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NBCWashington.com/Abingdon Fire Company
Handout image of the scene, provided to NBCWashington.com by the Abingdon Fire Company
Two people were killed and three others were hospitalized after an accident on Interstate 95 in Harford County, Maryland, early Saturday morning.
Investigators say that the accident took place at around 2:00 a.m. on the northbound side of Interstate 95 at Maryland Route 24, near Abingdon.
Investigators believe one of the victims may have been involved in a road rage incident just prior to the accident, and are looking for the occupants of a dark-colored Jeep.
Maryland State Police say that 31-year-old Veney Tanner, Jr., of Abingdon, and 17-year-old Janelle Jackson of Baltimore were killed when the 2005 Lexus driven by Tanner was struck by a box truck while entering the fast lane of traffic. Authorities say the Lexus caught fire after traveling off the left side of the roadway.
Maryland State Police Corporal Kevin Watkins is credited with extracting Tanner, Jackson, and a third passenger -- 38-year-old Myron Doram of Randallstown, Md. -- from the burning car. Watkins was treated and released from Upper Chesapeake Hospital for smoke inhalation.
Tanner was pronounced dead at Chesapeake Hospital, while Jackson was airlifted to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where she was also pronounced dead.
Doram and the driver of the box truck, 63-year-old Clinton Griffin of Newark, Del., were taken to Bayview Hospital. There is no word on their condition.
Investigators believe Tanner may have been involved in a road rage incident involving the Jeep shortly before the accident. Authorities say that both vehicles were pulled over on the shoulder past the exit for Maryland Route 24 and at one point, people were seen getting out of the Jeep and walking toward the Lexus. According to investigators, at least one person was seen banging on the windows of the Lexus.
Police say that Tanner suddenly pulled out from the shoulder and back on to the highway just before the Lexus was struck by the box truck. The exact cause and nature of both the dispute and the crash is under investigation.
Leave a Comment:
How tragic an apparent road rage incident has contributed to more deaths on the highway. It is sad someone has allowed their emotions to get the best of them while All too often people don't comprehend how deadly a combination it is, to be upset and driving.
I've been there. I'am glad I grew out of it. But now I don't know about all the people around me. I hope they learn to deal with it.
Errors of youth.....
Where were the police? This country spends billions and billions of dollars for polics yet it seems they are never there when you need them.
If this were in Florida the report would read:
Several people shot dead defending themselves from each other on the shoulder of I95, vehicles are ok and fortunately there was no accident. The remaining occupants of the car drove on to their destination, no one was charged.
2am on a Sat night? If alcohol wasn't involved, fatigue certainly was.
Ban cars... if we got rid of cars, there would be no more road rage.
If it saves even one child, it's worth it.
AG99- thats not always the case. I usually do my travels to go up north from Maryland around 2-3am simply because there is no traffic and because it puts me at my destination nice and early (hate wasting a day). I'm not fatigued because I go to sleep early enough so that I can get up and drive. For all we know, these folks did the same thing.
Randy: Possible, but do you really think so? Would you make the same mistakes in their place, given that you're not drunk and have enough sleep?
Rockyroad-531554, the cops can't be everyone at once! They are not 'all-seeing' and at that time of night there are fewer of them on the road.. Do you expect there should be one on every corner at 2am? There are not enough cops in the entire state to do that..
Sounds like the dead guy was the "Rager". If so, at least the right victim this time.
I sure as hell would not have pulled over on a highway in the middle of the night to deal with a road rager. Seems from the description he was pulled over and the people from the jeep were threatening them. Who in their right mind would pull over in the middle of the night to deal with someone that they do not know?? Keep driving people, if the rager follows you, then call 911.
Pulling over makes it easier to shoot someone, its hard to aim accurately while driving and there is a chance of hitting something other than your intended target.
There is nothing more exhilarating than being shot at and missed. Have fun out there!
Doesn't sound like road rage to me, it sounds like the driver failed to see the oncoming truck and/or thought that he could beat the oncoming truck, and while the result is tragic, the fault lies entirely with pulling off the shoulder at too slow a speed right in front of a truck operating at freeway speed.
Driving tip from a seasoned professional: If you have to get back onto the freeway off of the shoulder, might I recommend getting up to speed on the shoulder and then re-entering the highway at speed, which is a lot safer than trying to re-enter high-speed freeway traffic at a much slower speed.
Driving tip #2: If possible, do not pull off so close to a narrow bridge or guardrail that there isn't sufficient distance to get back up to speed on the shoulder before merging back into moving traffic.
Yes, road rage is definitely a problem on our highways, one that has become worse and worse over time. While some blame the increased amount of traffic on our highways I was born and raised in suburban Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s, when road rage was virtually unheard of even though the entire urban population was close to 4 million people, and the roads very often congested, so I don't buy the increased traffic theory either.
Perhaps it is because today the spending power of the average American has fallen so heavily since the 1970s that free time has become increasingly limited, though I have seen road rage out of timid drivers in light traffic too. Just remember that by law the left lane is the passing lane and if you are driving slower than traffic behind you it is your legal duty to yield the passing lane to faster passing traffic, no matter the speed limit or what you car's speedometer reads, and my guess is that the incidence of road rage can be greatly reduced.
