Light timing. I sat under a green light on an expressway for 40 GODDAMN seconds and another 40 under a red. Only happened once.... Until you find out a light is THAT poorly timed and EVIL you're just the neighborhood noob. :/
They forgot about the guy behind the first assh**e on the left who also decides to go, therefore blocking BOTH lanes of traffic. Seen it happen, wasn't pretty.
I studied that for at least 5 minutes. I say clear the top right area first to allow bottom right to advance, therefore, clearing the bottom right. Carry that process on anti clockwise until normality is restored.
I'd also like to cycle through that lot with a 'Later Losers' sign on my back.
I was that assh**e once (not as bad) without realizing till last minute. I started getting all hot and twitchy and never did it again. It's better to be relaxed. How much will you save being the assh**e?
I think he means he wishes what happened in that episode of Dilbert would happen in real life. In Dilbert, the person who blocks the intersection has a hundred cars come at him as soon as the light turns green and it wrecks his car.
I saw it happen once and there just happened to be a cop in front of the driver. The cop flashed his lights, got out of the car, and gave the assh**e driver a ticket. I laughed.
WTF? I've seen gentlemen, ragheads, rednecks, wetbacks, chee-chees, nips, kooks, pakis, whitey, gentlemen, midgets, cripples, and fatties do this all the time. Why single out the chinks?
They're all idiots. Old crazy people who probably shouldn't be driving. Young hipsters baiting confrontation with motorists so they can catch it on camera.
I was in Adelaide (capital of South Australia) and some old geezer did this, but she got stuck halfway through the intersection... and instead of letting her go forward (the cars ahead eventually moved), the d**kh**ds drove around her, blocking her from going forward. That's double douchebaggery.
Setup: Theres two close sets of two way stop signs on my way to work. At the first set I do not have the right of way and I go straight. Then there is a short stretch that fits about three cars and the second set of stop signs where I don't have the right of way and most people including me turn left.
Story: I was waiting at the first set. There was no space in the short stretch in front of me, it was full of cars waiting to turn. So I waited at the stop sign. The guy behind me honked at me because there was no traffic coming and I wasn't moving. WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO assh**E. Also he emptied a small trash can out of his window. What a dick.
I used to live right near Seward, and in fact the Seward Co-op was my grocer of choice (highly recommend their zucchini bread - it's stonking delicious) and I can confirm that the Venn diagram of 'Somalian Women' and 'f**king scary ass drivers' is nearly a full eclipse.
Every time I try to say to myself "Woman are decent drivers" a woman manages to prove me wrong.
Even yesterday I was waiting at the intersection and waiting for the advance green for the left turn... as soon as it came on I start going forward and out of nowhere I see this Asian woman (surprise surprise) barrel down through the intersection and come within feet of my car. Not only did she go on a red light, but the light must have been red for at least 5-8 seconds at that point for her to do it. Seriously if I accelerated any faster than I already have I would've smacked her.
In connection to the actual picture, I have had that happen to me many times. For me it is usually the taxi cab drivers that do it...
Maybe your problem with saying "Woman are decent drivers" is that some women are good drivers and some women are bad drivers. It's really not that complicated.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Umm, this is illegal in the UK, I'm not sure what it's like in the US? We have yellow box junctions painted on the road to try and prevent people from doing this:
I pull right up to the intersection behind these idiots when they do this so they CANNOT reverse and undo their mistake. Maybe some damn embarrassment will let them learn their lesson. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
This happens all the time in LA. Thing is, people are so jaded and cynical by this point, they don't even bother honking. They just find a way to swing out and go around them.
Cops don't give a f**k man, too many more important things to police in this city.
You can literally go any speed you want on the highways here (whenever there's not traffic...)
Umm, this is illegal in the UK, I'm not sure what it's like in the US? We have yellow box junctions painted on the road to prevent people from doing this:
That's not the UK. There's palm trees & santa in the same shot, spanish-style buildings at the back .. and the traffic's on the wrong side of the road.
L.A. loves to proudly talk about their "car culture", but in fact its civil engineering is pathetic. You have everything from giant gullies crossing intersections (which smash your car chassis into the ground when you drive through) to the miracle of stoplights that are timed exactly BACKWARD, and in BOTH DIRECTIONS!
You have highways that are marked all four directions at once: N, E, S, and W. You can be driving on the 101 East, stop to get gas, and then that highway has disappeared. Suddenly it has become the 101 N or S. Now... which way do you go? f**king retarded.
And then there are L.A. streets. 99 percent of them don't go anywhere. You drive four blocks, and then there's a HOUSE in the middle of the street, or a school.
What people don't take seriously is that the intersection blockers, the left-lane blockers, the local government reps capitulating to bitchy residents who want speed bumps installed on OUR public street... these people are STEALING from you. Is your time free? Because these people are deliberately taking it. They're causing you to miss events, time with your family, work, whatever. Don't just sit there. Make it as unpleasant for these jagoffs as possible.
Happens in Jersey quite a bit too. It has gotten to the point that some intersections have a police officer there making people pull over and giving them tickets. I've literally sat through 2 cycles of a traffic light because of people blocking the intersection.
Just as bad is the people that don't enter the intersection when turning left and stay there cycle after light cycle until its clear. If you are in the intersection and the light turns red, f**kING GO!
I can admit that I have tried your "f**kING GO" method. I'm sure you won't learn a lesson from my mistake, but sometimes people in oncoming traffic try to beat yellow lights... and lose. Needless to say my car was totaled.
well obviously if you're making a left turn you have to wait until the intersection is clear before you go. but the point is, you DO go at some point, no matter if the light is yellow or if its been fully red for a second.
Which is my point, sometimes you have to wait a second to make sure some assh**e isn't going to try to beat out a yellow light and hit you because they can't time lights. But you're right, I can't stand the jackasses who just wait there as if the intersection is a great place to catch up on their philosophic understanding of Nietzsche.
Left from the middle of the intersection is a fun time until the douchebag who was in the left turn lane straight across from you decides he's going to gun it straight (from the left turn lane) to try and beat the light.
I ran into that same situation when two eighteen wheelers thought they could make the light. I'm quite sure I only narrowly escaped death that day. I did manage to not get hit though, and I attribute my success to Burnout 3.
Buddy of my failed his drivers test for that. He made the standard S approach on the green light; people kept coming, light turns amber, people still were still going through; light turns red, then he could finally go. He failed for running a red.
Driving tests are such BS, you have to pretty much hope everyone obeys the law when you take your test, or your time and money was just wasted.
@next I've never moved into an intersection to turn left. I see people who do, and I understand the advantages on certain streets but I think it's a choice we can go either way on. So yes damned either way. Perhaps we're better off making all right turns =P.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Samurimaster, it did work great for my dad. Till the cops got the technology to push a button and change a light from green to yellow to red all in less than two seconds. My dad has never tried to do that s**t again.
This drives me nuts. It happened to me when I was just barely licensed. Oncoming traffic had cleared and I was beginning to make my turn and a truck on the opposite side came up into the left turn lane and then weaved out and went straight. Luckily I wasn't so far out as to get clipped but it still gave me quite a fright being a new driver.
Police and other emergency vehicles don't have a "button" that just changes the light. There's an infrared system mounted to most traffic lights which detects an IR strobe light on all emergency vehicles (cruisers, ambulances and firetrucks). This strobe light is turned on in combination with their emergency lights.
So unless they have their emergency lights and sirens (etc.) on, the light won't change. Also note they can't specifically make the light turn red, the system is designed to turn the lights in their direction green.
We call this "The Pittsburgh Left" around here, but we usually wait until just before or just after the light turns green and take the left. The main advantage is that the oncoming lane isn't at speed, so accidents are less likely. It's so prevalent around here that it's basically a courtesy to let the other guy go (a de facto turn signal for one or two cars).
Unfortunately, out-of-towners are mystified and angered by this behavior. We also make up our own pedestrian laws in Oakland around the very congested campuses of Pitt and Carnegie Melon Universities. (It's like reverse Frogger, where the cars have to dodge the people).
in melbourne we have a nifty thing called a hook turn
(cause we drive on the other side of the road to the US, i'm going to try and translate it, apologies in advance is i screw it up)
okay, so cars turning right at an intersection get into the left hand lane and on the green light wait in the middle of the intersection as far left as possible. (right in front of the cars stopped at the red light) This leaves both lanes clear for forward moving traffic. and then when the light turns red, the car completes the right hand turn across the intersection.
very confusing at first, but it works surprisingly well...
You forgot to translate. That's for Australian roads. If you did it in a place where people drive on the right side of the road, then the hook turn would be as follows:
If you want to make a a left turn, then you get as far right as possible in the middle of the intersection to allow both lanes to be clear for forward-moving traffic. When the light turns red, the car completes the left hand turn across the intersection.
Chimpsky, I know this Pittsburgh Left. In fact, just looking out my window at the intersection just a few doors down from me I saw it just a few minutes ago.
It's particularly funny to get caught behind an out-of-towner on Banksville Road going towards the Pitt Tunnel. I've never seen the Pittsburgh Left more prevalent than there, and when you see a car with a license plate that isn't Pennsylvania, you just wait for them to make the mistake of expecting their style of driving.
I assume you live in Oakland, which means high chance of being a Pitt student, and a slightly lower chance of being CMU student. You may actually know my brother if it's the latter.
I am actually a Pitt grad, but I didn't live on campus. I commuted. Which means I had not only the luxury of parking in Oakland 3-4 times a week, but also got to experience the creative, irresponsible, and uniquely Pittsburgh pedestrian traffic as both a dodger and a dodgee (both terms applied while driving and while trying to cross a sprawling, urban campus in under ten minutes when my next class was on the 35th floor of the Cathedral of Learning.)
Wow, don't get me started on idiots like that. My friend's car got smashed because one of those idiots tried to do that. Can't remember if he ended up being the guilty party, because technically, he rear ended the idiot.
I see someone do this at least once a week in the southern Minnesota area. That, and people that don't know how to merge stopping on f**king highway onramps.
At least in New York, you're required by law to be in the intersection if you're waiting to turn left, and to do so as the other cars stop.
I imagine that it is illegal to be there when the light is red, but that only happens if others FIRST break the law by not stopping as they're supposed to and instead run the light.
But dammit, only one car. None of this bulls**t "lets squeeze three more cars through the left" after the light is red. That BS is getting worse and worse.
Technically running a red light is entering the intersection while the light is red. If you enter the intersection while the light is green or yellow and then leave the intersection while the light is red then that is completely legal. That is how blind left hand turns work (when you don't have a turn lane and you have to wait for cross traffic to end which is usually a red light).
How the hell does your american lights work? In sweden and most other european contries, there is almost always separate turn left/right lanes with their own lights. And when the left lane has a green, oncoming traffic does not.
Just in Los Angeles alone there are more intersections than the entire country of Sweden. Some do not protect the left turns, yet may have a high volume of traffic.
Here there is pretty much always a light with 4 signals for a left turn, red, yellow, green(yield) and a green arrow which means you have right of way and the oncoming lane should have a red.
Left hand turn lanes are extremely common here in the US. Only the older intersections do not have left hand turn lanes. When there is no left hand turn lane you roll out into the intersection slowly and when the cross traffic opens up (even after the light has turned red) you turn left.
Out in the middle of no were when there isn't much traffic blind left hand turns are quicker because there are less light cycles. I wish in the US, if you can see far enough down the road, you should be able to take a left hand turn when cross traffic frees up, from the left hand turn lane. Unfortunately, this is illegal. When it is 3am in the morning I don't like waiting 3 minutes for the lights to rotate to allow a left hand turn.
I'll advocate this technique, but be careful when it's close to the end of the month and the cops have a traffic ticket quota to fill. I got a $216 moving violation for "running a red light" ...when it reality it was just a left turn on yellow.
