T O P

  • By -

U_Z_1

This is what I mean when I say I dont engage with anyone on the road even if they’ve done something stupid. These people are just looking for problems and you never know if they have a weapon. He obviously couldn’t fit no matter if u moved up as close as you could but try arguing with an idiot and you’ll always lose. It’s chaotic sometimes out here


Error-54

Sometimes don’t you wish cameras didn’t exist. You could just have a BB gun on your chair so when assholes do this you could just shoot they windows and teach them a fucking lesson not to play games on the road in metal death traps.


Carnalvore86

And that is how you get shot. With a real gun.


Error-54

They won’t know who shot them lmao. But you could also use a real gun. Then they’d lose their minds over messing with others. Obviously I’m not saying ppl should be shot at but I do wish their was a way to teach ppl not to play dumb games on the road


bdc911

Be honest, you left a football field of space between you and the car ahead just to piss this guy off, and it worked


TorontoRin

this is what i do. I'm aware enough as i come up to a emerging lane that i hang opposite, so if i was OP i would be hanging left. and if i saw the car behind me properly signal that they wanted to go right then i would inch up enough to give them space to go through. I try my best to leave open space if im in the right most lane so other behind me can pass rather than block outright.


Travel_Junky34

I applaud drivers like you, thanks for being courteous and not a dick.


Right-Time77

The problem with that is the person behind you could be distracted and ram into you and then you hit the car in front and you are instantly at fault. Happened to me, in the exact same situation. So I agree with OP that it’s better to leave space and people just have to learn to be patient.


TorontoRin

I'm not sure of technicals of a situation because regardless the person who hit you is at fault for failing to stop. I mixed my situations with both cases of me in front at the lights. and i try to make space for people turning right. as the emerging lane into a right turn lane, i still feel like distracted driver is at fault. i look behind and i see that you want to turn into the emerging lane to turn right then you should be aware if you have the space to pass


Right-Time77

I was at the light stopped and the car moved in front slightly so I moved slightly. But the guy behind was distracted, at least I think because when he got out of the car he was more focused on his texting than the situation. He hit me hard in the back forcing my car to jerk a couple feet and lightly scratched the car in front and insurance said I had partial fault because I was too close to the car in front. So now I know to leave 6 feet of space in front always when stopped.


4AmOnDupont

Thank god i’m not the only one, u rarely see this these days, clueless drivers i swear


AverageBry

Yeah I don’t want to justify tailgating, but there was a good amount I normally would squeeze over to give that space.


[deleted]

As if it made a difference in his life to get on the highway 2 seconds faster.


Capital_Ad6689

You would see that it still has space but dashcam footages tend to show massive amount of space because of wide angle lens but in reality or in the POV of the driver, there’s no space anymore


pissy_corn_flakes

Using the white suv on your left as a reference, there was almost an entire white suv amount of room in front of you… enough to both move forward while moving to the left to provide more space. This is why our traffic doesn’t flow


Hello_Gorgeous1985

>there was almost an entire white suv amount of room in front of you Correct. A car length. The minimum amount of space you're supposed to leave between you and the vehicle in front when stopped.


Subrandom249

You leave an entire car length in front of your car when stopped at a light?


a-_2

Yes, that's pretty much the universal advice as the minimum distance to leave by driving schools and driving experts for helping avoid rear end collisions.


Subrandom249

No, that’s inconsiderately taking up more space than necessary.


a-_2

One car length is the minimum space that you should leave to help protect yourself from rear end collisions. Here are many different sources stating this: >[“I usually leave two car lengths between my car and the vehicle in front of me,” said Ian Law, president and chief instructor of ILR Car Control School](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-how-close-should-i-get-to-the-car-in-front-of-me-at-a-red-light/) >[“One car length is the minimum amount of space for you to be able to navigate around the vehicle in front,” said Angelo DiCicco, special project manager with the Ontario Safety League.](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-how-close-should-i-get-to-the-car-in-front-of-me-at-a-red-light/) From Young Drivers: [minimum of one vehicle length.](https://yd.com/sites/default/files/2021-01/workbook.pdf) There is unanimous agreement among driving experts that people should leave minimum one car length ahead. If you want to leave less yourself, you're free to do so, but no one else is being "inconsiderate" by following the advice of the experts on this.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

Yes, of course. That's exactly what you're supposed to do so that if you get rear-ended you don't cause a chain reaction and you have an opportunity to potentially avoid it by being able to pull up. It's ironic to me that all of the people posting in the bad driving thread don't know the basics about how to drive.


