Put Some Space Between You And The Car Ahead, Please

Discussion in 'Not Sure Where it Goes' started by Kitty Carmel, Jun 19, 2017.

  1. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    There was an accident on the bridge over the freeway. This bridge is notorious for accidents. I can't tell you how many I have seen there. There is a bottle neck with the freeway on ramp. I didn't see it happen but 4 cars were involved and they all looked nice and newer. I didn't see an ambulance. Police were there and all the people were to the side. I hope no one was seriously injured.

    But I couldn't help wonder if these cars were sitting to close to each other with the red light. I certainly have seen this. I keep a good distance between me and the car ahead. But right after passing this accident and getting back in the right lane a car was right on my tail at the light. I know cars in the rear view look closer but that vehicle behind me really was too close. Even after just passing a 4 car involved rear ender.

    I was rear ended once in a several car hit like this. I only got tapped as I was the front car.
     
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  2. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    On our main traffic roads I see way to many cars almost on top of the other cars back end and to me that's an accident waiting to happen. When I drive our car I always try to stay at least a length to a length and a half behind the car in front of me, but when I'm on those heavy traffic roads doing this another car will zip in front of me and take up most of the distance I had left between us. So I just slow down some and try to make some distance again.

    I stay off the heaviest traffic roads as much as possible because Louisiana has some crazy drivers who often don't put on their turning signal lights and will slam on their brakes without any warning...and even run red lights, etc. I'm pretty sure that may be the norm in many places now...it's one reason I'm not that fond of driving anymore.
     
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  3. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    We go with the flow of traffic, but there are times that we even get passed up on the freeway. The driving problems of today, that Senior drivers have to put up with, can be solved by moving to a more "Senior" area in the U.S. with much less population. Yes, I know there are those that love, or have to, live by relatives, but for those that like/need driving safety, moving to a more safe area for drivers can be a must. This is one of the reasons we will be glad to move to a much small city/population than where we are now. There are way to many young drivers on streets and freeways here that just don't care about other drivers.

    We are constantly seeing "red light runners", "stop sign runners", no turn signals, speeding vehicles, improper lane changing..........all of it here.
     
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  4. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I try to put space between myself and other cars but on some highways it's impossible....just too many cars on the road.

    On 99 I drive in the fast lane and keep up with the speed and if I slowed down to leave a car space I'd cause an accident for sure.
    The right lane is filled with semis.

    The usual speed on hwy 99 is 80 and there's really no way to go slower unless you want to be sandwiched in between 2 semis and drive below the speed limit. If I did that it would take 5 hrs to get to the coast instead of the almost 3.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
  5. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    That might be one solution Cody. But I don't plan to leave my family and friends and move somewhere else just because there are a few high traffic areas here where we have to just be more careful and alert in keeping our eyes open to the crazy drivers. My solution, which works fine for me is to just use the back roads and avoid the high traffic areas as much as possible.
     
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  6. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Guess that's what good for us is no family or friends here. Actually, we prefer not to live close to family. My wife's family lives states away from us. As far as friends go, we haven't been able to meet anyone that has the same interests we do. Tried church, but that didn't work. Most of the people that have boats at our storage area are much younger than we are. To us, it's just seems to be a very unfriendly area we live in. Actually, people get truly shocked when we talk to them for the first time.

    Anyway, back to the Thread.
     
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  7. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Do you have a lot of high traffic roads where y'all live Cody? Lafayette is really not that big so we don't have that many, and the ones we do have we can take back roads to avoid them for the most part. And yes, it would be much easier to just pack up and move somewhere else if you don't have family ties where you are. But I also like where I live too...and I'm not going to let a little traffic problems move me.
     
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  8. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    With a city population of 850,000 and total population of surrounding areas of over a million, we do have our share of heavy traffic. There are no roads in the area, only streets and freeways. Where we use to live in NC (Huntersville) and in Colorado (Parker), the population was much less than here and so was the traffic. When we moved here, just south of Jacksonville, FL., in January 2009, we really thought "this is the place", but have definitely changed our minds since then. We thought the boating would be great here, until we found out just how much brackish water can even ruin an engine and outdrive (where the prop is). The population, along with the crime, has really taken a hike here. The crime, very little-to-none in our area, but other parts of the city can get really bad.

    What we have been missing is what we had when living in Colorado...........Rocky Mountain National Park, lake boating/fishing, wildlife/Bull Elk, rodeo action and some other things. They do have a winter there, but we endured it, until I had a fall in ice/snow that required shoulder surgery. Not thinking that we could fall anywhere we would move to, we decided to sell our house and move to NC. Well, after a year, and my wife getting laid off, decided on northeastern Florida.

    What we have found out is that, not only do we not like living here, we don't really like Florida that much either. We just can't be "Southerner's". We can't wear our Western clothes and forget about any rodeo action.

    That's pretty much it.
     
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  9. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Texas has alot of Cowboys and Cowgirls Cody and much milder weather too. My daughter and her husband originally were hoping they would be able to live in Austin, Texas. Have you ever checked out this State? I'm sure they have many places for your boat too.
     
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  10. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Wife doesn't like Texas at all. So, that's out. And, there we have to keep hearing that Texas "southern" accent and the words "ya'all". We really never got use to hearing that here.
    The waitresses here are always calling me "Honey" or "Sweetheat". Again, not in Colorado.

    Some states are right from some people to live in, while other people wouldn't live in them at all.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
  11. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Just want to add that the speed limit on hwy 99 is 70 and 75 is acceptable and won't get you pulled over.

    Don't want you all to think I'm a speed freak. :)
     
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  12. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Having been a paramedic, I am in the habit of leaving space between my car and the one ahead of me at a light; since, in an ambulance, we might need to be able to get out of the lane. I find it's a good habit anyhow. Another thing I picked up driving an ambulance is to drive just a little toward the inside of a lane because then people will give you plenty of space should anything go wrong. And, of course, to always back into a parking spot.

    None of this is a large concern where I live, though. It's not unusual for me to drive two hundred miles on the Interstate without seeing another car, since there's not a lot of traffic north of Bangor. If I have to wait for three or four cars before leaving my driveway, I refer to it as a traffic jam.

    The speed limit is 75 on I-95 north of Bangor, but you're unlikely to see a state police car. They do monitor traffic there every now and then, but not often. Driving in the fast lane will get you a ticket in Maine through, as the fast lane is for passing only.
     
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  13. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    That's interesting about the fast lane being only for passing.

    I
     
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  14. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Yeah, they have signs out stating that the left lane is for passing only. You can get out of that by going fast enough to be always passing someone, but then the ticket would be for speeding.
     
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  15. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Up and down the 95 in Florida, people are going 80 to 85 mph. Don't dare to go the posted speed limit, even in the far right lane, which is considered the slow lane. It has to be 10 to 15 mph over the limit. Florida State Police do cruise the freeways here, but mainly on holidays.
    We've had people pass us like we were sitting still!

    Since moving here, we have definitely seen the pace of the area get much faster and don't like it at all.

    Accidents here are like gun violence, happen almost on a daily basis. And, on top of that, even more people moving here.
     
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