There is a REASON why we have rear-view mirrors, you myopic fuck!

The BBQ Pit
1

(Unless I’m badly mistaken, this is the first time I’ve started a pit thread.)

So it’s Mother’s Day, and after having treated my mom to dinner at the restaurant of her choice (the Outback Steakhouse in Beaverton, Oregon), I’m on the way to drop my mom off at her home.

I’m driving on Cornell Road in Hillsboro, and I’m approaching the intersection that allows you to turn off into the MAX park-and-ride or the Hillsboro Airport parking lot. The light is red as I approach the intersection, and I come to stop. This road, for those of you Dopers not familiar with the area, is a very busy road.

Directly in front of me is a truck. It’s a very large specimen of truck. It’s the kind of truck modified in such a way that you probably need a stepladder just to board it. I really don’t think much about this truck, until I see it start to back up. My mind is simply too numb with disbelief to react. Within two seconds of it starting to back up, it has bumped into my front bumper.

The truck immediately jerks a bit, as if the driver had slammed on the brakes. By now, the light has turned green, and the truck has room to move forward. I expected the truck to speed away, but to his credit, the driver does not flee. He stops, gets out (as I do, after setting the parking brake), and I take a look at the front of my car.

Fortunately, it’s a low-speed encounter. The truck wasn’t backing up at more than four or five miles an hour, and the front bumper did exactly the job it was designed to do. Later tests show the lights to have been undamaged.

I stare at the driver after we look over our respective vehicles. He is a young Hispanic male, probably about 18 or 19 years old. There are at least two passengers in the truck, one of them a young girl.

“You’re very lucky,” I say to the driver.

He grins a grin that I want to hit very hard.

“Use your rearview mirror next time, OK?” I say.

“I just didn’t see you there, sorry,” he replies in heavily accented English.

“You mean you never looked in your rear-view mirror?”

“Did not think anyone was behind me.”

I’m aghast at his response. I amaze myself with how civil I am here. But then again, we’re in the middle lane of a very busy road in front of an intersection, and I simply do not feel that I have the luxury of doing what I really want to do.

Note to the driver that barely escaped my wrath: Don’t mistake my civility for forgiveness of your slack-jawed stupidity. What I really want to do is rip the wallet out of your fucking shorts, pull your fucking driver’s license out of your fucking wallet, throw it on the asphalt, and fucking piss on it. And then when I have finished pissing on your fucking license, I want to shove it down your fucking gullet, all the while screaming, “Use your fucking mirrors!” I want to scream at you to consider the astounding possibility that there are other vehicles on the road, and that you don’t have the fucking right to presume that they will simply dodge your fucking Dodge. And then after I have made sure that you have ingested your urine-soaked license, I want to strap you with bungee cords to the back bumper of my cars, and show you what the world looks like while my car goes in reverse. Maybe after a few hours of that you’ll learn to recognize what it’s supposed to look like in your rear-view mirror when you’re going in reverse.

Listen up, you little pustulent ball of nutsweat. I hope you remember this incident, and reflect on it every time you glance at that strange and mysterious foreign object affixed to your windshield that magically shows you what is behind your dumb ass. Just remember that you’re not supposed to just “think” that there isn’t anybody behind you, you’re supposed to fucking “KNOW” it! Or would the concept of planning ahead overtax your nine-volt battery brain? If responsible driving really challenges your intellect, then let someone else do the driving. If that suggestion threatens you, then go gobble a horse’s cock.

And what the fuck were you doing backing up at an intersection of a very busy road, anyway? It wasn’t like you had any place to go. The lanes on either side of us were full.

Fucking moron. :mad:

The lucky part was that no damage was sustained to either of our vehicles. The part that could have really gotten ugly was that if damage had been sustained, it would have looked exactly like I had rear-ended this idiot’s truck. It would have been impossible to prove to the insurance company what really happened. I don’t think they would have believed anybody could be that fucking stupid.

2

I’ve just wasted my 200th post venting on this…

3

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
I had the hardest time meeting drivers of large trucks that don’t act like they’re the only ones on the road.

[Edit]200, Schmoohundred. 500 and 1K is all that matters.

4

I really like this one. Mind if I use it sometime…? :wink:

Reminds me of an incident when I was in high school and had just recently got my drivers license. I was crossing a divided highway - had crossed the northbound lanes and was sitting in the area between medians waiting to cross the southbound lanes – I was stationary, mind you – and some moron going the other way past me and turning left made his turn way to sharp and hit my back end on his way by. He obviously knew it was his fault (I wasn’t even a moving target), but his attitude was annoying: “Oh, it’s no big deal, I’ve been in plenty of accidents!”

Gee, that’s comforting, I thought. And such a moron is still loose on the highways?

Hope everything else turned out right and that your Mom enjoyed her day! :slight_smile:

Monstre <— thinks you should have gone up to the pustulent ball of nutsweat and said, “Hallo… My name is Atreyu… You backed into my car… Prepare to die!”

