So I had a damn close call today.

Just got home from work, and as I was pulling up to my house I saw these 2 vehicles parked in front of my neighbors driveway, facing each other. So hit the garage button and start pulling in. At the same time, the car closest to me, begins to reverse RIGHT INTO MY PATH. I slam the breaks and honk but they're still moving backwards I try to get it into reverse but I know its too late, I cringe.. the other guy facing me, is honking too, and FINALLY they stop, I swear I'm surprised they didnt make contact, maybe a few cm's apart, I make eye contact with some girl in their back seat before they pull away in a hurry.

omg I was shaking a bit, kinda pissed, but mostly revlieved. Its like I saw it coming in slow motion but couldnt do anything about it.


Anybody else with a close call like this?

 

Yes......I also had close calls.....

Many times in mall parking lots where people driving minivans like to turn in....while i'm exiting.....and you are just looking at their car turning and praying that they do not hit you.


Sometimes..........there are stupid drivers...who absolutely cannot make it...and they just keep on going..you have absolutely no choice but to take action into your own hands and either reverse to allow them space or to move forward a bit. I just don't understand these drivers...


Also another time, I never got out of the merge lane on a highway entrance. that particular one was under construction.

I got out of the first merge lane...on most highways that is enough..but then i realized that the lane i moved into was a merge lane as well!!!!

I was stupid and instead of slowing down and then merging, i started accelerating to try to beat out another car to my left....due to construction there were cement pilars on my right side and the lane was closing in fast...in the end...i just prayed for dear life and i finally squeezed in...i was about 5 inches from the pilars on my right and about 6 inches from side swiping the car to my left... I know I know very very stupid move...... and I am thankful nothing happened. I scared the driver so bad that i saw him/her immediately slow down...slowed down so much that after 5 seconds after i finally merged, he/she was like 10 car lengths behind me......

Close calls like these have made me drive safer as the TL isn't exactly a small car....I have been driving small cars like corollas and sentras for 9 years since i got my license when i was 16....Just got my TL in November and it is a bigger car so still getting used to it a bit.....


But yea that is my little story....
For anyone from the Toronto area, 404 North entrance on Steeles is the highway entrance under construction... Be careful guys and girls...that entrance is extremely misleading as you gotta merge twice...and the lanes end fast and the temporary paint markings are not clear... just a heads up....if you ever plan on taking that entrance.

 

I was going to visit a friends house and apparently this van didn't notice the stop sign til' I was approaching the intersection (i had no stop sign) I anticipated the mistake, analyzed the situation, and figured i'd have better luck FLOORING it and doing an evasive maneuver than slamming on my brakes. He slammed on the brakes and screeched the tires significantly. Didn't really scare me... didn't really piss me off either hahah... im so used to NY driving.

 

I hate it when people turn from the main street into the narrow two-way street (with parked cars on both sides) that I was on without slowing down. I had a few close calls, but I warded them off with LOUD HONKS to avoid near mishaps.

 

Glad you and the pimp mobile are ok D-O-dubba G!!

That was vintage you (eye contact) LOL! "I made eye contact as she sped away, her hair playing freely in the wind, her smile caressing my eyes. For fleeting seconds that seemed like unto an eternity, I am sure we both wondered if we would ever know that moment in time again..."

I want movie rights and dibs on the sequel!!!

As for your question, well, I thought this was a close call with death:

I was travelling down a six lane major artery (3 lanes in each direction divided by a concrete median). I was in the left lane closest to the median, and our "villain" was in the lane to my right travelling at the same rate of speed, approx. 50 mph as we approached an intersection. No this was not in my TL, but this is a good story anyway dammit! I was in a rental (Corolla), I forget why, and he was in an ugly looking as red Celica! As we got almost even with where you can make a left turn to go in the opposite direction - he jerked and turned right in front of me - across my vehicle - into my path, to go in the other direction!! Like picture someone trying to make a U-turn from your right-side...but their car is parallel to yours!!! Needless to say, he didn't make it (there wasn't even time to put on brakes!!). I wiggled my hands and toes to make sure I had feeling in my extremeties and my face felt swollen from the damn airbag! I went out on a gurney, a few months later...I'm looking at my fave team the Redskins on a new giant screen TV with some bills paid and dough in the bank courtesy of that ignorant mofo!! Of course there was no time to check out the girl in the passenger seat, but I like how I made out (full recovery and extras)!!!

