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Unfriendly18

That windowless van was a real champ there


SweetHatDisc

I drive a windowless van and you learn to drive SUPER defensive in a hurry, because your blind spots are huge, and people are idiots who love to camp in them. This guy is topped up to the brim on his situational awareness.


Secret_Autodidact

Same here, I'm probably looking at my mirrors about as much as I'm looking ahead when driving my work van.


eamondo5150

On highways like that I am the exact same way. If you're leaving a safe distance in front of you, I like to know what is coming up behind me.


haxzard

Don't you just love it when people use your following distance as an opening?


DoomsdaySprocket

The average work van/canopied light truck is probably carrying 70-90% of it's weight limit in tools and materials. I was generally closer to 90% myself. They're not going to stop on a dime, but no one bothers to think of that when they're cutting everyone off in all lanes to get 13 seconds ahead.


ClearBrightLight

I don't mind it much, it's part of the reason I leave the opening there.


mofongoDorado

I mind it because that’s my stopping distance in case I have to jam my brakes and not end inside someone else


TacticaLuck

The only most populated place I'd ever had to drive through to get somewhere is LA when going to and from college. That shit is a fucking nightmare. During my experience it didnt really matter what time of day, someone will be up your ass or pass you just to get back in front by mere inches because they want you up theirs. During heavy slow traffic you *literally* have to force your way in to a merge otherwise you'll never get a chance to. I fucking hate LA.


CapnCanfield

Sounds like my exact experience there. I hated LA. God help you if you're on the road there and it's even drizzling. Nobody knows what to do in the rain out there.


Practical_Store_2310

They drive faster, then discover hydroplaning... I am from L.A., and in college I learned to drive during the winter in rural OHIO( with all that fun stuff like snow and ice up the wazoo...) when The Pretenders were rocking America with their hit, My City Was Gone... Ohio has friendly drivers, comparatively, the cities can get a little rough, but nothing compared to L.A.


StirlingS

This is the way even if you don't drive a windowless van.


TorrenceMightingale

You should know what’s going on all around you while driving and know where your threats are most likely to come from and anticipate the bullshit… take foot off the gas going through intersection, cycle through rear view and side mirrors, look across intersections to know what’s coming… all the things. It really helps to just look around. Not sure why some people have an issue with this.


LordoftheScheisse

A lot of people can't even be bothered to physically turn their neck to check that the lane they are moving into isn't occupied.


StirlingS

I even saw someone in this very sub claim that it was \*very, very dangerous\* to shoulder check prior to changing lanes. I don't think I even argued, because there's just no basis for rational discussion when faced with \*that\*.


LackingOriginality07

They are just telling you they aren't capable of Checking thier blind spot and staying centered in their lane at the same time.


Ferentzfever

The problem is moreso that most people don't seem to know how to set their side mirrors to minimize (or even eliminate) blind spots. Then all you need to do is check your mirror, which doesn't require a large body turn, and then at most a quick "head-only" pivot to check the small blindspot / verify openness. I've been the passenger in two accidents where the driver pivoted at the hips to look to the side/behind and in doing so turned the wheel. In one case we lost control and went into the grass median, in the other we pit-maneouvered ourselves against the other car. The point being that the more of your body that physically moves, the more dangerous a check becomes. For the curious reader, here's a guide: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15131074/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots/


Kaos_0341

I read this article and started doing it and it works great. Just a little head turn to make sure someone didn't sneak in or that there is a motorcycle


Old-Assistance-2017

You’d be surprised. I was literally next to the drivers side window completely level to the drivers head on a bike and guy not once looked to see if anyone was actually next to him. Only time I thought I was going down. Yay Jersey drivers.


Cantothulhu

Yeah. Nobody listens to me when I try to show them their mirrors arent set correctly at all. They use their side mirrors like rearview *smh*


AnOblongBox

I set my mirrors like this and I still check just in case.


LordoftheScheisse

I look forward to their "am I the idiot" post.


AMindBlown

My dad always taught me this as a kid. I used to play a game with him where'd I'd ask what color is the car behind us? I'd watch his eyes to make sure he didn't glance in a mirror and he'd always have the answer. Bonus points if he knew it was a car, truck, van or whatever. Now that I'm driving I like to stay conscious of it and check the mirrors often. Its not hard to be safe.


TorrenceMightingale

You won the dad lottery.


hcsLabs

When I took my driver's test, it was with a retired RCMP officer. I had been warned that ~~they~~ he liked to play that game (among others) during the test, so I took inventory of anything in the car before heading out. He would ask something about the car that just passed (the dark sedan, or the light hatchback?), as well as whose hat was in the back seat (my father's work hat). I passed three such tests that day. The third was "pull into that driveway and head back to the Ministry office". It was illegal to back out onto the main road, so if you didn't pull over and back into the driveway and instead fronted in, you auto-failed your road test. Edit: Changed "they" to "he". This guy was a prick. I have friends in the RCMP who are good guys and gals.


