CLOSE CALL /almost ACCIDENT

Today I was 2ND vehicle on State road following a modern spray rigg running about 30 mph,,as we started down a hill WHERE IT WOULD FINALLY BE SAFE TO PASS ,FIRST VEHICLE SIGNALS LEFT TURN INTO HER DRIVEWAY , i SIGNAL LIKEWISE AS COURTESY TO THE GUY BEHIND ME ,, HOWEVER THERE ARE ABOUT 4 CARS BACK THERE NOW ,, AS THE GIRL BEGINS HER TURN , I HEAR FROM BEHIND THE ENGINE ROAR AND REV OF THE LAST GUY PASSING THE WHOLE STRING , APPARANTLY HE DID NOT GET THE MESSAGE , AND NOW HE IS floorboarding it TO PLOW INTO THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE POOR GIRL, I YANKED HARD RIGHT TO GRASSy AREA TO AVOID BEING IN THE MESS , the quick thinking GIRL FLOORS IT THROWING ROCKS FROM HER DRIVE IN MY OPEN WINDOW to get out of the way ... FAST GUY IS SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES AND SQUALLING INTO THE SPOT I YEILDED TO HIM ,nearly running up under the rigg , and THEN FLOORS AGAIN TO GET AROUND THE RIGG AND GET ON HIS MERRY WAY !,.. ITS PROBABLY A GOOD THING HE KEPT GOING , had he stopped, i woulda knocked hale out of him ,. i ended up on fairly steep bank before coming to a complete stop.. one of the guys behind me stopped to make sure i was Ok , We all thought it was bad news for the girl , and sprayer man , Turns out I was the only one that left the road and come close to rolling over .. ... read the accident below , about recevor hitch coming loose, those hair pins in corn stubble can be flipped out and lost in a millisecond , that happened to a neighbor , made a mess of equipment he had on there when trailer passed the truck ...,.

similar thing happened to my Dad about 16yrs ago only he was on the tractor turning off to the left and the car rear ended him thank god no one was hurt more than a few bruises ( open station tractor)

Several years ago, there was a bad accident with a chipper that came off the pintle hook of the truck that was pulling it. The chipper kept on going, and took out the driver's side of a mini-van, killing the driver and one of his sons.
Heads rolled over that wreck. It happened on a 4-lane road, in a business district, and the men were going back to their shop to end the day. It was said they didn't put the safety pin in it. And, last summer, a guy towing one of those chippers, flipped it over, on a downhill right turning road. It didn't come loose, but i could see that guys hair turning white!
Several years ago, i was going home, on the turnpike, in my motor home. It was just starting to rain. I was following a tractor-trailer, and suddenly, with no signals, he went into the left lane. I sensed trouble ahead, so i did the same thing! And there, in the right lane, was one of those signage trailers, that had become disconnected from the Hiway truck that was towing it, and laying in the right lane, in the rain, unlighted! WOW!! I had to change my drawers when i got stopped on the next pull-off! I don't know how those pintle hooks are supposed to lock, as i have never used them.

Pintle hitch's are safer than a ball hitch when they're hooked up right. That's what gravel pups use. Your still supposed to have safety chains as well. Some people don't care at all if their trailer is hooked up right. Dave

I"m curious about your comment that you signaled left as a "courtesy" to the driver behind you- but you did not intend to turn left? Your brake lights indicate a slowing condition to the guy behind you.

putting on your signal so that people back in the line can see a turn is about to happen will let folks know why traffic is slowing. That helps avoid what happened to JH. Sort of like a school bus turning on its lights when a bus in front of it is letting kids off. It is all about communication and paying attention.

I do agree with you Heyseed ,but there are Idiots
out there think that is a signal for them to pass you cause your going slow. I usually use Four way flashers to get attention that there may be a problem up ahead and to be on the lookout still dont always work .

I knew a guy who didn't use safety chains. He said he rather have the trailer run free instead of wrecking him. He was a big guy and went through a few six packs a day. It's a wonder he didn't kill anyone. Everyone knew he was a crazy drunk driving around but the cops didn't bother people back in the late 60's and early 70s. He owned the trash service in town. He was always tearing up his trucks.

girl knew how to drive and so did you.

Signaling LEFT tells the cars behind you NOT TO PASS I'm turning. Brake lights just tell the following cars I'm slowing down and they can pass if the way is clear jmo not even woth .02 gobble

You're supposed to signal your intentions, that is the law here in NC (failure to render proper signal) and also in probably most other states. During my time as a LEO I investigated several accidents caused by individuals not properly signalling. Don't signal what you don't intend to do, it's common sense.

I take it that you would have been passing the sprayer when you got to first place behind it so for that you would have been correct in turning that turn signal on.

thank youy , and you are correct ,, some folx just like to agitate .. and i guess that makes life interesting , ,,hence yesterdays events ...

Thanksgiving weekend 2007. Illinois State trooper caused an accident on the interstate, killed 2 teenagersisters and injure another couple. He was responding to a non-emergency call, driving 126mph, talking on his cell phone and e mailing on the cars computer. He said not his fault, he was in control of everything. How's that for setting an example

I regularly encounter this problem. To get home, I have to turn left off the hwy at a grid road intersection. There is a solid line, and the Hwy goes to two lanes for a short distance allowing traffic to pass on the right or turn right, and still there are idiots usually four or five vehicles back who attempt to pass when I’m about to turn. I now signal, and straddle the solid line for some distance before reaching the intersection…..traffic permitting from the other direction. I figure this puts me in a better position to run an idiot off the road, rather than take a direct hit in my driver’s door when I turn. I notice a few people here will run down the wrong side before they turn.
Chris

Idiots.

I can relate, brother and I were moving a pair of tractors home from a show. 2 lane "highway" with a solid line. We slow to make our turn and we have 3 vehicles behind us. I look over my shoulder, looks clear, I signal my intention to turn left with my hand and start making the turn when out of the corner of my eye here comes a corvette from 4 cars back, accelerating in a 40 mph zone. I had to swerve back right and off the road after nearly clipping the front of his car as he goes half off the road and fishtailing around as he just gets by me.

Lots of astonished on lookers for that one. Could've been ugly. I waved everybody on then u-turned to get back across and down the road.

Signals do no good if there are idiots who don't understand them. A few years ago was coming back from the hay field with mower on, pretty busy two lane road, 45 mph no problem. I was turning left at a blind spot where the road curves right and down a hill. I turn around and make eye contact with the lady behind me in a mini van full of kids. I make a left turn hand signal and then turn back to check the traffic coming at me, and get ready to turn. She evidently had no idea what a hand signal was, thought I was waving her around. She passes me on that blind curve - with that van full of kids. Luckily there was nothing coming the other way, if there was a would have made for some very sad parents...

JHeitkemper your post and comments to it just proves to me common sense is seldom common. Hope I can get down your way for a cup of coffee soon. CT