That sort of stern mentality is stupid. Why can't people just use common sense? If you do a left turn on yellow at the very last second and the light is red, that's not endangering anyone if the traffic of the red light behind you as you complete your turn is at a stop. If that traffic were approaching the red light (soon green) with speed, then maybe that would be a bad idea to make that turn.
It is not illegal to be in the intersection while the light is red. It is illegal to enter the intersection when the light is red. Just make sure you've been sitting in the intersection waiting for cross traffic to open up. Don't sit behind the line, or you will get a ticket.
Wrong. you NEVER proceed into an intersection until it is safe to cross it completely. and yes that means waiting through several green lights. douche.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Wrong. You are supposed to edge into the intersection on the green (assuming there is no backup after the turn). If you're stuck in the intersection until the red light, you still complete the turn once the oncoming traffic has cleared. 'New' greenlight traffic has to wait to allow you to clear the intersection. The law in California:
"Just as bad is the people that don't enter the intersection when turning left and stay there cycle after light cycle until its clear. If you are in the intersection and the light turns red, f**kING GO!"
You contradict yourself. First you say they don't enter the intersection until it is clear, which is the correct behavior. Then you say they are in the intersection. Make up your mind.
In Colorado and California (maybe most states), you can't enter the intersection until the left turn can be completed. Sometimes that's hard to judge, especially when oncoming people often run through on the yellow or red lights. I usually wait until it's clear to enter the intersection, even if that means waiting through an extra green light.
I somewhat agree with you. However, now-a-days with those stupid red-light cameras, I tend to do this too to make sure I WILL make the turn without that stupid flash. If there were no cameras, by all means I wouldn't slow down as much. But those stupid cameras make me think twice so I DON'T get a 180 dollar ticket.
In Chicago, we were taught (rightly) to ENTER THE GOD DAMN INTERSECTION when making a left turn. (Sorry for the caps... I do get exasperated.) In Minnesota, it is an eternal Möbius Strip of "Minnesota nice" as everyone thinks they are just being polite by not getting into the intersection until it is their turn to take a left. So.... one car gets to go, the rest are screwed. I hate it!! (That should have been in all caps.)
I was right there with you other non scrollers. at 1280x1024, the first panel takes up the whole screen, and I didn't see the scroll bar. Internet shame on us both.
I read it. it was so stupid I assumed they meant something else.
You want to leave your car in the middle of an intersection blocking cars going the other way? You can go do that. In California thats the same as running a red.
The difference is, in a car you just listen to your radio and ignore the person you just cut off. You know that in all likelihood you'll never see or talk to them again. In person, you know you could catch s**t for it, and you'll actually have to deal with the situation instead of it going away in 10 seconds.
I think that this behavior really goes to show how much it's built into our nature to actually care what others think. For some reason, we seem to instantly bond with people we interact with personally. It's the same reason bank robbers don't strike up conversations with their hostages.
I think bank robbers don't strike up conversations with their hostages because they are committing several major felonies and don't see any reason to engage in pleasantries. Not because they would instantly bond and feel bad.
I love that I instantly knew you were from Ann Arbor, however I see idiots doing this on Main Street quite often during rush hour, especially at Williams St.
Dude, you have to wait for the lane ahead to clear before advancing into the intersection. Otherwise, you could get caught in the middle of the intersection and become a hazard for other, intersecting traffic.
consider the case where it's not immediately obvious that the intersection is coming to an halt
sometime you just follow slow traffic in a green light, then the traffic just stops and you get caught in the intersection unexpectedly
in fact I bet this is what happens 90% of the time someone gets caught in the intersection
people who think people stuck in intersection are assh**es, are themselves just projecting their own assh**eness on others
The correct thing to do is to NOT follow bumper-to-bumper into an intersection. You do not enter the intersection until there is room for you on the other side. Period.
The man in the front car has a clear view at the perpetrator, and can see clearly that he is in fact a flaming homosexual. This causes in him a sense of arousal which runs counter to his societally imposed sense of morality, and makes him feel the need to make derogatory comments towards homosexuals.
You know what's f**king worse? When you actually don't go into the intersection and wait back at the light and the people get pissed that are behind you and start honking.
Good point but I guess it depends on how much the traffic is moving ahead. Sometimes it is moving a bit and a few cars can get through or other occasions such as pictured in the pic, it looks like the traffic wasn't going ahead and it is best just to wait a cycle.
Sometimes when you wait like that the people making right turns into your lane end up taking every spot, and you miss the light. If that's happening you just have to go.
Yup, that's the worst... it's basically always their turn, and if they don't go then the people behind them are honking. I had one guy even wave at me like I was letting him in, there was no room for his car to even fit but he's blocking the car behind him whether he enters the intersection or not. There is one place where this would happen ever morning and thankfully they put up a "no right on red"sign.
And what's even worse than that: when the light is green, but you can't get through the intersection, so you wait patiently on your side like you're supposed to... and the idiots behind you start honking... and then one of the idiots shoots out around you, heads into the intersection, and creates the gridlock situation that you were trying to avoid.
I'll never understand what pulling out into the intersection accomplishes. People just get angry but I guess your 30 feet closer to your destination so it works out for the best...
What nobody seems to realize is that at the next intersection somebody is doing the exact same thing blocking your lane from moving.
Well, illegally pulling out into the intersection and blocking it does accomplish something for the assh**e who does it: that way, once the street clears up in front of them, they can proceed without having to wait through another light cycle. But, as you say, the whole reason why the street is blocked up in the first place may be that some bastard at the next intersection up ahead did the same thing.
Listen assh**e do you know how frustrating that you don't just go? If it turns red, have to wait 45 seconds for the light to turn green again! I mean I need to get to my destination IMMEDIATELY and you're just out for a f**king joy ride! I NEED TO MAKE THE LIGHT! I"M IN A HURRY! COME ON GO! GROW A SACK!Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
What I absolutely hate too, is when the traffic in the lane to the right, makes a right turn on their green light, getting stuck in the intersection, further blocking me from advancing on my next green!! Every day at this one intersection in Philly, we sit in buckled traffic through several lights because it is the only way to make it through.
We have painted grids in the streets here. Not only will you get yelled at for that sort of behavior, but you might get an annoying ticket as well. Now that is is all fair and and dandy... but I wonder if those damned cameras they're putting up are trained to focus in.
(Just got my first ticket in the mail for clipping a red while making a left turn in Nassau County, NY). The beginning of the end.
I wouldn't have known this illegal in Nassau since ever assh**e in Long Island seems to think high property tax equals the privilege to do whatever the f**k they want on the road. I seriously drive to queens to avoid the prick driver in Nassau.
Hah... I agree man, I want to disembowel half of the f**king pisstards that drive around here, but unfortunately that red-light ticket was on the intersection of Mill Rd/Peninsula Blvd, well within the Nassau Co. border.
I guess we'll have to look out for assh**e cameras alongside assh**e drivers.
I have seen this happen, but not to the degree depicted, usually the people in the intersection are able to move out shortly after.
That situation does suck though, I have waited at the light only to have people from the right turn right into the lanes I am waiting to clear up, so you end up having to make quick judgement calls on whether you can exit the intersection in time without causing delay for others.
I work at one of the busiest intersections in Vancouver and I see this happen nearly once a day (sometimes more) and I really wish I could just run up behind with a baseball bat and keep smashing the rear of the car until it clears the intersection. When there's space in front, of course.
I live near robson&Burrard, half of what I hear all day is people leaning on their horns because of this behavior. I've gone up to cars on my bike and talked to drivers, asking them to lay off the horns a bit, as the noise pollution is a bit much.
I admit that the drivers could get better though. Also, parking in that area is silly. There needs to be better parking just outside the downtown core, and easy ways to get in and out cheaply (more then just skytrain, awesome though it is)
I used to work with this Chinese guy and he slurped noodles every day for lunch at his desk. Now, as soon as he gets back from the kitchen I pull out the noise canceling headphones.
Oh man, I work with a guy who not only is a loud chewer and smacks a lot, he also has a jaw problem, so all I hear when he eats is "Smack, Pop, Smack, Pop, Smack, Pop" over and over until I want to rip his jaw from his face.
Oh man, there's a guy sitting next to me that is so infuriated by the chewing of the guy on his other side, that he repeatedly scrunches up his receipts on his desk into a ball. Drives me nuts listening to that "Smack, Crackle, Pop, Smack, Crackle, Pop" over & over.
wish I could digg you a thousand times. It's not even so much the crunching. It's the f**king tongue action they're giving their food with their mouth open. *smack snap smack * It's my biggest tic. I'm always about 5 seconds away from f**king punching that person in the face. Typically, I leave the room when I come to these situations. Also, that person is usually my father.
Bulls**t. I've seen plenty of people do it on a yellow light when traffic was clearly going to stay backed up. Then they give everyone a look, like, "Hey man the light wasn't red yet. It's not my fault." Some people are just complete f**kwads.
I did it on accident yesterday. I was taking a left turn on a yellow light and didn't realize that a school bus was stopped about twenty feet from the intersection and blocking the road. I felt really bad.
On a related note, school buses should not stop twenty feet from a ridiculously busy intersection.
I think it's almost never an "oh s**t, my bad" mistake. Either the person doesn't know that you're not supposed to block the intersection, or they know, but they do it anyway. Either way, f**k them.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Yeah, because the person is in their own little self-entitled world where their idea of being a good driver is ignoring what is going on around you. No, sorry. When you drive, you are operating a dangerous piece of equipment. It's your responsibility to be aware of your surroundings. You're wrong. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
I hate when you politely wait and the f**king douche wang behind you start beeping, so you assume he's making a left and you pull up and it turns out he just wanted to move up 6 feet and make you look like an assh**e.
It's not the same articles I have a problem with, it's the taking of someone's content, reposting on a blog spam site and then having their power user friends vote them up so they get ad revenue I have a problem with.
This wasn't some article posted to reddit that would have made it to Digg from another site anyway, this was something that was taken from a personal post on reddit and stolen for the purpose of gaining ad revenue.
Some people don't look at Reddit, ****s****r. Honestly, WHO GIVES THE f**k IF IT IS POSTED ON BOTH SITES. You only need to check one, ****s****r. Don't like checking one? DON'T f**kING CHECK IT. Is this really a difficult concept to get? No. You are just too busy childishly running around screaming "SEEN IT!" "FIRST!" "OMG I AM SO MUCH COOLER THAN YOU, I SAW THIS TWO YEARS AGO IN MY COUSINS BASEMENT." f**k you. Get a life. Jesus f**k.
The only thing I find wrong with it is that this was content originally created by a Reddit member as part of an ongoing series of posts regarding annoying traffic situations, and just a few days later it is reposed to Digg without any attribution to the Reddit member who made it in the first place. That in itself is not overtly terrible, but it is a bit rude, especially considering how often it takes place.
i agree that it doesn't matter if some link was first posted on reddit or digg, but since this seems to be original content, it would have been nce to at least credit the creator
it's always the old ladies and old men that should get their licenses revoked that do this.
I was once stuck behind a toyota corolla on a 1 lane road with cars packing both sides of the street (there was a divider) going 20kph for about 3 kilometers. I thought there was a jam in front of it as there is a festival going on. I swing out to see how bad it is, and the road ahead of it empty.
it ends up being this old couple that was looking for a parking spot.
You have clearly not been driving that long. After a couple of decades of driving, I can confirm that stupidity in drivers does not discriminate. assh**es abound in every culture, race and age.
Motion blur on moving cars would have helped distinguish which cars are supposed to be moving and which cars are just sitting there. I had to take a second look.
Exactly. I do this. What if it changes and you're right in the middle of the intersection? Sometimes traffic is *that packed* to the point where you won't be able to get out of the intersection at all during the next light cycle.
