No good deed............. RANT

.........Goes unpunished..........

Ok, maybe I'm exagerating things a bit, when I say No good deed goes unpunished, but I swear that's often what it feels like....maybe it's just because I hate stupid people, I don't know.....

Anyway, coming home this afternoon, in 5 o'clock traffic, I stopped a bit short when the light changed to let a guy out of a parking lot and into traffic ahead of me. Now traffic is lined up at least 1/4 mile, plus, behind me just from the light changing..... but it got worse. The woman in the car behind the guy I let in decided she wanted out too so she shot straight out into the space left as he turned into the only real open spot. Not a big deal, usually, as I was going to let her out anyway. Thing is, when the light changed, she just sat there. Seems she wanted to get across 3 lanes of HEAVY, ((((DID I WAY HEAVY LOUD ENOUGH?))) constantly streaming, traffic, to the far side, and into the Left turn lane. Guess she didn't have sense enough to go to the end of the lot where she could have hit a side road and gone straight across, or turned, with the light.

Anyway, she pulled out and just sat there. The light changed and she just sat there holding up everyone in our lane. She kept looking at me expecting me to let her know when she could go since there was no way she could see past my service truck. All I could do was set there looking in the mirror and shrugging my shoulders at her as the other two lanes of traffic continued to flow right on past while the one behind me just kept getting longer and longer. I tried to motion her to get out of the way several times when it became obvious she was NOT going to get across, and even resisted the urge to eventually do it with just one finger.....Saddly she was either oblivious as to what I was meaning for her to do, or just too stupid to understand....Don't know which..... So, after setting there until the end of that green light, through the red one, and into the next green light, a sherrif's car finally pealed out of the line behind me, followed by at least half of the ones that had been setting there, and headed our way. He stopped beside me, holding up that lane, with the window down and has asked me what the holdup was. About the time he saw her just setting there. Too, at the same time there was a short lull in the third lane, and that was the moment she needed, so she just shot on across into the turn lane just ahead of the third lane of traffic still headed her way. For my part I told the sherrif what happened and he, like me, just rolled his eyes. By this time she's long gone so we went on about our travels.

In the end, you know, I don't mind doing a good deed by letting people into traffic. The way I see it, if I do a good deed, next time I need to get into traffic with my truck maybe someone else will return the favor to me. Unfortunately this woman didn't have sense enough to know that when she didn't get across at the first light change she needed to get the heck out of the way and let the rest of us go. Had the sherrif not showed up when he did I fully believe the idiot would have still been sitting there trying to do something that would have been impossible (had it not been for the sherrif) because she didn't have sense enough to put her car into reverse and get the heck out of the way.....Man, I hate stupid people.......

Other than that it was a pretty good day so I'll stop ranting now......LOL

Wayne, I guess we have all experienced something similar. I, like yourself, don't mind helping someone, but there are times when I regret it. And, as you mentioned, many times if the people would just stop and think, there would be an easier way to exit, like the other road you mentioned. I have one daughter who will cris-cross town two or three times to get her business done. My other daughter, like myself, plans her route before leaving the house. She tries to make each turn a right turn so as not to cross traffic or at least plan it for left turn lanes. All it takes is a little thought ahead of time.

Yeah, Wayne, after a similar incident several years ago I made a vow to NEVER let someone out into traffic. I was in the right lane, slowing for the red light ahead. A young girl was trying to exit the gas station lot at the intersection, so I gallantly let her out. Like your idiot she wanted to cross two lanes and get into the left turn lane. She almost made it....but by this time the light had changed and another car smashed into her.

I felt no guilt for having contributed to her misfortune. Also like your idiot, she could have gone out the other side of the lot and actually got onto the street she was trying to turn on. Since then I have observed that these linebreakers almost always are trying to get one or two lanes over, and almost always they have another way to get there, albeit a bit longer. As H.L. Mencken said, you'll never lose money underestimating the stupidity of people.

And the lawyers will tell you to NEVER give any kind of signal to another motorist to move one way or the other - because if some other car hits that motorist, you can be held liable for giving the motorist a signal. And they WILL sue you!

I just sit still and never give them any kind of signal to move, turn or pass.

Here in Michigan, they LOVE to let people into traffic. OK if it's just one car wanting to get into the right hand lane, but very dangerous when some dummy wants to cut across traffic to avoid a U-turn.

So in the end you didn't really do a good deed--what you ended up doing is inconvience eveyone behind you. That's why I never and I mean NEVER let people in. Because you do not know if the individual will move right out or just sit there. Remember the rest of your story--the cop asked YOU why YOU weren't moving.

I will default to letting folks out EXCEPT when they lack the courtesy/mental engagement to use a turn signal so I know if, wanting to turn left for example, I can decide if on-comming traffic makes my efforts moot.
No signal = less chance I'll extend the effort.

With my Wife not able to drive broken leg healing I have to carry our son to middle school. bad traffic every day.I try to let those i can out with out infringing on rights of those behind me. Dad was almost killed when a dogooder motioned someone across in front of him ended up with a broken neck and a bad concussion. The bump on the head caused him to say a lot of nice things about each one of us, Heck I didn't know he even liked me.
Ron

Eh, I will let people out, but only if it is in like a parking lot of residential area and they're trying to turn right.

Usually the people like in the story who want to turn left across multiple lanes of traffic will do something stupid and not wait for anyone to let them out... And those are the ones you have to watch out for. Ugh. :evil:

I didn't used to let people out very often but somehow in the last few years I find myself allowing it more, just as I back off when someone is signalling to change lanes into my lane and I even let people go in front of me when I am in the primary lane and some one needs to merge in. You see, I realized that some times I need to get in too. I don't however stop for someone who is hanging way back and may need persuasion to go ahead.

