Bone headed driving incidents

[redxm]

A few weeks back was driving on a road that has quite a few level crossings. They are all marked as STOP but most idiots like to take there chances with trains and fly on through
I stopped at one, next second THUMP. Get out heres a P plater in a subaru that now is shaped like a towbar on a landcruiser. She said 'I wasnt looking in front of me, I was looking up the railway line'
The safety step on the back of my car was broken, but I reckon the dent in her alloy bullbar will take some fixing.

[Archilino]

Driving south on eastlink sunday afternoon after a wedding, had my wife and 2 cousins from interstate with me. In the middle lane cruise control on 100 (driving a rav4) noticed a bmw x5 tailing me but didnt think anything of it because the road was desserted and thought he would over take soon enough.

Over take me he did but as soon as he got past he swerved just in front of me then slammed on his brakes. Luckily the road was quiet because i swerved into the left lane to avoid hitting him, he then slowed and proceeded to flip the bird ranting and raving. by the way his wife and 2 very young kids also in the car. I couldnt believe it, i didnt provoke him at all was simply cruising at 100kmh.

The devil in me said catch him pull over beat the crap out of him in front of his family to teach him a lesson, the angel in me said let it go dont dirty your new suit. The angel won the argument, luckily for him...

[Pinch]

For some reason I can't think of any the billions of examples I have, one sticks out though.

Was giving a few people from work a lift home a few years ago. Never been in the car with me before, but knew from discussions from work that I had all THREE of our cars at the smash repairers at the time (one hail, one malicious damage and one rear ender). They were a bit hesitant to say the least!

Low and behold travelling in far left lane, 3 secs from car in front, headlights on in clear daylight weather, taking it very easy as it was a courtesy car - and an X5 (bit of a trend?) level with us changed straight into us. Hand on horn - no effect - kept coming. I pulsed the brake (no abs) swerved up on to the footpath barely wider than the car around a power pole and back onto the road. Not a scratch, some seats may have needed a clean though. Pulled up at the lights behind the X5 - they were not turning or anything, just wanted my lane more than me and... two unrestrained kids are jumping around in the cargo area. I 'kid' you not.

Ah, another one, I posted in the running amber thread. Some ricer pulled in front of me at the last minute down a steep hill to a red light. Was driving a fully loaded medium rigid truck with exhaust brake on and service brakes on the limit. Nothing to do but shunt him into the intersection a bit. Bus in the left lane of cross street saw my all 6 of my high beams and heard the trumpets and stopped short. Could have been nasty. They were charged with neg driving without any debate.

[sk8xr8]

gday guys, i hafta say, ive just read all of these comments, im hopefully joining the police force soon, maybe if we're lucky things will change to make it harder for these knucle heads to get a licence.... after all, its a privelidge, not a right.

[gz1]

Originally Posted by sk8xr8

gday guys, i hafta say, ive just read all of these comments, im hopefully joining the police force soon, maybe if we're lucky things will change to make it harder for these knucle heads to get a licence.... after all, its a privelidge, not a right.

Not a chance in hell. Do you realize how much revenue would be lost if they did toughen up the license test?.

[Mansal]

Originally Posted by sk8xr8

.... after all, its a privelidge, not a right.

That's what my dad always used to tell me!

[MadMaximus]

Best one I have ever seen was coming upto the round about in Boronia and wanted to go right and you can go right from the left hand lane.
Well some bird in a Tarago was flying down and must have thought I was turning left but then realised and slammed on her brakes.
She had a 3yo, I reckon, standing on the centre console and the poor little bugger smashed into the dash and bottom of the windscreen so hard. Hope she learnt from that.
We almost stopped to see if he was ok but drove off instead.
I should have got her rego and dobbed her into the cops.

[InTrail]

Having lived in 3 states of Aus, I think the gene pool for inept drivers flows freely.