A roundabout would make this even worse. The traffic in front isn't going anywhere so instead of people sometimes staying put and sometimes moving out to block the intersection, everyone just enters the roundabout and it clogs up. The roundabout is basically certain to produce the worst case scenario in this instance whereas lights at least have the chance of staying clear if people obey the law. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
I've read some things written by urban planning engineers about roundabouts (or "rotaries," as they're called in New England). I think the general understanding is that roundabouts are great if there's very little traffic, because then nobody ever has to wait to go wherever they want to go. However, roundabouts are terrible in high-traffic situations, because if the roundabout gets blocked up when one of its outlets is congested, nobody else is able to enter the roundabout and go where they're going, even if the road they're actually going to has no traffic at all. It's the equivalent of creating gridlock for everyone going in every direction, even if every driver was being prosocial and doing the right thing.
Traffic flows so much more smoothly in Europe where there are lots of roundabouts. Even in high traffic situations, the roundabouts are never worse than American traffic light intersections. I can't understand why Americans are so resistant to them.
I've one near my house (Canada) and it moves pretty slowly but consistently when under heavy traffic. The real issue is the taxis(always) and people(sometimes) cutting across 3 lanes to make their exit.
More Americans drive than take public transit. Also, in America, when you don't want to drive, there is usually no alternative. Do you enjoy your interconnected trains in Europe? Great, because in America there are no (passenger) trains. Therefore there are more cars driving at any one time than in Europe. Roundabouts are known to fail when there is too much traffic. (the ring just gets clogged) Plus, most Americans have never seen a roundabout before, so they have no idea what to do when they get to one, worsening traffic.
There are passenger trains in the US, they're just all isolated lines in high traffic corridors, so only useful for a few specific destinations (generally commuting to work).
Yeah, I've seen morons in the round-about trying to yield to me while I'm waiting to get in. And many times I've had to slam on my brakes while in the roundabout because some moron didn't yield to me or even look. Basically roundabouts taught me that you NEVER trust that other drivers will do the right thing in any situation. Always expect everyone around you being an asshat and plan accordingly.
The worst is when the space in front of you advances enough for you to fit, but the douche that's stuck in the middle of the right lane quickly cuts left to take the space leaving you to look like the assh**e.
If they're stuck in the intersection, let them cut into your lane to get out of the intersection. What are you more concerned with, the f**ked up traffic situation, or your sense of righteousness?Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
In the UK we have so called "yellow box junctions" to overcome this. Critical intersections are painted with yellow cross-hatched boxes. You are not allowed to enter the box unless your exit from the box is clear. In big cities this is often enforced by cameras. As a result, the behaviour illustrated by this article is very rare.
That's why I find it even more annoying when someone does it over here. The correct procedure for the yellow box is in the highway code and taught to you when you learn to drive so there should be no excuse. Anyone who does it anyway is just blatantly flipping off everyone on the road.
I must be an idiot, I have been staring at the first picture for ten minutes figuring on what was wrong with their behavior and I hadn't realized that there were more images..
Holy crap. I did the EXACT same thing. I looked at the first image and then read a bunch of the comments thinking, "Man, I do that some times... am I doing it wrong?" "I thought you were supposed to sit there until the lane cleared up ahead". "What is everybody getting so pissed about?"
Once I got in an argument with a bus driver why I shouldn't be over the white line. I couldn't convey the following information to him:
Here's what got me in this situation:
1) I was sitting behind a guy at a red light without his turn signal on.
2) Green light
3) Guy pulls out, I follow
4) Guy goes like 15 feet, SMASHES his brake, I almost smash into him.
5) Guy waits for all the cars to go by. Then when the light turns red.
6) I'm stuck partially over the white line.
your mistake was following too soon. don't go into the intersection until you're SURE you can cross it. stopping in the intersection is a ticket. light turning red while you're there.... ticket. both moving violations.
So are you telling me that you're not supposed to go through a redlight until the car in front of you has completely cleared the intersection? That seems like a bad idea for traffic flow.
This guy doesn't get that the road beyond the guy was probably totally empty, meaning there was plenty of room to clear. The guy DIDN'T SIGNAL, and thus perpetrated the BS on everyone else.
How are you "stuck" over the white line? If you are over the line, you are in the intersection. If the light turns red while you are still in the intersection, you must complete your crossing. The cross traffic, even with the green light, must wait for the intersection to be clear before they enter.
Sounds like what happened was you entered the intersection on a green, were prevented from crossing until the light had already turned red, and then instead of completing your crossing, as legally required, you *illegally* sat in the intersection and were a traffic hazard until the light turned again.
If you are in the right lane and traffic is not completely stopped, one car should go otherwise the cars are going to turn right in front of you. Can't let people cut! You do need to make sure you don't get caught in the intersection though...
O. I didn't scroll down. Let me remedy my statement. The only infuriating behavior I see is poor traffic light design that doesn't allow the poor road design ahead to properly advance because there's a major left turn ahead on only 2 lanes of traffic and no left-turn traffic lane.
That was okay. But I was hoping they were going to take photos of the drivers, and then post them on gigantic billboards, with signs saying "this guy is a gigantic f**king douchebag."
Or, alternatively, they could have come out and smashed people's windows and slashed their tires.
Best thing Rudy Giuliani did (only fond memory i have of him) while mayor of New York was an aggressive DON'T BLOCK THE BOX campaign in Manhattan. Extra police were stationed along Canal and Houston streets (among others i am sure). If you were caught in the box you received your ticket before the light changed again. Good times.
A roundabout wouldn't solve this at all. If the traffic is blocked up at the exit of the roundabout then people would just enter the intersection of clog it up, same as with the lights. In most cases it'd be even worse as at least with lights, most people will not enter unless they can see it being clear on the other side. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
They started putting some in Quebec, and I admit at first I hated them. In fact they first time I ever encountered one was so unexpected I almost crashed in the center. But after a couple of years, I've come to like them, especially on streets with only light traffic, you almost never have to stop.
Unfortuantly they kind of went excessive and it has caused excessive wear on my left front tire before the others.
And by excessive i mean, I need to go through atleast 12 to get to the highway which is under 5km away.
news flash, america has roundabouts too and we know how to use them. But our country is so much bigger and spread out that we don't have the need for them as often as europeans. roundabouts were meant for high volume traffic in small spaces.
We've got a few in Arizona, too, but the people here don't know how to use them or have no idea what a Yield sign means, and so they come to a full stop before entering the roundabout.
So it used to mean happy, then it meant homosexual, and now it means uncool. If you don't like people using it as "uncool", then you also shouldn't like when people use it for homosexual.
It didn't start because people thought the word "gay" was a good term for uncool. It started because people used the context of homosexuality as an insult. Completely different situation. It has since been used as a general negative connotation with usually harmless intentions. But to say people shouldn't be offended because it just means "uncool" is ig'nant.
I know people hate it when it someone points out that a submission was on reddit the day before it was here on digg, but this is getting ridiculous. The comments are all the same too. There appears to be people who copy and paste their responses between the two sites.
I can't be bothered to find out which site it was submitted to first and I don't really care. Diggs system worked to keep the story off the front page longer so I always see it here 2nd.
I'm sure this message will be really unpopular, but any non-redditors would be amazed how many recycled submissions there are on a daily basis. Usually the majority of the top ten submissions on digg are a couple of days old on reddit.
Digg content is controlled by a small group of power users. They take reddit content, and re-submit it to digg. Then their power user "friends" automatically digg their submissions, usually without even looking at them first. The rest of us come here to look at them, effectively seeing reddit's content, but with digg's superior user interface.
Digg does have a slightly better interface (not by much, it still needs work). However, the content on reddit is far more varied. I used to kill an hour or two browsing digg at the end of my day (it was my first and only social news site for years). That wore off after a while and I would be lucky to get ten minutes out of it these days. Reddit is now my time-killer of choice. It's a (not that) badly presented digg with a bunch of much cooler stuff tacked onto it. I can lose half a night to AskReddit, TodayILearned and IamA - digg doesn't have that community at all.
While I noticed the same thing, this is simply how the internet works. Things move between sites at different paces. I still see a lot of stuff on digg that I don't see on reddit, and vice versa.
The car on the left did exactly the right thing. I think it's actually a law (at least here in California) that you can't enter the intersection unless you're able to get out on the other side.
You "think" that is the law? That is the reason many people do crap like this. They are not aware of the law, or even the "rules of the road".
That is the problem with the driver license written test here in California. A dozen questions related to DUI, and stupid questions like "How many days do you have to notify the DMV after selling your boat trailer." Not enough questions about how not to kill someone in an intersection.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
I have taken driver's tests in MN and MS and that is the law in both of those states. I was also taught not to block intersections in driver's ed. I thought that was the law in every US state.
It's the law in every state I've ever lived in. It's on page 22 of the current California driver's handbook.
I would hope that anyone who operates a motor vehicle would be intelligent enough to realize that, even if it weren't against the law, blocking an intersection screws up the entire traffic network, and is a really douchey thing to do. However, I do a lot of my driving in Massachusetts, where people are, in my experience, far stupider than anywhere else I've ever lived. Many drivers here just aren't capable of understanding something this complicated.
I get what the dude is trying to say, but if you're making a left-hand turn, you're supposed to move into the intersection and wait for an opportunity to make it. Then the next car moves, makes the turn, and so on.
I agree, it was a bit unclear. I focused on the car making the left turn at first, too, but this isn't about that car at all. It's about the one coming from the south, that illegally blocked the intersection so that all the cars coming from the east couldn't get through.
No way, when there's a left turn lane, but you don't have a special left-turn light you need to creep into the intersection to get ready to turn. When the light turns red, you go because then you're blocking the other two lanes.
Again, Shoziku, you are wrong, at least for California. You can't proceed into an intersection if there is not space for your vehicle on your route after passing through an intersection. If the route beyond the intersection is clear, however, you actually are supposed to edge straight into the intersection, and wait until there is no oncoming traffic or pedestrians impeding your way. If the light turns yellow-red, you are supposed to proceed once safe, and new green traffic must wait for you to clear the intersection.
aljensenAug 13, 2010
Saw this joke in the Dilbert tv show. Wish that it would happen in real life
dsanonlineAug 14, 2010
I've seen it happen in real life. In Vegas, nothing is impossible. Believe me.
floydthecatAug 14, 2010
I see this happen all the time, i live in Florida.
panthusdireAug 14, 2010
This happens all the time in every city I have ever been in.
rotzooiAug 14, 2010
Euh... it's funny _because_ it happens in real life.
jaytbAug 15, 2010
It's not funny, it's INFURIATING.
overdrivenAug 14, 2010
Do you live in the middle of nowhere? This happens every day on my drive home from work.
rethreadAug 14, 2010
Light timing. I sat under a green light on an expressway for 40 GODDAMN seconds and another 40 under a red. Only happened once.... Until you find out a light is THAT poorly timed and EVIL you're just the neighborhood noob. :/
asdfrewqAug 14, 2010
They forgot about the guy behind the first assh**e on the left who also decides to go, therefore blocking BOTH lanes of traffic. Seen it happen, wasn't pretty.
wtfmomentAug 14, 2010
its happens in real life all the time. what are talking about!?
unic0rnAug 14, 2010
I don't get this?
Aren't you supposed to wait until the lane is ready for you across the intersection?
Why does this scenario infuriate someone?
glenawalkerAug 14, 2010
I seen.
blapierreAug 14, 2010
http://i.imgur.com/Kfh36.jpg
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Damn! Where was that?
droolingdrummerAug 14, 2010
Why are almost all of them black white or silver?
tekkonkinkAug 14, 2010
I studied that for at least 5 minutes. I say clear the top right area first to allow bottom right to advance, therefore, clearing the bottom right. Carry that process on anti clockwise until normality is restored.
