Almost got killed!

[BrokenXenon]

coming back home from Queens, 2 cars ahead of me waiting for the left turn, so i cut into the right lane and stepped on the gas. all of sudden,
the 1st car who is trying to turn left turns RIGHT on me and he blocks the lane.
At this time, im going about 40+MPH on my 3rd gear and i have no where to go. I slammed on my brake so hard. my Toyo proxes4 were skidding but the grip was pretty good. I was pretty damn sure i'll hit this small SUV and roll it over but luckly i was able to fully stop in between the car and the side walk.

anyway the guy just drives away like nothing happened. I was very pissed off rather than shaking up from "almost an accident"

the only thing i dont get was that the driver blocked my lane (right) and he was the 1st car on the left and the lights were green. so why da h3ck he turn right if he can just go straight?
my car is d@mn low to go over those sidewalks and could have ripped out my bumper and my wheels! phew!

Is there something i could have done?
this is an incident where nobody was Hurt but
could have been the worst accident. and i am very pissed off right now becuz that @sshole just ran away. maybe my alignment went bad.

[OverSpun]

well... for 1, if you "nearly got killed" going 40 then you need to start wearing a seatbelt because i highly doubt you would have even come out with a scratch if you hit someone.

2nd, from what i read, you stopped soon enough to avoid an accident... so you actually think theres some sort of lawsuit or something you can file against someone who was stopped ahead of you? perhaps i can sue someone for breathing too loudly.

he didnt run away, he left because there wasnt an accident. thats not a hit and run.

i understand you were scared, and i bet your adrenaline was pumpin, but still.. you gotta realize your fine, your cars fine, you didnt crash, and you didnt die.. theres not much you can say or do but move on. and no your alignment didnt go bad from slamming your brakes unless you hit something.

[BrokenXenon]

well, the words can not do the justice.
u acutally have to be in that incident.
it was pretty damn close and there is no need for me to slam my brakes and work my way out to avoid the accident if that asshole didn't stop and block the lane.

i am sure you will be very happy to experience something like this

[doccommando]

I'd say that it usually pays not to floor it in traffic conditions where their are cars around you who might move into your lane suddenly. I don't know what the speed limit was on the road, but I know how our cars move and you can get into some bad situations by accelerating too quickly when their are cars moving around in front of you.

[BrokenXenon]

you would realize when the cars ahead of you are stopped with left blinker on, and waiting for on coming traffic to clear up. obvisouly you would drive on the right lane to aviod full stop.

no cars were in front of him but he decides to fully turn into right lane and STOP at the traffic light (light is green)
then he goes straight.... sigh

[Pureaudi]

dude that sucks, ive slammed on my brakes to a screetch..., when i was trying to run a yellow that was short. and it wasent fun. hella adrenilin pumps and shit like that. dude i hella feel you dude.

[SEXICÄN]

I bet he did that on purpose after reading your 15 vs 19 post, lol

[OverSpun]

Originally posted by Audi_A4_Quattro
I bet he did that on purpose after reading your 15 vs 19 post, lol

hahaha.. owned..

brokenxenon..

ive been in numerous instances such as yours, all of which i didnt crash. there was even a time in my old truck (9k pound chevy crew cab) you can imagine what its like trying to stop a 9,000 pound truck that only has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.. yea, well i did it. scared, yes. prepared to sue someone for being in my way... hardly.

only 1 time did i have an accident.. and no i didnt die, atleast i dont think i did.. and it was because someone pulled out in front of the car in front of me causing him to slam his brakes and i couldnt stop fast enough.

no offense man, but there are certain stories that really dont need to be publicized. this seems a little too commonplace to me.

[RippleChip]

Think you're lucky there wasn't an accident, as you most likely would of been blamed for it. As a driver you'll learn not to assume anything, people are idiots when driving and will do the dumbest moves.

[quicksilver_S]

Come on now.... Driving in queens you should know that shyet like this would happen at any time at any moment. This morning some m0ron decide to slam on their brakes at the GCP to slow down for no reason. I had an SUV in front and a mini van behind me. At the moment when he/she decided to slam on the brakes I was driving over a bump on the road. Just imagine slamming your brakes and your car hits a bump no the road at 60mph. My tires didnt skip a beat, whole nose dipped like crazy and the only thing I was afraid of was the person behind me would not be able to compete with my S4 brakes and slam behind me.