However, after living in Cairns for nearly 2 years, 1 big difference I've observed up here is the frequency of reckless, impatient drivers in commercial vehicles. Not just taxis and generic white courier vans, but small business vehicles with their company name sign written for all to see.
Clearly their employees don't give a toss as to what image they're projecting.

[Trek]

My most memorable would have to be a common one, driving through a car park, some turkey didn't want to give way turning a corner (while the stream of traffic was 3-4 cars long, I brake suddenly and JUST miss t-boning him. Then when I tried to leave the car park, some bimbo obviously couldn't read (it was packed in the opposite direction, right to the entrance/exit), where it has in huge, bold letters 'KEEP CLEAR', she decided to push her way in and sit on the keep clear area. I had to brake again, immediately, missing her by 2 cm's.

People seem to think they're immune from everything, hey.

[vztrt]

I have plenty of stories but I'll just throw them up as it comes along. I see it daily.

A couple of quick ones.

Every day on the metropolitan ring road, some idiot decides to swerve 3 lanes in heavy traffic (I'm still trying to work out how these people dont collect a car).

Today was in a bit of traffic going to Doncaster when theis guy in a small car decides to do a u-turn on the medium strip...that stupid but the medium strip was a bit high for the car and he ended up getting the thing stuck blocking my lane and the lane on the other side. Reving the crap out of the car he starts cause smoke (hey prob the first time a mirage has done a burnout without the use of maccas trays). Trying and trying...then the traffic starts coming from the other side luckily he got traction in reverse and was in the same position as before....but looked like a bigger tool.

The one that I cant believe and have never seen ever before or after was one afternoon when I was coming home from work on the metro ring rd (near Edgars Rd exit). I got on from the hume fwy entrance lik ethis truck driver did and moments before he almost swiped a VP Calais. But as soon as he got on the metro ring rd he moved to the centre lane (4 - lane rd) and then proceded to hit the gas on the truck and swerved three lanes almost hitting the car in front and wiping out a Corolla at the back (they braked in time) and then proceded to get off at the Edgars Rd exit.
For people that dont know these two exits you can stay in the far left lane and you will have no issues.

[Fled74]

This one happened to me last year (sorry it's a bit long).

My encounter with Borat.

I was about to make a right turn into the Highpoint car park, when a red E-series Falcon shot out of said car park and stopped in front of me at a right angle (like a "T"), waiting for traffic to clear so he could cross. I slammed on my brakes, flashing my headlights at the stupid . The other driver (a thirtysomething Eastern European fellow by the look of him) gave me a dirty look and gesticulated wildly at me, and all the while his car was blocking my way, and half of the lane next to me, meaning other cars had to swerve to avoid him. "What's this idiot doing?" said my wife, who was sitting in the back next to our little girl. After waiting like this for a couple of minutes, I honked my horn at him in annoyance. He glared at me, obviously thinking: it's some geeky Asian guy wearing glasses, Asians are small people, I can intimidate him easily.

Think again, matey.

He got out of his car, leaving it in the middle of the road, while waving his hands around and yelling at me in heavily accented English. "What you problem? Huh?", he shouted, walking to our car and trying to open my door. I rolled the window down and replied, "What's YOUR bloody problem? You're blocking traffic, mate." And he was. Meanwhile, other motorists were watching this exchange with the kind of eager anticipation you get when a rasslin' match is about to start.

"Get out of car," he challenged me. "Come on."