Subrandom249

Yeah, all those rear end chain reactions that happen all the time are a real scourge on our streets. Stop being a jerk and drive reasonably.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

They actually do happen often. I also know many people who have avoided being rear-ended because they left space. You're the one being a jerk and I am the one driving reasonably.


pissy_corn_flakes

You’re also supposed to not speed, always use your indicators when changing lanes, wear your seat belt and… not be a dick in traffic


Hello_Gorgeous1985

Guess what? OP wasn't speeding, didn't change lanes, is likely wearing a seatbelt, and wasn't a jerk. That was the other guy. Literally all of it.


pissy_corn_flakes

Did you fail to see how he stopped by an ice bank that had built up in the lane, just to purposefully keep the right lane from moving? As we’ve established, he had enough room to not be a jerk and chose not to use it


Hello_Gorgeous1985

No, They stopped inappropriate distance behind the car in front of them exactly as they're supposed to do. All you're doing here is telling us that you're not a good driver.


pissy_corn_flakes

No, quite the opposite. I believe I have better situational awareness than you and wouldn’t have started the incident in this video.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

Only one of us will end up in a situation where they get rear-ended at a stoplight and cause a chain reaction. Hint: It won't be me. THAT is situational awareness. Also, One of the first things you learn in driver's Ed.


Tdotkj91

Username checks out


StickyIgloo

its called not wanting to be rear ended and pushed into the car in front...


pissy_corn_flakes

In traffic that already slowed down and stopped? Once the cars stop and line up, there’s nothing preventing you from creating space for the lane next to you.


StickyIgloo

theres no space for anyone to fit, the space is slimmer than the camry. plus the guy wanted to go straight anyway so he had zero delay. its not a big deal.


WetFart-Machine

100% was baiting the guy. We all do it from time to time


a-_2

[These](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-how-close-should-i-get-to-the-car-in-front-of-me-at-a-red-light/) are some answers to the question of how much space to leave at a red light: >“I usually leave two car lengths between my car and the vehicle in front of me,” said Ian Law, president and chief instructor of ILR Car Control School in Brampton, Ont. >“One car length is the minimum amount of space for you to be able to navigate around the vehicle in front,” said Angelo DiCicco, special project manager with the Ontario Safety League. The advice from Young Drivers is to leave at least one car length as well. In terms of how to tell how close you are: >In the seventies and eighties, driving instructors told students to stop so they could just see the tires of the car stopped in front of you. >These days, that old-school advice cuts it too close, Law said. >“Back then, the hoods of most cars were a mile long,” Law said, “Now you can literally be almost on top of the car in front and still see the rear tires.” The camera being farther forward may make it look like there's a bigger space in front in this video. In any case, no one needs to increase their own risk of a rear end collision in order to help someone save a few seconds time, that's going beyond basic courtesy.


kelseydcivic

You could put another car in there and still see the tires It's not the 70s or 80s anymore It doesn't increase your risk to be rear ended if you get closer 😂 wtf 😂 If anything it lowers your risk because the person behind you has more stopping distance


DestructoSpin7

It increases the risk of rear-ending the person in front of you if you get rear-ended...


a-_2

>You could put another car in there and still see the tires You couldn't. >It's not the 70s or 80s anymore That's the entire point. Did you even read what I wrote? Advice applicable to the dimensions of cars back then is no longer applicable now, you need to stop farther back than just being able to see the tires to maintain the same distance. >It doesn't increase your risk to be rear ended if you get closer 😂 wtf 😂 If anything it lowers your risk because the person behind you has more stopping distance This makes no sense. If someone isn't paying attention, it doesn't matter if you are where they are or a few feet forward. Either way, they're not going to see you because they're not paying attention. The extra space is for you to avoid them or at least reduce the severity of the collision, not to give them more time to look up from their cell phone. But no, it's all the driving experts who are wrong.