Just remember that in vehicles made before 2002 that speedometer error of 10% was legal and since 2002 an error of 5% is legal too. Also know that several Asian auto manufacturers have gotten into trouble because of speedometer error both on cars made before 2002 and since then too. The general idea has been that overstating speed will cause many people to drive slower and then get better gas mileage. The problem has been that the drivers of such vehicles sometimes resent the appearance that everyone else is speeding. Honda has already paid-out a 9-figure settlement in a class-action lawsuit over speedometer and odometer error too.
The general idea in driving is to drive your own vehicle legally, safely, and defensively, and not to worry about the driving behavior of other drivers, since that is the job of the highway patrol if the other driver's driving behavior is unlawful. If someone is relentless in road rage against you, it is best to slow down and then to pull off at an exit where you can then stop where witnesses can also see what is happening. True, I have seen such aggressive road rage that it is sometimes not possible to make it to another exit, but these incidents are few. If you have an incident like that it is best to slow down and to let the other driver go ahead. It is also best to dial 911 and to give the police dispatcher pertinent facts than it is to try to take matters into your own hands too, as if you fight back, you are just as guilty too.
Yes, this was a tragedy caused entirely by a driver re-entering an Interstate highway off of the shoulder at slow speed right in front of a truck operating at freeway speed, which was most likely boxed in by other traffic and unable to move over to accommodate the other vehicle entering the travel lanes at that slow a speed, and it is a rather common accident too. From now on if you follow my advice about re-entering the travel lanes from the shoulder at speed rather than too slowly, the incidence of these kinds of accidents will be greatly reduced too. Just remember that a loaded truck often takes 3 times as long to stop as your car does and you will be a lot safer too.
Old Timer-88224 If possible, do not pull off so close to a narrow bridge or guardrail that there isn't sufficient distance to get back up to speed on the shoulder before merging back into moving traffic.
Ya dang doodle dipwad there ain't no bridges on the interstate. That was the stupidest statement I've read in a long time. Sheesh. Bridges on the interstate. You probably voted for Brick Obumma. That'd be about your speed. Well, anyway, if nothing else, thanks for a good laugh Old Timer.
Judd-2749800 yours is the stupidest comment I have ever read. There are 1000's of bridges on interstate highways. You like the ones that cross rivers other roads that intersect the interstate, overpasses etc. Do you even drive on interstates??????
Judd-2749800....seriously?? No bridges on interstates?
Where do you live?
Judd: Ah ha! There you are. How many times have you been told to stay in your padded cell? It's for your safety and ours. If you keep using those drugs, the rest of your teeth will fall out. Remember that stuff coming out of your ears? That was some of your brain cells. Now you know when you take your meds we'll let you have your coloring book and 1 crayon. Now be good and let those nice people know you're sorry for using bad language on our wonderful Prez Obama.
I used to drive drive a truck and I am wondering why the truck was in the fast lane or if it was. I believe I95 is a four lane one direction road there and generally almost everywhere trucks aren't allowed in the fast of most three or more lane roads, is this the case here? Was the truck in the fast lane or did it just hit the car as the car was heading into the fast lane?
I don't remember having any incidents like this in my youth. I got irritated at other drivers, but.....confrontation.
Even when people mistakenly tried to change lanes in the side of my car I remember moving over and giving them strange looks like raising my eyebrow as I moved over.
You have to be unflappable with senior citizens and teenage drivers, People make mistakes while driving.
I don't think the article is claiming that the accident itself was road rage, but rather that it was caused by road rage. It sounds as if the driver of Lexus was trying to extricate himself from a road rage incident and pull out suddenly without checking traffic.
@ Barry
That's the way I read it too. Not sure why people have such a difficult time comprehending what they read.
Yep. He was trying to avoid confrontation. There is no place for that on public highways. And the people that got out of their car to knock on his window....
...he was either driving illegally or not. If so you call the highway patrol, not knock on his windows. It's the highway patrol's job. They have the authority to knock on the windows of reckless drivers.
Really, Rockyroad? Do you expect police to be ubiquitous? If they were, you would be complaining about living in a police state. BTW, it was a Maryland State Police Corporal who pulled the victims out of the burning car, Einstein. Reading comprehension...priceless.
Young people - and you men can be very impulsive very quickly - I have a male driver under 21 and he explodes - and get soooo angry - and I always ask "at what, one moment of our time braking for a beleagured or incompetent driver?" "We're going to cuss, flip the finger, use MF and F over and over and over for five miles because that dude made you mad?" "You are going take this so personally, you are going to explode and ram your hands against the dashboard over and over and over again screaming, cussing and flipping fingers and he's on his way and only your little siblings and mother have to see and hear you?" "And he's like, yeah, that's how it's going to go because he P'd me off!" All through my marriage, my husband is like this...." "is it a male thingy?" Gosh, I had one girl friend that would cut people off and then brake and dare them to hit her. I don't know - do people have to die?
I have always told my children when they were growning up. "Don't mess with people on the highway, you don't know them, they might kill you."
KDFman, we have driven to Baltimore several times during the summer. If I remember correctly, there are two rest stops/gas stations on the left side of I-95. I am not sure where Abington is in relation to either rest stop, but it is possible the box truck was coming out of one of them and trying to get to speed. There is too much missing from this article and it sounds like the Lexus driver was in a bit of a hurry to get away from the previous incident he was involved in.
So true, Terry. It's a dangerous world on the highways.