Always drive with caution. If you get pissed off easily, like me, with moronic driver always be on the defensive side.

[BrokenXenon]

everyone should drive safely
some people don't deserve to drive.
road tests for the driver's lic. should be 10 times tougher!

[Live2Ski]

Originally posted by BrokenXenon
road tests for the driver's lic. should be 10 times tougher!

They are in Europe.

[OverSpun]

and you gotta be 18 to drive in europe.

[Hutash]

I always assume somebody is going to do something stupid near me any time I am on the road. It keeps me driving defensively.

You should never lock up your brakes!!! stopping effiecency goes way down. Even mashing the pedal with antilock brakes is not the fastest way to stop. Threshold brakinging will stop you so fast it is scarry. Practice in a big parking lot, or take an Audi driving school, just brake until you feel the brakes start to lock, then back off. Do this a few times and you will soon have a feel for how hard you can brake. Do it enough, and it will become habit. It is how all the pro drivers brake on the track, and it is amazing how well it works.

Glad you avoided the accident, that is was is important. After 30 years of driving, I have had many similar situations, but no accidents yet.

[L0rd oF da Ring]

Originally posted by OverSpun
hahaha.. owned..

brokenxenon..

ive been in numerous instances such as yours, all of which i didnt crash. there was even a time in my old truck (9k pound chevy crew cab) you can imagine what its like trying to stop a 9,000 pound truck that only has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes.. yea, well i did it. scared, yes. prepared to sue someone for being in my way... hardly.

only 1 time did i have an accident.. and no i didnt die, atleast i dont think i did.. and it was because someone pulled out in front of the car in front of me causing him to slam his brakes and i couldnt stop fast enough.

no offense man, but there are certain stories that really dont need to be publicized. this seems a little too commonplace to me.

a 9,000 lb truck..um i dont think thats accurate man... a heavy ass effing truck might weigh 6,000lbs...how do u know it wieghs 9,000lbs?? if u read the door sticker i think u misread something..hhmm

[XpondS4]

Man the driving test here in the UK is HARD!!!

Its changed a lot since i passed mine back in 1993. Now you have to do a 50 question theory test and also a 20 minute reaction and hazard perception test that you have to do on a PC at the test centre.These two have to be passed perfectly before your even allowed to do the final practical test.

New drivers are also encouraged to wear green "L" plates on the rear and front of their car for the first two years of driving...so that other road users can give them a bit more considerartion y`know.This is`nt compulsory but they get government funded insurance discounts if they do.

Its hard but it makes sense....even more so reading a thread like this.Everyplace has bad drivers but tests need to TEST you!!

[Hutash]

The drivers test in California is a total joke. A few questions that you would have to be brain dead to miss, the a five minute driving test, ( I think the only criteria to pass is to not hit anything). Renewal just come in the mail for the next 10-20 years.

[MR VTEC]

Originally posted by BrokenXenon
my Toyo proxes4 were skidding but the grip was pretty good.

isn't that an oxymoron.....

[OverSpun]

Originally posted by L0rd oF da Ring
a 9,000 lb truck..um i dont think thats accurate man... a heavy ass effing truck might weigh 6,000lbs...how do u know it wieghs 9,000lbs?? if u read the door sticker i think u misread something..hhmm

it was a chevy crew cab 2500.. trust me. it was a heavy monster. it was so heavy that it wasnt required to have airbags... and it was a '99. basically whatever i hit with it would be destroyed. no doubt about that.

[saejin]

Originally posted by MR VTEC
isn't that an oxymoron.....

That's pretty funny...

Also, why were your tires skidding, our cars have ABS. Should have skidded a bit, but not much.

If you always drive with the assumption someone will do something stupid then you'll be OK. For example, you should have expected that guy to cut into your lane. You should expect someone to run a red light. You should expect someone to cut you off. If you drive with that attitude, you'll avoid most accidents.

