I live in a large town with crappy drivers. People will go 70 in a 45 and cut you off or speed up to not let you merge. People run reds even if it’s been red for a few seconds. I don’t mind speeding 5-7 over but I typically don’t go 7 over the speed limit on the freeway.
I was driving home a few days ago and the light at an intersection was green. As I was approaching the intersection a white truck with a huge trailer makes a turn onto the street from the wrong turn lane. Whatever, it happens all the time. I’m now in the intersection and the truck with the trailer has passed enough of a distance I don’t worry about it. I’m in the right lane. All of a sudden a red jeep decides to turn right on red into me. I see him before he slams it into me and I honk. A long honk. I slam my breaks and I honk again. He starts to roll forward. I honk, he pauses, and I drive around him. Am I the asshole to honking too much? I’ve heard that here honking/flashing brights when someone else’s lights are off to let the know as well or to tell they they are being an ass makes you a target for gang violence. I’m in an area that historically has been run by the mob. But I feel like if I didn’t honk I would currently be injured and without a way to get to work.
My car is bright orange, I don’t understand why no one can see me.
I’ll say NTA because you shouldn’t be blamed for other people’s terrible driving. Was it necessary to honk as much as you had? Maybe not. But if the jeep driver was turning right on red when the intersection wasn’t clear for them, then you had the right to be upset.
First and foremost NTA. You will never be T A for avoiding an accident and you will never be T A for exercising right of way.
That said, it’s important to choose which hills to die on. Obviously don’t run reds or turn into people, but as for speed, drive to your conditions. I don’t know if you’re referring to mph or kmph, so I don’t know the severity of the speeding, but I will say this. Coming from a state where the norm is to go 15mph over on the highway, people going less than that need to either stay in the right lane or speed up. Disrupting the natural flow of traffic will be more dangerous than speeding in those scenarios, so just keep that in mind.
Absolutely NOT.. as a LEO family–No matter what some civilian tells you–Speeding is *Never* Legal!!
Hello Midwesterner.
Say that louder then for the NJ cops who watch as everyone goes 100 in a 65. Not that I ever go that speed nor live in NJ, but I stay tf out of the left lane while I’m there.
Get a dash cam. It sounds like you need one in this town. NTA
I have one but it fell so I haven’t put it back up. I ordered new adhesives but my dad moved my dash cam a bit ago and he doesn’t remember where it is lol so I want to get it reinstalled by the end of the week if not tomorrow if I can find it. I had another close call during lunch today
NTA, honking to prevent a collision is obviously fine. Honking afterwards “to tell them they are being an ass” in unproductive and I guess could be dangerous where you’re from, so no reason to do that. Bad drivers gonna bad drive, treat other drivers like NPCs and give yourself margins to react to other people’s dumb moves
As someone who occasionally honks in bad/aggressive driver situations, there’s nothing wrong with using your horn- that’s why it’s there. However, you also have to be mindful that the world is full of ALL kinds of people, most of whom drive cars. Last time I honked at someone for nearly swerving into me, they followed my car and started throwing things at my car. It was scary. People don’t like getting honked at- plain and simple. The way someone is going to react to that is a gamble I typically choose not to take anymore. I think the whole “gang violence” thing is a scare tactic- but there are scary people on the road, looking for someone to take their anger out on. Safe travels!
nta. if someone turns into you the horn is basically the only tool you have left in that moment. better a few honks than a crash.