Re: Newbies and accident "predictions"

On 8/10/05 3:36 PM, in article dddkvc025cn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Nemo"
<nemo@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> "Chris Hornberger" <chris@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1123689179.6fc15c9117db318e2149e463f3eed7a0@xxxxxxxxxxx
>> On 8/10/05 11:37 AM, in article FapKe.6626$0d.6492@trnddc09, "Bill Walker"
>> <bill.walker2@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not sure what the percentages are, but there is a common denominator
>>> in
>>> almost every accident on the highway.. Someone failed to Yield Right of
>>> Way..
>>>
>>> Many people have no concept of Right of Way rules, not laws.. We hear
>>> much
>>> about the drunk drivers, speeders and the red light/stop sign runners..
>>> In
>>> almost every collision ivolving two or more vehicles, there is someone
>>> that
>>> has failed to observe Right of Way..
>>>
>>
>>
>> It doesn't help that the rules are so darned nebulous, either.
>>
>> When I was a kid - had my license for all of about 4 weeks, I was coming
>> up
>> to an intersection. It was a "T" intersection, where the top of the "T"
>> was
>> a thru-street and the vertical part of the "T" was a small residential
>> street I was on.
>>
>> There were no stop signs on any of the three places. I approached the
>> corner, looked and entered the turn and out of nowhere a car was right in
>> front of me. Turns out, he had pulled out of a driveway, full on throttle
>> spinning wheels up the street (the marks were there, clear as day). He
>> plowed into me and took the front of my car right off.
>>
>> This was my V-8 Vega conversion that I'd spent the previous 3 years
>> putting
>> together (sigh).
>>
>> Anyway, I was found to be at fault by the local cop on site because the
>> guy
>> who hit me... HIT ME, mind you... was on the thru-street and the
>> thru-street
>> supposedly had the right of way. Never mind he was full on throttle,
>> spinning wheels and racing down the street!
>>
>> Though my father and I combed over the PA state driver's manual several
>> times, we could find no mention of such a rule; implicit right of way on a
>> through street. I wanted to prove fault was his for speeding and reckless
>> driving because my insurance company was pulling the whole "new driver -
>> bump the rate" crap. The local court would not entertain my fighting the
>> ticket because the guy who HIT ME was in his 30s and here I was, a 16 year
>> old kid with a new license who must clearly be at fault. PFFFFFFFFT.
>>
>> To this day there is no mention of implicit right of way on through
>> streets,
>> so when in Pennsylvania, approach every corner like you're going to be
>> prosecuted. You may.
>>
>> Ridiculous.
>
>
> In any state I have ever been in "right" yields to "left". You were the
> "right" side in this equation.
>
> Common sense would dictate that the thru street traffic would have the right
> of way.
>


Yeah, but he wasn't *at* the intersection when I started my turn, He was
apparently already committed to turning out of the driveway roughly 30 feet
past the turn, and just dumped on the gas, left 30+ feet of rubber from his
posi-rear ('72 Nova SS, IIRC). His tracks actually continued past my car.
For some reason he simply didn't see me. Sun? Beer? Hot chicks on the
sidewalk? I dunno. But IMO, Even Roscoe P. Coletrain, numbnuts that he was,
could see what happened and see that I wasn't at fault.

Alas, it was not to be.


> On the other hand, there were mitigating corci,stamces in your scenario. The
> guy was guilty of wreckless driving in the least.
>


'zactly, and he walked free and clear and I got a totaled car for my
troubles. I was young and stupid (and broke) and didn't have full coverage.
(sigh)


> I sympathize with the loss of your project car. That must have stung like
> the dickens. Not to mention being nailed for higher insurance rates. I would
> have been upset too, were I you.
>
> Ed Cregger
>
>


Yeah, it was an ouchie, to be sure.


--
----------------------------
chris@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://chornbe.com/weblog

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