Yep. Alot of diots out there driving who shouldn't be anywhere near a car, I hate the ones on the thruway, there in the high speed lane, which up here it's posted no trucks, trailers or buses, Im In my truck with 16 ft trailer, so I stay in the middle lane. People come racing down the high speed left lane, cut right in front of me slam on there brakes to get off the right hand exit 2 lanes over,, What morons, they will not go behind us, I go straight to the next exit. So now I go in the high speed lane all the way to the left to bypass that exit and idiot drivers! It's getting worse out there, we got caught three or more times this summer just sitting in stoped traffic because of accidents!

(quoted from post at 05:34:10 10/11/12) Here in Michigan, they LOVE to let people into traffic. OK if it's just one car wanting to get into the right hand lane, but very dangerous when some dummy wants to cut across traffic to avoid a U-turn.

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I drive Groesbeck Hwy in metro Detroit every day. It's 50 mph 2 lanes each way with a center turn lane. Heavy traffic during rush hour and I WILL NOT allow enough room to let idiots trying to cross the hiway to turn left. They cannot see into the lanes they want to get into and inevitably end up blocking traffic as described above. I've also seen a few accidents which reinforce the decision to discourage this dangerous behavior.

My biggest rant is the city buses. I park in a garage and the exit is on a main street close to a major bus stop.

The buses line up and consistently block the exit from the parking garage. Why??????

Last week there must have been 15 cars lined up, including me, trying to get out of the parking garage. And yes, they can see the exit and the cars. They just don't give a flip. I would track the days and file a complaint, but I don't think it would do any good.

Thats why when I'm driving the truck and trailer I never get over in the left lane to let cars come off the entrance ramp as they will always speed up and not let me back in.

When you have the right of way, you don't have the right to give it to someone else because when you do you give everyones behind you away too. In effect, you have changed the rules of the road. The rules are there for a purpose, so everyone undertands them.

When you have the right of way, you have the power to do whatever. In other words you have the right to be an a$$hole or to use a bit of kindness and help other drivers as well. In this case there was absolutely no way anyone in that parking lot would ever be able to get out unless someone made a spot for them, or unless they went to the other end of the lot to where there was an intersection and a light. Then if every car went there it would have simply created even more problems from them having to cross a lane of traffic on that road (possibly holding up those turning right off the main road), causing cars to get stuck in the intersection as the light changed, etc, etc, etc. In other words just the fact that they put businesses with parking lots, or any other entity where a vehicle has to get back out on the main road, and into heavy traffic, is a huge problem. Ultimately, the way I see it, regardless of who has the 'right of way', just because traffic on the road is heavy it doesn't mean we all need to become a$$holes and try to 'protect our turf'. Using a bit of common sense and helping other drivers out when there is a problem will go a long way toward making the traffic flow better, not worse..........

The guy I actually let out was obviously trying to just get into traffic. On the other hand, she just shot out between me and him and her intentions didn't become clear until the light changed and she just sat there like a bump on a log..............

Ya got to read the story.....Yes, he asked me why I was setting there because he hadn't noticed the car yet when he pulled up beside me. I'm driving a Freightliner, and the woman hadn't even pulled far enough forward to even try to see around me, just far enough out to block the lans so I couldn't pass. When I mentioned the woman in front of me, and he actually saw her just setting there, he knew exactly what the problem was. Fortunately for her his stopping gave her the opportunity she needed to get through another lane of traffic and across the third into the turn lane. As far as my part, the sherrif shrigged his shoulders, rolled his eyes, and went on because he knew it was just another case of a stupid driver being stupid......

WHAT.?
Walt

In TN, if an accident occurs under a situation as you've described, the cops are writing YOU a ticket, which means that SOMEBODY is also gonna sue you.

A bit different situation, but about 3 months ago a car behind me jack-rabbited out around me and pulled right back in right in front of my truck. He then proceeded to slam on his brakes and made a right hand turn. I also had to slam on my brakes to keep from rear-ending him! The only way I could retaliate was to lay on my horn.
If I had hit him, guess who would have gotten the ticket!

Myron

(quoted from post at 18:07:36 10/11/12)
A bit different situation, but about 3 months ago a car behind me jack-rabbited out around me and pulled right back in right in front of my truck. He then proceeded to slam on his brakes and made a right hand turn. I also had to slam on my brakes to keep from rear-ending him! The only way I could retaliate was to lay on my horn.
If I had hit him, guess who would have gotten the ticket!

Myron

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Retaliate? I hope you don't carry a gun.

(quoted from post at 07:45:21 10/12/12)

(quoted from post at 18:07:36 10/11/12)
A bit different situation, but about 3 months ago a car behind me jack-rabbited out around me and pulled right back in right in front of my truck. He then proceeded to slam on his brakes and made a right hand turn. I also had to slam on my brakes to keep from rear-ending him! The only way I could retaliate was to lay on my horn.
If I had hit him, guess who would have gotten the ticket!

Myron

Click to expand...

Retaliate? I hope you don't carry a gun.

Click to expand...

Not sure what your snarky comment is all about, but I hope someone pulls over about 6 feet in front of you at about 40 MPH and slams on the brakes!
LOL

Myron

The bad part of a situation like this is that unless you have a dash camera running all the time, showing clearly that you were cut off, you would not be able to prove that you were not at fault if you rear-ended the offending driver. You would get a ticket for not having "assured clear distance".
It is a no win situation.

Myron