Of course, some people are just plain stupid and will do the unexpected, next thing you know, you're in a wreck.

[XpondS4]

"If you always drive with the assumption someone will do something stupid then you'll be OK. For example, you should have expected that guy to cut into your lane. You should expect someone to run a red light. You should expect someone to cut you off. If you drive with that attitude, you'll avoid most accidents."

Why does everyone wanna preach to him. So your all perfect drivers eh?.....No.
That quote above shows that is not the case. I have completed a Government Dept of Transport advanced and defensive driving course at Mercedes Benz UK(All ex traffic cops and MB test drivers)
and this is NOT the driving style they encourage at all. They encourage you to be confident in your driving. Make a judgement and stick to it because hesitation causes the most accidents.What your suggesting sounds like a paranoid driving style to me.Paranoia causes hesitation...you see what i`m gettin at here? In the situation that BrokenXenon was in.....tell me how he could have avoided that????...he could`nt. I would have picked exactly the same course of action and so would you ALL have done. Is not like you suddenly think "oh hang on that guys indicating left but i better stop in the road just incase he decided to turn right"

Sorry for ranting, i just dont think this guy deserves to be preached at and made to feel like its his driving style thats to blame.

[doccommando]

I think being confident and flooring it through a crowded intersection are two different things

[XpondS4]

who said anything about flooring it?

[saejin]

OK, hold on. I'm not trying to bash his driving style, plus he asked himself if there something he could have done. I'm just saying if he would have taken into consideration that the guy might have jumped in his lane especially at an intersection then he would have been prepared to brake a little sooner or maybe not have gotten up to 40mph after he jumped into the right lane.

For example, say you're coming up to an intersection and the right lane is totally clear. A line of cars is backed up in the left lane waiting to turn. You need to go straight, so you get in the right lane and go at normal speed, say 40 mph. Chance will have it that someone will change their mind about turning, and jump in the right lane cutting you off. If you sort-of anticipate this then you'll be ready if it happens. Don't back off your speed, just be ready when someone cuts you off...know what you think you might do if it happens. Will you ditch it, slam on the brakes, hit the guy, or ????

XpondS4 - I agree you need to be confident and one important thing you said was "make a judgment". I didn't mean he should have hesitated like an old lady, but if he would have judged that intersection more carefully, maybe it would haven't been that close of a call.

But we'll all never know, maybe he did judge it right, maybe he did use caution, and that guy just came out of nowhere and didn't care who was coming down that right lane. It was in New York right, I hate to say it, but some drivers there are the worse ever.

[Hutash]

Originally posted by XpondS4
"If you always drive with the assumption someone will do something stupid then you'll be OK. For example, you should have expected that guy to cut into your lane. You should expect someone to run a red light. You should expect someone to cut you off. If you drive with that attitude, you'll avoid most accidents."

Why does everyone wanna preach to him. So your all perfect drivers eh?.....No.
That quote above shows that is not the case. I have completed a Government Dept of Transport advanced and defensive driving course at Mercedes Benz UK(All ex traffic cops and MB test drivers)
and this is NOT the driving style they encourage at all. They encourage you to be confident in your driving. Make a judgement and stick to it because hesitation causes the most accidents.What your suggesting sounds like a paranoid driving style to me.Paranoia causes hesitation...you see what i`m gettin at here? In the situation that BrokenXenon was in.....tell me how he could have avoided that????...he could`nt. I would have picked exactly the same course of action and so would you ALL have done. Is not like you suddenly think "oh hang on that guys indicating left but i better stop in the road just incase he decided to turn right"

Sorry for ranting, i just dont think this guy deserves to be preached at and made to feel like its his driving style thats to blame.

It does not mean driving parnoid, but driving very aware of what is going on around you. If you assume somebody is going to do something stupid around you, you will be more prepared to respond to that stupidity. BrokenXenon could not avoid the situation, but by being aware, he was able to react in time to avoid a nasty accident. If he had been playing with the radio, or looking a hot woman on the sidewalk, he would be toast right now. The are times to look at hot woman, just not in bust intersections