I'd also like to cycle through that lot with a 'Later Losers' sign on my back.
campcampingstonAug 14, 2010
What a poorly designed intersection.
ultramagnus0001Aug 15, 2010
I was that assh**e once (not as bad) without realizing till last minute. I started getting all hot and twitchy and never did it again. It's better to be relaxed. How much will you save being the assh**e?
ultramagnus0001Aug 15, 2010
How the hell did that van end up the wrong way on the one way? Is it an official vehicle?
renanrrinaldiAug 16, 2010
That van it's an ambulance. And this is set in São Paulo, Brazil!
farfle10Aug 14, 2010
and why the f**k do you wish it would happen in real life? jesus what a horrible comment
thekohAug 14, 2010
Happens to me constantly. Get off your fat ass and go outside, you f**king loser.
maddawg08Aug 14, 2010
I think he means he wishes what happened in that episode of Dilbert would happen in real life. In Dilbert, the person who blocks the intersection has a hundred cars come at him as soon as the light turns green and it wrecks his car.
Closed AccountAug 15, 2010
I saw it happen once and there just happened to be a cop in front of the driver. The cop flashed his lights, got out of the car, and gave the assh**e driver a ticket. I laughed.
matchstickAug 16, 2010
I live in NYC... sometimes, this DOESN'T happen at an intersection.
eastwood24Aug 13, 2010
I bet the driver in the right lane was a woman.
jcb08jAug 14, 2010
hahaha sexism is hilarious
nebujalAug 14, 2010
but your failed reply is not
currentresidentAug 14, 2010
or an oriental.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
it's sad but even my Chinese brother-in-law says Asians are the worst drivers. He, funnily enough, stopped driving for years after he rolled his car.
mhugginsAug 14, 2010
The Orient dynasty is long gone. I think the term you're looking for is Asian.
currentresidentAug 14, 2010
Nope. Oriental. You are assuming I am a politically correct pussy like yourself.
ymegAug 14, 2010
Oriental is from a latin word that means east.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
But latin in Chinese means "hot dog".
kaiosamaAug 14, 2010
There's a difference between being politically incorrect and being an ass.
farkel715Aug 14, 2010
or both
markosfunkAug 14, 2010
"Dude please, Asian-American is the preferred nomenclature."
cowboy1015Aug 14, 2010
or an american douchebag
mca2142Aug 15, 2010
@ Markosfunk
shut the f**k up, Donny, you're out of your element.
selpatsAug 19, 2010
WTF? I've seen gentlemen, ragheads, rednecks, wetbacks, chee-chees, nips, kooks, pakis, whitey, gentlemen, midgets, cripples, and fatties do this all the time. Why single out the chinks?
ImHalfAwakeAug 14, 2010
You mean this woman? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7b-Yk9IAN4
hallisnaAug 14, 2010
looked like illegal immigrants to me
protocoldroidAug 14, 2010
They're all idiots. Old crazy people who probably shouldn't be driving. Young hipsters baiting confrontation with motorists so they can catch it on camera.
krischeAug 14, 2010
maybe if their damn bikes had more than one gear they could go the speed of traffic and this wouldn't happen ;)
datastorageguyAug 21, 2010
Idiots riding their bikes through the street. They only do it to provoke people.
bryansixAug 29, 2010
No, the biker riders were instigating violence in that video. They threw the bike under the car.
calber1111Aug 14, 2010
or old
arfikeAug 14, 2010
Or a racist, sexist or ageist douchebag.
Oh, c'mon guys, it's just a joke, don't bury me! Have a laugh! Laugh away your shame!
caseycooldAug 14, 2010
And on the phone.
lukas1051Aug 14, 2010
In a Ford Ka.
2noameAug 14, 2010
Guaranf**kenteed.
st3yrAug 16, 2010
Just sign the deed :P
tommedwardsAug 14, 2010
I was in Adelaide (capital of South Australia) and some old geezer did this, but she got stuck halfway through the intersection... and instead of letting her go forward (the cars ahead eventually moved), the d**kh**ds drove around her, blocking her from going forward. That's double douchebaggery.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Never heard a woman referred to as a geezer before!
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Setup: Theres two close sets of two way stop signs on my way to work. At the first set I do not have the right of way and I go straight. Then there is a short stretch that fits about three cars and the second set of stop signs where I don't have the right of way and most people including me turn left.
Story: I was waiting at the first set. There was no space in the short stretch in front of me, it was full of cars waiting to turn. So I waited at the stop sign. The guy behind me honked at me because there was no traffic coming and I wasn't moving. WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO assh**E. Also he emptied a small trash can out of his window. What a dick.
/a woman
vzylexyAug 14, 2010
More importantly, who the hell has a trash can in their car?
withearsAug 14, 2010
He has a McCain/Palin bumper sticker.
ronintetsuroAug 15, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
z3usAug 14, 2010
The scariest drivers on the face of the planet, by far, are Somalian women.
Anyone living near the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area in Minnesota knows what I mean.
scottphphqAug 14, 2010
They are worse that Asian women,. I steer clear of Purple Dodge minivan's and old white Toyota corollas.
On a side note.. why do they all drive the same Minivan?
japbcoAug 15, 2010
By any chance you live near Cedar???
sasquatchbillAug 18, 2010
I used to live right near Seward, and in fact the Seward Co-op was my grocer of choice (highly recommend their zucchini bread - it's stonking delicious) and I can confirm that the Venn diagram of 'Somalian Women' and 'f**king scary ass drivers' is nearly a full eclipse.
panthusdireAug 14, 2010
which way were you looking at it from?
cheesyballzAug 14, 2010
I bet you're right.
kellydehnAug 14, 2010
You know why the woman crossed the road?
because a man told her to :)
pkonAug 14, 2010
Every time I try to say to myself "Woman are decent drivers" a woman manages to prove me wrong.
Even yesterday I was waiting at the intersection and waiting for the advance green for the left turn... as soon as it came on I start going forward and out of nowhere I see this Asian woman (surprise surprise) barrel down through the intersection and come within feet of my car. Not only did she go on a red light, but the light must have been red for at least 5-8 seconds at that point for her to do it. Seriously if I accelerated any faster than I already have I would've smacked her.
In connection to the actual picture, I have had that happen to me many times. For me it is usually the taxi cab drivers that do it...
gremilyAug 14, 2010
It's easy to notice the bad drivers. I've found that it's either a Asian woman or an East Indian man.
anembodiedmindAug 14, 2010
Maybe your problem with saying "Woman are decent drivers" is that some women are good drivers and some women are bad drivers. It's really not that complicated.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
gremilyAug 14, 2010
Minority women drivers are the worst.
staffellAug 14, 2010
Umm, this is illegal in the UK, I'm not sure what it's like in the US? We have yellow box junctions painted on the road to try and prevent people from doing this:
http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/driving-tips/yellow-box-junctions/
http://i.imgur.com/9aOCX.jpg
danbarkerAug 14, 2010
Yeah, but loads of people still go into the yellow-box junctions and stay there when they are only meant to be there if turning right... idiots.
mr_chainsawAug 14, 2010
If the driver is the woman, then ask yourself this. Whats the intersection doing in the kitchen?
audioscienceAug 14, 2010
Or a Massh**e. Common situation around here.
ronintetsuroAug 15, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
whitegripesAug 13, 2010
An old woman did this in front of me about a week ago and was greeted by a choirs of profanity and car horns.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
I pull right up to the intersection behind these idiots when they do this so they CANNOT reverse and undo their mistake. Maybe some damn embarrassment will let them learn their lesson. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
eezyvilleAug 15, 2010
That is not helping the situation.
factsahoyAug 18, 2010
What's even better is when there's an empty lane available to switch into and move forward out of the way, AND THEY DON'T DO IT.
anexanhumeAug 13, 2010
This happens all the time in LA. Thing is, people are so jaded and cynical by this point, they don't even bother honking. They just find a way to swing out and go around them.
bille3Aug 13, 2010
Not just LA. It happens in anytown or city.
I see it frequently. We place bets on which ones will not notice the jam up at the light and block the intersection. That lowers the stress level.
ellrickAug 14, 2010
It is everyone's responsibility to inform the retarded masses that they are not driving properly in as loud and rude a manner as humanly possible.
wussAug 14, 2010
But in LA it happens about 20 times at the same intersection within 5 minutes.
cyberdactylAug 14, 2010
Then ticket the s**t out of the morons. Maybe the extra revenue will keep California from going under.
Closed AccountAug 17, 2010
Cops don't give a f**k man, too many more important things to police in this city.
You can literally go any speed you want on the highways here (whenever there's not traffic...)
commonwealthAug 14, 2010
In LA they have signs and white lines at pretty much every major intersection telling you not to do this, so I like to imagine that it helps.
bosskeyAug 14, 2010
Where I live we have those signs, but, they also state the huge fine you'll get if you're ticketed for being that behavior.
1badAug 14, 2010
http://i34.tinypic.com/2u72e6s.png
What now?
bartledooAug 14, 2010
IRL (as blapierre posted above): http://i.imgur.com/Kfh36.jpg
staffellAug 14, 2010
Umm, this is illegal in the UK, I'm not sure what it's like in the US? We have yellow box junctions painted on the road to prevent people from doing this:
http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/driving-tips/yellow-box-junctions/
http://i.imgur.com/9aOCX.jpg
ezflipAug 14, 2010
Because painted yellow lines on the road will magically make your car not be able to stop there?
Its a illegal everywhere to impede the flow of traffic. Doesn't mean people are going to abide by the law, yellow lines or no yellow lines.
usachrisAug 15, 2010
Its no better in the UK, maybe even worse. With or without the yellow painted boxes: http://www.drdriving.org/images/gridlock.jpg
shaunoAug 15, 2010
That's not the UK. There's palm trees & santa in the same shot, spanish-style buildings at the back .. and the traffic's on the wrong side of the road.
ghostwoAug 14, 2010
Why find a way, when you can make one?
factsahoyAug 18, 2010
L.A. loves to proudly talk about their "car culture", but in fact its civil engineering is pathetic. You have everything from giant gullies crossing intersections (which smash your car chassis into the ground when you drive through) to the miracle of stoplights that are timed exactly BACKWARD, and in BOTH DIRECTIONS!
You have highways that are marked all four directions at once: N, E, S, and W. You can be driving on the 101 East, stop to get gas, and then that highway has disappeared. Suddenly it has become the 101 N or S. Now... which way do you go? f**king retarded.
And then there are L.A. streets. 99 percent of them don't go anywhere. You drive four blocks, and then there's a HOUSE in the middle of the street, or a school.
What people don't take seriously is that the intersection blockers, the left-lane blockers, the local government reps capitulating to bitchy residents who want speed bumps installed on OUR public street... these people are STEALING from you. Is your time free? Because these people are deliberately taking it. They're causing you to miss events, time with your family, work, whatever. Don't just sit there. Make it as unpleasant for these jagoffs as possible.
Closed AccountAug 22, 2010
Happens in Jersey quite a bit too. It has gotten to the point that some intersections have a police officer there making people pull over and giving them tickets. I've literally sat through 2 cycles of a traffic light because of people blocking the intersection.
koobzzAug 13, 2010
Just as bad is the people that don't enter the intersection when turning left and stay there cycle after light cycle until its clear. If you are in the intersection and the light turns red, f**kING GO!
mbonzo531Aug 14, 2010
I can admit that I have tried your "f**kING GO" method. I'm sure you won't learn a lesson from my mistake, but sometimes people in oncoming traffic try to beat yellow lights... and lose. Needless to say my car was totaled.
gekkeijyuAug 14, 2010
well obviously if you're making a left turn you have to wait until the intersection is clear before you go. but the point is, you DO go at some point, no matter if the light is yellow or if its been fully red for a second.
mbonzo531Aug 14, 2010
Which is my point, sometimes you have to wait a second to make sure some assh**e isn't going to try to beat out a yellow light and hit you because they can't time lights. But you're right, I can't stand the jackasses who just wait there as if the intersection is a great place to catch up on their philosophic understanding of Nietzsche.
jmurrzAug 14, 2010
Left from the middle of the intersection is a fun time until the douchebag who was in the left turn lane straight across from you decides he's going to gun it straight (from the left turn lane) to try and beat the light.