5

A woman in a car backed into my mom years ago on a pedestrian crossing. She was about 5 yards or so from the crossing & there was something parked in front of her, so she backed up to pull out round it. It was a busy street, with at least 30 or 40 people going across the crossing with the light. I can understand one person might disappear into a blind spot, but not that crowd. She obviously had just backed up without even looking. Mom slammed her hand down hard on the body work and jumped aside & the woman heard the contact and slammed the breaks on. She looked really white & shaken when she got out…maybe she’ll actually look in future, but I doubt it. (Mom wasn’t hurt, btw).

6

Atreyu,

Well the driver did stay to check on you, so he gets some credit and he has a shot at becoming a decent driver someday.

As near as I can tell from my daily commutes, many drivers believe the rear view mirror is a personal vanity for combing hair, putting on make-up, or shaving. Side mirrors are mistaken for mere decoration and judging by the odd angle thay dangle at, never used.

7

Same exact thing happened to me, it was about 11pm, I was sitting at the end of an offramp from the NY State Thruway, behind an Explorer, I think it was. La di da, just minding my own business, when it starts backing up and turning. I fail to react, much to my dismay, and the guy hits the corner of my car with his bumper. We were not so fortunate to have no damage. His bumper was high enough to just scrape the top of mine, while denting the hood, fender, and crushing my headlight. $4,000 later, my car was as good as new.

Word of advice to Mr. Explorer:

DON’T EVER, EVER, PUT YOUR CAR IN REVERSE ON THE ROAD!!!

Shit-fer-brains, God forbid you fucking drive 2 extra minutes to make a safe u-turn or something. Noooooo you have to back up and save yourself those precious seconds, right? Shit, this guy had 2 gas stations and a McDonalds right in front of his fucking face that he could’ve turned around in. I guess they weren’t convenient enough. You know, I’m glad that you did all that damage, and paid the body shop from your own pocket. Maybe next time you will actually drive forward, where your goddamn eyes are pointed.

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! ::shaking fist::

8

Happened to us, too. :frowning: While waiting to turn onto a main road, a probationary driver backed into my mother and I. He backed up a little - mum honked the horn. Continued to back slowly into us, completely unaware, and eventually tapped the front of our car.

Everything was fine - the driver was apologetic but scared of what his father would say. After the event, we received a rude letter from said father stating that they weren’t going to pay the costs because clearly my mother rear-ended his son. :rolleyes: He stated that his son vividly remembered the event, but the stupid fuck even got the day that the accident happened wrong.

So of course, we sent back an equally scathing letter saying that we had two witnesses, and if they wasted any more of our time making us go to court, we’d ream them so far up the arse that they’d be shitting intestines for weeks. We got the dent fixed the next week.

Soooooooo satisfying. :smiley:

9

Go right ahead.

10

Good on your Mom - I was nearly hit by a car making a right turn while I walking (with the walk light, I might add) across a downtown crosswalk; I swung out my lunch bag which was in my hand (and, coincedentally, had a big can of Spaghetti-os in it that day) and dammit just missed the tail end of the car that nearly ran over my toes. ARGGH! I was so mad at my bad aim! That can would have made such a nice dent in asswipe’s car! (Just for the record, I nearly get hit by cars about once month walking to work downtown, if you’re wondering where my fanatical desire to smash a can into a car comes from.)
Oh yeah, my comment on the OP - I figured out early in my driving career to never drive one way and look another - EVER! I never want to think my way is clear - I need to know it.

11

Nice rant Atreyu, I give it an 8.2.

Since I moved to the Portland area 13 years ago, I’ve been rear-ended 3 times and front-ended once.

I also have watched people doing all sorts of things in their vehicles besides paying attention to what they are supposed to be doing.
Last week I followed a guy out of town on I-5 south, during rush hour, who had a book propped up on his steering wheel. I’ve seen eye makeup applied at 70 mph.
I’ve seen a woman on 99W, going about 45, turned completely around playing with an infant in the back seat.
I’ve seen delivery drivers writing on their clipboards on the freeway.
I even saw a young woman reading a bible while driving down the freeway at 65 mph a couple of years ago.
One of the people who rear-ended me wouldn’t even put down her cell phone to look at the damage. Her conversation apparently was more important. Tits-for-brains.

Frankly, if these morons want to kill themselves, I don’t care anymore, but if they take someone else with them, that pisses me off. A moving vehicle is a lethal weapon, and when they are behind the wheel, all of their attention should be focused on the task at hand.

(Yeah, I know, pretty weak, that’s why I don’t start pit threads.)

12

“First Rule of Italian Driving: What’s behind you is not important.” race car driver in Gumball Rally as he tore off the rear view mirrow and threw it away.
Warning - Punches not pulled

Question: Was this on a hill?