You have to wonder why the Lexus stopped in the first place. Men sometimes do stupid things ... acting macho when they should just ignore the other driver, even if that driver is trying provoke something.
sometimes stupid people just pissyaoff!! and you wanna smash into them at like 90mph
but you dont but you were thinking it lol
Next time someone cuts you off on the road or otherwise annoys you just think about it. Is it worth killing someone's child ...someone's father...mother....brother...son ..daughter over it ? Is it worth making someone orphan over it ?
An earlier comment said (paraphrasing):
While traffic laws vary, from state to state, I seriously doubt this is the law in any of the 50 states.
While it may very well be the wisest, safest way to drive, I cannot believe you are ever legally required to stop using the passing lane, just to allow others to break the law (speed limit).
I can see it now: I'm in court, before a judge, having received a ticket for traveling 69 mph, on a 70mph highway. My ticket is for failure to yield to 80 MPH traffic??? Unless the 80 mph vehicle was an emergency vehicle, the judge should be wondering, and I would be saying... -- WHO did the Cop stop?? and why??
Firstly, you are required to keep up with the traffic regardless of the speed limit.
Secondly, if you are in the passing lane and driving slow you should move over to the lane to your right because passing lane is for passing not cruising.
@GungaDin
I'm sorry to break it to you, but I will only keep up with traffic to a certain point. That point is usually 70-75 or 10-15 over the limit, whichever one is higher. (In the DC area, traffic moves at 70 miles an hour even though the max posted speed limit around the area is 55.) I'm not getting another ticket behind anyone else, regardless of how fast traffic is moving. 10-15 over is my limit.
Second, whenever I'm driving on a 2-lane interstate highway (such as I-95 anywhere between Florence, SC, and Petersburg, VA), I stay in the left lane and cruise at 75-80 (depending on the speed limit). Why? Because I'm generally moving faster than those in the right lane cruising at the speed limit. Am I going to move over just because a few cars want to come flying up behind me at 85-90? No. They can go around me like they were planning to, anyway. (That's what I do when I come up on someone going slower than I am and in my lane unless I have no room, in which case, I slow down until they move.) I'm already "speeding". (That's what the cops call it - the rest of us call it "driving".) I'm not speeding up just to please the idiot behind me (and get a ticket from the state trooper hiding under the next overpass) and I'm not moving over into traffic I'm already passing. Yes, the left lane is the passing lane, and I pass quite a bit and just don't bother moving anymore after a while.
Until a state trooper stops me for doing so (and none of them have, and I pass by quite a few in Virginia), I'm not changing my driving behavior. You could say I'm causing accidents and road rage, but those accidents I would cause would be more a result of the driver behind me failing to brake properly and failing to control their speed and the road rage would probably already be present, especially if you're flying down the road at 85-90 in a 65 zone. Good day, people.
The left lane is SUPPOSED to be the "passing lane." If you're cruising, you're supposed to stay in the right lane. You can pass anyone you want who's going slower than you are in the "slow" (left) lane.
I do both at the same time. I start off passing but stop changing lanes after a while, realizing that I'll be passing much of whoever is in the right lane anyway (which I do most of the time). Anyone who wishes to go around me is free to do so, but I'm not speeding up into ticketing range, nor am I getting over into the traffic that I'm passing. Now when I pass all that traffic, I may or may not move over to let that nice car behind me fly on through (I have been that car to do so a few times, so I know the feeling - I don't honk my horn or flash my lights, but I do stay behind you until you move or I do). I will, however, move if, regardless of how far over the limit I'm going, there's a nice line of cars behind me waiting to fly past me.
Still won't change the fact that I will cruise while passing and pass while cruising. I do both at 75-80 miles an hour. I have a feeling that some of the above posters are the ones who speed even faster than I do.
i think if you are doing 75-80 in the left lane you should be okay. But if you are sticking to the 55 or 65 miles speed limit and also to the left lane then you are surely going to cause some consternation among your fellow roadies :-)
All this for what? Your anger and inability to contain your frustration has left people dead. Damn shame. Get it together folks or keep your tails off the road!!!
Shaved apes wearing clothes is what we are. Civilization simply makes flush toilets and armies with better weapons.
...and money.....so we can prove whose d*ck is bigger.....you forgot about that....
perhaps...but that has what to do with an article about a traffic accident pray tell ?
Hi, Scooter.
I rode my horse to town. Things were okay until a herd of guineas attacked us. My horse was used to chickens, but had never been exposed to honking guineas.
The next time we went to town, I took a different road and you won't believe this but.... a damned peacock stepped in the middle of the road and screamed at us and spread its tail feathers! Took me a mile and a quarter to bring him under control and I think he broke Secretariat's record for the distance.
Roads are dangerous....
wow glad your safe after such harrowing trips.
i was doing a little bar hopping last night when i rode up on a guy with a bumper sticker that read " i would rather be sailing" ..so being the helpfull kinda guy i am, i sent his a$$ sailing into the ditch.
( thanks scremin i needed that)
@ Scooter -
ROFLMAO....
and my ass is hard to find when I lose it these days at my age.....
Couldn't complain about the attack of mutant guineas 'cause they belong to the brother of the local Sheriff and in a small town you don't tick off the man with the badge...
Can't complain about the roaming peacock 'cause it belongs to the man who delivers my hay at a great price....
(sigh!) good thing there are still lots of woods and side roads in my rural area for riding....
looks like thats two less democrat voters all thanks to road rage.
