Feb 05 2008
Drivers
Not computer drivers. Not golf drivers. Those idiots behind the wheel that do everything but pay.fucking.attention.to.the.road.
Yesterday as I was leaving the office, it was foggy. And rainy. That foggy crap that happens when the snow is melting and the rain is coming down and the air is warmer than the ground. Conditions where even my pissy little commute makes life miserable. Especially when everyone is leaving at the exact same time.
When I leave the parking lot, I drive around a wetland preserve and then head out to a main road. That main road has a hill at the nearest intersection if you turn right, but I turn left. So once I get out the stop sign at the end of the preserve, I’m always very careful before turning because you’re never sure what’s coming over that hill. Good thing I did, because here comes a gray P.T. Cruiser. In the fog. I barely saw her. I let the driver pass me and then pull out behind her. I flash my lights a couple of times, but hers don’t come on.
“Hmmmm,”, says me to myself. “That driver seems to be drunk. ” She was swerving within the lane. A little too close to the middle, then a little too close to the edge. We were coming up to the point where I always get to make a decision. Do I turn left and go out to main road #2 (where there’s a stop sign and I have to make ANOTHER left) or keep going straight and turn left at the light onto main road #2?
Here’s a picture (with apologies for my drawing skills. I’m on my laptop and my little eraser mouse thingie really sucks for Paint)
See there?
To recap -> I’m on main road #1, coming from the bottom, deciding whether to turn left at the option or keep going around the curve so I can have a light.
PT Cruiser pulls off onto the right where that other line is. That line? Is for if you come across a car turning left, you can go around it on the right. Just in case there’s a long line of traffic behind you. There’s no place to go if you pull over there. But PT does. She pulls over there like it’s the shoulder and stops.
I figure it’s my chance to get around her, so I beep and keep on going. I know that at 5 pm, I’ll triple my 5-minute commute if I have to try to turn left at the stop sign instead of going ahead up to the light.
I’m now in front of PT. Which is good, because she’s still stopped back there on the shoulder that’s not a shoulder, right? Well, let’s see.
I get to the light, and there’s a line of traffic stopped. I stop. Next thing I know, I’m getting rear-ended. Hard. So hard I break my thumbnail. Halfway down the nailbed. Which, when you think about it, you don’t really have an opportunity to break your left thumbnail (halfway down my nailbed, did I mention?) unless you’re rear-ended pretty freakin’ hard.
Looking into the rearview mirror confirms my suspicions. PT isn’t still stopped back there. Oh no. She’s right behind me. In fact, she’s right.behind.me.
I hit the flasher light and get out of the car.
“Oh, did I hit you ma’am?”
“Did you hit me? Did you hit me? Yes, you hit me. What the hell?” Okay, so I wasn’t my usual calm self.
“I sorry ma’am. I so sorry lady. Your car is okay though.” (Now, since she didn’t get out of her car, how she knew this, I have no idea.)
“I don’t see any damage, but I’d like your insurance information.”
“Oh ma’am, lady, ma’am. I so sorry. I so sorry. “
“Are you drunk? You have no lights on, you’re out here swerving in the lane. I was watching you. You’re drunk, aren’t you?”
“No ma’am. No. I love my job. I love my job.” (I eventually figured out she was saying ‘I lost my job’.) “I was on the phone. I was thinking other things.”
“Alright, fine, just give me your insurance information and we can be done with this. You have insurance, right?”
“Yes, I has insurance.”
So I head back to get a pen.
“Lady, Lady, I sorry, I sorry. I no have insurance.”
I get my pen and go to the back of her car and take down her license plate #.
As I walk back to my baby car, I stop at her window.
“Get off the road when you’re on the phone. Turn on your lights when you’re in the fog. And for fuck’s sake - pay attention before you kill someone.”
“Yes, lady, yes ma’am. I so sorry. I so sorry. You no call the police.”
“I’m not going to call the police. Get the fuck off the road.”
