I decided that my first submission to the list would be this...
I commute 50 miles to work everyday each way through some of the worst
roads NYC can throw at me. If any of you have driven the BQE, Belt
Parkway, Van Wyck, Cross Bronx etc... you know exactly what I'm talking
about.
The reason these roads are so bad is simple. SLOW MOVERS AND SUPER FAST
MOVERS. In the year I've been driving to work, I've seen 3 different
accidents which were caused by these offenders.
In one instance, a slow mover decided to get on the highway (I-95) @
approx. 10 mph without a big enough hole in the traffic flow. I did the
obligatory swerve into the center lane (thank god there wasn't anyone
there.) The poor guy behind me didn't quite clear (late response due to
not seeing the slow mover. I was in the way). SMACK!!! I'm sure the slow
mover gets on at 5 mph now.
On another instance, a fast mover thinks the interborough parkway
(Brooklyn to Queens) is scaled down version of the autobahn (spelling?).
He came from behind me doing about 20 MPH more than the average speed,
weaving in and out of traffic on this swervy 2 laner without ever hitting
the brakes. 1/2 hour and 10 miles later I passed him up with all 4 wheels
in the sky. Guaranteed he clipped someone and lost control. And it was
such a nice Lexus, too.
The final item I saw was a slow mover cruising along in the left lane of
the Van Wyck Expressway (at night, when traffic actually does move faster
than 10 mph). I was pacing him 300 feet behind in the right lane with my
Midget (cruising along at a respectable top speed of 50 mph ;) ) Someone
moving along at the average traffic speed pulls up behind the slow mover
and gives the brights, once. After a few seconds s/he drops back a little
and changes into the center lane and speeds up. BANG!!!. The slow mover
changed lanes without looking and plowed into the average mover. I nearly
messed myself as they careened indecisively between the center and left
lanes. If they went right after the hit into my lane, well lets just say
the Midget really isn't a big safe car (if you don't count maneuverability
as a safety feature). I'd have been part of a 1998 classic, the Midget
sandwich.
The moral of the story is that the cause of most accidents (IMHO, of
course) is that the people who cannot (or refuse) to drive at the speed of
traffic don't belong on the highways. The only exceptions are the slow
movers in the right lane. BUT STAY THERE!!! TO do otherwise puts yourself
and the other cars driving with you at risk.
BTW: I've never had a problem with truckers, either. Percentages?
Maybe. Luck? Probably.
Mike
'78 Midget (still recovering from a trip to the mechanic)
'87 300zx (with a burnt out digital dash for several months, and no
speeding tickets, ever. That move along at the speed of traffic thing
really works).
s
Keith Turk wrote:
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