Nightmare end to my first week
Aug 20th 2014, 4:59 pm
#31
Democracy advocate
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,460
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
So, I don't have the citation on my at the moment so can't remember the wording etc. I'll double check but I don't think I can just pay it online and not go to court, there is a day and time written on it when I have to show up. The court is the Municipal Court on Garnett St.
Basically what happened is this....I was stopped at a junction waiting to go left and was behind a couple of cars also in the turn left lane. We got our green filter arrow and the first car pulled off, all the traffic coming the other way (which was all in 1 lane, 1 lane was empty) was stopped. Anyway as I was pulling across a guy in a pickup came straight through in the empty lane and 't-boned' me. Still no one in the other lane had moved. I said I had the green turn left light. He said he had a green. And I got a ticket for failure to yield. I'm not sure if anything happened to him. Anyway yeah, no one was hurt. My neck is kinda messed up from the seatbelt, but that's the worst of it.
Honestly, I don't know. I'm not going to contest, I just want it done with. Maybe I did go through just as my green arrow went off, but shouldn't there be a bit of a delay before the other traffic comes flying through? I feel like, if he did have the green, he would only just have got it, and he was already going at a speed where there was no chance he was stopping for that light.
I definitely didn't do it on purpose.
Basically what happened is this....I was stopped at a junction waiting to go left and was behind a couple of cars also in the turn left lane. We got our green filter arrow and the first car pulled off, all the traffic coming the other way (which was all in 1 lane, 1 lane was empty) was stopped. Anyway as I was pulling across a guy in a pickup came straight through in the empty lane and 't-boned' me. Still no one in the other lane had moved. I said I had the green turn left light. He said he had a green. And I got a ticket for failure to yield. I'm not sure if anything happened to him. Anyway yeah, no one was hurt. My neck is kinda messed up from the seatbelt, but that's the worst of it.
Honestly, I don't know. I'm not going to contest, I just want it done with. Maybe I did go through just as my green arrow went off, but shouldn't there be a bit of a delay before the other traffic comes flying through? I feel like, if he did have the green, he would only just have got it, and he was already going at a speed where there was no chance he was stopping for that light.
I definitely didn't do it on purpose.
Aug 20th 2014, 5:00 pm
#32
Democracy advocate
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 12,460
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
I have a pair of these:
Amazon.com : BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD 16GB Car Black Box/DVR Recorder : Vehicle Overhead Video : Car Electronics
I'll dig out the footage of a person failing to stop at a yield earlier this week tonight if it still exists. Nearly crashed straight into me! But welcome to Boston, arsehole moronic drivers everywhere.
Amazon.com : BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD 16GB Car Black Box/DVR Recorder : Vehicle Overhead Video : Car Electronics
I'll dig out the footage of a person failing to stop at a yield earlier this week tonight if it still exists. Nearly crashed straight into me! But welcome to Boston, arsehole moronic drivers everywhere.
Aug 20th 2014, 5:28 pm
#35
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
Was this "failure to yield" to a pedestrian?
If so, hubby did the same thing about three weeks into his entry to the US.
He was waiting for an appointment at DMV for a driving test, so was driving on his UK licence. He paid the fine by post (did not go to court, this was in CA) and had no points on his (eventual) US driving licence)
Can you just mail in the fine?
The police are somewhat zealous when it comes to pedestrians walking across the road - they are very precious - even when the pedestrian is in the wrong.
Don't beat yourself up too much - much worse things happen.
If so, hubby did the same thing about three weeks into his entry to the US.
He was waiting for an appointment at DMV for a driving test, so was driving on his UK licence. He paid the fine by post (did not go to court, this was in CA) and had no points on his (eventual) US driving licence)
Can you just mail in the fine?
The police are somewhat zealous when it comes to pedestrians walking across the road - they are very precious - even when the pedestrian is in the wrong.
Don't beat yourself up too much - much worse things happen.
Aug 20th 2014, 5:33 pm
#36
Banned
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,154
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
Failure to yield to a pedestrian is a very serious offense that can have disastrous consequences. This is where the right turn on red doesn't work in my opinion. When drivers know that they can turn right on red, they are eager to get into the crosswalk at intersections (often without stopping) to see if they can beat any oncoming traffic. It's easy to be unsighted by cars in the lane(s) to your left and not see any pedestrians in the crosswalk. Pedestrians have been seriously injured and killed; drivers have gone to jail.