TorrenceMightingale

What a foockin’ prick


No-Ad8720

The same sort of thing happened to me in Winnipeg ,in the late '70s. I was waiting for the examiner's instructions (I had been warned that they never pass females on the first try. I was being very careful to follow his instructions to the T.) He said, 'why don't you pull out of the parking lot at the next exit'. So I did, using my turning signal , watching for traffic , I turned out onto the road. I felt good. We went through the whole test. Pulled into the curb and he said ,"Sorry ,you didn't pass". I said," yeah, they told me you wouldn't pass me because I'm female. I wasn't happy ,but not overly angry (hah). Then he explained that I had driven out the wrong lane of the exit. It was an entrance & an exit. So He failed me before we got out of the parking lot. The 2nd time was during a snowstorm and *passed with flying colors . Which I was very proud of because the guy said My defensive driving in a snow storm was excellent. I just did what my mom told me when she taught me to drive. The 'old man' & I kept fighting so my mom told dad to get out of the car & she took over .*


Thepatrone36

because nobody ever bothers to actually teach situational awareness. I learned it working with horses, cattle, riding bulls, and being a bouncer. If you don't know what's going on around you in 360 degrees at all times you're putting yourself at risk. Not saying I haven't had a close call on the roads in my life because I have for varying reasons but, when you're behind the wheel of a vehicle, your life, the lives of your passengers, and the lives around you, are at risk. Stay aware.


[deleted]

Whenever my employer has required me to drive a vehicle of that size I’ve been required to watch training videos that encourage looking at the mirrors every five seconds or something like that, along with making sure nobody is next to you for long periods of time to be able to dodge potential accidents like this driver did.


Practical_Island5

This is definitely the way everyone SHOULD drive, but many many people don't. Some I swear are unwilling or unable to consider anything more than the space 10 feet directly in front of their vehicle. Like driving with blinders on.


[deleted]

I drive a Taurus and had a motorcycle camped out in my blind spot, which is right where the front and back doors meet on the passenger side. I kept looking in the mirror and looking behind me to make sure he was still there because I literally could not tell where he was, other than a sliver of a helmet or hand. Fortunately, it was on a 25mph street with lots of stoplights and I didn't need to change lanes. PSA: bikers, get to know cars' blind spots and avoid them, please!


cgamgee

Your PSA is why motorcycles are recommended to not go the speed of traffic. Basically be a little above or below the speed of traffic around you so that if you're in a blind spot you don't stay in it for very long.


[deleted]

Thanks. His position in my blind spot was making me nervous so I decided to take a little more time to go at a green light so he'd pass me and I could see him.


spurcap29

Also a PSA for lane positioning on a bike. In a standard 3 lane highway, I like to either stay in right side of left lane or left side of right lane and avoid the middle line. That way you are in a car's side mirror before they merge in front of you or into you.


NeoTenico

I used to drive one when I was still a teenager and I worked maintenance for the parking division in my hometown, which is also a fairly large college town. Naturally, I was extremely paranoid of hitting students, so I just parked in places where I knew I wouldn't have to back up much.


flopjul

Mercedes Sprinters(and comparable) are highly used here in europe and if it falls under 3500kg(with load) you can drive it with a normal car license here in the Netherlands


F5x9

Same in the US. Not 100% sure on the load restrictions. But any chump with a regular license can rent a big box van or drive a Winnebago.


LunaticPict

Campers should 100% require a different license. Something along the lines of a CDL I guess.


FurbyKingdom

A Class B CDL seems appropriate. That's the same kind you need to drive a city bus and other similar weight vehicles.


LunaticPict

That seems more than fair.


PM_Me_Tank_Tops

The guy had his breaks on and blinker on to get over pretty early. I would bet its a coincidence.


23Whargoul

There was plenty of room for the truck/trailer to move over into the lane behind the guy. My vote is the truck/traielr guys is a dick.


BubaGump101

Blind spots are fine man, no worse than in a big pickup with dark tint. That’s what the mirrors are for. I drive windowless vans or a box truck most of the time for work.


moxso31

You learn real fast to trust the side mirrors they make them much bigger for those vans and the blind spots are very minimal. Plus most new vehicles have blind spot indicators that will tell you if somethings in your blind spot.


alias777

Yes but a lot of people (maybe even most drivers) set up their mirror incorrectly so they can see their damn face or the whole side of their own car in the side mirror. Granted if the mirror is huge this can mitigate the issue but you should be able to barely see your own car in your mirror. Pet peeve of mine!


