Stupid Drivers

[The_Graygator]

You know, I've seen a lot of stupid people behind the wheels of cars in my day, but this lady yesterday just took the cake.

On a side road near the square in Quincy, I was at a four-way light that had just turned green for me. I noticed that a lady approaching from the other way towards the red light (is it sexist or racist to mention it was a woman btw?)

Well, at the last second, i decided she wasn;t going to stop and of course, she didn;t, and she barrelled right through the red light and if I had proceeded through, she'd have rammed me at a good 25+ mph right in my car door. No doubt, causing me serious injury.

As she passed about 6 feet in front of my stopped car, she was talking/yelling loudly into a cell phone she was holding to one ear, and her other hand was just waving wildly about, very animatedly. i.e., she ran a red light she never saw and didn;t even have a hand on the steering wheel!

I suppose she was having some sort of argument with someone on her phone.

Just another close call of late. I think all other drivers are out to get me or something. lol

[FrankGator627]

The almost exact scenario happened to me a few years ago while I was still in Gainesville. I was at a light on Williston and I was looking for something in my backseat when I realized the car in front of me was already going through the light. As I started to take my foot off the brake, I see a car go traveling through the intersection at about 40 mph in the same location as I probably would have been if I had been paying attention to the light.

[Swamp_of_Gators]

Stupid drivers, my favorite subject!

[LoyalGatorFan]

I have said it before and I will say it again....cell phones are one of the worst things ever invented....we survived just fine without them before and I feel we could do it again if they were taken away/banned......Cell phones should definitely be banned while driving....before I even finished reading your story Strange, I told myself "wow this lady must have been on the phone".....

[The_Graygator]

I hate to take away people's freedoms as such, but the case is just so very strong when it comes to people being distracted from driving while using cell phones. I got rear-ended last year by that woman because she was on a cell phone, and in the two days after I got my car back from the shop I was nearly hit both days by people texting and driving.

No doubt, some sort of policy needs to be implemented about this problem.

[generalgator]

I do litigation civil defense for a living. Texting and cell phones use are huge problems and terribly unsafe pracitces. State governments should pass laws barring cell phone use and texting in the car by the driver. If it is that damn important pull off the road stop the car make the call and then get back to driving.

[lurkingator1]

Well last night I heard that the Fla Legislature plans to introduce a bill that will make texting while driving illegal, should be common sense but some people need for it to be against the law before they will refrain

[channingcrowderhungry]

Originally Posted by lurkingator1

Well last night I heard that the Fla Legislature plans to introduce a bill that will make texting while driving illegal, should be common sense but some people need for it to be against the law before they will refrain

I agree it's terrible but I always assumed I could just as easily say I was using my gps on my phone looking at directions.

[tim]

Problem is not the laws guys, it's the people. Don't be a dumbass and be so focused on your phone that you're a threat to other drivers. However, I vehemently oppose passing regulations on the use of cell phones. F-off government.

[jmoliver]

I am three months "sober" from texting and driving. it really isnt that hard to do.

[fredsanford]

It drives me nuts to see people in recent vintage cars equipped with Bluetooth driving with a phone up to their ear.

[The_Graygator]

Originally Posted by generalgator

I do litigation civil defense for a living. Texting and cell phones use are huge problems and terribly unsafe pracitces. State governments should pass laws barring cell phone use and texting in the car by the driver. If it is that damn important pull off the road stop the car make the call and then get back to driving.

And that's generally what I do. If someone calls me while I'm driving, I usually just tell them I'm driving and I'll call them right back. Just a few minutes ago I saw a man on a cell phone make a lane change without even looking up on Jefferson Street (Hwy 90 in Quincy), and nearly hit a woman. It's incredible how much one sees this kind of stuff every day.

[The_Graygator]

Originally Posted by tim

Problem is not the laws guys, it's the people. Don't be a dumbass and be so focused on your phone that you're a threat to other drivers. However, I vehemently oppose passing regulations on the use of cell phones. F-off government.

I agree it's a double-edged sword. Mostly, common sense is the main part here, but the problem is, most people don;t possess common sense concerning cell phones and driving.