This is a great point. But I think it's incomplete. I also try to verify (by looking both ways) that cross-traffic is stopping before I put myself in the danger zone. Even if I'm not first in line at a light.
Have you ever tried to travel with someone else driving an old car? My friend Ed and I where driving to a cruise (In Kingston N.Y his home town foreign territory for me.) I was driving my 53 Chevy two door post, he was driving his 56 Chevy Handyman wagon. What a bitch that was! He was leading people kept getting in between us several times people would cut behind him and in front of me to get from the left lane to the right turn lane, twice this made me miss the light at an intersection, the first time after I crossed the intersection slowed to let Ed in (who had stopped and waited on the shoulder) and someone from four or five cars back tried to pass on the shoulder and just about tail-ended Ed's wagon. It would seem fairly obvious that two old car are traveling together, but if that wasn't enough I would think the sound of two straight piped hot rodded Chevy sixies (Ed's a 235 mine a 261) would have done it! I really think we are more sensitive about it with our old cars, there is a lack of respect in general when it comes to driving. I leave for work at 4:45 A.M. I drive the speed limit in towns 30 or 35 M.P.H. 55 M.P.H. on the state roads. I have people pass me like I threw a parachute out. They pass on double solid lines, blind corners, at the crest of hills. People have no respect or fear of what can happen to them behind the wheel of a car!
In the urban areas near me, it is rather common for people to just ignore red lights. One day I am waiting to turn left at a light. Light turns yellow. Light turns red. Traffic keeps coming. Here comes a morbidly obese woman in a car full of passengers. I stab the gas & go straight for her. Then hit the brakes. I see her mouth open wide & her arm going up to cover her face. She slows markedly but keeps on going (she is well over the speed limit) I took perverse humor in that... I am really bad...
When I have my old [92] F150 I have perverse humor too. If I get a single finger salute it just tickles me...
In my experience it sometimes depends on where you're driving too. We live in a pretty small town, around 14,000 people, and people are pretty mellow driver's. A ten minute drive and you're in a city near a quarter million people are always driving like they have a firecracker up their assess. Sent from my moto z4 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That's one reason why I go out to the country gravel roads, just better be way over to right side of the road going over hills. And no, I don't have to worry about the hundred dollar paint job on my tbird. LoL. And in case some of you forget, hotrodders are not usually considered the best drivers!!!
Man, I was just noticing that this weekend, and I drive a big 'ol shoebox! I swear when I drive my truck, or even my little suv daily driver, nobody pulls out in front of me. But every damn time I'm in the box someone wants to see if they can kill me by pulling out in front of me, lol. God Bless the disc brake upgrade.... This is why I don't ride motorcycles any more. Too many bad drivers, and just increased traffic in general.
Where I am I am literally afraid to take my '55 T-Bird out on the road or any of my old cars and trucks. Gas and oil trucks of all sizes from single axle to multiple axle trucks and tractor trailers. Trucks marked :Oversize Load" with nothing. All over the double yellow line on your side of the road. Then you have all of the honda cars with young kids in a hurry and they don't want stuck behind an old slow car.
Size doesn't matter. My daily driver is an OT GMC crew cab dually and I still have people pulling out in front of me as if they can't see a truck that size. Many times they've run a stop sign doing it
Been going on for a long time. Try driving a motorhome sometime. Be on a multi-lane divided highway, and the small car herders pull in front of you and then slow down. Dad and I had an imaginary bazooka mounted on the side of the motorhome. Some days we fired that thing so many times, we ran out of imaginary shells! Jon.
Oh yeah. In my way to work one of the highways goes from two lanes to four for a few miles to allow passing. Every day almost, I'm behind someone doing 45 in a 55. When the passing lane arrives, they all of the sudden want to drive 70. As soon as the passing lane ends, back to 45.....lmao.
In Iraq back in 2003 we had an answer for any road hog that wanted our side of the road. You cannot count the times that I wish it was back up above my head. I could give the command, "Gunner, incoming 12 O clock". The response would be "Identified". Fire. Boy would I be in sooooooooooo much trouble.
Todays cars are so comfortable and easy to drive with brakes that can stop on a dime people just take everything for granted. I still drive like my vehicle likeit has drum brakes and you need to think about how to stop, todays drivers don't even think anymore.
Was gonna say it’s fortunate I always forget my rocket launcher at home, ^^but I think that’s been covered^^
I've been riding motorcycles for almost 50 years now and one of the first things I learned was to ride like you're invisible. Now I take it one step further and ride like people can see me and are trying to kill me. So far it's worked.
Yesterday, going into town on a two lane state highway, I topped a hill to see an ambulance with lights and siren going coming at me on my side of the road. I dove to the right and as the ambulance passed I could see the driver looking at his phone. I said several bad things about his parentage.
The Jalopy Journal