So I did. I opened my door and he stepped closer. As I straightened up, looking in his eyes with my patented stone-cold axe murderer gaze, I saw that I was taller and broader-shouldered than he was. He seemed to realise it too, because he took a half-step back. His wife and children stayed in their car, watching us with an oh-crap look on their faces.
He wasn't some skinny little guy; he looked fit enough. But here was this big burly Asian bloke with a long goatee and a shaved head, dressed in black, giving him a bucketful of stink-eye. Doubt began to creep into his face. I was ready in case he took a swing at me, but thankfully no violence erupted. I didn't wanna have to hand this poor dumb bastard's *** back to him in front of our wives and children. Plus my steel-capped boots would have ripped a hole in his spleen the size of Kazakhstan.
"I been waiting to turn," he said. "I saw opening, so I shoot out."
"Yeah, you shot out, and I nearly hit you!" I said.
"You not near me, you was over there!" He pointed angrily, and it was a mere car-length away from where I'd stopped. Lucky my brakes are good. By that time, his wife had rolled her window down and was calling him back to the car.
Exasperated, I said, "Just follow the f-ing road rules, you f-ing idiot."
"Don't call me eediot," he said over his shoulder as he walked back to his car. "I smesh you."
"I'd like to see you try, Borat."
He looked at me again, got in his car and drove away, trying to do a burnout with his automatic transmission. It didn't work. Loser.

I got back into our car and entered the car park. "That was scary," my wife said. I looked at her in the rear view mirror and saw that she was covering our daughter's ears. Then she laughed. "Did you see how he backed down?" she asked. "I love my big husband."

[bodes-sh]

Originally Posted by vztrt

I have plenty of stories but I'll just throw them up as it comes along. I see it daily.

A couple of quick ones.

Every day on the metropolitan ring road, some idiot decides to swerve 3 lanes in heavy traffic (I'm still trying to work out how these people dont collect a car).

Today was in a bit of traffic going to Doncaster when theis guy in a small car decides to do a u-turn on the medium strip...that stupid but the medium strip was a bit high for the car and he ended up getting the thing stuck blocking my lane and the lane on the other side. Reving the crap out of the car he starts cause smoke (hey prob the first time a mirage has done a burnout without the use of maccas trays). Trying and trying...then the traffic starts coming from the other side luckily he got traction in reverse and was in the same position as before....but looked like a bigger tool.

The one that I cant believe and have never seen ever before or after was one afternoon when I was coming home from work on the metro ring rd (near Edgars Rd exit). I got on from the hume fwy entrance lik ethis truck driver did and moments before he almost swiped a VP Calais. But as soon as he got on the metro ring rd he moved to the centre lane (4 - lane rd) and then proceded to hit the gas on the truck and swerved three lanes almost hitting the car in front and wiping out a Corolla at the back (they braked in time) and then proceded to get off at the Edgars Rd exit.
For people that dont know these two exits you can stay in the far left lane and you will have no issues.

the problem with these people is, they want to be where they are going before they have left. that's why they put everyone else in danger, because they can't be bothered taking it a bit easy and getting there in one piece...i thought perth drivers were the worst in australia. since then i have been to adelaide, that changed my view...and i didn't even drive there...i think melbourne is about on par with perth as far as idiots go...

[vztrt]

Mate their everywhere, people can't seem to calm down. Seriously is 5 minutes longer going to ruin your life??

Anywho tonight story!!

Was down at a carwash at Burwood Hwy near sprigvale rd. My mates and I were just standing there when this guy in a little hatchback decides that the intersection lights (it was a small street that gets onto B Hwy) dont apply to him. So he creeps into the first lane (and I mean he was all the way over) and a car had to slow down in the second lane and pass him. Then the guy boots it across to the tram tracks and turns right onto the rd. I've seen people drive fast on this rd so luckily no one cleaned him up (then again if some one like that is driving is it really that bad?).

[AU3XSR]

I've had a few over the years (too many to remember all of the good ones)...people pulling in front of you after a single flash of the indicator with literally cm to spare even though they saw you, and the usual stouches with 'imported' taxi drivers and ricers, but one incident for me is really easy to recall offf the top of my head.

I was riding around with a mate of mine in his EF one afternoon and we were following a car up to a roundabout, both cars in the right lane and both turning right, with no one around us. As we approached the roundabout we could see a Camry coming around the roundabout with his indicator on turning towards us. So both cars brake and slow right down to give way to the Camry on the roundabout.