You could not sound more stupid or cold-hearted if you tried.
Your comment is completely and totally IGNORANT. Have some respect you creaton...political affiliation has nothing to do with this and a 17 yr old is one of the dead. You creep.
Uncle Henry, Get a grip...
You know, a lot of the people I see having a sh*t fit on the road are toothless rednecks in large pickup trucks....my guess is they didn't pull the Democratic lever at the voting booth a couple of weeks ago.....just saying..
Everyone should just know that Uncle Henry is a troll and baits the readers by attacking the Dems on everything possible. If a bad storm rolls in, it's somehow the Dems fault.
Everyone should join me in putting him on their permanent ignore list as his comments have no value to anyone here.
need another tissue?
UH, have you ever sucked a Democrat you didn't like?
Maybe we need to institute fines for feeding the trolls like Uncle Henry. I keep hoping he and his ilk will get bored and go away but we keep baiting him, so...
how true
In all seriousness- a lot of road rage is just (especially) testosterone getting the better of people (that's why we pay more for insurance, boys). However, a lot of it stems from people who can't drive in the first place who are now texting and blabbing on the phone, in addition to driving (which they should not be allowed to do, regardless of what else they are doing). This is why we need viable and useful public transit in this country, because some people simply should not be allowed to drive in the first place. "Being 17" is not a good reason for being able to get a driver's license, in my opinion. It really should be a lot tougher to come by.
Condolences to the families....
More public transportation would be great, but only if people use it. It takes longer to wait for a bus that isn't going straight to your destination so we drive, not to mention having to carry bags of groceries or some large purchase. Subways work well, but they're expensive to build and not practical for smaller cities.
Marylands full of uptight gals & typical racist hothhead guys. So this sort of things just going to keep happening.
Have ridden public transit or a bicycle most of my adult life--never driven or owned a car (though I did take a driver's education course and passed and got a license back when I was in High School.)
I am fortunate enough to live in a municipality with a decent public transit system. It's not always on time, but that taught me valuable lessons in patience. The long ride between where I am and where I need to go gives me time to catch up on my reading or my writing. It also gives me time to decompress between work and going home to deal with the kids. Plus, you meet all sorts of interesting people on the bus, people from every class of life, circumstance, faith, nationality, and language.
As to the groceries--well, I have a very large military-type backpack that fits practically everything. When I go to the store, I'm a lot more careful about what I buy, since there's limited space to pack it all in; there are less impulse buys (which are largely a waste of money) and more of the things that we need. And because I can only carry a few things at a time, I go to the store more often, and food in the refrigerator rarely sits in there long enough to spoil. There are fewer leftovers, and we've rarely thrown packaged food away that spoiled before ever being opened (exceptions are cases of extended pwer outages.)
Large purchases are a bit trickier; bags of dog food can be a hassle but I manage; I remember buying a wooden beam for home repairs from the local home improvement store and seeing the bus driver's eyes bug out a bit when I got on and slid the beam under the seats. For large purchases we've either bought from a place that delivers or paid a local hauler (you see signs all over saying 'junk hauling $50' and for about $25-$30 one of those haulers will go out to a store and pick up your purchase for you.) It helps out your local small business and helps you make friends.
I will say there have been a few times when having a car would have helped--earlier this year I fell taking my oldest son roller skating and shattered my elbow--it was a pain (literally) waiting for the bus to get to the local hospital, and I was lucky there was someone on the bus also going to the hospital who could help me when we got there.
I have taken my kids on the bus, and it's taught them patience, how to sit and behave and be quiet, manners (please, thank you, and excuse me) and how to communicate with others, as well as an object lesson in tolerance, manners, and being polite even when people are rude back; how to think before you speak, and they've even learned a few words in different languages from talking to people on the bus.
No thanks, sounds too much like wallowing in the misery of self inflicted liberalism to me. But of course, if you've never known any other type of living, you certainly wouldn't know to yearn for it either, now would you?
Midnight ridr:
My husband had a car back when we first got married, for about the first four years of the kids' lives (they are 10 and 9 now, respectively.) And as I said, while there have been times when it would have simplified life to have, I largely haven't missed it much at all.
My hubby just walked through the kitchen and I asked him if he misses having a car. He said not really...the car we had was a 68 Olds Cutlass and he enjoyed working on the car and tinkering with it, but as far as just having it, no, we don't really miss it at all. It costs less for a monthly pass for unlimited rides on bus, subway and light rail than it does for vehicle payments, maintenance, inspection, tags, insurance, and registration.
I will say that I have been looking into getting a car--something pre-1975 so we don't have to worry about inspection and my husband can do the work on the car himself, it would just require getting parts...but this is more just for him to have something to tinker with, and since our youngest son wants to be a mechanic, something for him to learn to put together, than it would be for actual daily driving--I will certainly not be driving it, by choice. I much prefer my bus rides or my bicycle.
and...'misery of self-inflicted liberalism?' I can't figure out how you got to that. How is getting acquainted with other people who live a different life than you 'miserable?' One guy who rides the bus regularly is a tall, quiet black guy who's always reading, One day he dropped a book, I picked it up, and handed it back to him...it was advanced physics. Turns out he's a recent immigrant from Liberia here trying to get a physics degree.
Another older gentleman has all kinds of fishing lures stuck to his hat. My son commented on it...and the guy ended up taking him fishing one day.
