Tow truck driver hit, seriously injured on Deerfoot Trail

[AndyL]

http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2015/10/05/tow-truck-driver-hit-on-deerfoot-trail.html


Calgary police are investigating after a tow truck driver was hit by a vehicle and then taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police and EMS were called to northbound Deerfoot Trail just prior to 16 Ave NE around 7:30 p.m. Monday after reports a person had been struck on the roadway.

Upon arrival, EMS found a man in the 30s had been hit while providing roadside assistance to a broken down vehicle in the far left lane.

Apparently the man was hit, flew up onto the windshield and then fall back to the roadway.

He was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition with pelvic and lower body injuries, EMS said. The female driver of the vehicle who hit the pedestrian wasn't injured.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/cgyreefer/FB_IMG_1444141223228_zpsnsraz02g.jpg

Straight stretch of road - setting up pylons and flares? Fucking ridiculous!

You guys know CPS will blitz the 60zone passing stopped emergency vehicles now... That I'm looking forward to...

[firebane]

The sheer amount of stupidity and lack of common sense and road manners from drivers in this City is MIND boggling.

I was watching an ambulance come up behind a line of traffic at a red light and NOBODY was moving.. not one car. :banghead:

[OTown]

Surprised this doesnt happen more often. Drivers in this city are completely clueless

[civic_stylez]

Originally posted by firebane
The sheer amount of stupidity and lack of common sense and road manners from drivers in this City is MIND boggling.

I was watching an ambulance come up behind a line of traffic at a red light and NOBODY was moving.. not one car. :banghead:

Boils my blood... people in this city are completely lost. There are very few people aware of the 60 kmh when passing emergency vehicles... complete disregard for other peoples safety. Sheer arrogance.

How people don't see 10 different high power strobe lights on the side of the road shows where their attention really is and its not on the road.

[Disoblige]

It is worse in rural areas I find. Very limited experience with traffic signage/lines and courtesy in general.

You will see an ambulance or fire truck on the highway to a scene with lights flashing, and the person on the highway will not pull over to the shoulder or anything. In fact, the fire truck instead had to change lanes and pass the car going over 110 kph :facepalm:

[BavarianBeast]

Originally posted by firebane
The sheer amount of stupidity and lack of common sense and road manners from drivers in this City is MIND boggling.

I was watching an ambulance come up behind a line of traffic at a red light and NOBODY was moving.. not one car. :banghead:

Agreed.

It's horrible in the NE. I fucking hate having an office out here. I honestly wonder where the fuck half these people get their driver licenses. 90% of the people I run into up here are absolutely clueless.

[theken]

What I've noticed driving around all day for most of my adult life, people are fucking retarded, and think they are entitled to the whole road, if someone has stopping room in front of them someone will be 100% guaranteed to take that spot, usually from behind thinking they are saving time, people will speed up when your signal comes on, people will not move over and will be in the completely wrong lane when they need to make a turn coming up and will just shoot over 3-4-5 lanes to make their turn, if you are parked on the side of the road with hazards, tow truck included people will come within inches of you like you do not exist, unless you take up some of the lane, then they will come in closer. People sit within a foot of your bumper while going 100 on Deerfoot, they sit wen closer when stopped at lights.

[frizzlefry]

The 60km/h passing rule is about the only speed limit I strictly obey without fail. People are morons.

[rx7boi]

Well....at least if you ever want a new bumper and a not-at-fault claim, it'll be easy to do :D

Unless they don't have insurance, in which you are then hooped, good sir :rofl:

[CompletelyNumb]

Sad to see this happen. On a road like that though, the blocking unit should have parked half in the first lane and blocked it completely. Only way to do it safely (for the roadside assistance crew).

[rage2]

Are we sure the guy was speeding? Cuz a pedestrian hit at 100km/h would probably kill a guy instantly, and not serious but stable injuries.

I find the whole slow down in a single lane for emergency vehicles crazy. The speed differentials on a highway is ridiculous with one lane going 50 and others going 100 which really introduces even more safety issues. That being said, I don't know what could fix situations like this. Close off lane beside emergency vehicle? Slow down ALL lanes to 50?

[roopi]

Originally posted by rage2
Slow down ALL lanes to 50?

It seems to me most people don't understand this law and as soon as they see an emergency vehicle all lanes slow down. It's very rare I'll see the farthest lane still going at regular speeds when the adjacent lane slows down.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by rage2
Slow down ALL lanes to 50?

