I don’t personally know this driver but it was widely reported in the press over here (and he was in Dudley which is only a few miles from home)…he is an Iraqi immigrant who was stopped by the police because he was driving erratically.
The reason for this? He is blind. In fact, more than blind, he has no eyes at all. He was in the car with his friend (also Iraqi) who had already been disqualified from driving, the friend was shouting directions to him and he was attempting to follow them. On questioning him (another tricky matter as he speaks no English at all), the police established that he is also partially deaf, has only two fingers on one of his hands, and has leg tremors that often render him unable to walk.
After taking him to court, he was banned from driving for a few years and then told he would have to take an extended driving test. How bonkers is that?
chefguy, that was priceless. I should not read such things in the office - usually, I can keep looking busily bored through the Dope, but right now I’m very happy that the rest of the people in my isle are IT guys (and therefore have no problem with crazy, silently laughing coworkers)
Let’s see:
Mama, my landlady in Miami for two years. The blindness got somewhat healed when she had surgery for her left cataract; remember: this still left her virtually-blind on the right eye, a diabetic with a lousy diet, and one of those little old ladies who like doing 15 on the left lane. In order to be able to drive, I had to learn to do so in such a way that she could not feel any acceleration. One day I was driving and she turned to me and said “it IS funny! All these cars are not blowing their horns at us and you’re driving nice and slow…” (65 in a 55mph area, same as all those guys who weren’t blowing their horns at the little old lady doing 15 in the left lane)
One of my exes, also from Miami. I just don’t have words to describe it, really, but if his dick and his driving had been more linked, he would have peed gasoline. His poor Firebird should never have fallen into such mistreatment.
One day we were at a concert with a friend and he hurt his wrist. I claimed the keys for the way back home; he didn’t want to give them up but finally did. As I ramped up onto I-95, he said “what are you doing?” Going South, what the hell am I supposed to be doing?" “To the car, I mean to the car! It’s not making noise!” “Yes it is, it makes vroom vroom step on gas, motor vrooms happily, see? V-room!” “I mean when you switch gears! It doesn’t go GÑEEEEC!” “This here car has three pedals, dear. I actually step on the left one as I switch gears, no gñeeec, only Vroom.”
(Our friend was laughing her ass off)
The poor car’s brakes gave up one day and he managed to drive on (through several red lights and stops) without killing himself or anybody until the gas ran out and the car stopped, so I guess he did have good reflexes, but still…
Maybe I just should nominate everybody in Florida
Some of my Spanish coworkers in Costa Rica were gorilla drivers. They kept an ongoing contest to see who could drive more agressively, I swear. On several occasions they passed someone less than 100 meters from the place where we had to turn left to leave the main road, and then braked like crazy (forcing several vehicles to stop, including the one we’d just passed) and stood the car in the middle of the road as they waited for an opening in upcoming traffic.
Probably my father in law. Road rage plus poor eyesight due to diabetes equals badness. I don’t think he’s ever been in an accident due to the road rage, but riding with him is pretty spooky.
One time, he was driving on the interstate, and this car passed him and cut off the woman driving in front of him. He then proceeded to get into the left lane, drive up alongside the guy, and ran his ass off the road. Seriously.
The cops showed up at his workplace shortly thereafter. He talked himself out of it somehow.
He’s been in at least one accident per year for the past few years, mostly due to his poor eyesight. He totaled his beautifully restored vintage VW Beetle three or four years ago.
Two years ago, he was turning left onto the road where he lives and got T-boned…I don’t blame him entirely for that one, though. It was dusk, almost dark, and the dumb bitch didn’t have her headlights on. He totaled his brand new truck that he’s bought just two days prior. Everybody was fine, the lady walked away from it, and FIL had a lot of bruising and was really sore for a few days. The police report says it was 100% FIL’s fault, but the insurance companies decided it was 60/40, 60% being his fault. The statute of limitations on civil suits runs out like tomorrow, and sure enough, he got served with papers on Saturday. The shitpile is suing him for half a million dollars. Where the hell did they come up with that? She walked away, and her truck was a falling apart bucket of rust.
