past the barrier rather than continue on the other ramp and recompute his journey. That to me is almost as large a felony as his first bout of lunacy.

I have observed this behavior in other drivers. Is it because making a wrong turn is the ultimate loss of control? Really guys, will it affect your ability to sire children? Girls, will changing your route radically affect how you look in a tight dress? No, so when you're the wrong side of the gore or a barrier, you are committed to that path, so get over it.

Hi Steve,

What exactly is a gore in the context you're describing above? I've never encountered it before. Can you provide a definition from a recognized source? Thanks, I'm always interested in expanding my vocabulary!

 

[CH4]

Yep, a text book case of HUA. Seen it a thousand times and it won't be the last.

 

[LVSteve]

Hi Steve,

What exactly is a gore in the context you're describing above? I've never encountered it before. Can you provide a definition from a recognized source? Thanks, I'm always interested in expanding my vocabulary!

The gore is formed by the painted lines where a road divides. See below where the solid white line on the right between the 95 and the two lane off ramp divides. In theory (all too often in Vegas that's all it is) it is "no man's land" where vehicles are not supposed to travel. "Gore choppers" as I call them come in two forms, the first is as described above, i.e. those who have missed the exit and cut across the gore. The others are those who think the on-ramp is marked too long and cut left across the gore before the "blend line" ends.

 

[CH4]

aka gore point

 

[JayFramer]

I feel you, OP. It's one of the reasons why I stay in North Vegas most of the time. Plenty of bums and wackos meandering the streets like zombies, but at least fewer drivers up this way.

 

[Breakaway500]

Driverless cars are already here...

 

[Chief Wiggums]

cell phones = distracted driving
should be viewed and penalized as severely as DUI..

no excuse.....

 

[arjay]

I know an 85 yr old man who pulled this same stunt 5 weeks ago.Hes learning to use a walker now.He was very independent before he broke his back

 

[Kiwi cop]

Yesterday.......

Yesterday I was on patrol on my highway beat when I heard a detective until calling for assistance with a car broken down in the left lane (remember we drive on the left down under) on a hill just around a corner. I happened to be literally 30 seconds up the road heading that way so advised them I was there. An urban traffic unit responded from about 10 minutes away.

On arrival I set up back around the corner with the red and blues flashing and the electronic sign set to the "merge right" setting. Traffic approaching from behind had around 300 meters of straight road before they reached me so it should have been safe.

While sitting there I could see trucks up to 55 metric tonnes approaching in the left lane but unable to merge due to the lines of cars passing on the right. I discussed this with the "D" unit off with the car asking how long they would be blocking the road and was told maybe I should block the lane at the bottom of the hill where it widened from one to two lanes.

Now I have been around enough to know this was not a very good idea as drivers would be moving back into the left lane soon after passing me, so I called up the approaching unit, the car was not equipped with an electronic sign, and told them to take my place and I would go down to the bottom of the hill.

I set the sign to "Lane Closed" and, still with red and blues flashing, waited for the inevitable.

About one in ten drivers wanted to stop alongside me to find out what to do. I ended up with my arm out the window waving them on but several still stopped alongside me.

At least three out of four drivers, as soon as they got past me, moved back into the left lane. I'm not sure what part of "lane closed" they did not understand!

When we finally got the lane clear the unit that had replaced me came and stopped beside me complaining that it was the hairiest situation he had ever been in. Vehicles were coming up behind him in the blocked lane and moving right at the last moment, some almost hitting his rear if the lane was blocked. Remember this was after they passed my car sitting in the lane with a big yellow flashing sign telling them the lane was closed.

We have a term for those people who act like sheep. We call them "sheeple". It is an insult to the sheep.

 

[Maddog 521]

The best part of being retired is not having to drive in that madness anymore.
Be safe out there.

 

[Bakebfr480]

How did you get the pic? Front bumper mounted camera? Passanger snapped it?

 

[LVSteve]

How did you get the pic? Front bumper mounted camera? Passanger snapped it?

One of the map/photo websites. The photo was not taken during my incident if that's what you mean, although it does up the chances of me getting a dashcam.

 

[LVSteve]

I feel you, OP. It's one of the reasons why I stay in North Vegas most of the time. Plenty of bums and wackos meandering the streets like zombies, but at least fewer drivers up this way.

