Um, always. Bicyclists and pedestrians can be missed while arriving at the intersection. It’s people who think like you do that put nonmotorists in hospitals.
How would I know if I were the only vehicle in sight if I didn’t stop and look?
While that was an asshole comment, it was not worth starting an entire thread over.
I felt that insults were inappropriate for GQ.
Sorry, I’ve got to go with David on this one. I grew up in Ohio where it’s flat, and you could quite easily see that you were the only one around for miles, so why the hell stop? Or there’s the traffic light down the street from my house, at night, it’s the only one in town that doesn’t go to “blink” after 10 PM, given that there’s hardly any traffic on the road during the day, why the fuck should it be the only one working at 3 AM? If a pedestrian or bicyclist can’t figure out that I’m not slowing down to stop at the interesection (which I would if there were any around) and they walk out in front of me at the last possible second, then they deserve a Darwin Award.
Am I being wooshed here? --I’m not the very best at reading a comment in context, but I just read the linked thread, and I can’t see how any attentive reader would come to your conclusion.
You realize that David Simmons was agreeing with TJVM… right?
Well, they may get the Darwin award, but they’ll also get a gigantic jury award. And rightly so, if you blaze through a stop sign.
Meh, I don’t even have the proverbial pot to piss in. The jury can award them eight kajillion dollars, and the victim’s family will never see a penny.
The original comment wasn’t really all that pit-worthy. Yes, failing to stop at a stop sign is generally a mark of extreme stupidity and negligence, but there are some stop signs where a rolling stop to a reasonable speed of 15-20 MPH isn’t going to piss me off, especially if its in a rural, open area with perfect visibility, perfect driving conditions, and absolutely no one around. I wouldn’t personally do it, but I’m not sure it even warrants an “idiot driver” if these conditions are met. Its no excuse to get out of a ticket, but I won’t hold the act itself against anybody.
Tuckerfan’s comments, on the other hand, smack of the type of arrogant driving idiocy we would all be a little better off without. And if god forbid he ever actually did strike a pedestrian or cyclist, I’m glad we can put fucking morons like him in jail even if they lack a “pot to piss in.”
Oh, bite me. I haven’t had an accident in years, I obey traffic laws 99% of the time (including the speed limit), and I damn sure don’t barrel through an unfamiliar intersection without stopping.
:rolleyes: That must make you feel really happy and secure. Like the law doesn’t apply to you.
I once had a jackass honk at me because I decided to cross the street in front of him. I had started into the crosswalk in the middle of a block while the jackass was passing through the intersection at the other end of the block. I got about half-way when I realized that the jackass wasn’t slowing down, so I picked up my pace. The jackass honked and went past me at about the time I stepped onto the curb.
I’m sorry, Tuckerfan, but you remind me of that jackass.
No, I didn’t. David, if I’ve misconstrued your intent, please accept my sincerest apologies.
“Oh, I haven’t shot a kitten in years, and I’m kind to animals 99% of the time.” Congratulations, loser. Now go top off a kerosene enema with a burning oily rag. If you think that taking six fucking seconds out of your precious day to ensure you haven’t missed something is too much to ask, then you’d better take a good look in the mirror. If you don’t see Jesus Herbert Walker Christ staring back at you, then you’d better slap some sense into yourself before you hurt someone.
Tell that to the jury you cunt.
:rolleyes: Right backatcha, I never said that the law didn’t apply to me. I only pointed out that suing me would be a waste of someone’s time and money.
Except, of course, I don’t barrel through intersections when there’s pedestrians around. A friend of mine in high school accidently killed a young child who ran in front of his car, it scarred my friend for life. I have zero desire to hit another human being, I swerve to miss small animals when they dart in front of my car, I’m cautious as hell when there’s people on foot as I’m driving, and yet, I will plead guilty to being so lost in thought that when I’ve been walking that I’ve stepped into the path of on-coming cars. Had I gotten hit, I would have had no one to blame, but myself. Any time you’re in a hazardous environment, the safest behaviour is to assume that everyone else is an idiot and will do something to get you killed.
So you’re saying that you obey all traffic laws 100% of the time? That you don’t forget to use your turn signal every now and then?
And it’s not six fucking seconds that I’m saving, the traffic light down the street from my house is on a ten minute cycle (I know, because I’ve sat there at 3 AM and timed it), if there’s anyone around I STOP for the fucking light. This town shuts down after ten PM, and 99% of the time I’m the only car on any of the roads at 3 AM (on those rare occassions I’m out at that time of the morning). This isn’t some major metropolitian area I live in, for fuck’s sake! This town’s so damned quiet that the biggest news story in recent years was some plastic pigs being stolen as a gag!
Except that there won’t be any jury, because I’m not going to blow through an intersection if there’s anyone around.
To your knowledge. Let’s hope it stays that way.
I’d say “trust me,” but you obviously wouldn’t. Of course, if I were to say, “Oh my stars, I see the error of my ways, I’ll never do it again.” Everyone would heap tons of praise on me, nevermind the fact that they’d have no way of knowing if I actually did mend my ways. Jesus Christ in a chicken basket, people, this is a tempest in a teapot if I ever saw one. Does everyone obey every traffic law 100% of the time? No. It’s impossible. Do the vast majority of people knowingly disobey traffic laws at least part of the time? Yes. I admitted that on rare occassions I will not stop when the law dictates that I should, and everyone’s reacting like I stated that I drive daily like I’m in Death Race 2000.
If I ever hit someone at 3 AM when I decide to run that light (and I do at least SLOW DOWN for the damn thing), I will stop and render assistance, I will also go to jail, and quite possibly lose the meager possession that I do own. Will I sue the city for not putting that light on blink, even though it’s on the lowest traffic street in town and is the only light in town to not go to “blink” after 10 PM? No. Because I knowingly broke the law, took my chances and lost. Nor would I sue someone because I was a dumbass and stepped infront of their car because I wasn’t paying attention where I was going.
Tuckerfan, excuse me but I think you’ve read something into my last comment that wasn’t there.
No, I don’t think so. The only way I can see to read that comment is that you’re more worried about my driving than anyone elses. You didn’t say, “Ya know, no matter how careful we all are behind the wheel of a car, we’re going to wind up in situations where we could hit someone. Let’s hope that none of us have to go through that.” You didn’t. You didn’t point out that people who floor it when the light turns yellow are running nearly the same kind of risk as those folks who slow down, but don’t stop for stop signs/traffic lights when the intersection’s deserted.
You singled me out, and you certainly implied that my knowledge of the conditions at the intersection could be imperfect. Nevermind the fact that you’ve no idea what my driving habits are like (other than what I’ve posted in this thread), you’ve not been in the car with me on those occassions when I’ve ran that light, you don’t know what intersection I’m talking about, and you’ve no idea of what the traffic patterns in this area are like. Yet you, and others, presume, to believe that I am putting others at greater risk than is necessary.
Tuckerfan, nobody is singling you out for being the only person to break a traffic law. I said myself that running a red light or rolling through a stop sign might not be the worst thing in the world.
But people are calling you an ass for blaming the hypothetical victims of your negligence for getting run over. Which is just plain stupid.
If you’re going to be the one to break the law, at least show just a bit of fucking responsibility for your actions. And telling people not to sue you 'cause your poor anyway isn’t really in that vein.