god I'm tired of stupidity (1 Viewer)

[Leila Dougan]

I should have been paying attention to the car coming up behind me, generally I do because it IS so common to get rear ended here.

Just curious, but what do you expect to do? Let's say you're sitting stopped at a light with plenty of traffic moving across the intersection in front of you and you notice a car approaching quickly behind you. Do you jump out of your car, do you pull out into the intersection, do you honk?

Incidentally, I do pay attention to cars pulling up behind me as well. In fact, when I got rear-ended a number of years ago I anticipated the accident before it happened. While I could brace myself for impact, I still got hit and cars still got damaged. Honestly, aside from the advanced warning, I fail to see how this makes the situation any better. How does it make you a better defensive driver?

 

[AllanN]

Even if you are a defensive driver, sometimes stuff just happens....

 

[Philip_G]

Just curious, but what do you expect to do? Let's say you're sitting stopped at a light with plenty of traffic moving across the intersection in front of you and you notice a car approaching quickly behind you. Do you jump out of your car, do you pull out into the intersection, do you honk?

if you're on a motorcycle you split between the cars in front of you and let one of the cars get hit. If you're in front in a car you can always blow the light if you see the car approaching soon enough and think "hrm, he may not stop" and check for traffic spacing, if you're not in front you're basically hosed, many more options on 2 wheels than 4 though, basically you just leave yourself an out when you can on a bike and be alert in a car, expect the other idiot to do exactly what they shouldn't
as a side note, please remember, if you're turning left don't turn your wheels until you start to roll for the turn, if you get rear ended it can push you right into oncoming traffic, I read a story about a motorcylist getting hit and badly injured a few weeks ago in just such a situation.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

You do know though that accidents happen.

Except that, strictly speaking, almost none of the things being discussed here are "accidents". An accident isn't when you didn't mean to do something stupid or destructive, it is when you did so because of circumstances totally beyond your control. If a defective tire blows out when you're doing sixty-five, the resulting mess is an accident. If you side-swipe another car doing sixty-five because you didn't bother to "check six" before changing lanes it isn't an "accident", even though you didn't intend to hit the other car. It is negligence pure and simple. 90% to 95% of the "accidents" that happen on the roads everyday are caused by human carelessness and stupidity, not by acts of God, Nature, or things otherwise beyond the individual's control. (Make that "beyond the in-DUH-vidual's control.") They are entirely preventable, which means they ain't "accidents".

Regards,

Joe

 

[Philip_G]

P.S. this is by far the most popular thread (views wise) I've ever posted, so this is what I gotta do to get some views around here?

 

[Tim Markley]

At least two dumb fucks that cut me off like that gave ME the finger after I honked my horn at them

That's what really gets me. Some idiot pulls some stupid stunt, endangering everyone around them and then turns around and flips me off when I honk at them. It's the old "Screw you. I'll drive however I want." attitude.

 

[Philip_G]

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa my neck is fucking killing me and I ave to go do a 30 minute presentation in class tonight [/whining]

 

[Jeff Peake]

Was is George Carlin that said (paraphrase):

You know how dumb the average person is....well its scary to think that half of the people in the world are even dumber.

Of course he was confusing means and averages, but you get the point!

Jeff

 

[Jason Hughes]

Somewhat OT, but it pertains to stupid (I mean stoooooopid) people.

I returned three six-packs of beer to the CVS across the street the other day. Three of them. The empty bottles actually in the cardboard carriers they came in. Ok, now here is the tricky part. THREE SIX-packs of beer. Eighteen beers right? Well, the kid at the counter counted them, one through eighteen. He touched every single one of them as he counted.

I weep for the future of this world.

 

[Julian Reville]

I got rear-ended 6 weeks ago and the asshole had no insurance, of course. I'm out my $250 deduct, and [rant]it was my first new car!!![/rant] It got "fixed", but the plastic molding has scratches, the new bumper doesn't fit quite right, and it has a whistle when the windows are down. I get pissed every time I look at it.

 

[BrianW]

Jason, that's incredible. Did he have to take off his shoes and use his toes?
Joseph, that was a fascinating article. Thanks for posting the link.
As far as "driving defensively" when you're stopped at an intersection, if you see that you're about to get rear ended and you have absolutely nowhere to go, pressing hard on the brake pedal and setting the parking brake will result in the car absorbing more energy of the impact, and your body absorbing less.
Oh, and the whole "Stupid Sign" monologue was originated by comedian Bill Ingval, an old classmate of mine from high school. He came up with a lot of great stuff, but he especially enjoyed talking about stupid people.