I got my dose of those yesterday at Las Vegas Boulevard and Foremaster. The homeless camp there is smaller than it used to be, but the zombie factor is still high.

 

[ladder13]

People are idiots, no surprise, move on. Glad you're ok.

 

[nachogrande]

MY HS DRIVERS ED TEACHER USED TO SAY...

"Lines are only paint on the road". He also ran over a pedestrian, so consider the source. That driving philosophy appears to be alive & well. Personally I'd rather have a driver like that in front of me than behind me. If I can speed up/ slow down/ move over to allow them to make their bone head move, I generally try to, then keep as much space as able between us. Not enough hours in the day to think about EVERY bad driver out there, ME being one of them.

 

[Doug M.]

"Sheeple" is a lot less accurate, offensive, and likely to get me hammered by the Gorilla or his minions.

 

[yeti]

The OP example is something I see all the time and it is exceedingly stupid & dangerous.
GO TO THE NEXT EXIT OR GO AROUND THE BLOCK! Your nav will figure it out.
It'll guide you where you need to be without killing folks in other vehicles... folks in your car... or kill/maim you, the fool driver.

Sometimes you get an inkling that a driver will do something kooky and you can keep clear, but sometimes there is absolutely no warning. Stay alert & safe out there guys!

 

[S42N8]

Hate to say it, but in sunny Central FL, the driving antics would be funny, if not inherently dangerous.

I blame it on a lack of discipline - the "I'll do what I want to" instead of what's right attitude, coupled with the false sense of invincibility that comes when wrapped inside 2000-4000 pounds of steel, plastic, rubber and glass. That, and the Gawd-given right to yammer away on a cell phone while driving said 1-2 ton accident in the making. Here in FL, there's the added fillip of driver roulette - which car has the crazy road-rager with a gun?

Yep, I've become my parents... but I drive carefully and do not antagonize the idiots. Don't have a solution, so I tend to protect the reaction space and resign myself to arriving later than planned, but unscathed. As always, YMMV.

 

[Chief Wiggums]

does up the chances of me getting a dashcam.

buy one.....
I recently purchased a dashcam (XD Links from Amazon , -$150).
sub 5 minutes to install
10 mins to learn how to operate , download video ect.

They eliminate the "he said - she said" factor in the event of an accident
They provide an extra layer of CYA
I will also let my insurance agent know , as it may be good for decreasing my monthly rate by a few bucks.

prediction: at some point in time , they will become standard equipment on all autos

 

[ExRanger714]

Cars will kill you!

 

[M29since14]

Fools driving cars, particularly impaired and/or distracted fools, are what will kill you!

Never heard the gore term, so a tidbit learned here. As to the crazy drivers, nothing new there!

 

[OMCHamlin]

I'd retire tomorrow if I had the money.

I did, 1 May of this year, but I nearly caused the demise of both the wife and I on our way back from Arkansas last week (her father had unexpectedly passed, a story for another day).
It was mid-day, sunny, heavy traffic coming into Nashville on I40E, and some apparent road construction had caused an "all stop" on the road, which somehow, I didn't catch in time, and seeing a sea of motionless brake lights, I tried to shove the brake through the floorboard, and it was WAYYY too close, I knew it was going to be bad. I created a cacophony of squealing breaks and screaming rubber, the sound of my nether regions slamming shut, the resulting vacuum created tearing the leather on my seat cushion as it was drawn inward (upward?), and I THINK I might have heard the gates of Hell swinging open and the fires being stoked...
I had the presence of mind to commence eating the left hand median strip, not quite into the grass, and then.... all of a sudden, I was stopped, 3/4 width to the left of the guy in his Prius in front of me, and about a car length, (give or take 3 feet), (okay, TAKE!) but no harm, no foul. Not even a foul smell from said nether regions, only my wife in my ear, screaming; well, never mind what she was screaming, and she was right...
Phew, I'll remember that one, in my waking AND sleeping moments, for a (hopefully) long a-- time!
And thank you, Subaru Outback, I KNOW your anti-lock brakes helped, a lot!

 

[grover99]

A friend of mine drove a big rig and one day he topped a hill and there was a little old lady backing up in his lane because she missed the exit. trucks on his left and a rock wall on his right. He ran over the top of her ChevII. Her family tried to sue him but too many people saw it happen. Now that I am getting old I just hate to drive anywhere anymore.