Darwin award

I drive about 150 to 175 miles a day at work while pulling a 53 foot trailer.
100 miles of it is interstate commuter traffic and the other 50 to 75 miles is city stop and go traffic.
So I see a lot of things everyday in the way people drive.
Most of it can be attributed to....
People always in a rush; lack of consideration for others; total arrogance; lack of attention to details; and just have never been taught the rules to follow while driving.

But every now and then I come across someone that makes me wonder what kind of parents this person must of had. I saw a good example of this yesterday.

I pulled up to a stop light and stopped. I was first in line.
While sitting at the light the truck killed and would not restart.
So now I am broke down and blocking the lane of traffic. No one can really see the problem because they are looking at the back of a box trailer and can not see around it.
So I get out; get the 3 reflective triangles out the cab; walk to the back of the trailer and explain I am broke down. Tell them threw hand signals they must use the right turn lane to go around me.
Once the light cycles a few times and I get everyone from behind me I put the triangles in the road to warn other drives to go around. Then I go back and sit in cab waiting for help to arrive.

This works for several light cycles. Then I look in the mirror and see a pickup sitting behind me. He is about 20 to 25 feet behind me because the triangles are stopping him from pulling all the way up; so I know he saw the triangles. This causes other to pile up behind him as they can not see the triangles in the road with him in the way.

I watch as the light cycles several times and he still sits back there.
Finally I get out the truck and walk back there and explain I am broke down and he will have to go around.
I can not for the life of me think of what was going threw his head.
Was he expecting me to move; and if so was he gona just run over the triangles.
Out of the hundreds of cars that came up behind me while I was there this one person was the only one that could no reason; triangles in roadway; I need to go around this truck.

So it makes one wonder where as a society have we gone wrong that people can not do simple task without pictured instructions.
I do not expect everyone to be able to rebuild a tractor motor; or wire/plumb a house; but if one is gona drive you would think they would know simple rules and have enough common sense to evaluate a simple situation and act on this evaluation.

As a country we should have no fear of being concurred by outsiders.
All they need to do is wait and we will disintegrate from within if given enough time.
 
In KC years ago one our guys had his quit at an stop sign and a "little old lady" sat behind him and honked, and honked. He finally got out and walked back to her car and asked if she would mind sitting in the truck and let him honk at her for a while.
 
John;

I understand what you're saying, and for the most part I agree with you, but there are a couple of reasons that I don't think this incident represents the decline of Western Civilization. You said, "Out of the hundreds of cars that came up behind me while I was there this one person was the only one that could no reason; triangles in roadway; I need to go around this truck." One out of hundreds is not a high enough percentage of people who seem to lack any reasoning ability to be of much concern. The other thing is, nowadays a relatively small percentage of the population is all that is required to keep the important stuff running (which is not necessarily a good thing for employment opportunities for the general public), so having even a large component of total incompetents is probably going to effect the quality of life, but not the basic structure. It might be annoying that the person at the takeout place can't get your order right or count back change, but we can deal with it as long as the lights stay on and the bridges don't (all) fall into the rivers.

Stan
 
I know the break down was not your fault, it was the truck owner's problem, but a truck stopped in the middle of the road is a pretty major road block and a traffic hazard. I was taught that if there are no injuries, you get the disabled vehicles off the roadway as quickly as possible, or continue to direct traffic until authorities arrive or the blockage is it is cleared. Maybe they don't teach that everywhere?

It seems to me that if you had been considerate, you could have continued to direct traffic around your truck instead of sitting in the cab waiting for help arrived while traffic backs up. The next person coming down the road has the same lack of information about the situation as the first ones did that you had to direct around your truck.

Again, I know the breakdown was not your fault, but you could have tried to help the people you were blocking rather than get mad at their frustration.
 
Not a safe thing to do. I saw a guy killed by trying to direct traffic. If someone can't see the warning signs. They don't need to be driving.With over 35 years over the road. I have seen people do some very stupid things.
 
I agree with Billy, no way would I stand behind my disabled truck and direct traffic. Many a professional flag person wearing bright yellow or orange vest and waving a flag, has been hit by motorists as they are trying to direct traffic. I would put out my warning triangles and get to as safe a spot as I could find.
If your truck stalls at the traffic light how are you going to move it out of the way..
 
I think you did the right thing by not directing traffic. I have been informed if you are directing traffic and an accident occurs, you can be held liable. This sounds reasonable to me.
 
It is indeed unfortunate that there are people out there with licenses driving 2-ton missiles that haven't the reasoning power of a moth. Somewhere along the way, it seems that the predominant thinking is that we must all dumb down to the lowest common denominator,
After a million or so miles, you can almost see what the people in the 4-wheelers are thinking. I have seen people doing some strange things while driving.
I do remember one time that I was making a delivery in a big city at an old dock. Space was limited, so I had to dock the trailer, drop it at the dock, and park alongside it in a designated area. A woman in a van came along, hit the trailer, and then continued on to hit my tractor. She insisted that I was illegally parked. I was in a parking lot BEHIND the trailer. Then she began blatting about how it was her boyfriend's van and how he was going to be upset. Sorry, I have no sympathy for somebody that runs into a parked vehicle.
 