Is the extra 10 seconds to their commute really going to kill anyone? If it keeps from killing a tow truck driver or other emergency worker, isn't it worth it?

Now with that said, abrupt slowdowns on highways in general are pretty dangerous.... so whatever....

[rage2]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Is the extra 10 seconds to their commute really going to kill anyone? If it keeps from killing a tow truck driver or other emergency worker, isn't it worth it?

Now with that said, abrupt slowdowns on highways in general are pretty dangerous.... so whatever....
That's the problem, it's not the slowing down and taking more time that's an issue, it's that every single solution introduces more dangerous situations on the highway.

[gwill]

With everyone rubber necking and one car slowing down more than others... Then one lane going twice as fast... Yeah I can see how things get out of control. Drivers can't help but to look at the accident or the broken down car as they drive by.

[gogreen]

Originally posted by rage2
Are we sure the guy was speeding? Cuz a pedestrian hit at 100km/h would probably kill a guy instantly, and not serious but stable injuries.

I find the whole slow down in a single lane for emergency vehicles crazy. The speed differentials on a highway is ridiculous with one lane going 50 and others going 100 which really introduces even more safety issues. That being said, I don't know what could fix situations like this. Close off lane beside emergency vehicle? Slow down ALL lanes to 50?

In Saskatchewan the 60 km/h rule applies to both lanes of a 4-lane divided highway on the side that the emergency vehicle is sitting, and both lanes of a two-lane highway.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ts-sr/emer-urg-vehics-eng.htm

[Mostwanted]

NE is especially bad when it comes to driving, people dont know how to merge or stop for pedestrians ( probably saw about 5 people almost get hit at a crosswalk cause some guy didnt know why everyone was stopped). people doing 10km/h in the neighborhoods. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[FullFledgedYYC]

Originally posted by BavarianBeast


Agreed.

It's horrible in the NE. I fucking hate having an office out here. I honestly wonder where the fuck half these people get their driver licenses. 90% of the people I run into up here are absolutely clueless.

500 bucks on a registry counter in the NE gets you a license. Police know this and do nothing to prevent it.

[suntan]

Originally posted by FullFledgedYYC


500 bucks on a registry counter in the NE gets you a license. Police know this and do nothing to prevent it. How much for the "new driver" sign?

[suntan]

Originally posted by Disoblige
It is worse in rural areas I find. Very limited experience with traffic signage/lines and courtesy in general.

You will see an ambulance or fire truck on the highway to a scene with lights flashing, and the person on the highway will not pull over to the shoulder or anything. In fact, the fire truck instead had to change lanes and pass the car going over 110 kph :facepalm: Yeah one time when I pulled over to let an ambulance through I could see the guy behind me just RAGING... And then he finally noticed the ambulance right behind him. What an asshat. I have no idea how he didn't notice it, the thing was blaring and had its lights on.

[Mostwanted]

Originally posted by FullFledgedYYC


500 bucks on a registry counter in the NE gets you a license. Police know this and do nothing to prevent it.

Does this include motorcycle licences?:angel:

[300zxfairlday]

I spend a majority of my day driving all around calgary. Drivers in the NW are just as bad as on the NE. Go to the south and stoney trail as well as deerfoot is full of retards that drive 10 below the speed limit in the far left lane. It is not one quadrent in the city.... Calgary has bad drivers everywhere!

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by roopi


It seems to me most people don't understand this law and as soon as they see an emergency vehicle all lanes slow down.

THIS.

THIS is so god damn dangerous, so few people understand that only the adjacent lane has to slow down, but even on triple lanes, everyone just slams on their brakes. Drives me f*&king BONKERS :banghead:

It would honestly just be better if the rule was everyone has to slow to *whatever speed*. Of course, what does speed have to do with this situation? To hit someone, you need to be aimed at them, not be going too fast. This accident has zero to do with speed.

[botox]

It's the mentality that when people are in their cars they are king of the world and slowing down or stopping for an emergency is too much of an inconvenience and they can't afford to lose that 5-10 seconds. But when they go shopping or see a Dr. and wait in line for 5-10 minutes or even an hour, it doesn't bother them as much. It looks like the tow truck driver tried to not block the lane like the cops do with the half parking but maybe this would of saved him from being hit.

[BavarianBeast]

Originally posted by FullFledgedYYC


500 bucks on a registry counter in the NE gets you a license. Police know this and do nothing to prevent it.

Is this true? Because it honestly wouldn't fucking surprise me.