In amongst all this, the Camry driver on the roundabout has had a massive brain explosion and when he approaches our entry onto the roundabout he stops in the middle of the roundabout to give way to both cars!!! My mate and I are almost in shock (as I think the driver in front of us was), but both cars quickly fired around the roundabout, not wanting to stay near such sub-standard driving skills any longer...

[Bushbasher]

I've got plenty as well and see it all the time but the latest was last night actually. I'm heading into Bathurst from Sofala in the mail truck (18 tonne rigid) and it's all twisty and hilly and up ahead I spy a tray top pulling a 5th wheeler horse float at about 70-80km/h. No problem thinks I, I know the road well so time my run to pass him at the bottom of a decent on a shallow curve where you can see up the road for 1500m or so. Come down the slope and I'm just up to speed on the limiter and headlights on, indicator going etc. ( it was 5.30pm, so still a sunny day) I pull out to pass this moron and right at the critical moment he wanders across the road straddling the centre line; clearly completely oblivious to me in thundering great truck now on the brakes hard with the exhaust break growling away. I could see his drivers side mirror and it wasn't even adjusted right and all I could see was the bottom of his chin . I pull back in behind him and follow him for the next 5 kms or so with him wandering from the verge to the centre line and slowing to below 40km/h on every rise and not once did he attempt to look in his mirror to see what might be behind him even though I was right there on his tail. When I finally got round him he's sitting there with the window down,elbow hanging out in the breeze yakking to his passenger not a care in the world, totally oblivious. He still had no idea how close I came to taking out him, his mate, and the 2 horses he was hauling................. and don't get me started on terrorist rubber necks pulling caravans, GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.........


Bushbasher

[RG]

I can remember one that, 'tis funny to look back on.

I was driving in a carpark, big Coles & safeway carpark in downtown Ballarat. Stuck behind another car that was creeping around looking for a park (I was leaving the carpark) when I notice some reverse lights on a VT commy come on at my 11 o'clock. I thought nothing of it until when at my 10 o'clock said VT moron starts to reverse. When he reached my 9 o'clock I though "This fool ain't gonna stop" so I hit the horn, and kept going.

Well Mr VT moron did not like this, comes barrelling out of his car and goes to open my front passenger door, where my mrs is sitting. "Oh no you don't" is my first reaction, closely followed by ah crap I can't go forward to get away, and then finally "you go near my car or mrs I KILL YOU". Stopped the car, jumped out and politely asked what his problem was. He told me that I was an idiot for hitting my horn and that he has kids in the car. Well bugger me, I told him that maybe he should consider not trying to reverse into cars that are behind him and that had I not got on the horn his kids would be really upset.

He took great offence to me pointing out he was a tool so he decided that because he was bigger than me that he could hurt me, ummmmm no. At this point my mrs got out of my car, and his whale out of his. He starts telling his mrs, who mind you was heavily pregnant, that she could and should hit my mrs. FFS clown wtf????

He comes up to me and grabs a couple of handfulls of jumper and starts going on about how he's gonna smash me and all this other rubbish. I told him that he either lets me go now (I am a cool headed person in situations like this) or I could promise that he would wish he did. He decided to take his chances and gave me the girliest jab to the nose I have ever felt (although it did crack it, damn beak). I pushed him away with the left while giving him a nice cross with the right to give him something to think about.

Some other tool then come across and tries to break it up, I told this other tool to bugger off and if he wants to be useful call the Police. Said other tool then says "No, you don't need the cops". Wtf?? are you right clown???

Other tool then decides his meek efforts are futile and Mr VT moron decides on another go, trying a front kick right in front of me. Ummmmm no! I grabbed his foot twisted it toward the ground and kicked his standing leg out from under him. CLUNK, bitumen must hurt.

Realising that just because I'm smaller doesn't mean I can't hold my own he decides that now is a good time to retreat, of course yelling the obligatory obscenities and threats of "I know where you live" and "I'm gonna smash ya". Me being ever the antagonist when a little peeved of course says "No problem, see you then"

Called the Police, went and made a statement and gave them the VT's rego. Cops caught up with the owner (Pregnant Whale) who claimed she didn't know him and that he came from somewhere else to protect he from bad old me. Too bad the Police had already had a witness statement from a lady who came forward to me giving her details. Also too bad that they had come out of Safeway who has CCTV that the Police obtained showing her with a male fitting the description I gave them.