X2! Do you know how many times I've almost been flattened against a hot patcher while filling potholes on the freeway? A few times a day! It really gets old, being in a red truck, with orange strobes, towing an orange patcher, with orange strobes, and have the end of your shovel run over. Maybe next time John could be more considerate and push his truck out of the way while also directing traffic, so as to not cause a hazard for people that have their heads up their donkey hole.

Ross
 
Directing traffic around the truck exposes the driver to a lawsuit if an accident happens while he is directing, if he comes out of it alive.
 
Look at how much technology has advanced in the last 100 years! Now, to achieve those advances, people really had to think. But look at where we have gone in the last 15 years or so... Those great advances have reversed roles. The technology we were so smart to develop, are now advanced to the point we no longer need to think!

I have personally experienced this with calculators destroying my ability to do simple math, cell phones replacing my need to remember phone numbers, Google eliminating my need to figure anything out, just ask...

So that leaves driving as one of the few things that can't be done by a computer yet! So no wonder there are those who don't have to think any other time, why should they be able to think while they are behind the wheel???

Add to the equation the "all about me" attitude, warehoused kids who's only grasp of reality is Teen Nick and video games, illegal aliens who have never seen a paved road before but can buy a car with no license or insurance, and those who can't possibly be expected to interrupt their texting session long enough to look up at the road!
 
(quoted from post at 08:06:50 09/12/15) I know the break down was not your fault, it was the truck owner's problem, but a truck stopped in the middle of the road is a pretty major road block and a traffic hazard. I was taught that if there are no injuries, you get the disabled vehicles off the roadway as quickly as possible, or continue to direct traffic until authorities arrive or the blockage is it is cleared. Maybe they don't teach that everywhere?

It seems to me that if you had been considerate, you could have continued to direct traffic around your truck instead of sitting in the cab waiting for help arrived while traffic backs up. The next person coming down the road has the same lack of information about the situation as the first ones did that you had to direct around your truck.

Again, I know the breakdown was not your fault, but you could have tried to help the people you were blocking rather than get mad at their frustration.

SS55, it was very clear to me in the original post that he did direct traffic as needed. Initially to get it going and subsequently when traffic stopped again. The whole point is that everyone except one was able to handle the situation without direction.
 
Little story about Ft Hood.Tank units were getting their tanks out of storage. MPs had the road shut down so the tanks could cross over.Letting a few cars through at a time.I was there with my M816 wrecker along with four others. Had I don't know how many MP jeeps around. Two base patrol cars and even a DPS unit on scene.All with our flashers and warning lights going. Lady drives into the side of one of the tanks.Gets out and starts screaming about suing the Army. Because we had no warning signs out and why was a tank in the middle of the road.Said it was to dark for her to see the tank.Someone ask her about seeing all the lights flashing. DPS had a long talk with her as we pulled her car off the tank.Some people don't need to be driving.
 
(quoted from post at 05:13:50 09/13/15) Little story about Ft Hood.Tank units were getting their tanks out of storage. MPs had the road shut down so the tanks could cross over.Letting a few cars through at a time.I was there with my M816 wrecker along with four others. Had I don't know how many MP jeeps around. Two base patrol cars and even a DPS unit on scene.All with our flashers and warning lights going. Lady drives into the side of one of the tanks.Gets out and starts screaming about suing the Army. Because we had no warning signs out and why was a tank in the middle of the road.Said it was to dark for her to see the tank.Someone ask her about seeing all the lights flashing. DPS had a long talk with her as we pulled her car off the tank.Some people don't need to be driving.

Wife and I were driving near Salisbury England maybe 15 years ago and saw a sign saying caution tanks. Just then one pulled up to the road from a very rough side road and stopped just before us.
 
(quoted from post at 16:26:10 09/12/15) Not a safe thing to do. I saw a guy killed by trying to direct traffic. If someone can't see the warning signs. They don't need to be driving.With over 35 years over the road. I have seen people do some very stupid things.

I was right behind an accident that was blocking an intersection. I attempted to direct traffic around it until everyone was just ignoring me and rather than be responsible for another accident I sat in my car until the OH Highway Patrol arrived, wrote out a statement of what I saw, then left. The OHP guy was not concerned about the traffic backup, so no reason I should have been.
 
(quoted from post at 07:36:44 09/12/15) In KC years ago one our guys had his quit at an stop sign and a "little old lady" sat behind him and honked, and honked. He finally got out and walked back to her car and asked if she would mind sitting in the truck and let him honk at her for a while.
now that's funny :)
 

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