Crazy wreck just next door (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

I thought I was clear on that: Spring break!

 

[Carlo_M]

Max, to get the point of my rant, you need to examine what it is that the driving instructor is trying to do:

Shock the person with a factoid that most accidents happen near home, as if that was an unexpected or surprising statistic.

But the fact is, we do most of our driving NEAR home, so of course chances are much greater we will get in an accident near home. That was my point (that it should NOT be shocking that most accidents occur near home). And that driving instructors shouldn't get that self-satisfied look that they just dropped the most novel and unique insight possible upon a new driver. In fact, I remember at 15 thinking "of course, duh!"

 

[Max Leung]

Shock the person with a factoid that most accidents happen near home, as if that was an unexpected or surprising statistic.

Um, but the intent of my posting that statistic wasn't to shock anybody! Only to show that being safer driving near home is a myth, as Morgan had previously claimed. If he hadn't have said that, then the fact would never have been brought up in the first place!
I can say that wearing condoms would reduce the risk of contracting AIDS. It is obvious to us here in the western world, but would be a revelation in, for example, a tribe in Africa, who would not have known this at all. Then there'd be the guy who would barge into the middle of the conversation, ranting about how it is so stupidly obvious: "Why bother bringing it up! Everybody knows that! You're just saying that because you enjoy trying to shock the guy!", oblivious to the fact that the guy hadn't a clue!
Not to mix strange analogies, or anything.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

First of all I personally don't believe age should be the criteria but intelligence and reaction time. I personally believe most wrecks are caused by poor decisions (risk assessment, driving while drunk, pushing a light, etc) and complicated by people with poor reaction times (not being able to judge their speed and others, not being able to do a manuveur, pretty much bad instincts). If these two things were the prerequisite I think this would solve more road problems than they'd cause.

The other reasons to wear a seat belt is simply so the driver stays behind the wheel and the passengers stay off the driver's lap. I witnessed what should of been a simple side swipe about 8 years ago that turned leathal because the passenger managed to land in the drivers area and it seemed obvious he couldn't reach the wheel to control the vehicle (if you would of seen this you know this vehicle would not have strayed across the center if the driver had his hand on the wheel). I was a newly certified EMT at the time and an off duty nurse was there as well and I know that one person there died before the paramedics could rush her to the hospital and all this would of been avoided if seatbelts were simply used. The other thing that shocks me is when people belt up the baby and not themselves, I guess that means at least an orphan will come out of that wreck.

Contrary to that stupid "I'll be thrown from the wreck mentalily" that some have you are almost alway safer in a vehicle during a wreck. It amazes me that some have the "law of physics don't apply when I go to the convience store" when less than a mile a way at mine has a wreck at that intersection every other day.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

One thing I will not do, and the law in this state doesn't require, is wear a lap-only belt such as in an old car or in the back seat of a not-so-old car. It won't make much difference if I'm thrown from the vehicle or snapped in two at the waist.

 

[Carlo_M]

Max, I wasn't ranting against YOU, I think that's where you're getting mixed up. You may not have been trying to shock us, but inform us. That's fine
BUT:
I have heard that line from both driving instructors I had when I was 14-15 (the high-school one and a private one) and once from when I had to go to traffic school to work off my only speeding ticket in 12 years of driving.
ALL THREE said the nugget of information as if it was the most revelatory thing in the universe. That's what I was talking about, which is why my original post said:

Sorry, I just love this one. Where driving instructors try to shock their audience by saying...

So please don't think I'm attacking you because I'm not and it was never my intent to. I'm simply referring back to all three instructors who had that smarmy look on their face as they said it, as if to imply "Look how much smarter I am than you because I can recite this factoid!" - that's all.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[AjayM]

I don't see how people can excuse this type of stuff, where are the parents in this situation and what the hell is a kid doing driving around in a $30k SUV? I was a crazy dumb-ass teen driver just like all of us probably were, but I did know to where a seatbelt, I did know that if I were going to be drinking not to drive, I did know when it was the wrong time to drive like an idiot. Kids are still going to drive like idiots, they are going to drive to fast, etc....but at least teach them to be a little responsible for themselves and those in the cars with them.

Andrew

 

[Max Leung]

Ok Carlo! Those crazy darn instructors!
Oh, and what is "Defensive driving" anyways? I used to hear that term a lot in the '80s, and in the 90's people would look down on that term in disdain.
I used to live on a killer intersection. The busiest 7-11 in Canada was at this location, and a block away from the busiest road in south Calgary. In the spring and summer of 2000, there used to be a wreck in that intersection every 3 days, at all times of the day and night! My roommate would be awakened at 2 AM (I would miss it because of my loud window fan) by the squealing of tires and the inevitable crash.
It got better when the City of Calgary changed the signal lights all along that road...

 

[Danny R]

FYI, one of the kids in the wreck died last saturday. The police are deciding on whether to charge the driver with vehicular homicide now.

 

[Zane Johnson]

When i turned 16 i drove a POS that would only go about 75mph downhill... but i loved it, it was mine and mine alone...well it started having problems and i begin to look for new cars...after lots of convincing my parents i was mature enough and not an idiot i got a Mitsubishi turbo eclipse. My parents did not buy this car for me, i make payments on it every month and for the amount i pay i know way better than to drive it stupid or drink and drive for fear of losing all the money i have into it by wrecking it... i take care of and i hardly ever speed, i don't street race, and i never have more than one friend in the car with me at a time...

trust me, there are mature 16,17,and 18 year old kids out there...but i do believe that if they want a nice car when there a teen they should pay for it themselves and be taught how to drive it correctly....

 

[BrianW]

Thanks, Zane. You've restored a little of my faith in humanity. Given your common sense and maturity, I believe you've got a good life ahead of you.