Moral to story: Don't rent Corollas unless you have HBO!!

The End

 

Going down the HWY 2lane that is, i'm on the left... moving with traffic

There is a very fast ramp where you can hit max speed, car comes barreling down the ramp had a sneaky feeling he was going to come to my lane, which he does, I slam on the brakes and honk a dozen times.

Close call but i reacted fast enough where nothing happened.

 

I live in a fairly snooty town where people are constantly talking (or worse - text messaging) on their cell phones while driving. Why HFL isn't a mandate at this point in all 50 States and territories, I do not know. It seems everyone around here can't wait to get on the phone as soon as they step in their vehicle. It's like "hey, I'm about to drive a 3,000lb vehicle; why don't I just start the process of not paying attention right away?" I can't even tell you how many times I've seen dumb (fill in your most hated stereotype here) pull out of a spot in reverse without even so much as turning their head to see if there is a car coming. The closest calls I tend to get happen to and from the parking lot to my gym. There are also several poorly engineered on- and off-ramps in my area, but for some reason, there is order in that chaos and there have been very few close calls there.

Moral of the story...WDP Rules!!!!!!!!

 

I also had a close call today. I was getting onto a major highway and there was a big box van (some delivery truck for something) in the middle lane. As I start to pull into the right most lane, in ABSOLUTELY NO AGGRESSIVE WAY AT ALL, the truck suddenly starts to pull over. He basically almost forced me into the ditch, but luckily TLs are slightly faster than a box van and I was able to get around him before that. It definitely made me jump out of the seat though. And to think, it's not even Friday the 13th anymore....

 

UNLESS THERE IS A NBP PARKED BESIDE IT OR WITHIN 100 MILES!! :-)

 

haha i love how that thread has taken over AZ.

 

I hate it when you and some other guy are headed in opposite directions on the above described narrow street, and the other guy continues down the center of the road like he (most of the time she) is the Mayor of the road, forcing you to go inches away from the parked cars on the right hand side!

 

This happens to me all the time on my block. It especially bothers me when there are no cars parked on their side of the road but they are still driving right down the middle. but there are cars parked on my side so I can't even pull over. Are these people totally unaware of what is going on around them or do they just not care.????

 

I'm trying to figure out when the 'right turn on red after stop' law turned into 'right turn on red when..."

'You feel like it'
'You're on the phone'
'You're in a hurry'
'You're in an SUV'


I've never had any REAL close calls with this but like to TOY with the bastard that decides to cut me off. If I have to let off the gas or worse hit the brakes I get REALLY pissed and do a controlled 'ride up their ass' until they get up to speed, just to let them know they screwed up.

Oh did I mention those intersections that have right turn 'yields' where they turn and expect you to slow down MERGE?? They had a RED light? Anyone still know the difference between YIELD and MERGE ?

Lastly, what about Dunkin Donuts?? Seems that people are in such a hurry they wait to fix their coffee, put their change away or whatever AFTER they pull out of the parking lot into traffic. I see it EVERY day.

Now there's Delaware, where signs are suggestions, signals are recommendations and lines on the pavement are decoration. I've also noticed that there are no shoulders, just extra lanes (you guys and gals from DE know what I'm talking about, I95 @ Christiana)

 

pffft........whatever

 

Definitely a difference between yield and merge. Keep in mind, though, that people who are merging from a street that is ending and onto another street must yield. Not stop, but yield.

Now if you're talking about when a car making a right turn onto a street with traffic, while their own direction has a red, then damn those people who just gun it right there really piss me off. There's one of those intersections about a block from my house, and the people always think that just because they have an area to drive, they're entitled to it. The worst (in that scenario) is when you're making a left onto the street they're trying to make a right onto. (bad grammar, I know)... You have the green, they have the red/yield, but somehow they think they have the right of way! Crazy!

I need to stop now. My blood is starting to boil.

WDP.

 

Sorry!! Mine boils just about every day on the way into work.