Truck > car
by a lot.
treynorm89Aug 14, 2010
I ran into that same situation when two eighteen wheelers thought they could make the light. I'm quite sure I only narrowly escaped death that day. I did manage to not get hit though, and I attribute my success to Burnout 3.
blitz9200Aug 14, 2010
Buddy of my failed his drivers test for that. He made the standard S approach on the green light; people kept coming, light turns amber, people still were still going through; light turns red, then he could finally go. He failed for running a red.
Driving tests are such BS, you have to pretty much hope everyone obeys the law when you take your test, or your time and money was just wasted.
nextAug 14, 2010
@treynorm89
I wish I could attribute more things in life to Burnout 3. You've won for now, sir.
samurimasterAug 14, 2010
"no matter if the light is yellow or if its been fully red for a second."
Thats works great until you get a ticket
howitzer86Aug 14, 2010
@next I've never moved into an intersection to turn left. I see people who do, and I understand the advantages on certain streets but I think it's a choice we can go either way on. So yes damned either way. Perhaps we're better off making all right turns =P.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
dabekAug 14, 2010
Samurimaster, it did work great for my dad. Till the cops got the technology to push a button and change a light from green to yellow to red all in less than two seconds. My dad has never tried to do that s**t again.
vzylexyAug 14, 2010
@jmurrz
This drives me nuts. It happened to me when I was just barely licensed. Oncoming traffic had cleared and I was beginning to make my turn and a truck on the opposite side came up into the left turn lane and then weaved out and went straight. Luckily I wasn't so far out as to get clipped but it still gave me quite a fright being a new driver.
anothercanuckAug 15, 2010
@Dabek
Police and other emergency vehicles don't have a "button" that just changes the light. There's an infrared system mounted to most traffic lights which detects an IR strobe light on all emergency vehicles (cruisers, ambulances and firetrucks). This strobe light is turned on in combination with their emergency lights.
So unless they have their emergency lights and sirens (etc.) on, the light won't change. Also note they can't specifically make the light turn red, the system is designed to turn the lights in their direction green.
Google "MIRT" (Mobile Infrared Transmitter)
kgtheway2bAug 18, 2010
@Howitzer86: f**k you.
noamchimpskyAug 14, 2010
We call this "The Pittsburgh Left" around here, but we usually wait until just before or just after the light turns green and take the left. The main advantage is that the oncoming lane isn't at speed, so accidents are less likely. It's so prevalent around here that it's basically a courtesy to let the other guy go (a de facto turn signal for one or two cars).
Unfortunately, out-of-towners are mystified and angered by this behavior. We also make up our own pedestrian laws in Oakland around the very congested campuses of Pitt and Carnegie Melon Universities. (It's like reverse Frogger, where the cars have to dodge the people).
djenna8Aug 14, 2010
in melbourne we have a nifty thing called a hook turn
(cause we drive on the other side of the road to the US, i'm going to try and translate it, apologies in advance is i screw it up)
okay, so cars turning right at an intersection get into the left hand lane and on the green light wait in the middle of the intersection as far left as possible. (right in front of the cars stopped at the red light) This leaves both lanes clear for forward moving traffic. and then when the light turns red, the car completes the right hand turn across the intersection.
very confusing at first, but it works surprisingly well...
ajgzAug 14, 2010
How awesome would reverse frogger be? There's a frog trying to cross your street, and you have to protect it by running him over.
afruff23Aug 14, 2010
@djenna8
You forgot to translate. That's for Australian roads. If you did it in a place where people drive on the right side of the road, then the hook turn would be as follows:
If you want to make a a left turn, then you get as far right as possible in the middle of the intersection to allow both lanes to be clear for forward-moving traffic. When the light turns red, the car completes the left hand turn across the intersection.
dabekAug 14, 2010
Chimpsky, I know this Pittsburgh Left. In fact, just looking out my window at the intersection just a few doors down from me I saw it just a few minutes ago.
It's particularly funny to get caught behind an out-of-towner on Banksville Road going towards the Pitt Tunnel. I've never seen the Pittsburgh Left more prevalent than there, and when you see a car with a license plate that isn't Pennsylvania, you just wait for them to make the mistake of expecting their style of driving.
I assume you live in Oakland, which means high chance of being a Pitt student, and a slightly lower chance of being CMU student. You may actually know my brother if it's the latter.
dirtyfriesAug 15, 2010
Best place to pull the Pittsburgh Left: corner of 10th St and 2nd Ave. right over the 10th street bridge where the tunnel is.
Morning rush hour, lots of trucks and cars...just do it.
noamchimpskyAug 15, 2010
@Dabek
I am actually a Pitt grad, but I didn't live on campus. I commuted. Which means I had not only the luxury of parking in Oakland 3-4 times a week, but also got to experience the creative, irresponsible, and uniquely Pittsburgh pedestrian traffic as both a dodger and a dodgee (both terms applied while driving and while trying to cross a sprawling, urban campus in under ten minutes when my next class was on the 35th floor of the Cathedral of Learning.)
tequilacollinsAug 14, 2010
Even worse: I've seen people in the intersection waiting to turn left. Then the light turns red and they try to back up! Morons!
dabekAug 14, 2010
Wow, don't get me started on idiots like that. My friend's car got smashed because one of those idiots tried to do that. Can't remember if he ended up being the guilty party, because technically, he rear ended the idiot.
adamfrommyspaceAug 18, 2010
I see someone do this at least once a week in the southern Minnesota area. That, and people that don't know how to merge stopping on f**king highway onramps.
theshad0wAug 14, 2010
Being in the intersection when the light is red is illegal. You're supposed to wait till it's clear.
nextAug 14, 2010
At least in New York, you're required by law to be in the intersection if you're waiting to turn left, and to do so as the other cars stop.
I imagine that it is illegal to be there when the light is red, but that only happens if others FIRST break the law by not stopping as they're supposed to and instead run the light.
sprucecabooseAug 14, 2010
But dammit, only one car. None of this bulls**t "lets squeeze three more cars through the left" after the light is red. That BS is getting worse and worse.
taaybAug 14, 2010
Except that sometimes people run red lights. Not worth the risk.
nextAug 14, 2010
That would be why you wait until they've stopped or are clearly about to. You go after it's clear.
chadsterrrAug 14, 2010
@next
I really don't understand the confusion
angelbunnyAug 14, 2010
Technically running a red light is entering the intersection while the light is red. If you enter the intersection while the light is green or yellow and then leave the intersection while the light is red then that is completely legal. That is how blind left hand turns work (when you don't have a turn lane and you have to wait for cross traffic to end which is usually a red light).
verkonAug 14, 2010
How the hell does your american lights work? In sweden and most other european contries, there is almost always separate turn left/right lanes with their own lights. And when the left lane has a green, oncoming traffic does not.
redhookesbAug 14, 2010
Almost always in US too, but sometimes it's a "yield green" which means you do not have the right of way.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
Just in Los Angeles alone there are more intersections than the entire country of Sweden. Some do not protect the left turns, yet may have a high volume of traffic.
tehprophetAug 14, 2010
Here there is pretty much always a light with 4 signals for a left turn, red, yellow, green(yield) and a green arrow which means you have right of way and the oncoming lane should have a red.
angelbunnyAug 14, 2010
Left hand turn lanes are extremely common here in the US. Only the older intersections do not have left hand turn lanes. When there is no left hand turn lane you roll out into the intersection slowly and when the cross traffic opens up (even after the light has turned red) you turn left.
Out in the middle of no were when there isn't much traffic blind left hand turns are quicker because there are less light cycles. I wish in the US, if you can see far enough down the road, you should be able to take a left hand turn when cross traffic frees up, from the left hand turn lane. Unfortunately, this is illegal. When it is 3am in the morning I don't like waiting 3 minutes for the lights to rotate to allow a left hand turn.
ronintetsuroAug 15, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
roguebladeAug 14, 2010
THISSSSSSSSSSSS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ X NINE THOUSANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
I'll advocate this technique, but be careful when it's close to the end of the month and the cops have a traffic ticket quota to fill. I got a $216 moving violation for "running a red light" ...when it reality it was just a left turn on yellow.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
if you are in the intersection when the light is red, you fail. if your front bumper crosses the white line while the light is red you fail.
afruff23Aug 14, 2010
@shoziku
That sort of stern mentality is stupid. Why can't people just use common sense? If you do a left turn on yellow at the very last second and the light is red, that's not endangering anyone if the traffic of the red light behind you as you complete your turn is at a stop. If that traffic were approaching the red light (soon green) with speed, then maybe that would be a bad idea to make that turn.
angelbunnyAug 14, 2010
It is not illegal to be in the intersection while the light is red. It is illegal to enter the intersection when the light is red. Just make sure you've been sitting in the intersection waiting for cross traffic to open up. Don't sit behind the line, or you will get a ticket.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
Wrong. you NEVER proceed into an intersection until it is safe to cross it completely. and yes that means waiting through several green lights. douche.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
koobzzAug 14, 2010
You must be a woman. I understand.
mainmacAug 14, 2010
Wrong. You are supposed to edge into the intersection on the green (assuming there is no backup after the turn). If you're stuck in the intersection until the red light, you still complete the turn once the oncoming traffic has cleared. 'New' greenlight traffic has to wait to allow you to clear the intersection. The law in California:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpR0aXP6JLo
canudi9itAug 14, 2010
@mainmac
You are wrong. It depends on your state's laws. Many states don't allow entering the intersection for left turns until the turn can be completed.
angelbunnyAug 14, 2010
@canUdi9it
There are always exceptions to driving laws in specific states but CA's laws stick with the majority on this one.
canudi9itAug 14, 2010
"Just as bad is the people that don't enter the intersection when turning left and stay there cycle after light cycle until its clear. If you are in the intersection and the light turns red, f**kING GO!"
You contradict yourself. First you say they don't enter the intersection until it is clear, which is the correct behavior. Then you say they are in the intersection. Make up your mind.
In Colorado and California (maybe most states), you can't enter the intersection until the left turn can be completed. Sometimes that's hard to judge, especially when oncoming people often run through on the yellow or red lights. I usually wait until it's clear to enter the intersection, even if that means waiting through an extra green light.
canudi9itAug 14, 2010
Correction: Apparently CA allows entering intersection on green.
oea420Aug 19, 2010
I was going to say... I live in CA and when I was 18 and got my license I was actually cited on my test for not moving into the intersection..
ronintetsuroAug 15, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
packers2009Aug 15, 2010
I somewhat agree with you. However, now-a-days with those stupid red-light cameras, I tend to do this too to make sure I WILL make the turn without that stupid flash. If there were no cameras, by all means I wouldn't slow down as much. But those stupid cameras make me think twice so I DON'T get a 180 dollar ticket.
prufrock55Aug 19, 2010
In Chicago, we were taught (rightly) to ENTER THE GOD DAMN INTERSECTION when making a left turn. (Sorry for the caps... I do get exasperated.) In Minnesota, it is an eternal Möbius Strip of "Minnesota nice" as everyone thinks they are just being polite by not getting into the intersection until it is their turn to take a left. So.... one car gets to go, the rest are screwed. I hate it!! (That should have been in all caps.)
maxvetteAug 13, 2010
I dont understand, are you saying that waiting for the lane to be clear is bad?
