One of the dumbest things I have ever witnessed

11 years ago

Sorry, this is not garden related, though I had wanted to share.

Sooo, the other day we were travelling back home and ahead in the road could see what appeared to be a bicycle spill, someone was sprawled out on the asphalt. As we approaced closer, directly in front of the vehicle had sat a young teenage girl having happily plunked herself down in the near middle of my lane, this being on a moderately busy narrow secondary paved road with no shoulder. She made no attempt whatsoever to move and had simply expected vehicles to go around her while she chatted it up with her buddies who sat in the ditch, I guess she liked having her bum on the warm asphalt rather than getting grass stains. Because no other vehicles had been behind me, I was able to stop and roll down the passenger side window and blurted for her to get the heck out of the middle of the road, do you want to get killed! With a big pouty face, she got up and walked herself and her bike off the asphalt while mumbling "I'm sorry" ... seriously, that attractive young girl could have so easily have met her Waterloo that day! I had felt a tiny bit bad for having growled at her, though better to have been chewed out than run over.

btw ... anyone living in Alberta knows just how terrible the drivers are here! Several times I've needed to swerve to avoid being hit by cell phone distracted drives and stops signs, especially rural ones are often treated as fly through yield signs. Irritated drivers have honked in anger because I always take three seconds to come to a complete stop and look both ways twice, even passengers have snickered that I actually stop.

Yes, we all make mistakes at times, though has driving simply become a careless casual activity to most?

This post was edited by twrosz on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 11:16

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Comments (8)

Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
11 years ago
You said it, Terry! Sadly it is no different in other provinces. :(

Ginny
don555
11 years ago
Ah, the perceived invincibility of youth! Did many dumb things myself back then, fortunately still around to shake my head about it now.
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weeper_11
11 years ago
Yep, Saskatchewan is just the same! I regularly have to pull onto the shoulder on my way to Saskatoon because some ding-bat decided to pass whether I was coming or not and we would have had a head-on collision if I didn't pull over! Thankfully that particular highway actually HAS a shoulder.

Definitely better for her to get chewed out and hopefully realize how dumb she was being, than get run over by someone who wasn't paying attention!
nutsaboutflowers
11 years ago
Just more evidence that parents these days have taught their kids that they're the centre of the universe and everyone should accommodate them.

I'm really surprised she didn't tell you to mind your own f&%$ing business.
ljpother
11 years ago
I had something similar happen. I was walking near my house. A young girl was laying on the road with her head on the curb and her feet in the road. I explained that I come around that curve on the inside of the manhole cover and I wouldn't know she was there until I felt the bump. I went on to complain about the difficulty of getting intestines off the exhaust. She got up and seemed to understand the risk. However, I kept expanding on the visual imagery -- more than needed.
Konrad___far_north
11 years ago
You sure did the right thing!
There isn't many like you who do something about it,...most just don't give a hoot,....then you hear that someone got run over again.

It seems, bicycles and pedestrians own the road and most often take up a whole lane causing dangerous situations for everybody. Yesterday I had to slam the brakes when two adults decided to cross with their bicycles when it wasn't safe, not wearing helmet either,..what do you expect their kids would learn from them.
Car drivers do get sloppier from year to year it seems, as you said, not stopping properly, no signal lights when turning lanes, bud in front of you when not enough room..etc.
weeper_11
11 years ago
Ugh, yes, the "own the road" bikers and pedestrians. Drive me nuts. They seem to not grasp the concept that they are much smaller and more squishable than a car, and even when they technically have the right of way (which they often don't!), they still have to be defensive and watch for - and respect - vehicles!
FrozeBudd_z3/4
Original Author
11 years ago
I've been driving for 35 years and been involved in two slow speed accidents, both by drivers not paying proper attention to the road. I enjoy driving, though have sure noticed the deterioration in attention paid to the road and the dumb ass stupid aggressive driving skills of some. What's up with the those bone head cell phone users who happily chat it up while in the middle of an intersection?

Years ago, we had a hired man who would travel scary fast down the gravel roads, probably a good 120 kms or more. I was only in my teenage years and one evening had called over to his place to speak to him about his dangerous driving ... the guy wasn't home and I instead told his wife that Rod needs to slow down on the roads or he's gonna kill someone ... she got all offended and told me to speak to him about it instead ... well, I guess she hadn't passed the message along to him, as a few years later a young mother of two had been laid to rest after Rod had jetted through a stop sign and struck the woman's vehicle. Some have said that Rod has paid a high price for his mistake ... mmmm, I tend to instead consider what that lady's children and husband have endured.