(Yes, I think I used up my fuck quota for the week.)
As I drove away, I saw her pull into a parking lot. There was no damage to either car.
—- Did I do the right thing y’all? Should I have called the police, or simply been grateful there was no damage and that she listened to me and got off the road? —-
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What a fucking dippy dong! (I love that word- sorry). Well, at least she wasn’t ignorant and at least she did take your advice but seriously, if you are that upset that you lost your job, wouldn’t you just feel better pulling over; crying, screaming, and cussing at the moon?? How do you feel at this point? Take some Advil or something too - you might still have some effects in the morning. What exactly happens when people don’t have insurance and they get into a fender bender? I realize it is the law to have at least liability (at least in VA), but what happens to these people if the police are involved? I’m dumb.
wbppsh7’s last blog post..Can I get a ?Whoot, Whoot??
It’s hard to say…if there’s no damage it’s almost easier to just let it go. Less headache for you. Then again, if you wake up feeling crappy tomorrow…or a week from now…
I hate idiot drivers!
Erin’s last blog post..Roosday-Tuesday ? Wherein Our Hero is Mopey
Oh No!!!! OK Hot, the good news is I hope you’re doing OK. Gotta be careful because while the adrenaline is coursing through your veins you may feel… well, just pissed off! But once that wears off….
Same goes for you car! You’d be surprise how much unseen damage can be done from a minor fender bender. I had someone hit me from behind and all looked OK so I suggested he buy a girl dinner next time he ran up on her ass and we parted ways. Come to find out it bent the frame of my car. Shit.
Next time, call the police. She could kill someone on the way back to buy more crack.
M’s last blog post..Sucker for Infomercials!
I have to go with call the police next time. It’s illegal to drive without insurance. And if she’s that much of an idiot when she drives, it’s likely that she will be (or has been) in other accidents.
I’m glad you weren’t hurt and that your car is okay. It’s infuriating that people can be so stupid behind the wheel of a couple of tons of steel. I’d say that you used just the right amount of “fucks.”
Miz S’s last blog post..I Miss You, Baby. Really, I Do.
I seriously think that you should have called the police. Right there in front of her, from your cell phone/whatever you use.
She *should not* have been driving. And if she doesn’t have the sense enough to recognize that and stay put, then she deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law (I am sorry, I have very little sympathy for those who completely disreguard the lives of others.)
Wowza… You were a bit calmer than I would be. She needs to get control of her emotions and senses and realize that she’s on the road endangering others for cryin’ out loud. I don’t think you did the wrong thing but if she hurt someone else, oh lordy.
Thankfully you (and HotCar) are okay. One has to drive defensively nowadays. :::sigh:::
You should have taken off your fabulous boot and slapped her around the head with it.
And then rammed her phone up her arse.
Fucker.
Broke your nail! I would sue.
Let me kiss it boo boo.
(seriously, she could have killed someone. In Oz it is illegal to talk on the phone while driving. But dickheads do it all the time and it drives me batshit)
PS: Have I used up my potty mouth quota on your blog today?
Kelley’s last blog post..Oh. Ooops!
If she doesn’t have insurance, she needs to be off the road. Maybe she wasn’t drunk, but you can’t smell drugs on a person’s breath.
I wonder how many other train wrecks she caused?
I hope that in three days, the pain does not set in. It usually takes that long.
witchypoo’s last blog post..Tickle Me Tuesday
I’m glad you are OK and I hope you don’t feel neck or back pains later. Ummm, was she a nail tech? Just asking by the accent you typed
Anyway, this is what I do for a living. Auto/insurance/repairs.
ALWAYS call the police for your protection. MI is a no fault state. She must have insurance. If you have hidden damage or later find your nail isn’t the only injury, you need a police report. Now, it’s your word against hers. We’ve actually had people claim the person in front of them put their car in reverse at the light to get in another lane and hit them … when we know they really hit the car in front. But how can you prove it without a police report? Oh yeah, never move the cars until the police show up.