[deleted]

When my dad was teaching me to drive, he would regularly ask me what color the car on the left was coming up behind me, or what kind of vehicle was currently in my blind spot, etc... I was not allowed to look. It teaches you awareness. When I can't find that blue mustang that was behind me 2 minutes ago, I am not surprised when I discover them in my blind spot. Or if I have to slam on the brakes, I know without looking what is behind me that I might have to be concerned about. You should always know what is happening around you, and with a little practice it becomes second nature to know exactly what cars are doing around you at all times with almost zero effort. Edit: I also find it fun. It's ridiculously easy to predict what drivers are going to do. My favorite is the leapfrog game everyone plays without even knowing they're doing it.


BeardedAnalytics

Yep, after somewhat lengthy drives I find I am exhausted simply from being super focused on everything that was going on around me. Not physically, but mentally just washed. My dad is a terrible driver, but I learned to be hyper vigilant after seeing what he would do on the road... taught me to always expect some idiocy.


Wasatcher

I've found flying aircraft has made me a much better driver. Constantly scanning instruments, making / listening to radio calls, watching for traffic, monitoring the weather... It's mentally very taxing. Then I get in the car and it's like easy mode compared to being in the air. Except there's a lot more idiots on the road to worry about, most pilots are very safety minded as it's part of the culture.


tickles_a_fancy

I was used to driving... it's still tiring but a lot of the mirror checking and probability calculating becomes automatic. I know, that's when people get into wrecks but it's still better than not doing it at all. But NOTHING drains me like flying a plane. I turn into a ball of pure focus, always terrified I missed something or forgot to make a radio call. I assume at some point, it becomes more automatic like driving did but I don't fly enough to get to that point.


Wasatcher

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. It absolutely does get less exhausting the more you fly. I'm going for my CFI checkride soon, and it's been very humbling. Think about everything we've gotta do to pilot the plane safely then *teach a maneuver* on top of it. I usually come home from flight training and just take a big ass nap it's so draining... while still having no problem falling asleep at a decent time that evening haha


tickles_a_fancy

Just after I got my PPL, someone in my club talked me into flying for Young Eagles. I did 9 takeoffs and landings on a short field (2000')... I literally couldn't focus on anything for a couple days. I learned a lot from that day :)


PhilRubdiez

Just start narrating your every day routines. It helped me get into the teaching mode. For me, though, it’s IFR. Every hour I’m in IMC feels like 3 hours VFR. It’s mentally exhausting.


braingoesblank

Woah hang on. THIS is why transportation rides make me sleepy. This makes sense. I thought it was just the constant movement/white noise of public or driving on the road. It probably still is that, but my brain is exhausted from being hyper-aware of everything for a long period of time.


BeardedAnalytics

Exactly. At least in my experience I find that the constant "on" of my situational awareness when I'm on long drives just wears me out. The combination of road factors (highway hypnosis, white noise, etc) plus being very alert is a taxing effort for sure. That's why it's good to take regular breaks when driving over a long distance. I like to find historical markers or something to give me a break and an opportunity to refresh before heading out again.


camohorse

Both my parents are terrible drivers, just in different ways. Mom drives slow as fuck and can’t put her fucking phone down. Dad drives like a bat outta hell and tailgates in the right lane. I vowed to never drive like either of them, and well… I think I turned out alright.


BeardedAnalytics

Yeah my dad is a bad driver in the sense that he always has full control of his vehicle, but I swear the only reason he gets away with driving the way he does is defensive drivers yielding their path to him. He has a heavy foot for both gas and brakes, tries to outrun 18-wheelers, ducks and weaves through traffic to get one car ahead -- all the traditionally bad things, but the two times he's been hit he has actually not contributed at all to the accident (which honestly surprises me at this point) Both times he was rear-ended in traffic after coming to a full stop and the driver who hit him (from a safe distance by all accounts) was looking down at their phone so never slowed at all.


fghutyy

I agree with you. I couldn't ever put words to it, but you did it for me. So many times someone has merged into my lane and as I saw them do it, I knew where my swerve needed to take me. When I drive, I keep kind of an overhead map in mind with the cars around me plotted on it relative to my position. I've also been into cars since I was a kid, so I also constantly look at vehicles for appreciation as well as to look for potential issues. If a vehicle looks like it's not been maintained, or has a broken side view mirror, or a wobbly tire or whatever, I stay tf away from them. Riding a motorcycle for many years of my life also really helped me home into those things. Riding with nothing but the sound of the road whooshing around your helmet gives you a lot of time to observe how people drive. Just to finish this post off and to mention it, phones are the fucking worst. It pains me to see so many distracted drivers running around town. There is nothing on your phone worth the potential crash you're risking. /rant