She got charged with hindering the Police and will face court soon lol.

Bloody Commodore's.

[Dauphin]

Was driving along a 70 km/h two-lane road and a white VN Commodore wagon came flying up and overtook me so fast like I was standing still. Red lights ahead at a busty intersection and they fly right through it without any braking. I can only assume it was a stolen vehicle, robbery aftermath or a drug-effected driver. It was quite a heart-beating moment when I realised he wasn't going to stop for the redlights ahead.

[Black F6]

Originally Posted by Dauphin

Was driving along a 70 km/h two-lane road and a white VN Commodore wagon came flying up and overtook me so fast like I was standing still. Red lights ahead at a busty intersection and they fly right through it without any braking. I can only assume it was a stolen vehicle, robbery aftermath or a drug-effected driver. It was quite a heart-beating moment when I realised he wasn't going to stop for the redlights ahead.

Where is this "BUSTY" intersection you speak of

[Dauphin]

Story 2, from when I was on holiday in Perth a few weeks ago.



I was sitting and waiting for someone in the green car and watched three people get involved in something in front of me.

Idiot Driver 1 (purple) was preparing to move out of their spot and taking a while.

Idiot Driver 2 (red) and Poor Lady (blue) were walking to their cars, got in and Poor Lady was parked facing out, and started driving out first.

A split second after, Idiot Driver 2 started backing out without looking on the right side and Poor Lady had to jam on the brakes and reverse back in. Idiot Driver 2 has a delayed reaction and goes back into their spot.

Poor Lady then proceeds to drive out but now Idiot Driver 1, having no idea what has happened, starts backing out and Poor Lady again has to go back in.

Idiot Driver 1 finishes backing out and drives off, totally oblivious to all this and Poor Lady finally beeps her horn in protest.

Idiot Driver 2, for some reason, took this as a signal to back out and starts backing out. Poor Lady beeps her horn more aggressively and Idiot Driver 2 gets it and gives way. Poor Lady drives off in a huff.

Meanwhile, I was laughing at everything. Unfortunately I didn't have the digital camera on me.

[DoreSlamR]

lol loving the diagram!

I got another small one from yesterday.

Dropped a mate off at Perth domestic terminal so I parked in the short term parking area in between two giant landcruisers.

so anyway see the mate off go back to my spot and jump in and stick it in reverse. I obviously can't see very much, doesn't help that the ute is lowered as well. So I crawl out backwards as slow as possible till I can see if anything is coming or not. I get less than a metre out and this old fart in his pulsar slams his brakes on directly behind me and starts abusing me. He's having a sad coz the back end of my car is hanging out a metre?? The way he was acting seemed like I had nearly cleaned him up. :

I gave the ute a good rev and he decided to move along lol.

[TOASTED]

this idiot watch the trucks indicators

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=qjBnDLN5dHM

[vztrt]

Just a small one from today.

Going down St Georges rd and it wasn't too busy but a few cars there. Anyway this guy in a jacked up Hilux ute wanted to merge lanes (should have really changed earlier but anyway) and put his indicator on to change lanes. But this taxi driver decides to sit in a position that if the guy in the ute didn't see him would have hit the front quarter part of the front quarter (just a complete bit@h of a position) problem was he made sure he stayed there for about 200m until the guy braked and then changed lanes. As soon as the guy changed over the taxi changed into the utes lane and continued on. Mind you if the taxi driver decided to slow down slightly and change lanes it would have taken 10 seconds as there was plenty room behind the ute.

But this guy had NFI as he cut me off twice after that. Not major bonehead but I can see why taxi drivers get a really bad name and also how road rage erupts.

[Bobman]

You guys experience what I see everyday as a courier driver. There really are a lot of idiots around.