 

[Mitty]

You know what? I'm one of the stupid people. Is there anything I can do to be smarter? Is there a book I can read? Maybe Intelligence for Dummies or something like that?
It's funny, I've looked for an online support group for stupidity, but there aren't any. Aren't there any people like me, who know they're stupid?
Are any of you guys stupid but afraid to admit it? I think the world would be a kinder, gentler place for us morons if we could just band together and look to each other for support and guidance. I guess the biggest problem is that you have to at least be smart enough to KNOW you're stupid. Most of us aren't quite smart enough to know we're stupid and thus go around thinking that we're, like, smart. If only we could reach those people. It's so tough being on the very cusp of clever and stupid.

 

[Brian Bunn]

Mitty...nail...head.
I am of the belief that we as a human race are basically...stupid. The evidence is overwhelming. Basic human behavior is stupid in many respects. We all do stupid things. Nobody is immune to it. Take the conflict in the Middle East for example. It has always been that way and it always will be. And it basically boils down to...stupidity...ignorance...the basic barbaric tendencies of the human race...which boils down to stupidity and ignorance. And it will never be resolved because the ignorance will always be there.
Yeah that is stupidity on a more global scale but there are examples of it on a smaller scale all around us. And we are all a part of it. It is just the human condition.
That is my take on the matter anyway. Of course I could be wrong and may only be showing my ignorance right here and now!

 

[Markus Lidstrom]

Everyone makes mistakes. For every fender bender these people get in, they stop properly 100000 times.

 

[Julian Reville]

Everyone makes mistakes. For every fender bender these people get in, they stop properly 100000 times.

This is true, and I have made my share of mistakes, but some people seem to make multiple mistakes all at one time, which I call being reckless. The guy who hit me:
1- had no insurance
2- was driving too fast for conditions (doing about 40 on a city street, in front of a hospital, in a pouring rain
3- was stupid and took me for stupid (told me the brakes on his 2002 Durango "didn't work"
4- was a jerk (NEVER, not once, asked me if I was OK, after knocking my car 30 ft out in to the intersection).

But these people are everywhere, so other than becoming a hermit. I don't know what else to do other than just keep paying insurance and hoping for the best.

 

[Gary Harris]

I got rear-ended a few years ago by a guy driving a 1 ton truck pulling a loaded horse trailer. He'd been driving all night coming back from the States. I was waiting to turn into my driveway. He hit me hard enough, it broke the seat I was in. I suffered whiplash for awhile but it scared the absolute bejesus out of me. I still look in my rear view mirror when I'm waiting to turn in somewhere. BTW, I was alone at the time. An hour earlier, I had my Mother in the passenger seat & my two teenagers in the back seat with no headrests. It was a Toyota extended cab pickup so the window was directly behind their heads. I've never let anyone sit in the back seat since.

 

[Andrew W]

You know what? I'm one of the stupid people. Is there anything I can do to be smarter? Is there a book I can read? Maybe Intelligence for Dummies or something like that?

Well, a few things that work for me:

1) Know your limitations. Stupid people don't think they have any.

2) Do one thing at a time and do it well. (Especially driving)

3) Don't just learn from your own mistakes. Learn from other idiot's mistakes too.

4) Think about optimal ways to deal with situations in advance. Example: In the grocery store, you can write out part of your check while standing in line or you can wait until the clerk tell you the amount, then go digging through your purse and then realize your checkbook is out of checks while everyone behind you is fuming because you are so stupid....

 

[Leila Dougan]

Most of the time I can handle stupidity in general, just as long as the person is nice about it! Ya know, we all do braindead things, but at least admit you did a braindead thing and apologize! There's nothing worse when someone goes out of their way to maximize the chance for a stupid moment (no insurance, doing 10 things at once, etc), screws up, then is pissed at YOU! Just do your best to prevent the stupid moment and if and when it occurs, own up to your mistakes and deal with the consequences.

 

[Mark C Sherman]

OK, This has Be one of the Biggest acts of Stupidity I have ever seen. Again How do these people Function in Life.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/lumber.htm

 

[Mike__D]

According to Dictionary.com:
stu·pid (stpd, sty-)
adj. stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est
1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.
2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.
3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake.
4. Dazed, stunned, or stupefied.
5. Pointless; worthless: a stupid job.
I'm far from perfect, and there are things I'm stupid at and realize it (like grammar and spelling :b) . But when it comes to driving, I'm far from stupid, unlike many people I see on the road.
Mike D.