Self-Thinning of the Herd (Witnessing Dangerous/Stupid Behavior on the Road)

I'm sure everyone has witnessed people on the road (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists) doing stupid things that put their lives in danger. Any specific instances come to mind?

2 rules:

1. Specifics only - no 'running reds' or j-walking'. Details needed.
2. Only instances that put the perp in danger. No 'this car almost ran this cyclist over' but 'this car sped across the tracks as the gates were coming down' yes.

 

Calling them out not needed, but it makes for a better read.

Coming up Halsted around Irving, I pass a cyclist on her cell phone. I look back at her while passing. She blows through the red light at Broadway and Montrose, then she's back on her cell phone coming up to Leland. I look back at her again and this exchange takes place:

Her: Do you have a problem?
Me: Just don't want to see you get killed.
Her: Ok, don't watch.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ricardo Cervantes on July 25, 2010 at 3:18pm
Just be careful out there. I've lost loved ones.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 25, 2010 at 3:34pm
Nicely done Howard. See that it was a cyclist acting in a boneheaded manner called out by another cyclist and completely ignore the fact that not only have I made it an equal-opportunity offender thread "I'm sure everyone has witnessed people on the road (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists) doing stupid things that put their lives in danger." but in my second rule, I've listed an example that involves a AUTOMOBILE and a TRAIN.

H3N3 said:
While you were having this exchange 27 people in huge deadly behemoths whizzed by while texting, posting to message boards from their dashboards, and fiddling with their GPS, MP3 player, sandwich, and girlfriend/boyfriend (well, I guess that last one would really be "diddling") and almost killed both of you.
And since they were rendered inaccessible by their speed, size, weight, and rolled up (tinted) windows you chose to pile on to the cyclist instead.
Don't we have enough of these "stupid cyclist" threads?
Permalink Reply by cutifly on July 25, 2010 at 5:50pm
I rant, you rant, but the Tank is not ranting and the word 'stupid' is used in conjunction with all modes of transport in this thread not just 'cyclist'. Taken out of context and incorrectly paraphrased to change the actual meaning of words to make someone look like a hater when they are just the opposite. Next election I vote for you.

H3N3 said:
Ryan,
I read your post, thanks. I was responding specifically to your rant about the cyclist.
Cyclists get it from all sides-- it's sad that, on top of drivers screaming at you and swerving at you you can't get from A to B on your bike without a cyclist coming down on you for some perceived infraction as well.
If it was your goal to encourage her to ride safely I think you could have thought of a better way to get that across, no?
What did you think of her comeback?
Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on July 26, 2010 at 1:23am
If someone is doing something stupid and unsafe, they deserve to get piled on. Doesn't matter if they are using your own preferred method of transportation or not. No more than it matters if they are of your race, or of you socioeconomic group.

Riding a bike doesn't give you a free pass to be an idiot just as driving a car doesn't either.

H3N3 said:
Ryan,
I read your post, thanks. I was responding specifically to your rant about the cyclist.
Cyclists get it from all sides-- it's sad that, on top of drivers screaming at you and swerving at you you can't get from A to B on your bike without a cyclist coming down on you for some perceived infraction as well.
If it was your goal to encourage her to ride safely I think you could have thought of a better way to get that across, no?
What did you think of her comeback?
Permalink Reply by Old Tom on July 26, 2010 at 2:53am
This morning as I sat on my balcony I saw more than a dozen cyclists blow through the 4 way stop at 14th and Indiana. What I mean is they didn't even slow down and check if the coast was clear; just pedaled right through as though oblivious. I didn't see any cars or even much maligned SUVs fail to stop.
Permalink Reply by igz on July 26, 2010 at 2:58am
this turned into an arguement of 'mind your own biznezz' vs. 'calling out dumbasses in hope of some salvation of our peers'.

i myself am torn on bring up someones dumbassness to them vs letting the darwinian theories of survival and propogation of the dumbassness gene prevail.

on one hand, we have compassionate efforts as good sumaritans (as Ryan was offering to this young dumbassness lady) (which was returned with apathy for her or well being and ill regard towards her caring bicycling peers), and on the other, a reminding that too many people as dumb assholes, we are over populated as a species, and for those that do continue the human race, should not be passing on the dumbassness genes to subsequent populations.

im not saying she deserves to get hit, but she deserves it if she gets hit. (by a car, by a cyclist, by a pedestrian, by a train). why? she is now one with the personality of the operators of the huge deadly behemoths whizzed by while texting, posting to message boards from their dashboards, and fiddling with their GPS, MP3 player, sandwich, and girlfriend/boyfriend, as she will not have control to counteract such behemoth mishandlings, only contribute to the efforts of natural selection, and ultimately, 'self thinning of the herd'.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 26, 2010 at 3:43am
Well said, and much nicer than I was going to say it as well.