Plus, she needs to be off the road before she hurts someone seriously.
I’m just glad you are OK =)
Nancy’s last blog post..FAT Tuesday
i wouldn’t have called the police either. mostly cause i wouldn’t want to deal with the bullshit and would have just wanted to go home. but you so should have bitch slapped her.
I would have done the same as you. You called it as you saw it and I got the impression that she wasn’t drunk/drugged, just pretty upset and very careless. Your “talk” seemed to push her to get a grip.
Kelliqua’s last blog post..Still On Topic
Call the police. I had one of those, come to find out $2000 later, there was damage- the accident messed up my rear sensors. Sigh. I’ve also had people give me false information after hitting me. Make sure you SEE the license AND insurance card. I got rear ended three times in a six month period. And before you say it was my fault, I was stopped in line at a drive thru pharmacy, on the on ramp to an expressway and at a stoplight. I was not driving erratically.
imhelendt’s last blog post..It was NOT ‘like that?
By the way, her drunk ass might go on to kill someone. She deserves to be dealt with by police.
imhelendt’s last blog post..It was NOT ‘like that?
I would have called the police, but that is just me. I hope you are okay, and by the way, you are allowed to break the swear word quota when stuff like this happens.
Take care!
RC’s last blog post..Further explanation
Ohhhh, you are nice. I got rear-ended a few years ago, traded insurance, decided to let it go … and then got a call two days later that SHE was suing ME. And oh, her insurance? Fake. Fake name, too. Unbelieveable.
Swishy’s last blog post..Doctor-patient privilege
All I care about is that you’re okay. Beyond that, it’s all fluff. (So to speak.)
Jen on the Edge’s last blog post..Does Matt Damon’s wife know how lucky she is?
Glad to hear you are ok. (Well, except for that thumbnail.)
Glad to hear your vehicle is ok too. Yes, you did use the appropriate amount of “f” bombs. Actually, you are far classier than I am. I would have dropped a few more. heehee
motherofbun’s last blog post..Russell Stover: I don’t know how to quit you!
First, so glad you were not injured. I hope you continue to be ok in the days to come. Second, she needs to realize that if she can’t pay attention while driving, she is damn lucky she didn’t hurt someone. The lost job could have easily become the least of her worries that day. As far as calling the police, while it would have been vindicating to do so, its doubtful they would have done anything given there was no damage to either vehicle. I have been in a situation where someone hit my (parked) car so hard they were on top of my bumper and the back end of the car weighted down. I called the police and they refused to do anything, even asking to see insurance that the driver was refusing to show me. My bumper fascia was partially pulled off but because it was an older car and mostly street parking the police said it couldn’t be proved. This was in Seattle and I know laws can be slightly different everywhere, but was endlessly frustrating. I JUST saw it happen!
Vanessa’s last blog post..Grocery Friends
There’s still plenty time to report it to the police, besides if she does cause another accident you’ve helped the police out. Folks like that don’t wake up and become perfect drivers after one mess up, she’ll be thinking, Yay! I got away with that one! Doesn’t your state require insurance? If not then why?! Sounds very fishy, and I’ll be willing to bet she didn’t have the right to be on the road - the whole “You don’t call the police” would’ve been my red flag to call ASAP.
Your poor Thumb!! I know those hurt like sonofabitch. May you have many comfortable bandages to keep the ouch at bay.
Lyvvie’s last blog post..Pancake Day!
I am so glad you are okay.
It’s illegal totalk on the phone and drive here, let alone drive drunk too!
I think you were lovely for not calling the police, but I probably would have!
Veronica’s last blog post..Vibrator Vibrator Vibrator
I dunno, Hot, I’m thinking I probably would have done the same thing. Because in addition to not having insurance, it sounds like she probably didn’t have a green card or visa either. Maybe you scared her enough that she’ll be more careful next time.