There's a Hispanic construction worker who I've been learning Spanish from.
A red-haired Irish guy who gets off at the same stop I do--and he works for a company that my company now does business with based on our sharing a bus ride.
It's all in how you look at it, I guess.
British Columbia puts a BIG sticker in the back window of automobiles driven by persons who are on their first driver license. Lets everybody know that this person should be avoided at all costs when driving.
No offense intended towards you specifically Amanda, but that type of life in that type of surroundings would make me feel like a caged animal. Peace sister, and to each his/her own.
Amanda: Your post was another Thanks giving gift for us. What a lovely, simple life and thank you for sharing. I know what you mean. I was a train rider from a far distant northern suburb into Chicago and wouldn't trade the memories for a winning lottery ticket. A woman from India who taught me about their culture and customs, Namaste, moved to sharing dinners. A woman who climbed the poles to fix the wires, did she have good stories, I joined her bowling team. A free lance photographer who volunteered to take pics of our aboretum. It was many months of riding, talking and sharing and they're all beautiful memories.
Which brings to mind the loss of the two lives. They missed so much, but maybe it's a wakeup call for the rest of us. Good and bad are fleeting moments; look at the bigger picture. Families will never be the same. Our sympathy to all those who are suffering and grieving. WE all lost out.
Temper, ego and the belief that one was somehow "dissed"cause another tragedy..again. Nobody likes traffic. Nobody likes waiting and everyone has been confronted by a poor or distracted driver. People make mistakes. I have made quite a few. Problems start when someone believes it was an intentional act...I am sorry for the death and destruction. My condolences to the families. These people will now have to face the holidays without members who should still be here with them...I am reminded to relax. Letting someone go ahead of you is not a crime. Maturity means being able to disagree without violence or destruction. Please everyone, don't let your last act on earth consist of cursing someone on the road or flipping the "bird". We will all eventually come to the end of this life on earth...Why allow yourself to go dishonorably... Peace to everyone. Enjoy the holidays..Christmas for me. A little forgiveness and forebearance goes a long way....
DB17- some good points. Public transportation needs to be vastly improved to service more areas as well as increase the safety for riders. The young are often guilty of many of the distractions that contribute to accidents, but don't forget the elderly. We need safety measures to ensure that once a person gets to a certain age, they are still fit to drive. Just last night I was driving behind an older person who was obviously lost or confused and believed they had the ability to stop multiple times in the driving lane I assume just to try to determine where they actually were. I keep my distance, but some could become angry, try to illegally pass, etc. Driving is a privilege not a right, and needs to be treated that way.
To Rockyroad - it was an off duty state trooper that came upon the scene first and pulled all occupants out of the burning car and the box truck, suffering burns himself as he did. He then proceeded to try to save the lives of those occupants. Unfortunately two have passed away, but three people are still alive due to his brave actions.
Maybe it's my cynical self but there are two adult males in there 30's with a female minor in the car. It seems these individuals were involved in some sort of dispute and made a sudden fast get away. The police might have another angle of investigation to pursue.
My thoughts exactly. What's a 17 year old girl doing with a couple of 30-somethings at 2 a.m.?
Drive in the right lane and pass in the left and then get back in the right lane. If people just drove like that ( in most states it's the law) there would be less road rage. Plus, if people would put down the cell phones and mp3 player and just worry about driving their car we would see a huge drop in crashes as well. If you can't do those simple things by all mean PLEASE STAY OFF THE ROADS!!! You are a hazard to yourself and everyone around you!
agreed especialy the left lane campers.
You are right Dan. Most road rage comes from dealing with inconsiderate drivers. Slow pokes that live in the left hand lane have a nickname in Germany. They are called "fatalities".
Darwinism played out again.....
Please don't come to California and drive that way. You wouldn't last 2 hours and your death would be considered justifiable homicide. The outside lane of any highway with two or more lanes is for getting on and off the highway. It is NOT a driving lane but can be used for a passing lane as needed.
Dan- totally agree, I drive hundreds of miles a week on the interstates. People sit in the fast lane and cruise, forcing others to pass in the slow lane, very annoying, especially when they maintain at 45 mph. The very worst drivers on the roads are the mini-van owners, they think they own it. fly up on your back bumper swerving and weaving to get into the hammer lane, so they can slow down to 40 mph, idiots.
Couple of years ago I was on my way to work,divided hiway,two lanes each direction, I was in right lane driving the speed limit 60 MPH,I was holding around 62-63,A large black pickup with a lift kit and mudder type tires pulled up behind me tailgated me for about three quarters of a mile then passed me,driver flipped me off for going too slow!!!. There was only one other car visible,about a halfmile ahead of us,so the passing lane was clear,driver of the black truck was just being an @!$%#.No road rage I just ignored him.!!
Woodpecker-That happens more and more I find. Even if you're doing 5-10 over the posted limit you get nearly run off the road. That's to say nothing of the people who don't bother stopping at red lights or stop signs and making a right turn. I get cut off about 4-5 times every time I drive to work, about 25 miles.
You are wiser than I am woodpecker. I would have reacted towards the pickup truck driver as he did towards me. Most likely, that would not have ended well. I don't do much high speed driving these days & fortunately, thus avoid the road ragers.
There are a lot of people who should not be allowed to drive. I am not just talking about the ones that get angry, I also include the idiot drivers that make them angry.