Adam "Cezar" Jenkins said:
If someone is doing something stupid and unsafe, they deserve to get piled on. Doesn't matter if they are using your own preferred method of transportation or not. No more than it matters if they are of your race, or of you socioeconomic group.

Riding a bike doesn't give you a free pass to be an idiot just as driving a car doesn't either.

H3N3 said:
Ryan,
I read your post, thanks. I was responding specifically to your rant about the cyclist.
Cyclists get it from all sides-- it's sad that, on top of drivers screaming at you and swerving at you you can't get from A to B on your bike without a cyclist coming down on you for some perceived infraction as well.
If it was your goal to encourage her to ride safely I think you could have thought of a better way to get that across, no?
What did you think of her comeback?
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 26, 2010 at 3:48am
These are all spread out over some time but they stick with me because they are all basically the same thing.

Driving down whatever major road I was on at the time (I know one was Milwaukee and one was Armitage but I forget the the other two for sure). Overtaking a cyclist and giving them plenty of room only to have them, unexpectedly, veer into the lane in front of my faster overtaking vehicle for no reason beyond total and complete distraction combined with terrible bike handling skills.

One was a young lady on a cruiser texitng at twilight.
One was a young man on his phone.
One was a young man playing with his iPod.
The last was a young lady talking on her phone.

In each case I had to hit the brakes HARD; in one case it cause all of the stuff in my van to fly forward with enough force to break things. Had I not been paying attention anyone of those people would have been dead.
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on July 26, 2010 at 4:37am
Actually, I love the answer... "OK, don't watch."
Permalink Reply by igz on July 26, 2010 at 4:54am
tho rude...yeah, that was smart. i do give her cred for it.

Kevin Conway said:
Actually, I love the answer... "OK, don't watch."
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on July 26, 2010 at 5:34am
I was struck dumb by her comeback, and then I started laughing. She might as well have said "I don't care if I get run over while talking on my phone while on my bike." It was more her response than any beef I have with other cyclists that influenced my thread title, as harsh as it may be. After all, how does one respond to someone who essentially says that a phone call is more important than his or her life? I don't know.

H3N3 said:
Ryan,
I read your post, thanks. I was responding specifically to your rant about the cyclist.
Cyclists get it from all sides-- it's sad that, on top of drivers screaming at you and swerving at you you can't get from A to B on your bike without a cyclist coming down on you for some perceived infraction as well.
If it was your goal to encourage her to ride safely I think you could have thought of a better way to get that across, no?
What did you think of her comeback?
Permalink Reply by Arrak Thumrs on July 26, 2010 at 5:45am
Well, you asked for it... When I was a teenager, I had been downtown until late at night. I was driving home to the western 'burbs with a friend of mine. We travelled down Congress, passed the post office, and immediately hit a traffic jam. I also distinctly remember the moon was in one of those phases where it is very low to the horizon and very, very large.

While going absolutely nowhere, parked in the middle of the Eisenhower, there was a gang of motorcyclists on crotch-rocket machines weaving recklessly up through the stopped cars between the lanes. Some, when the gap presented itself, were pulling stunts or burn-outs. My friend in the passenger seat decides to roll down his window and scream at them, frustrated with the slow going. "Fu$%^$%, I hope you DIE!!". They keep going and don't even give us an angry glance trying to balance their bikes through the gap---some with their girlfriends riding passenger on the rear.

After a long while, traffic opens up. I forget what it was, but the police had most (all?) the lanes blocked about a 1/2 mile ahead. We clear the jam and have a very open road ahead of us. I come up to speed and it is clear sailing until a little after Austin. I see one of the motorcyclists stopped against the inner barrier up ahead. I notice others in the roadway not far ahead. Next we pass a woman standing in the middle of the highway, crying and a steaming, tangled two-foot cube of metal against the barrier with a lumped canvas spread across the second innermost lane. A police officer was present. No ambulance yet, but it was clear one was not immediately needed at this point.

Let me tell you, the metal obviously used to be a motorcycle, but now it resembled no such machine whatsoever. It was exactly as described: a steaming cube of molten scrap. This guy must have lost control at least 80mph+

As you can imagine, my friend didn't say a single word the rest of the way home.

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