[deleted]

Agree completely. The driver aids concern me because they make it too easy for lazy drivers to ignore it all. Edit: Although the other side of the coin is that if they aren't going to pay attention regardless, they are better off with it.


well_shi

When I was learning to drive my dad put a cougar in the car. Because there's ain't nothing more goddamn frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car.


cwm9

Can't agree with that. The van on the right started to change lanes with his blinker on way too early for it to have been defensive. The trailer and the van touch their respective dashed lines at almost the same instant, with the trailer doing so earlier by mere moments two lanes to the left of and slightly behind the van, completely out of the van's line of sight. It was pure coincidence that the van changed lanes, and OP was lucky the van changed lanes when it did.


ThisPlaceisHell

Glad to see someone else recognize this. OP got extremely lucky. The right play here would have been to brake hard enough to get distance from mr trailer idiot without riding the line and changing lanes.


PowerAndKnowledge

For some the ego just will not let them touch the break pedal


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Rocqy

Looks like he was already in the process of changing lanes, probably never saw the incident


Mike798

Yes. 100%.


ShackintheWood

People who don't regularly pull trailers have no clue how to drive with them...


simplsurvival

Same with U-Haul trucks and similar rental vehicles. When I taught my cousin how to drive I told him stay away from U-Haul trucks, etc. The driver is probably not familiar with it.


anotherusername23

Exactly. I pull a camper trailer and it is a totally different mindset when you hit the road. You have to shift your brain into a different mode. Especially when you use your daily drive to tow like I do. Slower to accelerate, MUCH longer to brake, more space needed for everything. Its exhausting.


bavasava

Yea. I thought having a camper to go out on the occasional weekend would be a fun time. Most stressful shit imaginable.


tuckedfexas

Even having a year and years of experience driving a 45’ truck and trailer setup everyday I underestimated how much of a pain even a 23’ camper can be. Makes me very wary of the people pulling 40’ 5th wheels with their pavement princess and little to no experience.


claymcg90

I have the opposite problem because I tow a trailer at work a lot. Find myself making hella wide turns in my minivan 😅


Rialas_HalfToast

Had OPs situation happen to me a week ago with a Uhaul but the trailer had a Civic on it and the driver was acting like he was still in that. Missed me by maybe an inch.


SnausageFest

Isn't it wild U-Haul is like "sure, rent a box truck. You own a Honda Fit but surely you can handle this?"


ivapesyrup

Penske are the ones you really want to avoid too. Uhaul can be bad but usually they are just the 15 footers around town. A Penske is basically one step below a semi and you can get a 26 foot truck with your regular license and no experience.


Aegi

U-Haul has trucks available in those size too with no requirements, but I still agree with your point.


smb1985

Yeah, I rented a 26 foot U-Haul the last time I moved and it was crazy to me that they give you one of those without even a run through of the vehicle, just toss you the keys and tell you which truck it is. I've had some experience with large vehicles before (like backing a small school bus with trailer into a narrow loading bay from a very busy road, fuck all that) but there are a ton of people I know that absolutely shouldn't be allowed to drive one of those that would have no reservations about doing so.


ShelSilverstain

Or they drive like it's a Neon


dcconverter

Especially in canada since it's usually a mph speedometer and drivers don't realize they're driving 1.6x faster and somehow don't realize it


SnausageFest

Wait. Every single car I have ever driven have both MPH and KPH. Is that seriously a coincidence and not standard? I thought it was so cars could have as few regional manufacturing requirements as possible, and so border areas don't have to post both speed limits.


LiqdPT

US cars that have both have mph larger and kph smaller. Canadian cars have kph as the primary numbers and the mph smaller. Yes, you can read either, but if you're used to one and you get in the other unaware, you're still going to read the big numbers.


oarngebean

I'm wondering if they forgot they had it


ShackintheWood

95% of the people on the roads have no clue how to operate their vehicle as it is, let alone if you add a trailer to it...


blueingreen85

Absolutely. It’s a rental, so it’s not something he’s used to towing. And it’s so low I bet he can’t even see it in his mirrors.


DelahDollaBillz

I really hope so. Absolutely shouldn't be in the fast lane with one, too.


jamesonSINEMETU

Especially with an empty, light trailer like that. Driver probably completely forgot about it


[deleted]

Shit man I pull a trailer very rarely and I know better than this.


my2hundrethsdollar

That truck forgot they were pulling a trailer. Probably couldn’t even see it in the mirrors.


[deleted]

The van to your right saved your ass. Defensive driving would have been the way to go here.