It's always brown people (No offense but its true) who are fucking up so badly too, and it's multiple times a day that I run into somebody who blatantly doesn't have a clue how to drive.. Sigh..

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Mostwanted

Does this include motorcycle licences?:angel:
:facepalm:

[theken]

If people wouldn't follow so close slowing down to 50 wouldn't be an issue, you would see the problem well ahead slow down gradually and continue on your way, but people slam on their brakes as they are 2 feet behind you causing problems. Following distance is the only problem people can't seem to grasp. Leave room and you will never have a problem. Ever.

[TurboMedic]

Originally posted by AndyL


You guys know CPS will blitz the 60zone passing stopped emergency vehicles now... That I'm looking forward to...

I can't tell if you're saying this with disdain, or not. Anyhow, as they should. I can't tell the countless times I get ripped past. People don't seem to care, I'm just trying to do my job. Let the blitz begin

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by theken
If people wouldn't follow so close slowing down to 50 wouldn't be an issue, you would see the problem well ahead slow down gradually and continue on your way, but people slam on their brakes as they are 2 feet behind you causing problems. Following distance is the only problem people can't seem to grasp. Leave room and you will never have a problem. Ever.


:werd:

During rush hour when things are slow, sure, I guess I can understand. But when cars are 10 feet apart going 100 that's just asking for trouble. Every time I leave distance in front of me, someone changes lanes into it. Every damn time.

[vengie]

Originally posted by theken
If people wouldn't follow so close slowing down to 50 wouldn't be an issue, you would see the problem well ahead slow down gradually and continue on your way, but people slam on their brakes as they are 2 feet behind you causing problems. Following distance is the only problem people can't seem to grasp. Leave room and you will never have a problem. Ever.

This right here, people follow WAY too close. I now ensure I leave a larger gap between the car in front of me so when traffic is stopped ahead I can gently tap my brakes and warn the idiot behind me to get on his brakes before I apply mine. I have been rear ended TEN (10) fucking times in this city because idiots don't pay any attention and follow too close. the conversation usually goes like this.

Idiot: "Sorry I didn't mean to hit you" (No fucking shit)
Me: "Its ok, you're the XX person that has no clue how to drive defensively and has rear ended me in this city, sadly I am used to it"
Idiot: Speechless.

As for this driver, I drove by shortly after it happened, it was a gong show. Car's pulled over all over the place, people slamming on their brakes, and there was at least 1 rear ender. I certainly hope the driver is okay.

People need to get the fuck off their cellphones and start paying attention to whats happening FURTHER ahead than the rear bumper of the car in front of them (the vehicle they are likely following way too close to).

/rant (sorry for the profanity, just fires me up thinking about these idiots)

[theken]

Smith driving should be a must for all drivers. People generally look at bumper of the car in front of them and no further, then react soley based on that car. In reality you be looking 20-30 seconds ahead, your can still see the car in front of you if you look ahead but if you look at the car in front of you you can not see what's ahead.

You can only go as fast as the car in front of you even if they are 8 seconds ahead of you, all that can happen is you speed up then have to match their speed. Might as well stay back and not have to worry

[Stuart]

Originally posted by TurboMedic


I can't tell if you're saying this with disdain, or not. Anyhow, as they should. I can't tell the countless times I get ripped past. People don't seem to care, I'm just trying to do my job. Let the blitz begin

To be fair the Traffic Safety Act does a poor job of describing tow trucks as emergency vehicles. I think they should be included, but here's the current definition:

(m) “emergency vehicle” means
(i) a vehicle operated by a police service as defined in
the Police Act;
(ii) a fire-fighting or other type of vehicle operated by
the fire protection service of a municipality;
(iii) an ambulance operated by a person or organization
providing ambulance services;
(iv) a vehicle operated as a gas disconnection unit of a
public utility;
(v) a vehicle designated by regulation as an emergency
response unit;

[Enhance]

Originally posted by BavarianBeast

90% of the people I run into up here are absolutely clueless.


Originally posted by BavarianBeast

it's multiple times a day that I run into somebody who blatantly doesn't have a clue how to drive..

Dude, I think you need to stop running into people.

[GotRice?]

Originally posted by Mostwanted


Does this include motorcycle licences?:angel:

if you need to pay for your motorcycle license your money is probably better spent on a course first!

[AndyL]

Originally posted by TurboMedic


I can't tell if you're saying this with disdain, or not. Anyhow, as they should. I can't tell the countless times I get ripped past. People don't seem to care, I'm just trying to do my job. Let the blitz begin

I'm looking forward to it. I did wreckmaster with deric. He's good people.