Have noticed that Northern & Western suburbs drivers in Melbourne have little patience, especially at school zones. I've been over-taken at 3pm when there are school kids around just for doing the right thing. No-one deserves sympathy for not adhering to those limits.

[Dezza]

Originally Posted by Bobman

You guys experience what I see everyday as a courier driver. There really are a lot of idiots around.

Yep. I've done that job and definitely agree that you see a lot of psychos on the roads.

People probably thought I was a dangerous driver though, because the ute I was driving had the world's biggest blindspot. It was a BA ute with aluminium tray and a canopy that stuck about 15cm out past the cab. Therefore it was impossible to see down the right hand side, so lane changes were a case of indicate well in advance, start to slowly move across, and wait for the toots.

[Dauphin]

Originally Posted by Bobman

Have noticed that Northern & Western suburbs drivers in Melbourne have little patience, especially at school zones. I've been over-taken at 3pm when there are school kids around just for doing the right thing. No-one deserves sympathy for not adhering to those limits.

Yes! I seem to be the only one who ever slows to 40 km/h when in a cluster of traffic going through a school zone at the speed-effecting times. It always make me feel like I'm being a real pain as everyone goes around me like the sign isn't there.

[Bobman]

I'm very courteous to other deserving road users but one pet hate of mine is people who don't thank you for letting them in.

[pauljh74]

Originally Posted by Bobman

I'm very courteous to other deserving road users but one pet hate of mine is people who don't thank you for letting them in.

Or don't even wait for you to let them in. They think indicate = right of way

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

Or don't even wait for you to let them in. They think indicate = right of way

Yeah. Saw that this morning on Williams Road, South Yarra.

Chick in a Hyundai was doing the zig-zag thing and just merged into the left lane without even waiting for someone to let her in. She copped a myriad of beeps too. During peak-hour you really get all sorts of bone heads.

That's why I'd love to have one of those cars with spears attached to the centre of the wheel, various angled bull-bars and flame throwers. Or a monster truck would do the job nicely.

Yesterday on Canterbury Road, Bayswater, I saw a VR Commodore cut a bus off in a right-turn lane. Bus driver jumps out and just wants to have a word to the driver, but the driver is too scared and creeps forward with all windows/doors locked. Seems that some people feel so big when they think they're just dealing with other cars, but if those other drivers jump out, then they suddenly become frightened.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Bobman

I'm very courteous to other deserving road users but one pet hate of mine is people who don't thank you for letting them in.

+1.

I also dislike it when I let a car through on a narrow two-way street due to a car being parked on my side, and they don't acknowledge that fact that I've decided to make things safer for them.

BMW drivers (Glen Waverley was (and maybe possible still is) in the top five for BMW owners) are the worst, and pay no attention to courtesy to others from what I have seen.

Accidents happen because of poor decision making and impatience, not purely due to speeding.

[Pinch]

On the 'Moses switch' indicators - you know the ones which as soon as you turn on part the traffic, well this one day some hero flies up a staight ahead lane, then indicated to merge back into the heavily congested left turning lanes. Of course they do this to get a few cars ahead.

Where he came unstuck though was I had a 4wd right on my rear bumper with a bullbar so I wasn't slamming on the brakes for him. He came across anyway and took out my driver front guard with his rear quarter.

So not only did it ultimately take him about 100 times longer after sorting out all the details than just sitting in the queue in the first place, but he also had a $500 excess on his insurance claim, and a loss of no claim bonus and ongoing higher insurance costs. All to save about 15 seconds max. Definite bonehead!

Yeah, sorry to all the late lane changers of the world, or those trying to race up ending lanes to gain a few places, but with a wife with chronic neck problems from a previous rear-ender, risking another one by slamming on the brakes for some Moses switch beliver is the last thing I would do. If people can pull off hero moves to save 5 seconds, good for them, but while I wont speed up to block them, nor will I go out of my way and put myself, or my family in danger to embrace their impatience.