More people driving off the road

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Has anyone noticed there are more and more reports about people who just drive off the road and then get in to an accident? Just a few years ago, I didn't hear about this type of thing as we do now.
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

We need big, visible, and easily readable road signage that says, "Stay within the lines. The lines are our friends".
 

glhs837

Power with Control
I think maybe the numbers have not changed so much as shifted. As DUI offroads have decreased, cell phone ones have increased. So the 2ams have gone down while the 2pms have increased.
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
I think maybe the numbers have not changed so much as shifted. As DUI offroads have decreased, cell phone ones have increased. So the 2ams have gone down while the 2pms have increased.

Indeed. I'm getting tired of seeing cars weaving and bobbing from drivers that look up, then down, then up again.
 

Lilypad

Well-Known Member
Folks on the cellphones is the main reason, in my opinion-follow a person on a cellphone...weaving, speed and running off the road-you've got the trifecta. I have been on scene of too many accidents where the driver/patient was texting or fumbling with their phone.
 

DEEKAYPEE8569

Well-Known Member
Indeed. I'm getting tired of seeing cars weaving and bobbing from drivers that look up, then down, then up again.

Every time I look in the rear-view mirror, stopped at a red light, I see heads down. To get their attention, I put 'er in reverse and wait for the reaction. "Yeah, but don't forget to take it out of reverse :blah: :blah:"
Well :duh:
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Every time I look in the rear-view mirror, stopped at a red light, I see heads down. To get their attention, I put 'er in reverse and wait for the reaction. "Yeah, but don't forget to take it out of reverse :blah: :blah:"
Well :duh:

I'm gonna try this. :biggrin:
 

glhs837

Power with Control
Yep, that's what I like to do to distracted people, startle them. Especially when they are behind the wheel of a 4,000lb thing pointed in my direction........ And really, I don't care too much if they are checking their phone at a red light. Worst scenario there is they cause a fender bender. It's when I see them weaving in lane going 55-60 down 235 that I get pissed off. Had a young lady last week, came about a foot and a half into my lane, realized I was there, then darted "ahead" and crossed my lane to hit the left into Wildwood, except she came into my lane about two feet ahead of me, and started braking before she was clear of my lane. All while holding a phone to her ear.

I also think I might set up a Bluetooth clinic, given the ridiculous amount of people I see in late model cars I know damn well come with Bluetooth but the driver has a phone to their ear.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
I know of several bad accidents in the last few months on Piney Point Rd alone...where the vehicles seemingly just drove off a perfectly straight stretch of road in broad daylight and collided with large trees after leaving it. Gotta be cell-phone related.
 

DEEKAYPEE8569

Well-Known Member
I know of several bad accidents in the last few months on Piney Point Rd alone...where the vehicles seemingly just drove off a perfectly straight stretch of road in broad daylight and collided with large trees after leaving it. Gotta be cell-phone related.
I'd bet money on it and I'm not a gambler.
 

spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
My life, and life in general, is no more interesting or important post-cell phone than it was pre-cell-phone...I have a Tracfone for emergencies and occasional calls/texts. It's on maybe 5 - 6 minutes a week. I just do not understand what there is that folks believe they need to be connected 24/7.

I'm not anti-technology, have 3 desktops, 2 laptops and 2 tablets on the home network. I do a lot of research and writing for my own edification. My wife does the same to look up information useful to her job. I just see no need to have the world at my fingertips all the time. Any long distance conversations I need to have can wait until I'm home and can use the landline.
 

glhs837

Power with Control
My life, and life in general, is no more interesting or important post-cell phone than it was pre-cell-phone...I have a Tracfone for emergencies and occasional calls/texts. It's on maybe 5 - 6 minutes a week. I just do not understand what there is that folks believe they need to be connected 24/7.

I'm not anti-technology, have 3 desktops, 2 laptops and 2 tablets on the home network. I do a lot of research and writing for my own edification. My wife does the same to look up information useful to her job. I just see no need to have the world at my fingertips all the time. Any long distance conversations I need to have can wait until I'm home and can use the landline.

Well, there are folks who do want or need to be connected. I would like to be able to coordinate things with my scattered family member while on the road. But that's why we all have bluetooth and phones that can handle text messages handsfree. Even the sons 99 BMW and the daughters 07 Fit, neither of which came with that capability. Really only costs under $50 to outfit any vehicle on the road. I don't mind connected people, what I mind is people who focus on that connection to the detriment to driving. Just like the old aviate/navigate/communicate that pilots learn. Keeping it in the sky is number one, keeping it pointed in the correct direction in the sky, number two task. Only perform number three when one and two are well in hand.
 

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Cell phones.

You know, the most terrible thing is when people we know die. Young people who had a life that was just starting at 29 years old. Or older people, a father of someone. A grandfather perhaps. And then you combine that with a law enforcement agency that might dedicate maybe two or three patrol cars to enforcement when you have "one hundred and twenty five thousand people in the County. I can't speak for anyone else. But in my book, it doesn't add up very well. True he just got across the bridge. But, my belief is that there is not enough traffic enforcement. This applies to any County in Southern Maryland. Including Calvert. Including Charles. And including St. Mary's. I don't have a crystal ball to tell you when they will get serious about traffic enforcement. Or, how many more deaths it will take. What, a grant here, a grant there. Perhaps a few more officers from your local Sheriff's Office and a few more MSP officers for a week or two. This is a LONG TERM problem that a few grants with some extra funding will never address. Just like we have a Pandemic of opiate abuse, we also have a Pandemic of distracted driving. In fact, just today, there was a significant article in the Washington Times discussing just that.

I think we should pray for those that are deceased. And pray that at some point all of us wake up. As you said, you stop at traffic light, you see it. When I stop to get a newspaper at lunch time at the Wawa, I can look around on any day and see people on the cell phone at the GAS PUMP, even though the sign clearly says it could blow you sky high. The Gas Station people don't enforce their rules either. So, why would you think the police would? And yes, I have even seen the police go on off the road for the same reason. They are distracted too.

What was interesting trying to go in Wawa was a young women in her early 20s. She was coming out. She ran right in to me as she came out of the store. Take a guess why? No, she didn't know me. She was her cell too. This is really getting pretty bad. It reminds me of one of the Sci-Fi movies! Or better yet... A horror movie.
 
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