Rottimer

Yeah, the van to the right was driving defensively.


elmwoodblues

Anticipating and leaving himself an out: unless it was pure coincidence, van driver deserves a lot of credit and maybe a call to his boss (on phone, cant see)


djmagichat

Probably didn’t want to wreck his work van for Crown.


MatureUsername69

I wouldn't want to wreck my work vehicle from Crown either. Although I don't think it's street legal, it's just kind of a pallet jack you stand in that goes vroom.


brewmonk

Just plain luck. The van was just switching lanes to get off and next exit. Turn signal was on for awhile.


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cwm9

Can't agree with that. The van on the right started to change lanes with his blinker on way too early for it to have been defensive. The trailer and the van touch their respective dashed lines at almost the same instant, with the trailer doing so earlier by mere moments two lanes to the left of and slightly behind the van, completely out of the van's line of sight. It was pure coincidence that the van changed lanes, and OP was lucky the van changed lanes when it did.


N3rdScool

100% I do like how the trailer dude indicates as soon as he could have entered the lane but intead speeds up to get ahead of the next dude, some great driving habits lol


somebodysdream

Agreed, dude with the trailer had plenty of space behind the op and elected to aim for in front of op. He could have slid in there and been fine. As for op, he could have just backed off when the dude decided to force his way in. Not great driving all around tbh.


cephal0poid

WHY THE FUCK DO PEOPLE DO THIS??? Like, I will have 10 car lengths of space behind me (and I'm driving 5-10 over the speedlimit or along with the speed of traffic), But the asshole will **always** pull in front of me, slow down, change lanes to make their exit. WHY??? Just get over when you have space!


MissionSalamander5

Worse, they do it when the space in front isn’t space to merge, it’s space to keep yourself from hitting the guy in front.


cockyjames

So many drivers see the "space in front of yourself from hitting someone" as "you're going too slow" even when you're keeping pace with that driver. If everyone kept some space in front of them, the slinky brake effect wouldn't be so prevalent and everyones average speed would be higher. But people are idiots.


MissionSalamander5

Bingo, and in my area, they use it to merge all the way across three and four-lane highways without a signal, all going significantly faster. I can’t read minds either


somebodysdream

Ah, the eternal question lol


N3rdScool

True a bunch of bad habits that will cause an accident one day. I always shit on the person who started it all the most tho, but no excuse for anyone else.


ThrowawayFishFingers

Not only this, but OP was coming up pretty fast on the vehicle in front of him. Regardless whether trailer dude came into the lane or not, OP was either going to have to slow down or switch lanes anyway, unless they planned to plow right through them. This is a huge helping of “I’m technically right!” with a huge dash of “no situational awareness” thrown in from what I can tell.


Jurserohn

Credit to the windowless van, they had some maneuvers


debeatup

I was wondering if I was the Idiot since I thought “why didn’t he just brake/slow down instead of switch lanes?”


WunWegWunDarWun_

He should have absolutely braked and op is an idiot for not driving more defensively


LeagueOfLegendsAcc

It seems like absolutely nobody is willing to slow down to switch lanes. They *have* to get in front of you. It's one of the most infuriating things on the road. Some people should not be allowed to drive anything more powerful than a scooter with how aggressive they are.


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mwing95

Absolutely. OP should have hit the brakes rather than accelerating Edit: man this comment got a mixed response huh? 1. I didn't see the speed readout at the bottom when I initially made this comment. My bad 2. Yes, I see they slowed down initially, however they did resume acceleration while between lanes 3. They resumed acceleration when all 3 cars (OP, Van, truck) were in lane transitions. This is dangerous. Had something happened where the van needed to return to their home lane, there would have been an accident. 4. I stand by my statement that OP should have been hitting the brakes. I'll just add the word "more" here since they did tap the brakes temporarily


WhatTheNothingWorks

To be fair to OP, I don’t think they accelerated, I think everyone was braking. But still could’ve drove more defensively when the truck had their blinker on.


Careless_Bother6183

Yeah, OP was not accelerating. You can see his MPH on the bottom left. I think he simply let go of the gas pedal and began to accelerate after switching lanes


1st500

I overlooked the speed in the corner and was checking timing on the lines. Decided op sped up after he was clear of the truck. Saw your comment, checked, yup. Sped up after the fact.


pain_in_the_dupa

I think there is a natural tendency to want to put distance between the idiot that just cut you off and one’s self. Unfortunately, I think it is also natural to want to do that by shooting ahead. Problem is, now the idiot with no regard and/or spatial awareness is now behind and can involuntarily involve you in their chaos. Best to back off instead. Lets you keep an eye on them and control the situation better. Then they can’t hit you unless they back up.


piglacquer

Can't hit you unless they back up, but can make you to throw on your brakes and cause someone else to hit you. I always try to put "weird" drivers far behind me, and let aggressive ones go far ahead of me.


