We have an intersection that’s on my daily commute that is similar to this in that it’s two four lane thoroughfares that cross at an angle, and people regularly blow through the red lights at high speed. On just about any major intersection I always hold back and do a three Mississippi before I pull out.
I saw a Ford Exploder get nailed one time when they started to cross a six lane road from the side road on a green light and a dump truck came through at speed from the other direction and T-boned the Exploder. I am sure the Exploder driver was seriously injured if not killed. I called 911 after seeing the impact. It was not something I ever want to see again. -D > On Jun 5, 2017, at 12:21 AM, Karl Wittnebel via Mercedes > <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > Man I could not agree more about the importance of the car weight/size. > > Yesterday I am at Sunset and Barrington. Four lanes on Sunset plus a turn > lane in the middle. Two going my direction on Barrington, headed left onto > eastbound sunset. I am in the right of two left turn lanes. > > The two roads are nearly parallel, then barrington does a little dog leg > left into the light at sunset. So it is almost a 150 degree left turn after > the light. A Tacoma was sitting next to me on my left, going my direction, > and we were both turning left. That is the hairpin direction, so not > possible to see oncoming cars from the left. > > After watching a number of cars sail through totally red lights here over > the years, and reading about accidents at this intersection, I adopted The > Rule: I am never the first guy into ANY intersection after the light turns > green - under any circumstance. Guy next to me reading a paper? I am like a > zen master. If a two lane road, I am like a soap box derby car off the > line, but later and slower. > > So our left turn arrow turns green. I wait for the tacoma to go first. He > hesitates a couple of seconds, for whatever reason. No problem - I wait. He > meanders forward. I follow. We are both across lane #1, almost into lane 2 > when some crazy lady in a mid size suv blows through the intersection on > Sunset from the left at full tilt, going 40+. She is looking straight > forward, like nothing unusual is going on. Red lip stick. Short brown hair. > Maybe in her 50s. No braking, no panic, no swerving, no mouth open, no > apparent awareness of anything unusual - just driving. My hood ornament was > practically spinning. Then she is gone, and the day goes on, like a giant > meteor almost hit the earth, but didn't: the cretaceous extinction never > happened, and diplodocuses are still roaming around. > > I am so glad the Tacoma hesitated a bit, or she would have certainly taken > him into us. I am also glad that I did not cane it on the green, as the 4.2 > liter v8 would certainly have launched me out ahead of the Tacoma and into > the strike zone. I mean, we were really late getting out there, and STILL > almost got nailed. > > It is like being completely paranoid, then realizing they really are out to > get you. I was actually planning for that lady to do exactly what she did, > but not really expecting it to happen. > > Anyway I don't have much to say except maybe that I am calling my friend to > see if he will sell me the g55 back. If 3500 lb is good, 5500 is better. > When you see how much casual disregard for human life is all around you, it > is easy to get a bit jaded. > > > > > On Jun 4, 2017 5:00 PM, "Peter Frederick via Mercedes" < > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > This is why I drive them. Same sort of thing happened to me, guy in a work > van ran a traffic light and hit me in the driver's door. Battered but > alive, car was a mess. > > Peter > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