Honestly I find it the height of stupidity when people end up 4 cars deep during a red in the middle of an intersection.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
tonicboyAug 13, 2010
No, he's saying the exact opposite. Did you read the whole thing?
jdeaneAug 14, 2010
Yeah, so you didn't read the whole thing, did you?
wojjieAug 14, 2010
Make sure to scroll the page down when reading it, at first I didn't notice the other panels either, and was confused.
seanflyonAug 14, 2010
I almost buried this comic for the same reason until I scrolled down
tadsexington69Aug 14, 2010
I didn't understand this comic till I read this comment
technoesAug 14, 2010
Hey did you read the whole thing yet
robmackenzieAug 14, 2010
I was right there with you other non scrollers. at 1280x1024, the first panel takes up the whole screen, and I didn't see the scroll bar. Internet shame on us both.
maxvetteAug 14, 2010
I read it. it was so stupid I assumed they meant something else.
You want to leave your car in the middle of an intersection blocking cars going the other way? You can go do that. In California thats the same as running a red.
You know what else I hate? people who stop at red lights. whats the deal with that?Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
studiopenguinAug 15, 2010
@maxvette: "it was so stupid I assumed they meant something else."
I don't think the comic is the source of the stupidity here.
plutoisaplanet1Aug 18, 2010
Yeah it's running a red. Then what? I never see a cop around; that's why it pisses everyone off so much.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
I'm lucky enough to live in a college town where this sort of traffic s**t doesn't happen and the pedestrians more or less rule the intersections.
As an aside, it is funny how much more polite people are when walking than when driving!
thirstykoalaAug 14, 2010
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/minor_differences
Scroll down for the comparison of motorist vs pedestrian interactions
eviljollyAug 14, 2010
The difference is, in a car you just listen to your radio and ignore the person you just cut off. You know that in all likelihood you'll never see or talk to them again. In person, you know you could catch s**t for it, and you'll actually have to deal with the situation instead of it going away in 10 seconds.
I think that this behavior really goes to show how much it's built into our nature to actually care what others think. For some reason, we seem to instantly bond with people we interact with personally. It's the same reason bank robbers don't strike up conversations with their hostages.
thirstykoalaAug 14, 2010
I think bank robbers don't strike up conversations with their hostages because they are committing several major felonies and don't see any reason to engage in pleasantries. Not because they would instantly bond and feel bad.
howitzer86Aug 14, 2010
I laughed at the last guy I cut off.
kibblesnbittsAug 15, 2010
A squadron of vaginas.
dangodingoAug 16, 2010
I will rain blood and sulfur from THE MOTHERf**kING SKY!!! possibly my favorite oatmeal comic ever
tiptup300Aug 21, 2010
Actually I think it's more of somone almost damaged your $5,000-$15,000 car or someone almost hurt your $20-$100 shoes.
emrys7Aug 14, 2010
I love that I instantly knew you were from Ann Arbor, however I see idiots doing this on Main Street quite often during rush hour, especially at Williams St.
jdeaneAug 14, 2010
Dude, you have to wait for the lane ahead to clear before advancing into the intersection. Otherwise, you could get caught in the middle of the intersection and become a hazard for other, intersecting traffic.
Drive safe.
mobonobomoAug 14, 2010
then don't proceed into the intersection before your lane is clear on the other side...
smacksawAug 14, 2010
That wasn't worth the 5 minutes of effort it took to make this.
botaxeroAug 14, 2010
In 2008 they upped it to about a $400 fine in California. Thankfully.
gilgamesh999Aug 14, 2010
Are you joking? Because that is awesome. In Ohio most people have enough common sense but its the 10% that ruin the roads for everybody.
factsahoyAug 18, 2010
I would challenge your "most" assertion about OH drivers.
eatchex89Aug 14, 2010
I've never seen a cop ticket anyone for doing this.
shodanxAug 14, 2010
consider the case where it's not immediately obvious that the intersection is coming to an halt
sometime you just follow slow traffic in a green light, then the traffic just stops and you get caught in the intersection unexpectedly
in fact I bet this is what happens 90% of the time someone gets caught in the intersection
people who think people stuck in intersection are assh**es, are themselves just projecting their own assh**eness on others
factsahoyAug 18, 2010
Wrong.
omicronnineAug 20, 2010
The correct thing to do is to NOT follow bumper-to-bumper into an intersection. You do not enter the intersection until there is room for you on the other side. Period.
pintocatAug 14, 2010
How is it gay?
generalalcazarAug 14, 2010
Didn't you get the memo? Gay == bad.
robert99aAug 14, 2010
Only one equal sign (=) is necessary.
armedrebelAug 14, 2010
I dugg robert99a up. It's not his fault he hasn't even learned a programming language.
omicronnineAug 20, 2010
Then who's fault is it?
calber1111Aug 14, 2010
The man in the front car has a clear view at the perpetrator, and can see clearly that he is in fact a flaming homosexual. This causes in him a sense of arousal which runs counter to his societally imposed sense of morality, and makes him feel the need to make derogatory comments towards homosexuals.
Also it is possible that due to the more feminine nature of the homosexual perpetrator causes him to drive more like a woman.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
spartexAug 14, 2010
because he is trying to shove himself up where there is no hole.
armedrebelAug 14, 2010
Good question. If that was me waiting for that person, I wouldn't be happy AT ALL.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
go away Wanda Sykes. nobody invited you.
sidioooAug 14, 2010
Lol I saw this today XD
ianshAug 14, 2010
So did everyone else here.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
On the internet?
gfxluvrAug 14, 2010
You know what's f**king worse? When you actually don't go into the intersection and wait back at the light and the people get pissed that are behind you and start honking.
Idiots.
d4rthv4derAug 14, 2010
Good point but I guess it depends on how much the traffic is moving ahead. Sometimes it is moving a bit and a few cars can get through or other occasions such as pictured in the pic, it looks like the traffic wasn't going ahead and it is best just to wait a cycle.
tsothaAug 14, 2010
Sometimes when you wait like that the people making right turns into your lane end up taking every spot, and you miss the light. If that's happening you just have to go.
bonestampAug 14, 2010
Yup, that's the worst... it's basically always their turn, and if they don't go then the people behind them are honking. I had one guy even wave at me like I was letting him in, there was no room for his car to even fit but he's blocking the car behind him whether he enters the intersection or not. There is one place where this would happen ever morning and thankfully they put up a "no right on red"sign.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
And what's even worse than that: when the light is green, but you can't get through the intersection, so you wait patiently on your side like you're supposed to... and the idiots behind you start honking... and then one of the idiots shoots out around you, heads into the intersection, and creates the gridlock situation that you were trying to avoid.
gilgamesh999Aug 14, 2010
I'll never understand what pulling out into the intersection accomplishes. People just get angry but I guess your 30 feet closer to your destination so it works out for the best...
What nobody seems to realize is that at the next intersection somebody is doing the exact same thing blocking your lane from moving.
http://www.sassansanei.com/images/fullsize-trafficjam-640x480.jpg
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
Well, illegally pulling out into the intersection and blocking it does accomplish something for the assh**e who does it: that way, once the street clears up in front of them, they can proceed without having to wait through another light cycle. But, as you say, the whole reason why the street is blocked up in the first place may be that some bastard at the next intersection up ahead did the same thing.
Closed AccountAug 17, 2010
f**king LA man, every day.
randylmAug 14, 2010
Listen assh**e do you know how frustrating that you don't just go? If it turns red, have to wait 45 seconds for the light to turn green again! I mean I need to get to my destination IMMEDIATELY and you're just out for a f**king joy ride! I NEED TO MAKE THE LIGHT! I"M IN A HURRY! COME ON GO! GROW A SACK!Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
k3rfuffl3Aug 14, 2010
You stupid f**k. Use your license to slit your throat.
admiralkareliaAug 14, 2010
I think it was sarcasm...
shodanxAug 14, 2010
after reading this thread I will continuously pray for fallout 3-style nuclear end-of-the-world
there is NO hope
jackruby83Aug 15, 2010
What I absolutely hate too, is when the traffic in the lane to the right, makes a right turn on their green light, getting stuck in the intersection, further blocking me from advancing on my next green!! Every day at this one intersection in Philly, we sit in buckled traffic through several lights because it is the only way to make it through.
anomalouscloudsAug 14, 2010
We have painted grids in the streets here. Not only will you get yelled at for that sort of behavior, but you might get an annoying ticket as well. Now that is is all fair and and dandy... but I wonder if those damned cameras they're putting up are trained to focus in.
(Just got my first ticket in the mail for clipping a red while making a left turn in Nassau County, NY). The beginning of the end.
mbonzo531Aug 14, 2010
I wouldn't have known this illegal in Nassau since ever assh**e in Long Island seems to think high property tax equals the privilege to do whatever the f**k they want on the road. I seriously drive to queens to avoid the prick driver in Nassau.
anomalouscloudsAug 14, 2010
Hah... I agree man, I want to disembowel half of the f**king pisstards that drive around here, but unfortunately that red-light ticket was on the intersection of Mill Rd/Peninsula Blvd, well within the Nassau Co. border.
I guess we'll have to look out for assh**e cameras alongside assh**e drivers.
wojjieAug 14, 2010
I have seen this happen, but not to the degree depicted, usually the people in the intersection are able to move out shortly after.
That situation does suck though, I have waited at the light only to have people from the right turn right into the lanes I am waiting to clear up, so you end up having to make quick judgement calls on whether you can exit the intersection in time without causing delay for others.
tuneraiderAug 14, 2010
I work at one of the busiest intersections in Vancouver and I see this happen nearly once a day (sometimes more) and I really wish I could just run up behind with a baseball bat and keep smashing the rear of the car until it clears the intersection. When there's space in front, of course.
robmackenzieAug 14, 2010
I live near robson&Burrard, half of what I hear all day is people leaning on their horns because of this behavior. I've gone up to cars on my bike and talked to drivers, asking them to lay off the horns a bit, as the noise pollution is a bit much.
I admit that the drivers could get better though. Also, parking in that area is silly. There needs to be better parking just outside the downtown core, and easy ways to get in and out cheaply (more then just skytrain, awesome though it is)
mainmacAug 14, 2010
Paintball guns are great.
kibblesnbittsAug 14, 2010
No behavior will ever infuriate me more than when people who make loud chewing noises when eating, especially when they sit right behind you.
caseycooldAug 14, 2010
OH GOD DAMNIT.
Especially when it's your boss. What do you say?
