Nearly got killed today - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pj67coll · #1 06-16-2003, 03:37 AM

I live in Phoenix. A city with a disproportionatly high number of moronic drivers if the insurance stats are to be believed. A peculiarity of the town is the incidence of red light runners which is way higher than the national average.

Today while driving toward a hill I practice hiking on I started to cross an intersection when the lights turned green, with a Mercedes CKL waiting to turn across me from the other direction, when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a car approaching at a high rate of knots from the left. I was already almost half way across the intersection when it became apparent the ******* was not about to stop. I stood on the brakes in a strange kind of detached trance in almost complete disbelief as the bastard or ***** - couldn't see which it was thru the tinted windows - shot past me just inches from my front bumper at what I'd guess to be about 60 mph. Both me and the CLK driver stared at each other in disbelief and it took me some minutes to regain my composure.

Thru circumstances beyond my control I currently drive a 2002 Kia Rio. A dreadful piece of S*** if ever there was one. Had I not been as alert as I was and reacted as fast as I did (and in fact had I not been soo busy admiring the CLK for a couple of seconds after the light turned green) I'd have been several feet forward of where I was when the imbecile in the Accord went thru the intersection and I'd have been hit square on on the drivers door. Given the tin can nature of the RIO I'd be one extremely surprised individual if I had survived.

More than ever this makes me both desperate and determined to get back into something large and safe, preferably a Mercedes. I'm well aware that even driving mid sized sedans is no garantee of safety as a colleague was killed in a T-bone accident a few months ago when she was hit by a red light runner in a Ford Excusion while in a mid sized Oldsmobile sedan, I'm also aware that being in Sub-compact crap is the worst thing you can do for safetys sake on todays roads. With the possible exception of riding a motorbike.

After driving three Mercedes and a 1972 Cadillac DeVille (a REAL Cadillac) I feel butt naked every time I take to the streets now.

- Peter.

jamesnj · #2 06-16-2003, 09:16 AM

pj67coll, I'm sorry you almost got killed, but I guess these things happen.

We have a very wreckless real estate lady in this town who almost hit my father's car when she went thru a red light. When it happened she was on her cell phone and narrowly missed my dad's car. The funny thing is she never realized she was almost in a wreck. Our next door neighbor was almost hit by her too. Interestingly she is the the number two agent in this town, over $3 mill in one year---my parents get her update letters every month

Ken300D · #3 06-16-2003, 01:14 PM

Around here you just don't go on a green light without looking first to see if traffic has stopped.

Otherwise you stand a much higher chance of getting killed. I guess Darwin rules. One time I would have gotten smacked by a loaded 20-ton dump truck had I proceeded on green normally.....

As much as possible, don't rely on others following the rules for your survival. They won't follow the rules and you might not survive!

Ken300D

pj67coll · #4 06-16-2003, 03:28 PM

There was no sign of a car when I started to cross. There is a blind turn in the direction the bastard came from. And given the speed the creature was going it just appeared out of nowhere.

There are plenty of warning signs in the approach to the light in the direction the bastard was approaching from so there is no excuse for it's behaviour other than criminal incompetence.

- Peter.

Ashman · #5 06-16-2003, 11:01 PM

I was driving the other night, and some jag was right on my ass. then as I was dirving, with about a half car length betwene me and the car next to me who was just in front of me in the lane over, the jag comes around and literally cuts me off to the point where I had to slam on my brakes so he wouldn't hit me. I was doing about 50 at the time, and he came up like I was pretty much standing still.

His mistake was that as soon as we got to the next light, a motorcycle cop was next to me and he was a coupel of cars in front of me. I informed the cop of what he did, and he got his ass pulled over. and cuffed for almost killing me and endangering the lives of other on the road.

Alon

Freestyler · #6 06-17-2003, 01:22 AM

Where i'm from, it's not an everyday thing to see redlight-runners. -It happens but generally the drivers respect the red light.
But when i was in Spain some years ago i noticed a very strange behaviour.
When the lights turned green... -nothing happened!? All the cars just waited for like 10-20 seconds.. Then they slowly eased out in the intersection, and when they were in a position to see in both directions, they FLOORED IT across the rest of the intersection, as if they expected to get hit any second!

And sure enough. Whenever the lights turned red, four-five sometimes more cars would continue to go through. -I guess they had to, now that they've spent most of their 'green-light time' to wait for the other redligt runners..

Freestyler

anthonyb · #7 06-17-2003, 01:47 AM

I've had this happen before, in my case involving a Suburban.

You guys should check out drivers in Asia, especially Taiwan and China. They pretty much drive wherever there's probably (and I mean "probably") enough room to fit your car/bike/legs/whatever. No regard for lanes, lights, or the correct direction of traffic. What's also interesting is that, so long as nobody actually gets "bumped," there's virtually no road rage. It's all part of the daily routine.

Of course, the moment an accident occurs, be prepared for sparks to fly..

-anthony

Ashman · #8 06-17-2003, 11:17 AM

Because he was drunk.

Alon

tabasco85331 · #9 06-17-2003, 12:04 PM

Sorry about your close call . I live in Cave Creek , AZ a suburb of Phoenix . You're right it's bad here for bad drivers . Now , I actually endorse intersection cameras that they have placed at major intersections in Scottsdale . It's really a deterrent to red light runners . I have seen them flash and think ''YES !'' Did you know an interesting fact ? That SOME people that get hit by red light runners get ticketed ? Because the way the law is written ''That you may not enter an intersection untill it is safe to do so '' Crappy huh ? My great big 1989 420 SEL and dual airbags protect me , I hope .

#10 06-18-2003, 12:26 AM

About 5 years ago, I was driving my '79 Alfa Romeo Sprint (at abt 50 km/h) with my wife (who was 8 mths pregnant with my 1st child) sitting next to me.

We were on the main road, not many cars, but plenty of side roads on either side.

Without any warning, a '93 Ford Telstar 2.0 comes out from the side road at about 60km/h from the left and goes across the main street (without stopping) in front of my path!And there are STOP signs/stoplines on all the side roads coz they meet the main road on which I was driving.

I slam on the brakes and everything is in slow-mo.I can see the lady driver right in front of me (our cars are RHD and we drive on the left side of the road), she seems to be talking thru' her handsfree mobile and she is oblivious to her surroundings.

WHAM!My car slams into the right rear door area of the Ford, just behind the driver's door.

Luckily, nobody is hurt.The damage on the Alfa were front bumper, headlamps and grille.Amazing that the radiator and other stuff were OK and car was still driveable (to get it to the side of the road).

The Ford however, had a smashed in rear door and I think the rear wheel looked kinda out-of-position.

Looking back, if I had been driving just a little faster, my car would have been hit on the front passenger side where my wife was seated.Or if I hadn't slammed on my brakes, I would have hit the Ford directly on the driver's side.

Either way, it wouldn't have been pretty.

I have been extra "defensive" (read-chicken) ever since.