Personally, I hate it when cars stop for me here. I want to cross when *I* make the judgement that it is safe to cross. NOT when another car stops and thinks it is safe for me to cross. The UK highway code states, if memory serves, that you should not stop then encourage a pedestrian to cross because it may still not be safe for them.
Aug 20th 2014, 5:37 pm
#37
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: Broomfield, CO!! (was St Albans UK)
Posts: 87
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
Failure to yield to a pedestrian is a very serious offense that can have disastrous consequences. This is where the right turn on red doesn't work in my opinion. When drivers know that they can turn right on red, they are eager to get into the crosswalk at intersections (often without stopping) to see if they can beat any oncoming traffic. It's easy to be unsighted by cars in the lane(s) to your left and not see any pedestrians in the crosswalk. Pedestrians have been seriously injured and killed; drivers have gone to jail.
Aug 20th 2014, 6:04 pm
#38
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2013
Location: Raunds, Northants.
Posts: 295
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
But on the camera side, the big parcel delivery company I work for (TNT) now use Roadhawks and they are excellent! Would recommend them to anyone.
Aug 20th 2014, 7:30 pm
#39
Banned
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,154
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
Here's what nearly happened to me the other day:
Video - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting
Idiot (on her phone, which is ALLOWED in MA - outrageous) runs through YIELD sign straight into my path.
Aug 20th 2014, 8:26 pm
#40
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
For me, of much more concern is some intersections which have a green signal for turning traffic which runs concurrent with a walk signal for pedestrians. This is such an unsafe practice and totally focused on vehicle capacity with no regard for pedestrian safety. Turning left not only do you have to look for oncoming vehicles but also pedestrians in the crosswalk, and these are 2 users that move at very different speeds.
Aug 20th 2014, 8:54 pm
#41
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Posts: 4,913
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
For me, of much more concern is some intersections which have a green signal for turning traffic which runs concurrent with a walk signal for pedestrians. This is such an unsafe practice and totally focused on vehicle capacity with no regard for pedestrian safety. Turning left not only do you have to look for oncoming vehicles but also pedestrians in the crosswalk, and these are 2 users that move at very different speeds.
Aug 20th 2014, 9:09 pm
#42
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 138
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
driving here is just nuts, it's just ridiculous.
There are some exits off the 101 which are also exits off 92 which means car come down the ramp to join the 101 and in the left hand lane are cars exiting the 101 and they have to cross at 65 miles per hour. It works for the most until you get that 1 guy (or girl) who just pulls up and yields to the traffic from the right, which seems nice but there is no yield sign there so he/she has just stopped in freeway traffic.
Undertaking is also another one.
There are some exits off the 101 which are also exits off 92 which means car come down the ramp to join the 101 and in the left hand lane are cars exiting the 101 and they have to cross at 65 miles per hour. It works for the most until you get that 1 guy (or girl) who just pulls up and yields to the traffic from the right, which seems nice but there is no yield sign there so he/she has just stopped in freeway traffic.
Undertaking is also another one.
Aug 20th 2014, 9:21 pm
#43
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
.... They then become a rolling road block unless other drivers pass on the right.Anyhow, my experience of driving on the motorways in the UK, notably the M4 west of London, was that lane discipline was pretty bad too.
Aug 20th 2014, 9:27 pm
#44
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
In what sense? That is a direct consequence of poor lane discipline, combined with the fact that in many states there is no requirement to "keep to the right" consequently many people tend to, as per JG's acquaintance, "pick a lane and stick to it". At which point they engage cre control, disengage their brain, and switch off the mirrors. .... They then become a rolling road block unless other drivers pass on the right.
Anyhow, my experience of driving on the motorways in the UK, notably the M4 west of London, was that lane discipline was pretty bad too.
.... They then become a rolling road block unless other drivers pass on the right.Anyhow, my experience of driving on the motorways in the UK, notably the M4 west of London, was that lane discipline was pretty bad too.
Aug 20th 2014, 9:33 pm
#45
Banned
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,154
Re: Nightmare end to my first week
Though I work on the rule that if I can safely undertake you, you're in the wrong lane. I've always undertaken when appropriate in the UK and will continue to do so.