I can't tell you how many times I've had to take evasive maneuvering skills because someone pulled out of a side street when the roads wee slick with ice, even wet ice (almost no friction on wet ice) to avoid a collision. Usually, there was no one behind me at all, and the errant driver then pulled off the main street a block sown the road. I've even had to steer into snowbanks to avoid hitting other stupid drivers.
I'm not a big fan of cameras everywhere monitoring our every move. However, I sometimes wish there were cameras monitoring stretches of road just to capture such illegal actions as Failure to Yield right of Way, and police would show up ta the perpetrators home with a hefty fine.
I know that accidents will happen. But there are just some rude, and dangerous drivers out there that should have their driving privilege's revoked.
My best example is from when I was taking my drivers test with the Secretary of State officer who would say yay, or nay to me getting my first drivers license. My reflexes have always been fast, and i had a few years of driving snowmobiles, and dirt bikes under my belt, which further honed my skills. I was driving uphill on a four lane busy road. The weather was poor, rainy, and night time. I was in the right hand lane traveling the speed limit of 35 mph. There was a small grocery store just ahead where patrons would enter, or rxit their parking lot. just as I approached, a driver shot out of the parking lot, and I had no time to even hit the breaks to avoid a collision. Reflexively, i glanced left and saw the lane was clear, and shot into that lane. I was able to avoid what the inspector thought was going to be a sure collision. His knuckles were white as he gripped the arm rests. He turned to me and said that i had made a few minor mistakes, but that after avoiding that accident, I passed my driving tests, and the minor mistakes were forgotten. i responded with a thank you, and told him I couldn't have gotten into a wreck, as my older sister had let me borrow her car for the test, and if I had wrecked it, she would have killed me
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And yeh, I agree, when some new traffic signal, or process is installed, many are the people who misunderstand how to interpret them. We had our first roundabout installed at a very busy intersection. i saw people entering it and traveling the wrong direction on it, as they had no cue how to se it, or why there were two lanes in it. There were even a few accidents. And this is not anything against Canadian drivers, but it seemed travelers from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. ad more difficulty than their U.S. counterparts. To be fair, most Michiganders had a difficult time navigating the one-way streets of downtown Soo, Ont. I guess it's just what you're used to.
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North