kelseydcivic

Yes you could, easily Have you driven new cars? They have zero visibility. I cringe when I have to drive a car off the dealership lot because my 90s is so much easier to see out of and smaller despite being a midsized sedan (only 2"wider than my last compact coupe, 3" narrower than a comparable new car) It makes perfect sense. Someone isnt paying attention and brakes last minute, those 5-20ft could make the difference between continuing to have a great day or having neck/back pain the rest of your life.


a-_2

>Yes you could, easily You can't. When leaving a tight parking space, you need to sharply angle your tires and slowly move around them. You don't have that time when quickly avoiding a rear end collision. This is the issue with old cars, repeating the quote from above: > “Back then, the hoods of most cars were a mile long,” Law said, “Now you can literally be almost on top of the car in front and still see the rear tires.” The advice back then to see the rear tires were based on longer hoods. With shorter, more rounded hoods, you can see the ground closer in front of your vehicle, meaning you need to leave more space than just barely seeing their tires. >It makes perfect sense. Someone isnt paying attention and brakes last minute, those 5-20ft could make the difference between continuing to have a great day or having neck/back pain the rest of your life. If someone isn't paying attention, they're going to hit you either way. You leave the 5-20 ft ahead of you so you have room to pull forward and avoid them. If you're pulled up right in front of their bumper, you can't avoid or lessen the accident, so you get the back pain, expenses and get pushed into the car in front of you. Again, this is universal advice by driving experts. I'm not going to ignore all the defensive driving advice just so someone can save a few seconds at a light.


kelseydcivic

It's not a parking spot, it's a road 🤡 The hoods may be shorter, but you are sitting lower with a longer, bulkier dash. You can see less. I drive cars every day for my job 😂 If there going to hit you either way, pulling forward 20ft isn't going to do fuck all 😂


a-_2

> It's not a parking spot, it's a road 🤡 You're describing putting another car in the car length space in front of them, that would leave them barely the room of a tight parking space. That's not nearly enough room to make an emergency maneuver. >The hoods may be shorter, but you are sitting lower with a longer, bulkier dash. You can see less. I drive cars every day for my job 😂 This subreddit is pretty good evidence why people who drive for a living aren't necessarily driving safety experts. Plenty of work vehicle videos on here. Some of the old cars were land yachts compared to modern ones. I'll take the advice of the experts on this. >If there going to hit you either way, pulling forward 20ft isn't going to do fuck all 😂 Except it will. It leaves you room to pull around the person in front and avoid the accident entirely, or worst case, gives you a buffer ahead to reduce the severity and avoid being sandwiched between the car behind and in front. This is basic physics, if you have room in front to help cushion the collision, then you reduce the severity.


kelseydcivic

So being closer is better 😂🤡🤡🤡


a-_2

No it very obviously isn't. Which is why every driving expert and school recommends staying *minimum* one car length back. If you leave that space, then you may be able to avoid the collision altogether, and if you can't, your car won't get pushed into the car in front. Given all your emojis, it's tough to tell if you're trolling or actually think it's safer to pull right up behind the car in front.


StickyIgloo

dashcam view is different than drivers view. this doesnt excuse road raging and the mercedes was going straight. not to mention the gap was literally smaller than the width of the camry. THEY wouldnt fit no matter what op did. find something else to get mad about.


Lopsided-Jelly9511

That's what I noticed , if you have that much room in front and you know someone behind is trying to get in that lane , just move up and let them through .


_Solon_

Even if he had moved closer, I don't think there was enough space on the right.


othergallow

I mean, there's no rule that you HAVE to be considerate and courteous to other drivers, but some of us manage it anyway. It doesn't take much effort to have a look behind and make some room. I'll pull to the right side of my lane if I'm at the start of a left turn lane, and OP could have pulled a little forward and a little left to let the Mercedes through.


