MattyG

You drive on some crowded, busy streets. It is raining and you are in a hurry to get somewhere. Do you splash pedestrians on the side of the road or are you a good person who slows down and looks for an alternative solution? Are you a Jeremy Clarkson or a James May?

http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/11/driver...42/?ito=social

mmarshall

Definitely not a Clarkson.

MattyG

That would relegate you to "Captain Slow" because nothing must stop you from your destination. OTH, you also get the award for nicest guy who cares about people on the side of the road, who are not related to you.

Stroock639

keep in mind James May admitted that were he in his adolescence / early adulthood he'd find it funny to go around unplugging people's electric cars so that when they leave for work in the morning the range is only 3 miles or so

i can see the humor in splashing a few 15 year olds (seriously it's just water) but to do that to a mom pushing their toddler definitely makes you a bit of a "tosser" as they'd say across the pond

mmarshall

If awards are being given out for showing a little patience behind the wheel, I'll gladly accept one. I believe in leading by example.

Htony

Ha, Ha, teach the driver a lesson. That is good. I can be jerk or gentleman depending on the situation.
Usually I am cool being retired, nothing to rush.

mmarshall

..........and maybe get your head blown off when he reaches into his glove compartment and pulls out a pistol. It can be VERY dangerous to confront someone.

Htony

He has a rock and gun as well, LOL!

MattyG

UK streets are very dense and so that requires more care than say, NA roads. This news item is obviously from there and probably an outlier.

But I have actually just run into this very situation with big snowfalls, melts and freezes very recently. So I try and steer just slightly to the left of the curb lane when I'm in it, and slow down quite a bit.

If that bothers anyone behind me, that's their problem. To me, that's called being a respectful motorist because you are a better person for it at the end of the day. I thought it was outrageous because we all have mothers and would you do that your mother or grandmother?

mmarshall

......and, under those conditions, you certainly don't want to slide on the ice and run into any pedestrians, either.

Absolutely. One need look no further than the famous Golden Rule..."Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you".

Johnhav430

Would like to think I am a good guy as I am pro red light cams and speed cams. That is not to say that I won't open up my 335i when I need to, which is usually when nobody is really around.

As far as splashing pedestrians, my friend's buddy was a NYC MTA driver, and he did it all the time. People would complain, he'd get called in, and use two words the union routinely told their members to use. "No knowledge." That was the end of it. Pretty mean I think, you're supposed to be picking up passengers, not splashing them without stopping.

I noticed something yesterday, as 2-3/5 days a week I roll through some questionable places in the interest of saving time (cops have been shot in their patrol cars, blocks have been bombed by the city and burned down, etc.). I have to be really careful, because often males walk across the street very slowly, as if my car isn't going 25-30 mph, like they're toying with being hit. Obviously hitting anyone is a no-win situation period, and must be avoided. In the same scenario, yesterday, a woman began to cross the street quickly, and actually went back to where she started from, and started again when she saw me come to a complete stop. Seems like male and female peds are totally different.

Now, I spoke to a Toronto colleague last year and said it amazes me how much traffic stops both directions, for one person crossing. He said yeah but it doesn't make it any less annoying, they're crossing with their head down using their phone. Imagine what would happen to them if they did that in a game (hockey)...

Johnhav430

When I first moved to Phila., I enjoyed driving through the questionable areas, thought it was fun and interesting. There were still abandoned cars in 1999--felt like NYC in 1978 (I've seen pics). For no reason, someone threw a bottle and hit my Nissan, and at the time, it was only 1 1/2 y.o. I wanted to do something, but felt out of my element. Even today, I'd likely do nothing, as cops have been gunned down in these neighborhoods. Just 2 years ago, a grown a** woman threw a bottle at my BMW--thank goodness she was too stupid to throw it at the body, and it glanced off the pass window (it was plastic and full, so it could have dented the door). You know why she did it? Because she was in the right turn only lane and wanted to cut in front of me to go straight. A lot of times it is best to avoid these situations. The problem is my commute route.

BrownPride

This is stupid as hell. If there's a huge puddle of water and it didn't drain, that's the city's fault not the driver's. Unapologetic money grab by the police.

Anyhow, I'm more of a jackass on the road. It's because I have little luxury sport sedans which are nimble and fun to drive. I take on the persona of the car and it's not a good thing. It really just makes driving stressful. I should try just following the speed limit and driving conservatively. Sure, I'll get to my destination 5-10 minutes later, but it's a lot less stressful.