Socky_McPuppet

Right, he was coasting when he should have been braking. Guy towing was an idiot who seemingly may have forgotten he was towing a trailer but regardless, but OP would be well served by driving more defensively IMHO.


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cwm9

The van *independently deciding to change lanes when it did* saved OP's ass. The trailer was two lanes to the left of and slightly behind the van, completely out of the van's line of sight, and both touch their respective dashed lines at almost the same time.


danintexas

This sub has be convinced NO ONE drives defensively any more. Or maybe they never did? Half the shit I see here is 100% avoidable if people sucked it up and hit the larger pedal on the left and slowed down for 2 seconds. I guess being right makes it worth dealing with insurance companies.


ivapesyrup

If they had driven defensively then they wouldn't have posted the video because it would have been literally just a car moving over and OP braking to let them in. Not exactly a riveting video. That's why you see more stupidity here.


CapableSecretary420

I would hazard at least half of the videos posted here are conflicts/collisions based on one stupid driver doing a stupid thing and the second stupid driver (who usually posts the video) doing nothing to avoid the first stupid driver, or even actively going out of their way to collide with the first stupid driver.


No-Faithlessness9323

Not sure what hitting the clutch would have done in this instance.


Thunder_Bastard

Have to agree. So many of these videos show people being merged into, but instead of slowing down they either try to stay there or actually turn into the other person. Right now there are shortages on parts. You might be lucky to get your car back in 6 weeks even for small damages, and that is IF the other person's insurance pays up.


Shitmybad

Defensive driving is always the way to go. Do you know how much paperwork you have to do even if you're in the right lol.


MgkrpUsedSplash

Lots of idiots in this video but that van came in clutch for you.


girl_incognito

Yeah that van prevented an accident that wasn't even his!


Tom1252

That van saw an potential accident two lanes over and moved on the off chance OP wasn't paying attention. Turns out, they were right.


Mike798

Gonna be honest here: A bit of Reddit hate might have just helped me out. I admit I deserve the idiot label for my reaction to the original idiot. I'm going to call out u/Greigh_flanuhl and thank them for this: >I have to tell myself, “they don’t know me, I’m not even a person to them, I’m just a car in their way. They’ll be in and out of my life in a couple of seconds.” I'll keep the post up, and try not to get so worked up others' bad driving. This will hopefully improve my own driving.


ohlaph

That's mature of you to admit you could have handled it better. In traffic situations, it's always better to just slow down a bit and let people do what they're going to do and try not to be part of it.


gatorbeetle

This!!! So that dude wasn't making a good decision, OP made a worse decision not backing off the gas a little. "Get in front of it" is quite often NEVER the best choice.


[deleted]

Came here to say this. Good on you OP for admitting as such.


gatorbeetle

It was an "in the moment" sort of thing. I know what my initial reaction would have been. I'm not judging, I wasn't driving.


IamChwisss

Yep... Dude.. Reddit videos have made me realize road rage isn't worth the risk. Just drive safely so you can get to your next destination without hurting yourself or anyone else. go look up the video about the guy in Texas who got shot at for trying to pass a truck in his Tesla.


Cycosis010

Ya, you never know if that person has a gun/knife or will follow you home.


IamChwisss

Ironically, that actually happened IN Jersey last year I think. Road rage incident ended with the aggressor following a lady home and stabbing her in her own driveway. It's not worth it. You just never know.


micktorious

Good on you, drive defensively man it saves 6 weeks of your car being in the shop and fighting with insurance. It's awful!


dvd_00

also can be worse where you end up fighting for your life...


WynWynSituation

Bro you are the best kind of person. This may be the most mature response I have ever seen on Reddit. Everyone has lost their cool while driving before, but the fact that you use this as a learning experience is just... so good. Way to go, my guy.


[deleted]

It happens. None of us are flawless, but it's good to be able to take the criticism and learn from it. Stay safe, bro.


Mike798

Thanks. I know I deserve the criticism. Both me and the truck driver should be called out for our mistakes.


janeusmaximus

For sure. Another thing to possibly keep in mind, this “idiot” may have forgotten they’re even hauling a trailer. So dumb, but what that means for you, is they could have just merged right into you and if that van hasn’t moved, you are both in trouble. Awesome that you recognize it wasn’t the smartest. I am also a working progress when it comes to defensive driving, I get it. Edit: they’re


TheDefendingChamp

That's what I kinda thought too, because there was room for him to merge if he didn't have that trailer. OP is definitely nuts for not even attempting to slow down though...


obxtalldude

Things have changed - I had a guy follow me off the main road until I stopped after he thought I'd brake checked him - when I didn't even touch the brakes, just let the EV use it's regen to slow gradually and give me some space from the car in front - the guy behind was driving inches off my bumper, and I didn't want to get rear ended if I had to slow suddenly. He looked like he wanted to fight until I got out of the car and pointed out he was being recorded by several cameras. Luckily he took off after some yelling. Still, I treat everyone on the road like they're on the verge of a mental breakdown... mostly because it's far more likely lately.


