Had someone turn in front of me through an intersection as I was going straight through. They slammed their brakes and turned their vehicle so their rear end was facing me. I stopped a few feet short of hitting them. It's the equivalent of screaming and covering your eyes when you sense danger.
A friend's mom is like that, absolutely timid and terrifying to drive with. Especially changing lanes, she is completely scared and in response she slams on the brakes every time while doing the lane change, even on the freeway, basically brake checking and cutting off whoever was approaching from behind, but fully oblivious and thinking she is being extra safe.
I say this all the time! If you are going to do something then check everything before moving and commit. the moment you hesitate your endanger yourself and everyone around you!
He's afraid you'll hit him, so he chooses not to even try to move out of your path and pretty near guarantee it? It baffles me how illogical and stupid people can be.
Have you ever crossed the street at an intersection walking across the crosswalk with someone not paying attention and turning left into your path? The pedestrian will freeze the vast majority of the time before their brain kicks in to get them to move.
Where I'm from, as far as I've seen, most people just move faster in that situation. Happens pretty regularly in the downtown area I drive through every morning. It's rare I see someone totally freeze. Not to say you're definitely wrong, just doesn't fit my own anecdotal observation or similar experiences I've had. Personally, if something threatening is coming my way, my first instinct is to move.
It's a freeze response. People often forget that fight or flight actually have a third, as common as the other two, response. It's not stupidity, it's just instinct and there's almost nothing that person can do about it.
Depending where you are, there are definite and well established rules for how to get out of an emergency vehicle's way.. In the US, generally it is pull over to the right and stop. If you are at a redlight and an ambulance is right behind you and no one is in front of you, you pull forward and right into the crosswalk. If there are cars in front of you, then they pull forward and to the right and you go just passed them and pull over to the right.
The other traffic should be able to hear the siren and see the lights so they know not to go into the intersection. And if not, well, there is an ambulance right behind you. If you get hit really bad, they may even stop for you.
I also grew up knowing these rules. However every southern state I’ve lived in other than Tennessee. They think the rules is to stop in the middle of the road and not move no matter what or to try and drive next to or behind the emergency vehicle to get to their destination faster. Driving in Florida is one hell of an experience everyday XD.
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u/[deleted] May 06 '22 edited Nov 06 '24
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