Of course the picture might piss me off more if the drive was on the phone...
bonestampAug 14, 2010
I used to work with this Chinese guy and he slurped noodles every day for lunch at his desk. Now, as soon as he gets back from the kitchen I pull out the noise canceling headphones.
thedaveAug 14, 2010
If I'm at an Asian restaurant, I can give it a pass. Because, it could be the equivalent of a western "yum" or "mmmm"
But, I was staying in England and these two men would come down every morning to have a contest on who could make the most noise.
bonestampAug 14, 2010
Ya, agreed... this guy was the same. I didn't realize a person could slurp so loudly.
beakerbiteAug 14, 2010
I eat alone because I cannot listen to chewing without wanting to jam a fork in their faces
thedaveAug 14, 2010
What about scraping the fork with their teeth? Grrr!
tgc1Aug 14, 2010
*CRUNCH...crunch... crunch... crunch...*
aretines78Aug 14, 2010
Oh man, I work with a guy who not only is a loud chewer and smacks a lot, he also has a jaw problem, so all I hear when he eats is "Smack, Pop, Smack, Pop, Smack, Pop" over and over until I want to rip his jaw from his face.
mainmacAug 14, 2010
Oh man, there's a guy sitting next to me that is so infuriated by the chewing of the guy on his other side, that he repeatedly scrunches up his receipts on his desk into a ball. Drives me nuts listening to that "Smack, Crackle, Pop, Smack, Crackle, Pop" over & over.
abk0110Aug 14, 2010
You two worked hard and went a long way for that joke, but it was worth it.
randylmAug 14, 2010
Even worse is when people eat while on the phone with you and are talking and chewing.
bosskeyAug 14, 2010
OM NOM NOM NOM
joghobsAug 14, 2010
wish I could digg you a thousand times. It's not even so much the crunching. It's the f**king tongue action they're giving their food with their mouth open. *smack snap smack * It's my biggest tic. I'm always about 5 seconds away from f**king punching that person in the face. Typically, I leave the room when I come to these situations. Also, that person is usually my father.
haz3rdAug 14, 2010
If you do this, f**k YOU.
hamishcduncanAug 14, 2010
I'd say 9 times out of 10 it's a complete mistake and the driver at fault is all 'Oh s**t! My bad!' when it happens.
mrsparkle666Aug 14, 2010
Bulls**t. I've seen plenty of people do it on a yellow light when traffic was clearly going to stay backed up. Then they give everyone a look, like, "Hey man the light wasn't red yet. It's not my fault." Some people are just complete f**kwads.
xwatermelonAug 14, 2010
I'm curious what kind of facial expression illustrates "Hey man the light wasn't red yet. It's not my fault."
residentsAug 14, 2010
This face.
http://tinyurl.com/24rsomf
ymegAug 15, 2010
What if the light turns green, but the road ahead gets backed up?
tablatronixAug 17, 2010
Just like when the power is out and noone is directing traffic. Instead of a nice 4 way stop , its one for all.
hamishcduncanAug 14, 2010
Yeah that's the 1 out of every 10.
davenp0rtAug 14, 2010
I did it on accident yesterday. I was taking a left turn on a yellow light and didn't realize that a school bus was stopped about twenty feet from the intersection and blocking the road. I felt really bad.
On a related note, school buses should not stop twenty feet from a ridiculously busy intersection.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
I think it's almost never an "oh s**t, my bad" mistake. Either the person doesn't know that you're not supposed to block the intersection, or they know, but they do it anyway. Either way, f**k them.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
hiropendragonAug 14, 2010
Yeah, because the person is in their own little self-entitled world where their idea of being a good driver is ignoring what is going on around you. No, sorry. When you drive, you are operating a dangerous piece of equipment. It's your responsibility to be aware of your surroundings. You're wrong. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
hamishcduncanAug 15, 2010
Calm down buddy
backenthawombAug 14, 2010
I've done it a couple times before, i misjudged how much room was in front of the other driver and got stuck like that.
cultjamAug 16, 2010
Not in Ahwatukee (suburb of Phoenix). Oh how I used to want to own a Hummer just to threaten to flatten the hoods of new Honda Accords.
mbonzo531Aug 14, 2010
I hate when you politely wait and the f**king douche wang behind you start beeping, so you assume he's making a left and you pull up and it turns out he just wanted to move up 6 feet and make you look like an assh**e.
fr0ngAug 14, 2010
Digg: the place to find reddit reposts.
At least the submitter was creative enough to change the caption this time. This place has gone to s**t, goodbye.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
kibblesnbittsAug 14, 2010
Bye!
prophetfreyrAug 14, 2010
Digg is better with 1 few of the 'it was on reddit first!' crybabies.
oldmantimeAug 14, 2010
It's not the same articles I have a problem with, it's the taking of someone's content, reposting on a blog spam site and then having their power user friends vote them up so they get ad revenue I have a problem with.
This wasn't some article posted to reddit that would have made it to Digg from another site anyway, this was something that was taken from a personal post on reddit and stolen for the purpose of gaining ad revenue.
This is the very definition of blog spam.
melthornalAug 14, 2010
Some people don't look at Reddit, ****s****r. Honestly, WHO GIVES THE f**k IF IT IS POSTED ON BOTH SITES. You only need to check one, ****s****r. Don't like checking one? DON'T f**kING CHECK IT. Is this really a difficult concept to get? No. You are just too busy childishly running around screaming "SEEN IT!" "FIRST!" "OMG I AM SO MUCH COOLER THAN YOU, I SAW THIS TWO YEARS AGO IN MY COUSINS BASEMENT." f**k you. Get a life. Jesus f**k.
I hate you people.
whoompAug 14, 2010
The only thing I find wrong with it is that this was content originally created by a Reddit member as part of an ongoing series of posts regarding annoying traffic situations, and just a few days later it is reposed to Digg without any attribution to the Reddit member who made it in the first place. That in itself is not overtly terrible, but it is a bit rude, especially considering how often it takes place.
phukkthemindAug 15, 2010
Dugg for "Jesus f**k".
nzsinternetAug 16, 2010
This is an awesome rant! I fully endorse it.
chompyAug 14, 2010
Buh-bye now!
"Digg su"
*Buh*-bye now!
carstanAug 14, 2010
i agree that it doesn't matter if some link was first posted on reddit or digg, but since this seems to be original content, it would have been nce to at least credit the creator
mbonzo531Aug 14, 2010
I guess you don't love digg anymore.
http://digg.com/comedy/THIS_is_why_I_love_Digg_86
caseycooldAug 14, 2010
People don't feed the trolls! Just block them.
thefirewireAug 14, 2010
Insecurity looks really stupid especially when you insist on busting out the ruler.
carstanAug 14, 2010
This saved my ass during my drivers license test
pandabearshenyuAug 14, 2010
it's always the old ladies and old men that should get their licenses revoked that do this.
I was once stuck behind a toyota corolla on a 1 lane road with cars packing both sides of the street (there was a divider) going 20kph for about 3 kilometers. I thought there was a jam in front of it as there is a festival going on. I swing out to see how bad it is, and the road ahead of it empty.
it ends up being this old couple that was looking for a parking spot.
*sighComment is buried, click here to see the rest.
kevenmAug 14, 2010
You have clearly not been driving that long. After a couple of decades of driving, I can confirm that stupidity in drivers does not discriminate. assh**es abound in every culture, race and age.
dannymb877Aug 14, 2010
Did anyone else get confused by thinking the first guy was making a lefthand turn? Now I get it... but I had to go back and figure it out.
Am I an idiot?
librarykrystalAug 14, 2010
Motion blur on moving cars would have helped distinguish which cars are supposed to be moving and which cars are just sitting there. I had to take a second look.
iknockindebootsAug 14, 2010
Can't you get ticketed for blocking an intersection ? It's inevitable in LA.
betteroffedAug 14, 2010
Exactly. I do this. What if it changes and you're right in the middle of the intersection? Sometimes traffic is *that packed* to the point where you won't be able to get out of the intersection at all during the next light cycle.
Closed AccountAug 17, 2010
I live in LA. It's not inevitable. You just have to know how to drive.
dalectricsAug 14, 2010
...and this is why 'The Roundabout' was invented...
pobotrolAug 14, 2010
Some idiots block roundabouts too.
hammburglarAug 14, 2010
There is no such thing as idiotproof.
baysAug 14, 2010
amazingly this can still happen at a roundabout if its busy enough
spartexAug 14, 2010
make bigger roundabouts then
noisymimeAug 14, 2010
A roundabout would make this even worse. The traffic in front isn't going anywhere so instead of people sometimes staying put and sometimes moving out to block the intersection, everyone just enters the roundabout and it clogs up. The roundabout is basically certain to produce the worst case scenario in this instance whereas lights at least have the chance of staying clear if people obey the law. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
I've read some things written by urban planning engineers about roundabouts (or "rotaries," as they're called in New England). I think the general understanding is that roundabouts are great if there's very little traffic, because then nobody ever has to wait to go wherever they want to go. However, roundabouts are terrible in high-traffic situations, because if the roundabout gets blocked up when one of its outlets is congested, nobody else is able to enter the roundabout and go where they're going, even if the road they're actually going to has no traffic at all. It's the equivalent of creating gridlock for everyone going in every direction, even if every driver was being prosocial and doing the right thing.
renesisxAug 14, 2010
They have this problem "solved" with traffic (stop) lights running around the roundabout to try and force the traffic patterns.
soaveAug 14, 2010
"However, roundabouts are terrible in high-traffic situations..."
That's when you build a monster like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paris.etoile.arp.750pix.jpg
deathstrykAug 14, 2010
Roundabouts are un-american you commie
/s
randylmAug 14, 2010
ROTARIES suck. wtf is a roundabout?
seberleAug 14, 2010
Traffic flows so much more smoothly in Europe where there are lots of roundabouts. Even in high traffic situations, the roundabouts are never worse than American traffic light intersections. I can't understand why Americans are so resistant to them.
campcampingstonAug 14, 2010
I've one near my house (Canada) and it moves pretty slowly but consistently when under heavy traffic. The real issue is the taxis(always) and people(sometimes) cutting across 3 lanes to make their exit.
starrodkirbyAug 14, 2010
More Americans drive than take public transit. Also, in America, when you don't want to drive, there is usually no alternative. Do you enjoy your interconnected trains in Europe? Great, because in America there are no (passenger) trains. Therefore there are more cars driving at any one time than in Europe. Roundabouts are known to fail when there is too much traffic. (the ring just gets clogged) Plus, most Americans have never seen a roundabout before, so they have no idea what to do when they get to one, worsening traffic.
omicronnineAug 20, 2010
There are passenger trains in the US, they're just all isolated lines in high traffic corridors, so only useful for a few specific destinations (generally commuting to work).
aethelbergaAug 14, 2010
At the very least, roundabouts should replace all four way stops. No one knows how to use a four way stop anymore.
gsenselAug 15, 2010
Even fewer people know how to operate in roundabouts
Closed AccountAug 16, 2010
Yeah, I've seen morons in the round-about trying to yield to me while I'm waiting to get in. And many times I've had to slam on my brakes while in the roundabout because some moron didn't yield to me or even look. Basically roundabouts taught me that you NEVER trust that other drivers will do the right thing in any situation. Always expect everyone around you being an asshat and plan accordingly.
wickedjtAug 14, 2010
have you ever seen americans go around a roundabout?
protodonAug 14, 2010
MD and NJ have quite a few roundabouts or circles as I like to call them.
dirtyfriesAug 15, 2010
or jug handles
uv0001Aug 15, 2010
Large two-lane roundabouts (which is what would be needed for situations like that) are damn dangerous.
angrytortillaAug 14, 2010
The worst is when the space in front of you advances enough for you to fit, but the douche that's stuck in the middle of the right lane quickly cuts left to take the space leaving you to look like the assh**e.
jektalAug 14, 2010
If they're stuck in the intersection, let them cut into your lane to get out of the intersection. What are you more concerned with, the f**ked up traffic situation, or your sense of righteousness?Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
msp1Aug 14, 2010
In the UK we have so called "yellow box junctions" to overcome this. Critical intersections are painted with yellow cross-hatched boxes. You are not allowed to enter the box unless your exit from the box is clear. In big cities this is often enforced by cameras. As a result, the behaviour illustrated by this article is very rare.
baysAug 14, 2010
its so basic you shouldnt even need road markings but oh well
kitsuaAug 14, 2010
That's why I find it even more annoying when someone does it over here. The correct procedure for the yellow box is in the highway code and taught to you when you learn to drive so there should be no excuse. Anyone who does it anyway is just blatantly flipping off everyone on the road.
agent13xAug 14, 2010
We're not smart enough for that here in the US
kmocha822Aug 14, 2010
i read your comment in my head with a british accent (Lane's voice from Mad Men)
djjensaaraiAug 15, 2010
wtb this in Cali
pixelguruAug 16, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
agent13xAug 24, 2010
Don't you mean Revenue Cameras?
dimapilisAug 14, 2010
I must be an idiot, I have been staring at the first picture for ten minutes figuring on what was wrong with their behavior and I hadn't realized that there were more images..
betteroffedAug 14, 2010
I must be an even bigger idiot. I didn't see it until after I read your post.
blitzkrigAug 14, 2010
I must be THE BIGGEST idiot. I didn't realize you could actually click on the text to get to an image. I was just ranting on these forums.
betteroffedAug 14, 2010
Yep. You are.
jerseyslamAug 14, 2010
I must be largest idiot. How this works?
