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Woofers and Tweeters

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I've said for years that the most dangerous thing MOST people do is drive (or ride in a car). Very few get a pilot licence, mountain climb, race motorcycles, etc, but most people get in a car and are subjected to the ability and attentiveness of others while on the road. 

 

What do you hate the most about what others do with the car with which they are responsible?...and what is the solution?

 

 

 

 

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Of course drunk driving is number one.  IIRC alcohol is involved in about half of all accidents.  Watching COPS there are many accidents at 2:00 a.m. or whenever the bars close.  

 

My pet peeve is fog.  

 

One Thanksgiving Wednesday, I was fixing my car at a blinking red-light and yellow-light intersection in a hollow at night in upstate New York.  College students were going home.

 

Two college women were crossing the limited access road from a general store to a gas station.  A car came out of the fog, driven by another college woman.  One pedestrian got brushed aside when she caught the chrome trim on the left side of the car but was mostly okay.  She said over and over, "My mother is going to kill me."

 

The other got the left headlight and was thrown down the road, which I had only glimpsed.  

 

I had a railroad flare, lit it up, and searched down the road.  Smoke and red light in the dense fog -- very weird.  

 

She was face down with one foot pointing up.  I listened to her back.  It was like listening to a sack of potatoes.  (My lasting impression.)

 

The cops arrived at the scene of impact. And everyone was caring for the minor injury.  But I told one cop, "There's another."   I took him down the road and showed him.  "I think she's dead, but that is your call"  I said.  Kinda stupid but all I could think of.

 

The driver was just stricken with horror realizing the first lady had been injured.  When I said, "There's another" she was totally freaked.  

 

I had to continue to my destination in the fog and was a basket case.

 

No booze involved, no macho man. Maybe just the urge to get home in time for turkey.

 

The driver has to live with this for the rest of her life.

 

WMcD

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Drunk drivers...easy #1.  All the discussion above about people texting, FB etc, agree.  Even with laws against it, I still see women do this 10-1 vs men texting.

 

I'll give you a good pet peeve, although with all the four-lane roads you don't see this as much anymore.

 

When on a two-lane road with 10 cars in a line the last car in the line drives like an idiot 80 mph to pass and risks a head-on to get one car length in front of #9, and is still eight cars behind the lead car.  And they CONTINUE to leap frog cars one at a time, risking lives and saving virtually NO time on their trip.

 

2 hours ago, Weber said:

What do you hate the most about what others do with the car with which they are responsible?...and what is the solution?

 

The obvious and easy solution to stop someone from passing you that way is to speed up to take away their option to merge in front of you.  Honk horn and display middle finger for maximum effect if possible. 

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Got in a really bad auto accident when i was eight years old.  Drunk driver in a big rig, ran a stop sign and T-boned our car. Mom (passenger) was ejected out the driver’s side door, as was my Dad. Thanksgiving night, at the edge of our neighborhood--I’ll never forget seeing my Dad lying in the street in a puddle of blood screaming in pain.  He died less than five months later -- Mom died that night. So did the drunk driver.  Either our car or his truck took out some power poles and knocked out power for 1,500 homes (according to the newspaper). 

My arm was broken pretty bad. At the hospital, unbeknownst to me, some guy had been shot in the arm. I heard the doctor’s talking about not being able to “save the arm.”  When they wheeled in that tray to put the cast on my arm and i saw those big scissors -- i put up a huge fight. I thought they were going to use those things to cut off my arm. Fortunately (for the doctor and nurses), my Aunt had arrived at the hospital and was able to calm me down. 

Flash forward to modern day -- i still can’t believe how many people i see texting (or something) while driving. That’s the flavor of the month as far as violations go and I don’t think one would get any sympathy from a judge or jury once it was made known that the person was texting.  It just isn’t worth it--plus, i’d hate to live with causing someone’s death on my conscience. Geez, could you imagine rotting in prison thinking “i was checking the klipsch forum while driving when i caused this accident.”  I mean, if you were checking for one of my posts, then maybe a jury would acquit; but, why risk it?

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Sorry to hear that BSM, I never knew how it happened, like Weber said,  such a senseless loss.

 

Like others said, drunk driving, but there are many more. We were on the way home from Arkansas the other day and it's crazy how many people were tailgate really close at high speeds, anything could happen within just one second.   The last couple of hours were at night, you could see the light from the phones in there face as they passed, it's crazy. 

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When you're alone, and life is making you lonely
You can always go
Downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know
Downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, no finer place for sure
Downtown everything's waiting for you

Downtown

Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows
Downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never close
Downtown
Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with him too before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, where all the lights are bright
Downtown, waiting for you tonight
Downtown, you're gonna be alright now

Downtown, downtown
Downtown
Downtown
And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along

So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown, don't wait a minute for
Downtown, everything's waiting for you

Downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown
Downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown

 

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