# Fuckwit Causes 24 Car Pileup to Keep Sofa Dry **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941 "2003-07-21T16:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![October](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@October](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/October)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/21 "2003-07-21T21:54:39Z")
What the hell is a Tamagochi? I have this bizarre picture in my head of a tiny figure skater jumping around in the front seat, clamoring for treats… (and for the record, I did look it up; it wasn’t in my dictionary. I could find out on my own if I _really_ wanted to, but I figured it would be easier just to ask y’all…) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/22 "2003-07-21T21:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gatopescado \* > \*\*While I wasn’t there and haven’t seen any pictures, I might suggest that this dumbass certainly caused crash #1-4, but what kind of idiots #5-24 can’t avoid a pile-up? Sounds like they are all following a little close maybe, especially in the rain? I wonder if anyone on that road had anticipated trouble and thought ahead about possible escape routes? I wonder how many of the 24 simply slammed on the brakes and slid hopelessly into the pile, all the while screaming like little girls? Its not an “accident” if you can avoid it. \*\* Have you ever driven in Atlanta, **gatopescado**? It’s noted for drivers who drive waaaaay too fast and waaaaay too close together, and who weave through traffic more than anywhere else I have _ever_ seen. This accident was just waiting to happen. If it wasn’t her, it would have been somebody else. But she’s still a stupid fuckwit. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/23 "2003-07-21T22:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mama Tiger \* > \*\*Have you ever driven in Atlanta, **gatopescado**? It’s noted for drivers who drive waaaaay too fast and waaaaay too close together, and who weave through traffic more than anywhere else I have _ever_ seen. > > But she’s still a stupid fuckwit. \*\* Can’t say I have ever driven in Hot’Lanta. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for all those tailgaters out yonder. Speed is all realitive to how much braking distance you leave yourself. And, yes, she is fo’sho a fuckwit! 😃 * * * She told me she loved me like a brother. She was from Atlanta, hence the Joy! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/24 "2003-07-21T22:11:13Z")
Well, count your blessings for not having driven there. The outer loop in the rain scares the living shit out of me, and I’ve driven in places with a far worse reputation. And you _cannot_ leave a safe distance between you and other vehicles; people just use the spots to dart in and out as they weave their way across multiple lanes. Definitely not a fun place to drive. But anyone who cuts across four lanes of traffic because she was too cheap to buy a $10 tarp deserves to be a Former Driver. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/25 "2003-07-21T22:22:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FisherQueen \* > \*\*But the story left out the most vital piece of information: > > Is the sofa okay? \*\* Do you know how much Dr. Pepper hurts when it comes up through your nostrils? I’m sending you my medical bills for that. Ava ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/26 "2003-07-21T22:30:20Z")
A Tamagochi (or however it’s spelled) is a “virtual pet” toy- you have to “feed it” and so forth to keep it alive, or the game is over and you have to start again. It’s a childs toy that goes on your keychain. [http://members.tripod.com/~gotchi/](http://members.tripod.com/~gotchi/) Here’s a link to an article about it- see “Tamagotchi Pet in Distress Kills Marseille Cyclist” [http://www.carbusters.org/magazine/no2.php#feature7](http://www.carbusters.org/magazine/no2.php#feature7) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/27 "2003-07-21T23:32:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gatopescado \* > **Maybe this will be a wake-up call for all those tailgaters out yonder.** First time for everything, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/28 "2003-07-22T00:11:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Pronunciation: -“bOlt” As opposed to “bolT?” “boLt?” ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/29 "2003-07-22T12:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by avabeth \* > \*\*Do you know how much Dr. Pepper hurts when it comes up through your nostrils? I’m sending you my medical bills for that. > > Ava \*\* Lessee, 690 someodd posts. You should know better than to drink when SDMBing. Specially fizzy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/30 "2003-07-22T12:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*As opposed to “bolT?” “boLt?” \*\* Yeah, there is only one way to say that word isn`t there? ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/31 "2003-07-22T14:07:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whuckfistle \* > \*\*Lessee, 690 someodd posts. You should know better than to drink when SDMBing. Specially fizzy stuff. \*\* :hangs head: I know. I should be flogged. Any volunteers? 😃 Ava ---
**Author:** ![The\_Composer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Composer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Composer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/32 "2003-07-22T14:39:52Z")
Good grief. I was driving in the area when this accident occurred. Thankfully I was able to avoid the mayhem. However, the last I heard, the cause was “weather related.” Sounds like the proper term should have been “idiot cheap ass dumb fuck related.” ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/33 "2003-07-22T14:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mama Tiger \* > \*\*Have you ever driven in Atlanta, **gatopescado**? It’s noted for drivers who drive waaaaay too fast and waaaaay too close together, and who weave through traffic more than anywhere else I have _ever_ seen. > > This accident was just waiting to happen. If it wasn’t her, it would have been somebody else. > > But she’s still a stupid fuckwit. \*\* Sofas and ladders are standard road debris in and around Atlanta. Just last night as I was cruising down 75 I had this little conversation with myself: What’s that in the road? Too big to be a deer. Is it just the reflection off something? How’d that throw pillow get on my windshield? Oh, shit! If anyone wants a sofa ( has a few dents and dings ) there’s one on 75 just north of Kennesaw. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/34 "2003-07-22T15:31:50Z")
As another Atlantan, I can also assure you that a) swerving violently from one lane to another without warning or signaling is normal here, and b) people drive with so little space between their cars that it’s amazing such pile-ups don’t happen more often. Ladders, shoes and furniture are pretty common items on the freeway, but I got 'em topped. Shortly after I moved here in 1988, I had to stop on an exit ramp because somebody left a cabin cruiser there. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/35 "2003-07-22T15:54:10Z")
I take it Atlanta isn’t a great place to ride a motorcycle. I think I’ll just stay out west were the roads are a little less crowded and furnished. We do have wild horses and coyotes in abundance however. * * * _“Lets get them meek bastards **NOW!** ”_ ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/36 "2003-07-22T16:48:42Z")
Atlanta’s not a great place to be on a roadway, period. If there is a Hell, it looks a LOT like 285. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/37 "2003-07-22T17:13:16Z")
I just want to jump in to defend people who drive a little too closely. This doesn’t show shit about “driving too closely”. If everyone drove with the required 150 feet between every car, the highway would be fucking worthless. It would be jammed until 10 pm everyday. Get a grip people. The 2 second rule is great for people who are a little slow (reaction wise) but realistically the cars in front of you don’t “suddenly” stop. This accident was caused because 2 cars slammed into each other and probably took another car beside them (I assume it’s a 3 lane highway) which in turn caused panicking drivers to slam on their brakes while others were still watching the accident. Even with 3 seconds of reaction time some people are going to pay too much attention to the accident than to their driving. I see this all the time. Drivers really suck when it comes to unexpected conditions. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941/38 "2003-07-22T17:13:57Z")
Zenster, I humbly submit that the overall level of outrage and aggravation in your life would lessen considerably if you stopped digging up stories of extreme stupidity or cruelty from around the country and ranting about them. After a certain point, it starts to feel like you are LOOKING for reasons to be angry. What’s the purpose? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuckwit-causes-24-car-pileup-to-keep-sofa-dry/189941.md?page=1)