Closed AccountAug 15, 2010
Holy crap. I did the EXACT same thing. I looked at the first image and then read a bunch of the comments thinking, "Man, I do that some times... am I doing it wrong?" "I thought you were supposed to sit there until the lane cleared up ahead". "What is everybody getting so pissed about?"
faithclubdotnetAug 14, 2010
Once I got in an argument with a bus driver why I shouldn't be over the white line. I couldn't convey the following information to him:
Here's what got me in this situation:
1) I was sitting behind a guy at a red light without his turn signal on.
2) Green light
3) Guy pulls out, I follow
4) Guy goes like 15 feet, SMASHES his brake, I almost smash into him.
5) Guy waits for all the cars to go by. Then when the light turns red.
6) I'm stuck partially over the white line.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
your mistake was following too soon. don't go into the intersection until you're SURE you can cross it. stopping in the intersection is a ticket. light turning red while you're there.... ticket. both moving violations.
faithclubdotnetAug 14, 2010
So are you telling me that you're not supposed to go through a redlight until the car in front of you has completely cleared the intersection? That seems like a bad idea for traffic flow.
What if you're travelling at 55MPH?
factsahoyAug 18, 2010
This guy doesn't get that the road beyond the guy was probably totally empty, meaning there was plenty of room to clear. The guy DIDN'T SIGNAL, and thus perpetrated the BS on everyone else.
kjsatzAug 14, 2010
You lost me at "Guy pulls out, I follow." Really, sloppy seconds?
omicronnineAug 20, 2010
How are you "stuck" over the white line? If you are over the line, you are in the intersection. If the light turns red while you are still in the intersection, you must complete your crossing. The cross traffic, even with the green light, must wait for the intersection to be clear before they enter.
Sounds like what happened was you entered the intersection on a green, were prevented from crossing until the light had already turned red, and then instead of completing your crossing, as legally required, you *illegally* sat in the intersection and were a traffic hazard until the light turned again.
The assh**e in the graphic... that's you.
sandman64Aug 14, 2010
Reminds me (for no reason in particular) about The Puerto Rican Day episode of Seinfeld.
"Black Saab rules! So long sucker!"
reckoner2009Aug 14, 2010
Of course people are gonna wait. It's illegal to sit in the middle of an intersection... at least in my country.
baysAug 14, 2010
try scrolling down
crazyblutesAug 14, 2010
If you are in the right lane and traffic is not completely stopped, one car should go otherwise the cars are going to turn right in front of you. Can't let people cut! You do need to make sure you don't get caught in the intersection though...
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
The only infuriating behavior I see is poor road design not allowing a dedicated left turn lane.
jektalAug 14, 2010
..nobody was turning, so who cares?
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
O. I didn't scroll down. Let me remedy my statement. The only infuriating behavior I see is poor traffic light design that doesn't allow the poor road design ahead to properly advance because there's a major left turn ahead on only 2 lanes of traffic and no left-turn traffic lane.
orgazmoAug 14, 2010
Top Gear's solution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1-JcPl6nzM
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
That was okay. But I was hoping they were going to take photos of the drivers, and then post them on gigantic billboards, with signs saying "this guy is a gigantic f**king douchebag."
Or, alternatively, they could have come out and smashed people's windows and slashed their tires.
rethreadAug 14, 2010
BOOM Head shot!
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Now I want to hear about the GT40 :(
kiantechAug 14, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UAnlMNvK8Y
darrelcAug 15, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VTC5SWt84
mainmacAug 14, 2010
Paintball guns are great!
uv0001Aug 15, 2010
What the hell is a clot?
omicronnineAug 20, 2010
Your cardiologist will be telling you all about them soon enough.
uv0001Aug 21, 2010
Ah, those silly Brits, they'll use any old word for an insult nowadays.
baysAug 14, 2010
"dont enter an intersection until the way out is clear"
intersection blocking rule ftw
thefamouscAug 14, 2010
Best thing Rudy Giuliani did (only fond memory i have of him) while mayor of New York was an aggressive DON'T BLOCK THE BOX campaign in Manhattan. Extra police were stationed along Canal and Houston streets (among others i am sure). If you were caught in the box you received your ticket before the light changed again. Good times.
1339Aug 14, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
therealjedipunkAug 14, 2010
We have them in New England. Visitors get weirded out by them and later come to appreciate them.
noisymimeAug 14, 2010
A roundabout wouldn't solve this at all. If the traffic is blocked up at the exit of the roundabout then people would just enter the intersection of clog it up, same as with the lights. In most cases it'd be even worse as at least with lights, most people will not enter unless they can see it being clear on the other side. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
They started putting some in Quebec, and I admit at first I hated them. In fact they first time I ever encountered one was so unexpected I almost crashed in the center. But after a couple of years, I've come to like them, especially on streets with only light traffic, you almost never have to stop.
eqrunnerAug 14, 2010
Yea, try and put one of those in DC. the few circles that we do have are filled with street lights and are an absolute mess
2004taxesAug 14, 2010
Especially since so many Americans love NASCAR.
rakusukAug 14, 2010
theres a ridiculous amount of them where i live.
Unfortuantly they kind of went excessive and it has caused excessive wear on my left front tire before the others.
And by excessive i mean, I need to go through atleast 12 to get to the highway which is under 5km away.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
news flash, america has roundabouts too and we know how to use them. But our country is so much bigger and spread out that we don't have the need for them as often as europeans. roundabouts were meant for high volume traffic in small spaces.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Roundabouts are popping up all over MA and CT. A lot of them are poorly designed and don't prevent stupidity like this,
neutron7Aug 14, 2010
north americans are usually not trusted to "yield" which is probably a good thing.
dlawlrenceAug 14, 2010
We've got a few in Arizona, too, but the people here don't know how to use them or have no idea what a Yield sign means, and so they come to a full stop before entering the roundabout.
westonpAug 19, 2010
We have plenty here in Colorado, but our drivers still suck. The concepts of merging and right-of-way are completely foreign to these people.
hazardAug 14, 2010
Welcome to Miami! Happens at every intersection and never a cop in sight.
havochqAug 14, 2010
You had me right up until you used "gay" as an insult. This kind of behavior demeans us all.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
You know, there was once a time when the word "gay" meant happy until the word was hijacked to describe a sexual orientation.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
ok that was gay... lol j/k
mainmacAug 14, 2010
And... it still means happy. Among other things. Like many words. It has more than one meaning. Context.
armedrebelAug 14, 2010
So it used to mean happy, then it meant homosexual, and now it means uncool. If you don't like people using it as "uncool", then you also shouldn't like when people use it for homosexual.
akronite14Aug 14, 2010
It didn't start because people thought the word "gay" was a good term for uncool. It started because people used the context of homosexuality as an insult. Completely different situation. It has since been used as a general negative connotation with usually harmless intentions. But to say people shouldn't be offended because it just means "uncool" is ig'nant.
mstachiwAug 14, 2010
don't block the box
worldofsmutAug 16, 2010
That's what she said.
eatasandwichAug 14, 2010
I know people hate it when it someone points out that a submission was on reddit the day before it was here on digg, but this is getting ridiculous. The comments are all the same too. There appears to be people who copy and paste their responses between the two sites.
I can't be bothered to find out which site it was submitted to first and I don't really care. Diggs system worked to keep the story off the front page longer so I always see it here 2nd.
I'm sure this message will be really unpopular, but any non-redditors would be amazed how many recycled submissions there are on a daily basis. Usually the majority of the top ten submissions on digg are a couple of days old on reddit.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
Who cares? This is how digg works.
Digg content is controlled by a small group of power users. They take reddit content, and re-submit it to digg. Then their power user "friends" automatically digg their submissions, usually without even looking at them first. The rest of us come here to look at them, effectively seeing reddit's content, but with digg's superior user interface.
eatasandwichAug 14, 2010
Digg does have a slightly better interface (not by much, it still needs work). However, the content on reddit is far more varied. I used to kill an hour or two browsing digg at the end of my day (it was my first and only social news site for years). That wore off after a while and I would be lucky to get ten minutes out of it these days. Reddit is now my time-killer of choice. It's a (not that) badly presented digg with a bunch of much cooler stuff tacked onto it. I can lose half a night to AskReddit, TodayILearned and IamA - digg doesn't have that community at all.
anawnymooseAug 14, 2010
While I noticed the same thing, this is simply how the internet works. Things move between sites at different paces. I still see a lot of stuff on digg that I don't see on reddit, and vice versa.
thealliedhackerAug 16, 2010
And I don't give a s**t until reddit's UI is vastly improved.
vatcheaAug 16, 2010
WHO CARES.
SINCERELY,
EVERYONE.
yankees368Aug 14, 2010
"DONT BLOCK THE BOX! FINE + 3 POINTS"
britishphotogAug 14, 2010
Americans.
starrodkirbyAug 14, 2010
GAWD DAMN IMPERIAL SOCIALISTS!!!!1!!1!!!!1!11111!!!!
/s
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
Where's the jump button when you need it.
donttreadonmikeAug 14, 2010
The car on the left did exactly the right thing. I think it's actually a law (at least here in California) that you can't enter the intersection unless you're able to get out on the other side.
brettmjohnsonAug 14, 2010
You "think" that is the law? That is the reason many people do crap like this. They are not aware of the law, or even the "rules of the road".
That is the problem with the driver license written test here in California. A dozen questions related to DUI, and stupid questions like "How many days do you have to notify the DMV after selling your boat trailer." Not enough questions about how not to kill someone in an intersection.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
donttreadonmikeAug 14, 2010
Ok let me clarify: That IS the law. Happy?
librarykrystalAug 14, 2010
I have taken driver's tests in MN and MS and that is the law in both of those states. I was also taught not to block intersections in driver's ed. I thought that was the law in every US state.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
It's the law in every state I've ever lived in. It's on page 22 of the current California driver's handbook.
I would hope that anyone who operates a motor vehicle would be intelligent enough to realize that, even if it weren't against the law, blocking an intersection screws up the entire traffic network, and is a really douchey thing to do. However, I do a lot of my driving in Massachusetts, where people are, in my experience, far stupider than anywhere else I've ever lived. Many drivers here just aren't capable of understanding something this complicated.
ruyguyAug 14, 2010
Someone's been watching too much Mad Men.
zaraexistAug 14, 2010
I get what the dude is trying to say, but if you're making a left-hand turn, you're supposed to move into the intersection and wait for an opportunity to make it. Then the next car moves, makes the turn, and so on.
...so this is a tad unclear.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
idiggaponyAug 14, 2010
I agree, it was a bit unclear. I focused on the car making the left turn at first, too, but this isn't about that car at all. It's about the one coming from the south, that illegally blocked the intersection so that all the cars coming from the east couldn't get through.
diggnabbitAug 14, 2010
There was no car making a left turn. They were all trying to go straight.
shozikuAug 14, 2010
Wrong! you fail. you never proceed into the intersection until you're sure you can cross it without stopping.
Closed AccountAug 14, 2010
No way, when there's a left turn lane, but you don't have a special left-turn light you need to creep into the intersection to get ready to turn. When the light turns red, you go because then you're blocking the other two lanes.
mainmacAug 14, 2010
Again, Shoziku, you are wrong, at least for California. You can't proceed into an intersection if there is not space for your vehicle on your route after passing through an intersection. If the route beyond the intersection is clear, however, you actually are supposed to edge straight into the intersection, and wait until there is no oncoming traffic or pedestrians impeding your way. If the light turns yellow-red, you are supposed to proceed once safe, and new green traffic must wait for you to clear the intersection.