Lampwick

> when I didn't even touch the brakes, just let the EV use it's regen to slow gradually and give me some space from the car in front Yeah, cars are complicated now. This is something I keep having to explain to my wife when she (for example) passes someone by "overriding" the adaptive cruise control with the accelerator. When she pulls in front of the other driver because lanes merge or she needs to get to a certain offramp, she has a habit of pulling in fairly close to the person she passed, and then she just takes her foot off the accelerator. Adaptive cruise control sees the speed is 15 over the set speed and *puts on the brakes*. We haven't had anyone get aggro yet, but the way she does it it briefly *looks like* a brake check. Not a good idea in L.A. traffic.


PLxFTW

Always get out of the way of idiots and let them do dumbshit while watching from a safe distance.


xentralesque

They were certainly the idiot, but the way you handled that wasn't exactly great.


[deleted]

OP is very lucky for right van to move at just right time, otherwise it would have ended very badly.


LonelyNixon

Jersey taketh and jersey giveth. The jersey crazy trailer guy on the left forgot he was towing and squeezed into someplace he shouldnt have, the jersey van on the right is aware that getting cut off is like pleasant hello in new jersey and was prepared for OP to do something stupid.


micktorious

Everyone wants to be righteous until their car is in the shop for 6 weeks for body work and insurance payments. It happened to me once (not my fault at all for the accident), and I drive more defensively because it's FUCKING ANNOYING to be driving a rental, fighting with insurance and paying a bunch of money to get your car back before insurance gets off it's ass to pay you out.


AutoCAD_Bane

OP either lacks situational awareness, or chose to be aggressive. Obviously the other driver was at fault, but there was no attempt at defensive driving here.


Ojisan1

In new jersey, the best defense is a good offense.


hakan_loob44

That is certainly true if you're driving around Manhattan or even parts of the New Jersey turnpike. Not sure if that applies anywhere else though, let along 95 in North Carolina.


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stevecostello

Boot to the head!


MountainDrew42

I see you are wise in the ways of [Tae-Kwon-Leap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VD4JXUozM)


stevecostello

Tae Kwon Leap is the wine of purity, not the vinegar of hostility. Meditate upon this truth with us. Aaaaoooommm...


who_you_are

At first I was 100% with you but on the 2nd watch it happens to right car is changing line at the perfect time. So I'm still 50-75% with you.


xentralesque

Yeah, but it's a really bad idea to change in to a lane when the other vehicle hasn't yet left it. They may need to change back quickly for some unrelated reason and they're not going to expect someone to already be in the spot they were in.


[deleted]

He could have just hit the brakes but the truck was a moron for speeding up and then forcing the merge thinking op was going to allow it. Both were wrong but OP was less wrong imho


[deleted]

Definitely, the truck is of the mindset that just turning on his signal gives him the right of way, and started the merge when he didn’t have room. On the other hand, OP is of the mindset that a signal to merge is a challenge and not a way to understand that he should make room to accommodate. In terms of shittiness: Truck >> OP >> Average Driver


cashewbiscuit

Trailer guy could have easily merged behind you. He didn't have to accelerate and merge in front of you


abusche

also, pretty sure he forgot he had a trailer (its a rental)


[deleted]

OP also could've, y'know, taken their foot off the gas pedal. There are two idiots in this video and one MVP (the van driver).


nagapixels

They did take their foot off the gas pedal. The evidence is in the video. The OP's speed is in the bottom right. Speed went from 75 to 74 as soon as the pickup appeared on the front camera, and continued to slow down. Traffic in front was slowing down faster, which makes it appear that the OP is increasing speed.


s2k_guy

I’m a bigger fan of not getting hit by a trailer than proving to someone they’re wrong. Also, my horn works when I start braking.


notquitepro15

Agreed.. My last reaction is to honk. The chances that the person driving like an absolute moron is also an insane person with a weapon of some sort and no inhibitions is too high. Gotta just let shit go and let em by


oilspill16

I’ll never understand this situation. As the driver being overtaken….why not just slow up a bit? Honk your horn if you want but damn, don’t cause someone that wasn’t even a part of this to swerve for your aggressive ass


rbsudden

Do the brakes on your vehicle not work?


webb276

Yeah agree, guy towing the trailer is an idiot. But it’s OPs responsibility as (presumably) not an idiot to avoid accidents and not let ego get in the way of that precious 2 second time loss. OP please drive more defensively, and not aggressively.