There are a lot people who drive like they can do anything they want on the road with no consequences. These people deserve anything that happens to them.
Well, yes and no. What happens is that they usually end up hurting or killing someone before it's a concern for anyone. I had a buddy many years ago that got THREE warnings for DUI (alcohol), I only knew of one, so he was still allowed to drive ! He told me that he asked a judge if he could still drive so that he could go to work, and the judge let him do that. He finally drove off a bridge one night with his girlfriend, and ..................He lived.
(I found out about the other two warnings afterwards) My opinion on that is BAD JUDGE! as well as my ex-buddy.
Dave-3493908, Sounds like the Kennedy story years ago.
I agree with Dave- what happens to them is they kill or grievously injure someone else and they get a bump on their head. They never get what they deserve- they give someone else what they deserve.
Woodpecker,
You sound like a solid, mature person. The pick-up driver clearly had rage problems but you did not buy into them. Thank God someone realizes when another person is crazy and doesnt go crazy too..
We don't need any more "crazies".
Well, no agency actually enforces any real laws. And if any of you out there think they do, then why are all the accidents involving alcohol, cell phone usage, Loud-ass stereos, etc........ that are so distracting to driving, still happening ? There is no teeth in the law, and most everyone actually thinks that they are "ENTITLED" to drive a vehicle. I thought it was a priveledge myself, and I continue to drive as responsibly, and as defensively as I can. I was an aircraft pilot for most of my adult life, and as such we were required to take written tests, and flight tests, EVERY year. You know, to keep abreast of regulation changes, and keep our skills as sharp as possible. Why doesn't the law require a similar system for driving ? Say every 4 years or so, we would have to take a written test, and driving test to keep our driving skills sharp, etc. That would also provide a little extra revenue for the state coffers. And maybe even an insurance premium benefit of some kind. Just sayin'.
@Dave-3493908
AGREED! Every year or two a REVIEW should be required.
Does ANYONE remember the section in the little booklet about stopping distances, or did I dream that part? There was a chart that showed SPEED, Time of day and Weather Conditions. The chart would indicate how many car lengths you should put between yourself and the car ahead of you.
dave
bold print posts are seldom read on here as people tend to think ( and rightly so in most case's ) that the poster is ranting about one thing or another, often not even close to the article.
Uninted, there must have been a typo in some of those books. It must have stated "millimeters" instead of "car lengths". And when most people pass me they tend to forget that they have 4 to 8 feet of car behind them. And then for good measure they tap the brakes to answer the phone.
Dave: You are correct. There should be some sort of re-educating/re-testing every 2 years – every time a driver goes to the DMV to renew their license. Enforcement? Legalize marijuana and use all of that “prevention” effort on driving enforcement. (That “prevention” is not working anyway.) More enforcement would crack down on DUI/DWI. Make driving fines and punishment more strict and severe. The Germans have the right idea on the Autobahn. Too many people think they are ENTITLED to drive and text, talk on cellphone, put on makeup, read their book…. When driving, that is the ONLY thing everyone should be doing. Driving is a PRIVILEGE.
United We Stand, I can remember that little booklet. I can also remember reading, "an experienced conscientious driver shall be in full control of his/her vehicle at all times regardless of driving conditions."
That said, there is no such thing as rain, sleet, snow, ice, fog or poor visibility that is to blame for an accident. And I believe that. It is more like human error or just basic stupidity.
The booklets don't go by car lengths anymore. Now they have you find a fixed object on the side of the road & when the car in front of you passes that object, count off 2 seconds. That is said to be the minimal following distance.
It's one second for every ten MPH of speed with a minimum of 2 seconds or one car length when at a complete stop (such as a traffic signal). Anything less is tailgating.
But it shouldn't be. This usurping of power by the State needs to be overturned. That illegitimate seizure of power has been grossly abused, and used as a revenue generator by governments. The US Constitution covers this under the Privileges and Immunities clause as expanded by the Supreme Court in the Coryfield decision (1823). We have a fundamental right of travel, and the choice of method is our own, subject only to the limitations of private property (trespass) and financial responsibility (government isn't obligated to buy you a vehicle).
It was an accident ! why are the posters Raging?
you know why warren.
It's appropriate to rage against reckless inattentive driving. The poor guy in the truck shouldn't have to have experienced this.
Austin, you make a very good point. Statistics show that in many accidents involving trucks the trucks did not cause the accident but are just caught up in it because they can't stop or swerve out of the way as quick as a four wheeler.
Conceal and carry is the only answer,at least the one guy banging would have been the only one dead!Instead several people have died what a shame! The criminals already carry guns so wake up people time to arm the law abiding cirizens with there natural right!!!!!!!!
spoken like a true lib, here's a tip, if you ever get near a firearm look down the barrel to see if its loaded, if it appears to be too dark to tell, pull the trigger and it will light right up.
I 95 in Maryland, this is a constant, continuos thing. They have cameras all up and down I 95, they need to start issuing camera born tickets for drivers weaving in and out of traffic. More than 95 percent of the time it's these drivers who start the road rage.
I-95 ? try I-everywhere, in every state.
Every east coast/midwest/south state maybe. Here on the west coast we let the gang bangers take care of themselves and find ways to deal with the others. Mostly we ignore them; otherwise we handle matters as they occur.
Sounds like a Blow Job gone BAD!
remember this article next time you have the urge to give one......
