December 2009 Archives

I frequently move into the left lane on the freeway when passing a vehicle on the shoulder, but not always.

But after reading this post by a reader of the South Bend Tribune, I think I will always move over in the future. He moved over to the left lane to make room for a semi on the shoulder:

"Just about the time I was passing, the driver exited his cab. He apparently hooked his foot on a step and fell backward right into the right lane of traffic. I did look back to see him immediately get up ... If I had not moved to the left lane, there is no question I would have struck and killed him."

His post gets preachy after that. But I get the point.

You just never know.

 

This morning, while reviewing this week's Vanity Shots, we decided to add a little something ...

 

... which inspired me to add a little something more ...




... and add a little something more ...

MDOT has sent an email announcing that the rest area on northbound I-196 is closed until further notice.

No reason given.

The Internet source of this video doesn't give a location, but the person who posted it kept comments short: "Trains usually win."


Train Destroys Truck Stuck on Tracks - Watch more Funny Videos

And then there's this school bus crash in Ohio ....
 

Science says rule-breakers on the road prevent traffic jams instead of cause them.

I am one who believes surgers (drivers who stay in a lane as long as possible until they absolutely must move over, forcing other drivers to let them in) cause backups approaching lane closures. If we all were "mergers" and got into one lane in an organized fashion, backups would be reduced. They would not be eliminated, because lane closures require traffic to decrease speed, something that will never occur in an organized way. There is no way to get all drivers to slow down at the same rate at the same time.

Now I find that physicists believe rule breakers help traffic, not hurt it.

According to their research, optimal traffic conditions exist when an astonishing 40 percent of drivers are breaking the rules!

The research was not done in traffic, however. Their conclusions are based on research using pedestrians, not cars. But a noted auto traffic expert buys into the conclusion, with a notable exception: he says tailgating is a disaster in the making. If the lead vehicle slows down and the following vehicles don't have adequate distance between them, the reaction time of the drivers (about one second) accumulates and leads to a wreck.

So maybe a still partially right. 

The first crash reported this morning was in Ionia. The Sheriff's Department sent out this photo of a car that took out a pole and sent a young woman to the hospital. She was injured seriously enough to be transferred to Spectrum Butterworth in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

'Nuff said.

In this video making it around YouTube, a wrecking ball hits a car. But note this text posted by our pals at Tribune:

"This video, titled 'OMG! Car Hit and Flipped By Wrecking-Ball in NYC!' is gaining traction on YouTube.com today. On first glance, it appears that nearby pedestrians caught the shocking incident on tape but a second look shows signs of a viral advertisement. Note the last audible section of the video, you can hear someone screaming 'cut' before a fade to black. The question is, could this be a viral ad for Dodge? Or is it a scene from an upcoming movie?"

Clue: a wrecking unit would not be used on an open street; the street would have been closed by the city.

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