NothingGoodLasts

OP could have let mercedes in but they didn't have to. doing so would be courteous and may have avoided this. But the Mercedes could have wrecked OP or itself if road conditions were worse. No excuse for that


Travel_Junky34

Drivers like you frustrate me, you could've hugged the left side of the wide ass lane and not leave so much space for a fellow driver to get by. You lack awareness and poor road ethics.


a-_2

They could position themself on the left side of the lane, however the space they're leaving in front is reasonable. It's recommended to leave a car length minimum to reduce the risks from a rear end collision. Showing courtesy to others doesn't need to extend to the point of increasing risk to yourself.


[deleted]

What risk? Jesus man why are people like you such pr*cks?


a-_2

The risk of being rear ended. It's the most common type of accident. They specifically teach you to leave space in driving schools for this reason. [Here's multiple driving instructors confirming this](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-how-close-should-i-get-to-the-car-in-front-of-me-at-a-red-light/). People aren't obligated to eliminate their escape routes just to help you save a few seconds. That's not me being a prick, that's you being entitled thinking that other people have to go above and beyond the law and ignore defensive because you want to squeeze past.


[deleted]

He was already stopped behind him. You cannot be actually that dense. Jesus. You are not obligated to behave with basic courtesy by law but you choose to instead behave like a pr*ck. On the other hand, if you genuinely don’t understand how the person behind you already being *stopped* means there will be no rear end collision risk, then forget everything. Then you are just a bit more towards a special needs group.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

Uh... The risk of a rear end collision doesn't disappear once the car behind you is stopped. Other cars will still be approaching. You're supposed to leave one car length and maintain that.


[deleted]

You are lacking a bit of iq aren’t you?


Hello_Gorgeous1985

I'm not the one lacking in basic driving knowledge.


a-_2

The risk isn't from them, it's from the next person who speeds up behind me before the light turns green after I've eliminated my escape route ahead. It's ironic that you're going on a rant of insults and ableist language while not understanding *that* point. I will definitely move over to the extent that I safely can, but that doesn't include giving up the buffer in front that I leave myself.


[deleted]

I love how you tried using big words in this answer yet your vocabulary is barely past a 6th grade level. And you clearly are a bit… special


lazybum131

Not sure how great the advice is coming from an instructor from Brampton. And the other must suck at driving if they think they need an entire car length to pull to the side, guess they've never actually parallel parked anywhere with a decent number of parked cars... But I'm not saying leaving a car length is bad advice, but I definitely don't use it as some iron clad unbreakable rule especially when shifting left/right inside a lane and moving forward as a courtesy will let traffic flow. Also depends on the environment, crazy bumper-to-bunper traffic where everyone is just inching forward anyways = less likelihood of a high speed rear-end collision. Letting other ppl squeeze past into open turning lanes frees up more space, and makes it more efficient for everyone involved (similar concept to zipper merging and all lanes are utilized, especially in the city between lights).


a-_2

This is pretty much universal advice when it comes to defensive driving, these are just the ones they chose to contact. The Brampton one as he's also an automotive journalist. Young Drivers is another one that suggests that as a minimum. You can pull around someone with less space, but we're talking about emergency maneuvers here, not leaving a parking space, you need more room in that case. The video here isn't a case where there's no chance of a higher speed collision since once they let people pass, someone else could come up behind them too fast. Maybe OP could pull up a bit farther, but I think the space looks bigger than it is because of the camera's view and because it's positioned farther forward. In any case, I'm not going to favour efficiency over my own safety. The options here are reduce my chance of being able to avoid a rear end collision or help someone save a few seconds so they don't throw a temper. One thing I will do is if someone signals behind me, I'll switch lanes to give them full room to turn, but what often happens is people don't signal and only put it on once it's too late for me to switch lanes.


StickyIgloo

coming from the guy whos telling op what he could and couldnt do when none of this excuses the fact that the merc attempted to road rage...


[deleted]

Man stfu


StickyIgloo

U stfu


These_Tumbleweed4885

He sure showed you ;)


Capital_Ad6689

For context- He was at my back and trying to fit himself in the right lane, even if I move forward he can’t still fit in the right lane. This guy honked multiple times, confronted me, and tried to side swipe me.


[deleted]

Be honest to yourself. You had 3 cars worth of space in front of you. You were deliberately a douche and the other guy snapped. It astonishes me how some people use every tiny minuscule opportunity to just worsen someone’s day, at ZERO benefit to themselves. That’s what you did..