Good one Tramp, LMAO!
I would just like to know why they don't treat people who drive so dangerously the same way they would treat someone who got caught driving under the influence. Lose your license for a year. Driving is a privilege not a right and if you are unable or unwilling to drive safely you should not be allowed to drive. Condolences to the family.
To me its the folks in the car not paying attention. U cant assume if u make an abrupt lane change a mult-ton vehicle is going to see you & be able to react in time.
Road rage? how did they determine that "theory" ? looks more to me to be a whole lot more probable that the lexus was pulled over ( use phone, look at map whatever)....jeep containing what? gang bangers? robbers? etc, pulls up and bangs on window for whatever motive ( probably not a good Samaritan though) and the driver realising he is in danger panics and pulls out. ....and had the truck been in the left lane away from the car on the shoulder ( as the law requires in most states)it wouldn't have happened, of course this isn't always possible due to the ever present moronic" left lane camper" but road rage...is a possibility i guess, but i do believe the paragraph above supports my "theory" better.
sorry folks he was on the left shoulder.please forgive my left lane camper rant. but my theroy remains the same.
In our area it's the late model pick-up truck, white or red, using about 1/3 of it's power, hogging the left lane. They are on parade and oblivious to the line of cars behind them trying to pass the RV.
Scooter- NOBODY under fifty carries a map, let alone pulls over to read one. Pulled over to use a cell phone.......when was the last time any under 35 folks would even think of that, let alone do it? Either way, getting pizzed of for whatever reason, then hauling azz back into traffic is a good way to get yourself dead or F'ed up. In this case both. Sometimes folks get what they set out to accomplish.....Lesson learned for survivors and witnesses.
Typical Lexus driver too stupid to check his/her mirrors when under stress! Stopped on the left shoulder of the highway too! Not paying attention to what youre doing will get u killed on I 95! Too much traffic to make a manuver like that.
@Willis: Typical Lexus driver?
My vote is that the driver of the lexus was the aggressor.
I drive an average of 150 miles a day in my job and I see all the phony status cars (lexus, bmw and all the others) very often driving like idiots. In my opinion, the owners of these kinds of cars have fallen for the false status that have been hyped up by advertisers to sucker more money out of non-thinking status seekers. The drivers then think they are "somebody" and not their actual mundane, plain old selves.
I will bet that not one in ten actually owns the car nor could afford to buy it. Instead, they have long term loans or lease it so that the bank or dealer actually is the owner.
It is further my opinion that status seekers get to psychologically inflate their miniscule sexual organs by virtue of the car they drive or the dog they own. (Pit bulls, for example, and again, it is my opinion, are often owned by men who need a substitute for their male inadequency)
You silly azz men gets on my nerves... always comparing every situation in life to the size your "man-hood".
Why not just call it what it is... EGO! Such things have nothing to do with your manhood size. Although, I assume some of you white men feel cheated so, that's where every thought takes you to. Also, Georgieboy, you and I can never assume who the aggressor was, unless we were there to witness what happened. Your type of thinking would not hold up in any court, so,it should not hold up in this topic either. That's just hearsay and a way for you to release your hate at someone that you seems to be angry or jealous at. Unless we find the real perpetrators of this murderous crime,we may never know what actually transpired. So, you little ones, can just get off of the man-hood size thing, it has no bearing on how most humans react.
Georgie. As someone who has driven commercially I would agree with you 100%.
Sadly, Georgieboy is not too far off. I have about a 80 mile commute each day on the freeway system; after a while, patterns do emerge. The "status car" drivers are by far the most aggressive; they act like the road belongs to them, the speed limit is merely a suggestion, and apparently, these cars have no mirrors or turn signals.
Second is the 18-25 year old male in their little "Fast and Furious wannabe" import with blacked out windows and wing glued on the hatch. Get a life; you're not Vin Diesel, ok?
Women are the biggest violators of driving slow in the fast lane and tailgating in a minivan while yacking away on the phone (by the way, the other person can't see your hand gestures); then slowly drifting to another lane. Never seems to be aggressive, just clueless.
I'm sure the stereotype. or even "hater" accusations will fly, but these observations have been derived from years of travel, and are statistically accurate...
Two weeks ago, my friend unwisely pulled in front of a tractor-trailer truck on a busy Ct. interstate, giving the driver little room to show down with commuter traffic. I waited to be hit - maybe killed. All we got was an angry horn. The truck driver, exceeding the speed limit by at least 15 miles, roared past us and purposely crowded our car. He crossed the lane line by at least three feet. Thank goodness my friend didn't panic and swerve into the traffic in the right lane. By the time I realized the truck had no license, the driver had sped on down the roadway and I had no means of identification. The National Truck Safety Council has said that of all car-truck collisions, there is a 98% chance of a fatality. Give truckers their distance - most are good drivers, but some are not, and some will indulge in road rage, as we found out.
How does one accidentally pull out in front of a tractor trailer? If one can not see something that size, hang up the keys. I see people doing this and stopping suddenly or turning with no warning ( by the way the turn signal means nothing After you already put the brakes on) in from of trucks all the time. These vehicles can not stop on a dime. It takes them forever to slow down. Look at it this way- car versus tractor trailer the car will lose ever time.