Towtruck cant just take a lane - gotta do proper lane closure(highway traffic act rules) - global TV pics show he was setting it up - pylons coming forward off his truck, would have been working behind them to set up the proper spacing (but never made it past his back corner...

[gogreen]

Originally posted by theken
Smith driving should be a must for all drivers. People generally look at bumper of the car in front of them and no further, then react soley based on that car. In reality you be looking 20-30 seconds ahead, your can still see the car in front of you if you look ahead but if you look at the car in front of you you can not see what's ahead.

You can only go as fast as the car in front of you even if they are 8 seconds ahead of you, all that can happen is you speed up then have to match their speed. Might as well stay back and not have to worry

I've found Calgary drivers behave like a solid, attempting at all times to form tightly compacted masses of vehicles when they could behave like a gas and spread out to fill the available space.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by firebane
The sheer amount of stupidity and lack of common sense and road manners from drivers in this City is MIND boggling.

I was watching an ambulance come up behind a line of traffic at a red light and NOBODY was moving.. not one car. :banghead:

Funny enough I was in Houston this week and as I was walking down the street there was a fire truck with lights and sirens on that was stuck behind a single vehicle at an intersection for good amount of time. He had to lay on the horn for a good 45 seconds before the person even bothered to move :rolleyes: This doesnt happen just in Calgary... it's everywhere.

[FullFledgedYYC]

Originally posted by BavarianBeast


Is this true? Because it honestly wouldn't fucking surprise me.

It's always brown people (No offense but its true) who are fucking up so badly too, and it's multiple times a day that I run into somebody who blatantly doesn't have a clue how to drive.. Sigh..

100% true, a friend's parents did exactly this.

I also once dealt with a middle aged Asian woman who had a class 1 license, when I asked her what kind of trucks she drove she had no idea what I was talking about.

[codetrap]

.

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by FullFledgedYYC


100% true


Within reason. For example, a white person can't get this deal. There was a school that offered "class 1 driver training" which consisted of no training and a fake road test, but they were busted.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by codetrap
And you reported that shit to the police?

What do you think the police would do about it? Unless she's actually caught driving a Class I vehicle, and being a danger on the road, I'm not sure there's much they could do.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by A2VR6
Funny enough I was in Houston this week and as I was walking down the street there was a fire truck with lights and sirens on that was stuck behind a single vehicle at an intersection for good amount of time. He had to lay on the horn for a good 45 seconds before the person even bothered to move :rolleyes: This doesnt happen just in Calgary... it's everywhere.
Houston is just a much bigger Calgary with guns everywhere. Not surprised they have the same kind of drivers.
You'd think it's better there since their Asian population is like 2%....

[lilmira]

Originally posted by jwslam

Houston is just a much bigger Calgary with guns everywhere. Not surprised they have the same kind of drivers.
You'd think it's better there since their Asian population is like 2%....

Isn't there a big presence of oil and gas in Houston? That person is probably from Calgary. ;)

[Lex350]

Originally posted by BavarianBeast


Agreed.

It's horrible in the NE. I fucking hate having an office out here. I honestly wonder where the fuck half these people get their driver licenses. 90% of the people I run into up here are absolutely clueless.

100% agree with this...It is one of the reasons why I drive to work before 6:30. The roads seem a bit safer then than at around 7:30-8:00

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


What do you think the police would do about it? Unless she's actually caught driving a Class I vehicle, and being a danger on the road, I'm not sure there's much they could do.

Absolutely they can do something.

Getting a class 1 requires air brake knowledge, and driving a multi axle vehicle and trailer.

Put her in one, and tell her to shift gears. If she can't, that's an instant fail, and an investigation can begin with the registries office.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by spikerS


Absolutely they can do something.

Getting a class 1 requires air brake knowledge, and driving a multi axle vehicle and trailer.

Put her in one, and tell her to shift gears. If she can't, that's an instant fail, and an investigation can begin with the registries office.

Can an officer legally bring a person out of their home, and force them to go into a class I vehicle, and prove their knowledge/skills?

I doubt there's any law/regulations for that.

[codetrap]

.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by codetrap
Uh.. last I checked, fraudulent documents is a crime...

Yeah, but you're making it sound so simple. Like you could just walk into an precinct, and tell the officer at the desk "Hey, this lady 'x', has a class 1 license, and she doesn't even know what a truck is!", and then they would just jump on it.