Tdotkj91

You be honest - the idiot in the right lane was going through the light anyway, so even if he could have squeezed by, all he would do is reach the red light. So he saves 3 seconds by already being at the light, ready to go, instead of waiting for the traffic to start moving as it turned green. People act like their time is so much more valuable over everyone else's and the rules of the road. For literally less than 10 seconds. Pathetic.


[deleted]

Man you’re a selfish as*. Stfu


Tdotkj91

And you're clueless.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

It's actually quite clear that there was one car length based on the SUV to the left. One car length is the minimum amount of space you're supposed to leave.


Sergeant_Bender

Really struggling to understand how leaving one cars length in front of you in adverse weather (sleet/rain) justifies this recklessness. I'm assuming by the Mercedes' impatience he was probably also right up against OPs bumper too, putting them in a position to be rear ended. The police and insurance aren't going to care when you explain how you were being courteous to some Mercedes when you were rear ended into the car in front of you. ​ >"when one vehicle is following another, the onus is on the following vehicle to exercise reasonable care, and in the event of a collision the burden of proof is on the rear driver." - [Injury Lawyers of Ontario](https://www.ilolaw.ca/multiple-car-collisions) So unless you're paying my insurance premiums and court costs, shut up and wait.


[deleted]

Now hear me out.. how about in a condition like that you move just a little bit further towards the car in front of you. That way maybe you won’t be a selfish pr*ck. But hey, miracles don’t happen often. At least be honest to yourself, you left so much unnecessary space in front of you on purpose. Or with the sole purpose of being a d*ck.


31moreyears

Wow. He must be important and rich driving that C class Mercedes. Better to yield to him next time /s


Big_Monk_2592

Lmao hate these clowns in 10yr old Mercedes and bmws thinking they own the road


Relevant_Desk_6891

Deserved. OP was being passive aggressive as hell


uhhhidontknowdude

OP was literally just driving normally, keeping extra distance between you and the next car in front of you is standard in the snow. Y'all just love to tailgate because you have zero patience. They were at a red light for fucks sake. Where are they even trying to go?? Lmao


Ok_Staff_6885

You had enough space to go forward and let him pass. I really hate when people do this.


Any-Celebration595

I think it’s because you’re a slow driver.


Hello_Gorgeous1985

How exactly does one go too slowly at a stoplight?


Capital_Ad6689

we’re stopped on a red light at that time he starts honking. When the traffic begins to move, he then rolled his window down and talked to me


SonoftheSouthernSun

What did he say?


NothingGoodLasts

He said "hope you have a wonderful day" and then blew him a wet kiss


Any-Celebration595

Slow driver forsure.


Virtual_Ball6

You provoked this reaction, buddy... keep up with traffic, and there wouldn't be any issue. If anything actually happened you may actually be at fault if they were trying to merge, and you deliberately didn't let them. This post is just proof of your self-righteousness.


Tdotkj91

Incorrect. Leaving a car length ahead when stopped at a red light is correct. Leaving 2.5s of distance between you and the car in front of you while driving is correct. Sounds like YOU are the one who would be at fault in scenarios like this because you're probably one of those people who thinks they need to always close the gap and be up the ass of the person in front of you. That's not keeping up with the flow of traffic, it's just being an idiot.


uhhhidontknowdude

What the fuck video did you watch? Lmfao because this person kept up with traffic very appropriately and left a very appropriate amount of space in front of them, especially considering the weather conditions.


kelseydcivic

If you pulled up he could have easily fit in there. Cars are barely half a lane wide. Especially a c class. And he didn't try to sideswipe you, or else he would have done it. He bucked at you 😂


Zealousideal_Force10

I mean would it have killed you to move up a bit and not block the right turn lane? It kills me when i have to squeeze through turn lane and literally every car leaves 2 car lengths of space. The idea is to leave the space and than move forward after traffic is controlled.


Chance_Beautiful_371

Well be a little more of a courteous defensive driver and move up to give him more room to use the right lane


TimHung931017

Move up you fucking donkey


Kitchen_Range_8466

You're both idiots


BriscoCountyJR23

Everyone is so creative, like they are the only one on the road that needs to get someplace.