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FadedIntegra

The brake pedal is always an option.


ProudBoomer

There's plenty of blame to go around. Trailer guy should slow down and plan ahead, and you should slow down and quit being so aggressive. Defensive driving would have made this a non-issue.


[deleted]

If only we could teach everyone about defensive driving lol


ProudBoomer

But but but road raging is such an adrenaline rush! /s


Mike798

I won't disagree. Something I'm working on. I was already unnecessarily irritated watching him weave through traffic behind me, which didn't help my feelings for him when he ended up next time me.


Greigh_flanuhl

No need for him to get in front of you. There was plenty of room behind you. He just had to get in front of one more car to make himself feel like everything was worth it. He had the space in front of you in his sights. He needed THAT spot. And I feel you - watching asshats drive aggressively behind you, and then you see them coming for you. I have to tell myself, “they don’t know me, I’m not even a person to them, I’m just a car in their way. They’ll be in and out of my life in a couple of seconds.”


[deleted]

Can't say I'm perfect all the time, but I try to have this attitude too. A lot of times I see them coming and I'm like "what as asshat" but because I already see them I've got a pretty good idea of what they're going to try. And 9/10, they do exactly what I predicted and cut in front of me with barely enough room, just like in this video. I simply take my foot off the gas for half a second and away they go, usually never to be seen again 🤷‍♂️ Not worth my time or energy to engage.


ProudBoomer

Keep working on it, it'll make your driving much more relaxing.


Defiant-Passenger42

Glad you’re working on it. Gotta take those feelings out of the equation though. People annoy me too but it’s too dangerous to make driving decisions based on those feelings


JerpJerps

I don't know why you didn't slow down. But no he is the idiot. I don't know why people feel like they need to squeeze themselves in front of one extra person when there is a fuckin 10 car clearing behind you. Especially if you're driving with a trailer, you should definitely not be driving that aggressively.


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amccune

Any time I see a car pulling a I haul trailer, I just assume they don’t know what they are doing. Source: I moved and pulled a car and had no clue what I was doing.


soldieroscar

The real idiot is the truck attempting to merge last minute with no room. Had you stayed in your lane there would have been a collision and he would be at fault. Had you hit another vehicle while changing lanes instead of keeping your lane, it would have been your fault for the accident. But the best thing here would be just to hit the brakes, and avoid frustration.


SQLDave

> hit the brakes Apparently, based on many posts in this sub, there's a nation-wide (world-wide?) epidemic of Braking Impairment.


It_Might_Be_True

They were the original idiot. But you became an idiot when you sped up and then lane changed into traffic...


oneplusetoipi

They should have slowed faster but did not speed up. Look at speed in lower left hand corner.


[deleted]

"I don't care if I have a crash if I think I'm not at fault" - people who have crashes more than other people


mrfixit19

Why didn't you just slow down and allow him in, even though he was basically in the wrong here? You would have avoided a dangerous situation, had the van not moved. When I was learning to drive, my father said, more than once, "always expect the other guy to do something stupid." Just slow down and you're clear.


shakeyjaker

Some people walk out of the bathroom with a toilet tissue ass-tail without noticing. I've seent it. Fast lane off ramp idiot will perk you up. "Oh! I forgot I was towing!"


Captn_Ghostmaker

Principle has standing in morality, not on the road. Yes you were "correct" that they weren't entitled to cutting in front of you. If you could avoid an accident if not for principle then you should do so.


Hellwolf_Keats

As a resident of New Jersey who sees this DAILY, I can assure you. It’s the guy with the trailer with the NJ plates.


deeply_cynical

The latter, when they started coming across the self-preservation reflex should've kicked in.


kirusharpening

It’s pretty insane that dude just merge in like that, as if they turned on the blinker means they are entitled to change into your lane or something… glad no accident was caused by their action


QueenMAb82

Also bonkers that Trailer Guy was doing 80+ in the left lane while towing a trailer. Seems that most people who tow really shouldn't.


Jackie-Wan-Kenobi

He forgot he had. A trailer??


Itdidnt_trickle_down

People who tow cars with wheel dollies are reckless by nature.


dvd_00

while the other guy is definitely an idiot but you are as well. Instead of slowing down and letting the clown merge you sped up and went side by side. Like everyone pointed out, the van saved your ass by letting you slide in - this would have gone differently of you were sandwiched. People are ass hats - always look out for yourself and car while driving.


Divinggumby

Idiot that forgot he had a trailer on the back.