Candy’s last blog post..Sufragette City
You should have called the police. And I will offer you some more of the f-word for the week. I have some spares for a change. Mostly because I haven’t been out driving anywhere.
flutterby’s last blog post..The Cootie Queen vs The Lint Licker
Ditto Jen on the Edge. Just glad it wasn’t more serious than your nail (which I’m sure still hurts like the dickens).
TX Poppet’s last blog post..Super Shrove Tuesday
So I’m the 22nd person to say Glad you weren’t badly hurt! Also, the 22nd person to sincerely mean it.
I would’ve done the same thing you did, fucks and all. I’m a softie. I’ve also been around long enough to believe that calling the police would undoubtedly hugely mess up the other person’s life and not do much, if any, practical good.
Also, I’m sure you scared the bejebus out of him/her.
SarahO’s last blog post..THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU ALL!
Yeah, I fall into the call-the-police camp. Glad you’re okay, though.
Other drivers use up my f-word allotment more than any other source.
Jennifer’s last blog post..My bright, young feminist
Knowing me, I’d probably have just let her go and wanted to get out of there, but the practical side of me says that I should call the police if something like that happened. Just because you can’t guarantee that she’ll get off the road and next time it could be much worse.
I’m glad you’re okay (y’know, like everyone else has said) and I also wouldn’t have called the cops because I’d just want to GET HOME and away from the FUCKING HORRID DRIVERS on the BAD ROADS. That’s just me, though. And the cops? Would have taken a lot of time and to what satisfaction?
Melissa’s last blog post..Green Girl Gives a Seed Lecture (yawn)
I have had the bad experience of being hit by an uninsured driver before. I have NO sympathy for these people. I have to pay my premiums to be legal, so they should also.
I definitely think you should have called the police. There could be a lot of unseen damage to your car, as someone said in a previous comment - - you would be very surprised at what might show up later!
Also, anyone stupid and crazy enough to be driving in that kind of fog, in a car the same damn color as the fog, with NO lights, and chatting away on the phone, NEEDS to deal with the police!
I’m glad you’re okay - - luckily you just broke a nail (down to the nailbed? OUCH!) - - but seriously, dingle-balls could have killed you. And now that she is still out on the road, she might kill someone else, or herself.
Idiot drivers - - hate ‘em!
Liz J in Central Illinois’s last blog post..Mother Nature’s Fury
I would’ve called the cops.
We were rear-ended when I was 5 months pregnant with Henry. We were stopped at a red light and the car behind us was honking at us to go. Through the red light. All of the sudden, he nails the accelorator and drives into the back of our car.
The guy was driving a livery and as soon as he saw I was pregnant, he TOOK OFF. I had his license plate number and all, but when the cops arrived, they said they wouldn’t pursue the matter as there WAS NO PROOF THIS WAS THE CAR THAT HIT US. So now? We keep a disposable camera in the glove box.
Liz’s last blog post..six lies and two truths
I don’t know about there, but here we’re required to call the police if a driver is uninsured - its illegal to be driving without insurance.
If she hit your car hard enough for you to feel it, you need to get it checked out for safety’s sake.
And oh, I could tell you stories about the drivers here. But that would make me sound rather, well, uninclusive and unaccepting of others’ cultural differences.
(she said, mildly)
Hmmmm, am I the only one who thinks this chick probably not only didn’t belong behind the wheel, but not even in the country? Yeah, I said it.
M’s last blog post..Sucker for Infomercials!
Oh how painful… and yet hilarious. I’d be biased as soon as I saw it was a PT Cruiser. That’s just a bad car!
Laurel’s last blog post..Travel Hell WINNERS!
That blows! I’m glad you and the car are OK.
I think you did the right thing. The police wouldn’t have done anything. I’ve gone to traffic court twice, and they just let the people without insurance go with a warning. It’s irritating. And you’d have to pay for the damage, especially if she just lost her job or whatever.
Ack! I hate idiots!
Kristabella’s last blog post..Because All I Can Talk About is the Weather