So, I took my little roadster down the road today before it got too darned hot. At at least two different intersections two different people pulled right out in front of me. Is it just me or do our hot rods have targets on them I'm just not seeing?
It's just like a motorcycle, they don't see you. You are not what they are expecting to see, therefore they ignore you. If you were truck sized they wouldn't ignore you.
Driving roadsters (small cars), we need to keep our heads on a swivel. Attention needs to be focused on the other guy (imbecile)! With cell phones and nav systems the last thing most drivers are doing is paying attention to us. It's our job to avoid them. Of course, I drive pretty aggressively. They don't get a chance to pull out in front of me!
Not just you. There are way more distracted drivers today than at any point in history. It's like they don't really give a flying F about anything except their cell phone. They sure as hell aren't paying attention to driving their 4k lb. killing machine. Caused me to give up my Harley this past year after riding since I was 16. Too many close calls. Probably go the same way with my roadster...
The world is full of bad drivers, I was in my old sedan yesterday and I had 2 close calls on the way home and both of them were texting. HRP
Yeah, probably didn't see you. My daughter has a 1961 MG Midget. That sucker is so tiny that its dangerous to put on the street. Its like a roller skate with and engine. I am sure some dude in a 4x4 would just run right over it with today's traffic.
Drive a Volkswagen ! Everybody pulls out in front of you! My girlfriend has an old one we drive around occasionally and ive never had anything that people ignore more. I guess they figure its a vw so it can't be too fast and just pull out.... Pi$$es me off too...
I agree with all of you, here in Junction City we're a fairly small city but right on I-70. The sad part is I saw here point to me showing her friends, but still pulled right out. You're right about the head on the swivel. It is just like riding a motorcycle.
I don't think it matters what you are driving anymore. Too damn many people on their phones while driving! Basically never meet another vehicle that the driver isn't looking at their cell phone.
I keep checking my rear bumper to see if there's something interesting on it!! Damn people to seem to wanna get close!! 99% of the time its a woman!!
Yesterday at a light, the old woman in the left hand turn lane with her left hand signal on, for no reason turned right, crossing not only in front of me (in the thru lane) but also in front of the car to the right of me who was already legally turning right at the same time. Like we were never there. I was in a bright, white SUV with running lights on.
I totally agree with the amount of distracted drivers out there. But I think with the world were in now everyone is distracted to a certain degree. Driving an old car seems to attract a lot of attention and cause a distraction like it or not.
It's weird. If I drive my non-HAMB 65 mustang, no real issues. Could be the yellow paint and straight pipes. But in the roadster you really have to keep your eyes open. Like another said, this is why so many won't ride street bikes anymore. But it was a great drive and always enjoyable in a old hotrod.
Along with whats been said , how about the ones that head right for you while there busy gawking ? My wife is a gentle woman , when she yells obscenities at distracted drivers , you know its bad !!
I get a lot of folks that cut ya off... but then throw a wave like hey thanks for letting me cut you off. It’s kind of bizarre.
No they see you but they know you will do your best not to damage your hot rod. With motor cycles they don’t care because who loses in a bike crash not the cage driver for sure
Watch 'em close. Cuz sometimes they ain't. Sometimes they see just fine... but they're stupid. Just yesterday for me, too. Nobody else on the paved rural 2 laner except for me heading south, another car heading north. As we both approach an intersection, a pos jellybean approaches from the west, kind of hits his brakes, decides to go for it and blows through the stop sign, pulling out about 50 yards in front of me and the other person! He really had to put the pedal down to get out of my way and to keep the other car from running up his ass. If the idiot would have waited for about 5 seconds, he would've had all the time in the world. But there's that "window of opportunity"... and some of them will go for it even if the window is too tiny. That's why when it happens, it's usually totally unexpected. Smart and respectful people will err on the side of caution. I've always tried to be a defensive driver. But I drove a semi truck for a while. I learned to assume the worst that could possibly happen in any given circumstances on the road. And to act accordingly. Be acutely aware and take precautions. I saw this guy coming because the corn out here isn't too tall yet. But in another couple of weeks, his stupid decisions could cause some trouble.
I think people are just more distracted and in more of a hurry now, and don't give any thought to other people around them.
That and add giant pillars to newer cars it makes it a lot harder to see Sent from my moto z4 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I don't think distracted drivers are any thing new. First accident I was involved in, the guy ran into the back of me. Stopped at a stop sign. Had been while several cars passed by on the cross road. His first words " didn't see you". This was in 1952. I was driving a 1940 Chevrolet, he a 1948 Oldsmobile. Ben
I think they do see you, they just don’t want to be behind you, like you’re so in their way. They have somewhere to go and you’re farting around in a specialty vehicle. I’ve been cutten along at the speed limit or better with no one behind me and what do they do, pull out in front of me while I’m locking up the drum brakes to not rear end the stupi.
What pisses me off is that around me nobody seems to get ticketed for using their phone and drivers don't even try to hide it anymore.
Same problems here, but as of Monday use of cell phones while driving became illegal, might help a little
It's not just phones.....have you seen the displays in some of the newer cars? All touchscreen, climate, radio, GPS, gauges. No wonder they are distracted, you might have to go through 4 or 5 menus just to turn the damn radio down! Rickybop is right, drive a semi truck for a while and you'll really see stupid. Everybody wants to get ahead of the big truck, even if we're doing 80 MPH!
I was sitting at a traffic light in the family car. Had been there for about 30 or 40 seconds when I hear a car in the other lane blowing his horn. Couldn't figure out why .then a feel a guy run into the back of me. I get out to see what the hell happened and the guy is hunched over the steering wheel. I thought maybe he had a heart attack. Here he was texting he didn't even realize he hit me. Not only do you have to watch out in front of you left and right now you have to watch out behind you. Now I try to make sure I leave a car length or more in front of me at a light . These people don't seem to have enough Sense to get off the road if ther going to text on the phone. I guess common sense isn't very common these days.
There are just many more cars and drivers on the roads today than there were just a couple of years ago. You used to see one car in the driveway and now you go by that same driveway a few years later and now there are four cars. The thing is with the increase in the volume of traffic, they are not all going to be good drivers. You have to really watch what you are doing at all times!! Here in Ontario Canada you have to drive 100 km per hour on the highways and that is the speed everyone drives at. The posted speed limit is 80 km per hour on most highways. The police do absolutely nothing about the extra 20 km per hour speed everyone is travelling at. Just try going 80 km per hour and see what happens. Major tailgating, people try almost anything to try and get by you, people pulling out in front of you, no turn signals when turning and of course those dreaded cell phones. All this and this is just in my daily driver. When I am out in my 1929 coupe you can magnify everything ten times over of the potential bad things that could happen, when people are driving around you. My engine has a lot of chrome and polish, and people gawk at the car. I get deliberate tailgating, sometimes for miles on end, people deliberately pull out in front of you because they assume that because the car is old, it also must be slow, and of course there are those cell phones. Texting while driving is common; you see a car cross over the center line coming right at you and then pull back into their right lane just before they meet you. If you are in a hot rod you have to really watch out for other drivers. Our cars are very different than what most people are used to and you just have to drive very defensively and expect just about anything to possibly happen.
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