An earlier post of chart of distance to stop- I was taught and follow, the car you are driving length for every 10 miles per hour. Meaning - driving 60 miles per hour- 6 of Your car lengths distance from the car ahead of you. Under wet or snow covered roads add more to the distance. Now the real problem I run into is that for every car link I leave, other drivers pass and fill the space in. They think I leave that space for their convenience to endanger every one else on the road.
I was getting so tired of people passing with visible on coming cars (knowing you will slow down to let them in) and driving me off the road, that I contacted a farmer that I knew that lived on this stretch of road and ask if it was ok for cops to sit in his barn driveway (blocked from view) to stop the speed and dangerous driving in that area. I work in ER so knew the cops. The farmer and cops were thrilled with it. With in months I was hearing constantly of people bitching about getting tickets in that area. I was so sick and tired of strangers deciding where I lived that day or not that I had to do something. It sure is a nice place to drive now.
I got the idea from my Dad. We owned a farm. We had a factory with in a mile. When the shop let out the employees would barrel down the road and not stop at the stop sign. Many times they pulled out in front of our tractors. Guess what- as Dad said- a car /duel tractor collision- car loses every time. Dad call the local cop and let him sit up at our barn where he wasn't visible from the road, but had a clear view of the intersection. With in 1 week the factory workers decided it was best to go out the other end of the mile. Cop started sitting there. Problem solved. Because we are willing to put forth the effort we get our tax dollars worth here.
Ok I do enjoy the fun of it all. Coming out of our town is a small hill. People barrel up that hill going 30 miles and hour or more of the speed limit. Just over that hill is a side road. The cops started sitting there to correct the problem. When I realized what they were doing I started driving under the speed limit going up the hill. Do people realize it Isn't against the law to actually drive Under the Maximum speed limit? Anyways this would irritate some, so pass me in no pass zone speeding. The cop was waiting. He caught on to what I was doing. We got so we waved at each other every day as he pulled the vehicle over that acted like a fool. Oh such fun. Such a hurry to get no where. My clock actually let's me know to leave on time to get where I need to go.
Rockyroad 531554, that's a pretty ignorant statement along with that of Uncle Henry and lou vieceli. Rocky wants the police side by side with people driving like jerk-offs on an interstate, johnny on the spot. Lou wants everyone to carry a concealed weapon to settle incidents of road rage. While Henry wants to politicize an unfortunate, deadly accident. Unbridled ignorance abounds on this site! It's obvious that I am quite easily amused by these incoherent ramblings of the mindless masses. God help me!! Boys and girls, repeat after me: Grant me the the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. No....seriously!!
kudos sir.....good job...you may have a cookie.............
Sounds like road rage too me...
Wish I had a dime for every time I flipped someone off or cussed them out...lol
Drivers on the phone piss me off the most, you can just tell when they
are driving and talking on the phone..Not watching what they are doing...
so that was you eh Gordon? by god i remember that car, wait tell i see ya ON THE ROAD agian why i.......Grrrrr.......
Good to know you're under control.
@ gordo13, And dont forget the slower drivers that seem to stay in the LEFT lane and
NOT move over so normal drivers can pass !!!!!!!!! And how bout the the drivers that wont move over to the LEFT lane so you can get on the highway !!????
I've been on that stretch of road between MD and DC on many, many occasions traveling on business. All I can say is people drive 15 to 20 miles over the speed limit all the time, and road-rage is evident as a result.
The Wash DC Beltway is the worst!!!
Rallyforge:
Traffic on the Beltway moves at 70+ miles an hour in all lanes. The only times it doesn't are during morning and afternoon rush hour traffic. The posted limit of 55 is, in most drivers' eyes, purely arbitrary. (On a side note, I think that 55 is the highest posted limit around the DC Metro area until you reach the southern and western outermost suburbs of DC.) Most of them would be screwed if they get speed cameras on the Beltway like they have on 295 in DC and in surrounding areas. That's why I have to watch myself whenever I return down South from that area. I have to go from driving like a maniac to driving like a maniac in slow motion.
probably just white people being white people!
I suppose if I'd said "just bIacks being bIacks" that would be unacceptable and labeled racist, but what you just posted is okay, huh?
Let me guess....
You are not one of those "non-white" people who drive side by side on the highway with other non-white people, windows down, laughing and yelling across the seats, taking up both lanes, holding up traffic while you "visit" with your home boys?
scremin
it makes it allot easier to pass around the 40 that way.....
Darwin at his finest.
It's just too bad the totally innocent van driver was sucked into the stupidity.
I wqnder if the 2 cars actually knew each other. Why would anyone be stupid enough to pull over on the side of the road during a road rage incident? What would that accomplish? If one has just had a maniac put your life in danger on the road, why would you put yourself in a position on the side of the road to further the madness?
Every one that thinks giving another a piece of their mind, they should really consider if they can spare it.
I wonder if the one car was trying to get the 17 yr old girl out of the other car?
Nah. Hot heads in both cars get into a conflict on the road. The Lexus pulls over & so does the jeep. The guys in the jeep go pound on the window of the Lexus. Guys in Lexus decide they are outnumbered & pull away from the shoulder without looking first & get nailed by the truck going down I-95 & die. Simple as that. Happens more than you think.
Oneslackr is hot. Go get 'em oneslackr!
The avatar is hot; you're not really stupid enough to think that is a true pic of Oneslackr I hope??
Are the roads that crowded there at that tme of morning that road rage is needed instead of just passing and going on or remaining calm for a mile or two and then go on ?