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If you live in LA, you're probably familiar with the on-ramp traffic lights that limit the number of cars entering a freeway at any given time—usually allowing one or two cars per green depending on the number of lanes. But some people don't notice these bright lights. In fact, twice in the last two months, I've nearly been hit by drivers who apparently failed to see the traffic signal. The first person was in an SUV, and the second was driving a truck.
In the latter instance, which happened today, I knew that the traffic light was on because there was a sign stating as much near the entrance of the on-ramp. There was no one in front of me, but the light was bright red and did not change to green as I drove the length of the ramp. So I began to slow down, and as I was doing so, noticed a big white truck driving up behind me. As I looked in my rear view mirror, I realized that he was actually increasing his speed as I was slowing down for the light.
Once it was clear that he wasn't going to stop, I hit the gas (thus running the red light) and narrowly avoided a collision. Two drivers who had pulled up behind us yelled and honked at him, but it wasn't apparent that he even realized what he'd done despite the cars stopped behind the light.
A few minutes later, when the adrenaline had worn off, I got to thinking about the fact that I've seen this happen twice now with larger vehicles. Are the drivers simply not paying attention? Are these lower lights harder to spot in taller vehicles? Perhaps it's gotten to the point where—for the sake of public safety—cities need to bring in environmental psychologists to evaluate and minimize driver error by adjusting light height based on ever-increasing seat elevation. True, that idea is probably a stretch, but it does make me wonder about the on-ramp accident rate. Has this happened to anyone else?
Photo (which was later cropped/lightened) by Pink_Fish13 via Flickr.
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You should've just stopped. If they hit you from the back, it's their fault.
not necessarily the best idea, though, guest #1--i got rear-ended by a truck doing the exact same thing about six months ago and he just drove off. hit and fucking run. luckily neither i nor my car was damaged much but stopping isn't, unfortunately, a guarantee.
Ya. I suppose you win some and you lose some...I'd make more of an effort to stop in high net-worth areas.
You should have followed him a bit and took his license # and reported him to CHP. He might have been drunk or high. If he showed that blatant disregard for the rules of the road I'm sure he has some outstanding tickets or violations he can be picked up on.
I drive a truck and those lights can be seen just fine. Was he in a lifted truck? off the ground several feet? That's the only way I can imagine the lights not being seen.
yeah--easier said than done when he's zoomed off and you're in a 20 year old car pulled off the highway and stopped. believe me, if i could've, i would've.
I think it was a lifted truck.
And I probably should have noted his license # but I was too shaken and didn't want to get too close after he did that!
Betcha it was one of those darn whippersnappers with one of those new fangled cell phones!
And get off my durn lawn!
But seriously, I bet the driver was distracted by a cell call or one of those group paging phones you see advertised being used by businesses. I've had a couple of near misses with trucks just in the past few weeks.
from my experiences, these people are just plain a-holes. sounds to me like the guys was either trying to ride the green light you were going through, or he was just gonna go right around you as the light turned green for you. people sure suck at driving around here.
With regard to comment #1, are you serious?? My girlfriend says that to me all the time - "it would be their fault." I don't care whose fault it is! I don't want to die, go to the hospital, total my car, etc. She was born and raised in L.A. and I wasn't, so I'm wondering, is that something they teach in drivers' ed here? If the insurance company would say it's the other person's fault, just go ahead and disregard your own safety?
BTW, this doesn't make the other driver any less of an asshole. He's a colossal asshole.