The Burlingames » Bad/Stupid Drivers

Eve of Destruction

Dave — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:17:33 +0000

Once again, I must say thank you to Elko Speedway for bringing us one of the greatest events imaginable: the Eve of Destruction. Many races were run, from cars to motorcycles. Monster trucks smashed old cars, school buses raced, dirt bike riders did trick jumps, but the highlight of the evening was the spectator race.

The two fastest cars were a 90′s Camaro and a 90′s Corvette. The Camaro won the first matchup. Later the same group of cars came out for a second chance. This time, the Corvette forced the Camaro up the track by taking the turn very wide. Instead of braking and saving his car, the Camaro tried to push on and ended up putting it into the wall, causing some serious damage. He did not look happy after stopping. The crowd, however, loved it.

Posted in Bad/Stupid Drivers, Random

Another Gas Station Idiot

Dave — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:59:12 +0000

While waiting at a light in Fridley tonight, I was amazed to see another incidence of gas station stupidity. Tonight’s genius was exiting the gas station. I’ll set the stage.

I was stopped at the light on 73rd at Hwy 65. 73rd has three lanes as you approach the intersection: left turn, straight and right turn. The light was red and there were about five cars or so in front of me in the straight lane. The left lane was empty and the right lane had maybe one or two cars waiting. On my left, a couple car-lengths ahead, was a truck waiting to leave a gas station and turn left onto 73rd, which would send him the same direction I was pointed.

He pulled out of the station into the left turn lane, cutting off a car that was headed for the light. The other car laid on the horn and locked up the brakes. Then, rather than hurrying up to the light, the truck just sat there a few car lengths away from the light, blocking the vehicle behind who wanted to turn left. He continued to sit there even after the green arrow disappeared and the straight green came on. A few cars went straight, giving the truck’s driver his chance. He cut in front of the third or fourth car in the straight lane and proceeded to wait for the cars in the right turn lane to go. He finally turned right onto Hwy 65 and sped away.

The dumbest thing about this is the lack of thought on the truck driver’s part. The gas station had another exit further back on 73rd, which would have allowed the truck to get behind all the stopped cars and into the right turn lane with ease. That’s one of those spots where the city needs to do the thinking for the drivers by putting a median between the lanes, thereby blocking that exit from turning left onto 73rd. The day after they did that I’d probably see some rube drive over the median to turn left.

Posted in Bad/Stupid Drivers

Almost Accident (Followed by an Accident)

Dave — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:41:40 +0000

I narrowly escaped yet another accident in Fridley this week. I was driving my work truck on a city street, passing a gas station on my right. A woman coming from the opposite direction signalled a left turn, wanting to turn into the gas station I was approaching. She appeared to be slowing down like she was going to wait to turn until I had gone by. As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, she did not wait; she turned in front of me very late. I layed on the horn and slammed on the brakes, skidding on the pavement. She then realized her error and hit the gas harder to get out of my way. She just made it; I couldn’t have missed her by more than a foot or two.

However, the story doesn’t end there. In her haste to get out of my way, she ran straight into the front of a car coming out of the gas station because she was too busy looking at me and not where she was going. Oops.

Posted in Bad/Stupid Drivers, Work

Today's Idiot Report

Dave — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:51:21 +0000

I’ve been back at work since Wednesday of last week. My ankle was a bit sketchy last week, but has been improving by leaps and bounds this week. Praise God for good progress.

I was sitting at a light today in the right-turn lane behind another car, waiting for my turn to go. Suddenly, a motorcycle passed me (and the next car) on the right. There was no gap in the traffic, but he pulled out and turned right anyway, racing up the shoulder until he matched speeds with the cars next to him. He cut in front of one car, causing them to brake, and then cut into the next lane as well.

After he had gone, I looked to see how much space I had left between the curb and my truck. The side was only about 2 feet from the curb. I don’t know how he made it through without rubbing the curb and eating it. What a moron. Perhaps even more amazing is that the guy wasn’t some young punk on a crotchrocket, but an old, ZZ Top-looking guy on a medium-size cruiser.

Red Lights Are Not Stop Signs

Dave — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:13:05 +0000

It’s been awhile since my last bad driver post, and it’s not because people are suddenly better drivers; I’ve just been lazy in reporting.

We’ve all seen the guy that stops at a red light and then slowly creeps into the intersection, either trying to anticipate the light changing or thinking their movement will cause it to change. Well, the one I saw today must have given up on waiting for the light to change and just decided to go through the red. Moron.

More Idiots

Dave — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:28:38 +0000

It’s been an amazingly long time since I’ve seen somebody do something stupid on the road. They seem to come in bunches, though. Yesterday, on my way to Fridley, some guy was weaving in and out of traffic, cutting off cars like crazy. At one point he moved from the far left lane of 694 through the middle lane and into the right lane in one quick motion. In doing so he cut off a minivan that, fortunately, saw it coming and braked. If he hadn’t, the guy would have hit him. What makes it more stupid is he only passed one or two cars and then quickly moved all the way back into the left lane.

Later I saw a woman driving with a completely flat tire. She was just rolling down the street, trying to destroy her rim. She was looking around like she knew it was flat (she had to know; her window was rolled down and it was making a lot of noise) and was looking for a good place to stop. Mind you, she was on a city street; any place is a good place to stop. She even drove past a couple big parking lots. Maybe she thought it would be less expensive to buy a new rim rather than pay for towing. Somehow, I doubt it.

More Idiots

Dave — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:28:38 +0000

Two In One Day

Dave — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:29:27 +0000

I have several stops near the Northtown Mall for work. On my way to one of them, I was shocked to see a car on my side of the road. This person didn’t simply drift across the center line because there was no center line; there was a median dividing the two eastbound lanes from the westbound. This was my second bad driver encounter of the day.

I’m actually quite surprised that I don’t see more stupidity on the road. One thing that helps is my primary area includes an industrial area with very little car traffic. Not surprisingly, the drivers seem to get dumber the closer I get to the mall. Oh well.

Moron

Dave — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:55:00 +0000

I just got back from the post office and on my way home I spotted yet another stupid driver. He stopped at the red light I was also approaching and then proceeded to turn left through the red. And, before you ask, it was not a one-way street. I wonder if he thinks lights work like stop signs. Moron.

Moron

Dave — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:21:19 +0000

On the way home from church today I witnessed one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in a car. I exited 94 onto Ruth St. Another car was about two car-lengths behind me. All of a sudden, a car came flying up on the left and cut in right between me and the car behind. He got right up on my bumper because he was going so fast in order to catch up and cut between us. I wasn’t going very fast as the light at the end of the exit was red and there were already about five cars stopped at the light. He rode my bumper a long way up the exit until it widened out and I moved into the left lane. He also moved into the left lane for a moment, but then switched into the right, presumably to avoid the five or six cars turning left. Did he turn right? No. He turned left. From the RIGHT lane. Through a RED light. And to top things off, after making the turn, he looked out his window and flipped us off. What a guy. Where’s a cop when you wanna see somebody get theirs?