Was he in reverse or did he roll back before he engaged the clutch?

I question people’s judgement when they pull right up to the rear of a tractor trailer on a hill.
In fact I make it a point to give all automobiles plenty of roll back space on hills ever since I discovered an automobile salesman had convinced an idiot co-irker that anyone could drive a manual.
AcidKid Rules of the Road before getting a driver’s license:
-You must walk across a ‘Right on Red’ intersection twice daily for a year. (On the left side of the street where American auto drivers look left, away from you, 'cause they’re more concerned about getting hit than hitting something or someone.)
-You must ride a bicycle for a year.
-You must ride a motorcycle for a year.
-You must drive a truck with a top heavy load for a year.
-You must drive a tractor trailer within city limits for a year.
-You must complete another year as an infirm pedestrian.
-You must swear unto God that your entry into Heaven is dependent upon your actions as a driver in rush hour.

…

13

Good question, considering that this took place in Oregon, a state that has its fair share of hills and mountains.

This did not take place on a hill.

The traffic light was red throughout the entire incident. It did not turn green until fifteen to twenty seconds after the “nudging.”

I have no doubt that the driver had engaged in reverse. The truck’s initial speed when moving backwards was too high for it to be simple roll-back.

14

I had someone back into me in Turkey. I was following this driver down the street in Izmir to my apartment (he just happened to be infront of me at the time) I was riding my 21 speed mountain bike at the time. when we got to the last intersection before my street. the intersection was for a “walkplatz” or a street that is closed to vehiclular traffic. The intersection was raised to the same level as the side walk. Now the guy stoped on the hump of an intersection, so I stopped behind him. Now I am 6 foot, 200 lbs, with blonde hair (not to many blondes in Turkiye)on a big red bike centered in behind him. He starts to back up on my and doesn’t stop until my fist hits his trunk, HARD. He stops ontop of my fron tire (the bike survived with no problem, he was on the hump and I was still at street level) The guy looks suprised as to my “sudden” appearance. Since he is giving me the deer in the headlight look and doesn’t seem to want to pull forward. I pull the bike out from under his rear bumper and watched the car drop 2 inches and slowly passed the fool. This would happen 1 week before the 110 decible bike horn I ordered arrived in the mail.

15

Amen AcidKid, I lived near a busy intersection where there was a big fat sign saying “NO TURN ON RED”, yet folks still tried to make the turn as I was crossing the street. Technically I was jaywalking, but I noted over the years that jaywalking is the only way to cross strees. My best defense used to me jumping onto their hoods (rolling with the punch you might say). that gets their attention and I usually was not hurt at all. But with the present popularity of SUV’s I doubt I can do that much any more.

In fact that almost happened to me crossing the stree the other day, guy was looking left and turning right. We all had the light and he almost plowed into three people crossing the street. At least he looked like he felt awful for doing it…

16

I was at a stoplight once, which was red. I was maybe the 4th car back in a line of probably 8 or 9. The truck in front of me decides to let the car pulling out of the 7-eleven go in front of him. That’s nice. Except he decides to back up to give them room.

My husband and I just sort of stared in slack-jawed amazement as our hood crumpled up like a peice of paper. We honked the horn but it took a second to register…

Anyway his insurance paid for it and he was very apologetic, but dang. What a stupid accident. It was about 3,000 in damage, too… damaged the grill, radiator, both headlight fixtures, and of course the hood.

17

Not using your rear view mirror is bad but not seeing what what’s right in front of you is worse, and I’ve been the victim of it twice.

I’m waiting in line to turn right on a red light. The car ahead of me turns. I move up and come to a stop. The car behind me decides to turn on the red light without stopping, and hits me. Either they assumed I would perform the same traffic violation as they did or, incredibly, they just didn’t see me. I wonder if I need a flashing marquee on my rear window: “Warning: I stop at red lights”.

18

Ditto, Baraqiyal!

'Bout 10 years ago I was waiting in a line of traffic at a red light - I was probably 4 or 5 cars back. The light turned green, and the line of cars began to move.

Somebody up ahead (at least 2 cars forward of me) stopped very suddenly (for reasons never determined), and a chain reaction of quick stops ensued. I had to brake pretty hard to avoid hitting the car in front of me. After settling back into my seat, I looked at the person in my passenger seat and commented, “Wow, that was…” WHAM!

Yup. The driver behind me wasn’t so successful. Actually, I don’t think she ever applied the brakes. The excuse offered was, “Well, the light was green,” with the implication that this whole thing was my fault. Yeah, OK…green light means go, and to hell with whatever is happening in front of you…gotcha…

My car had some relatively minor body damage to the rear end, which her insurance wound up paying for. My muffler was damaged, so I got a new one of those, too. Her car had what appeared to be fiberglass fenders, and the front six inches or so of the vehicle had broken off quite cleanly and was pointed at the ground.