I saw a lady almost die this morning.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

I always told her...well, its on your side..

Ha! I'll have to remember that one.

[Caballoflaco]

I’m sure we’ve got a few people on the board who have developed that traffic 6th sense from years of pattern observation combined with decent situational awareness that allows you to predict fairly accurately what “that sketchy fokker” is going to do before they do it.

Not that you should trust predictions over observation, but it’s a fun party trick when you’re driving with somebody who walks the world with their head up their ass and you can say, “the asshole in that xxxxx without his blinker on is about to cut across two lanes of traffic and probably turn off the the exit here, and then they do it.

[HCountyGuy]

I get honked at occasionally waiting for oncoming traffic to make a left turn when I’m trying to make a right. Had too many folks turn and go all the way in to my lane.

[Shoresy]

I’m sure we’ve got a few people on the board who have developed that traffic 6th sense from years of pattern observation combined with decent situational awareness that allows you to predict fairly accurately what “that sketchy fokker” is going to do before they do it.

Not that you should trust predictions over observation, but it’s a fun party trick when you’re driving with somebody who walks the world with their head up their ass and you can say, “the asshole in that xxxxx without his blinker on is about to cut across two lanes of traffic and probably turn off the the exit here, and then they do it.

I don't know if my sixth sense is all that well developed, but I've managed to predict things like that. For example, the land change indicator typically typically comes from watching how close someone gets to the lane line... if they're going to move, given enough time (15-30 seconds is usually enough) they'll telegraph it by wandering close to that line in the direction of their intent. It's more prevalent with people who are driving a touch aggressively (doesn't have to be much - not the individual who flies up cutting through traffic, but the one who appears to be more rushed/urgent than those around them). It's subtle, but after seeing if a several times, it's there about 80% of the time. It shows up with more passive drivers, but takes more time to do so.

Observing behavior is interesting.

[Borderland]

Albuquerque NM?

I was setting at light along side a city cop and we both watched a guy blow thru a red at 40 mph and the cop never moved. Just moved on like he didn't see it. My brother who lives there said you don't ever want to be the first one thru an intersection unless you have a death wish. Good advice.

[FrankinCA]

If I can’t see clearly on either side, three second rule ...slowly enter the intersection..yes, I have almost been T Boned..

[Maple Syrup Actual]

For about ten years I worked jobs with tons of city driving; a typical day for me would have been around 200km/120 miles, which sounds like nothing but it was all heavy traffic in and around Vancouver. Twice that I can think of I was the first person on the scene of pretty dire accidents with multiple serious injuries. I think that's all of them but I was on so many minor ones where somebody was sent to the hospital with something like a broken arm or just to get checked out because their neck hurt or they were concussed that I just lost track and now off the top of my head I don't want to swear that the two big ones I saw were the only ones I was at.

Anyway the point is that big rolling blocks of steel are dangerous as fuck and people get all kinds of chewed up when they collide, no doubt about it. I think I've said here before that I carry a tourniquet not because I think I'll ever take a bullet to an artery, but because I wouldn't be at all surprised if I found someone bleeding out in a wrecked car one day.

I'm also convinced that the number of high-speed collisions with stopped or barely-moving vehicles is much higher than it used to be, and that the speed of rear-enders has gone from around walking speed because the driver almost stopped in time, but couldn't, to around highway speed, because the driver was looking at his phone and never even tried to stop. This is backed up exclusively by my own personal subjective impression of seeing traffic evolve over a couple of decades but I would bet that there's someone with valid research somewhere to support it.

[Caballoflaco]

I'm also convinced that the number of high-speed collisions with stopped or barely-moving vehicles is much higher than it used to be, and that the speed of rear-enders has gone from around walking speed because the driver almost stopped in time, but couldn't, to around highway speed, because the driver was looking at his phone and never even tried to stop. This is backed up exclusively by my own personal subjective impression of seeing traffic evolve over a couple of decades but I would bet that there's someone with valid research somewhere to support it.

This is true, and also the reason I filter to the front (lane split) at red lights when I’m riding a motorcycle during certain traffic conditions on certain roads, even though it is quite illegal here.

I drive a lot for work and see probably 10-1 rear end collisions for every intersection or entering the roadway accident.

[Coyotesfan97]

After a similar close call when I was in my late teens/early 20s, I never, ever trust the other driver's blinker. I make it a point to not pull out in front until they've started their turn.

For some reason I always remember my Dad telling me that when I had my instructor permit. He was very adamant about waiting until you saw the other drivers tires turn.

I avoided several on duty accidents by waiting and observing traffic before proceeding. One would have been a 50+ red light runner t-boning my passenger doors. I might not have been injured to bad. My dog would have been dead.

[trailrunner]

I’m sure we’ve got a few people on the board who have developed that traffic 6th sense from years of pattern observation combined with decent situational awareness that allows you to predict fairly accurately what “that sketchy fokker” is going to do before they do it.

A long long time ago (maybe 1982), my wife (then girlfriend) and I were on a freeway in Los Angeles. I saw a blast of black smoke come from the exhaust of a full-sized pickup truck a little bit in front of me, realized that it was a diesel and that the guy was trying to accelerate to get out of some sort of situation, realized that an accident was developing, and so I promptly changed lanes to avoid that situation. I did all of that in a fraction of a second, and it was a good thing, because cars and trucks started going sideways at 60 mph. If I had done nothing, I would've plowed right into that carnage. I told my wife that I saw the entire thing unfold in that split second. Another part of why I was able to avoid the situation is that I always maintain good situational awareness of other cars, including who is on my left side, who is on my right side, in front, behind, and so on. So when that situation developed, I knew I had a way out. And that's also why the most annoying thing a driver can do to me is to drive at the same speed as me, but hang out just behind me in the adjacent lane in my blind spot. Either pass me, or fall back.

For some reason I always remember my Dad telling me that when I had my instructor permit. He was very adamant about waiting until you saw the other drivers tires turn.

I still remember exactly where I was when my dad told me that.