[codetrap]

.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Can an officer legally bring a person out of their home, and force them to go into a class I vehicle, and prove their knowledge/skills?

I doubt there's any law/regulations for that.

no, but, thinking critically for a second here...

Police officer pulls over lady for some infraction, sees that she has a class one license. It's obvious the woman has a hard time operating her car, the officer has a hard time believing she could operate a tractor and trailer, and then begins an investigation, and forwards it off to Transport Canada, who can then look into the matter, and see if the license was issued properly or through fraudulent means.

Not everything needs to be a conspiracy.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by spikerS


Not everything needs to be a conspiracy.

I'm not saying it's conspiracy, I'm just judging based on my own experiences trying to report ANYTHING to the CPS. Let alone a vague "This person shouldn't have a class 1, IMO" statement.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I'm just judging based on my own experiences trying to report ANYTHING to the CPS.
:werd:
I've had zero luck with CPS followup on anything.

[codetrap]

.

[TurboMedic]

Originally posted by Stuart


To be fair the Traffic Safety Act does a poor job of describing tow trucks as emergency vehicles. I think they should be included, but here's the current definition:

(m) “emergency vehicle” means
(i) a vehicle operated by a police service as defined in
the Police Act;
(ii) a fire-fighting or other type of vehicle operated by
the fire protection service of a municipality;
(iii) an ambulance operated by a person or organization
providing ambulance services;
(iv) a vehicle operated as a gas disconnection unit of a
public utility;
(v) a vehicle designated by regulation as an emergency
response unit;

;) And I'm not a tow truck driver, so my vehicle is clearly defined......

[codetrap]

.

[16hypen3sp]

Normal speed limit in the far lane, 60kph in adjacent lane to where emergency equipment is, is the best rule made. No body knows it. And it creates traffic chaos for upstream traffic.

There was a group of us in a 89 GMC camper van heading south on QEII this summer. My brother was driving in the left lane. It's typical Friday night traffic... packed, moving parking lot at 120kph+

All of sudden, all lanes begin panic braking. My brother stands on his brakes but the truck in front is outbraking his van so BOOM!

People need to know about this law more. It's brutal.

A cop had someone pulled over way off in the shoulder. Left lane could have proceeded at 110kph.

Police can easily circumvent it though, by breaching the plane of the solid white line during a traffic stop, all lanes would have to slow down to 60kph.

[120Comm]

I know a co-worker of the operator who was hit. He's pretty decently hurt, but will recover.

I work for a FD west of the city, and have spent a lot of time standing out on Highway 1 trying to address either a wreck or a vehicle on fire and having vehicles doing 120-130 past us. It's specifically one of the reasons we take extra trucks out to highway calls. A 25 ton water tanker isn't needed on a car crash, but it will halt the forward progress of a dumbass in a passenger car - at least enough to limit the harm delivered to us, the medics, police, and tow truck operators, etc., to just injuries instead of fatalities.

I have no idea how fast the vehicle was going on Deerfoot that hit the tow truck operator. Yes, most of the time, 100 km/h in a car vs pedestrian will not be survivable, but sometimes people get lucky.

I was on a crash several months ago on Highway 22 where we had a truck parked 250 meters ahead of the scene with a fluorescent pink "Emergency Ahead" sign (you see Carmacks on Deerfoot with similar yellow ones), and two members in high-vis clothing with stop/slow signs trying to slow traffic down. They were almost universally ignored. However, we are testing these new portable speed bumps (http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Folding-Traffic-Control-Calming/dp/B00DJBG9K2) we can toss out on a road. They will stay put at speeds of at least 120 km/h. Toss 'em out on the road and people drop anchor almost immediately, worried about their precious suspension over a 1.5" tall bump. I wouldn't be surprised if crews having to put themselves in the path of traffic start deploying these all over the place.

[AndyL]

I hear he's officially no broken bones and walking...

I asked traffic cop about those the first time I saw ahs throw them out... Apparently we're not special enough to get to use them ...

[OTown]

Originally posted by 16hypen3sp
Normal speed limit in the far lane, 60kph in adjacent lane to where emergency equipment is, is the best rule made. No body knows it. And it creates traffic chaos for upstream traffic.

There was a group of us in a 89 GMC camper van heading south on QEII this summer. My brother was driving in the left lane. It's typical Friday night traffic... packed, moving parking lot at 120kph+

All of sudden, all lanes begin panic braking. My brother stands on his brakes but the truck in front is outbraking his van so BOOM!

People need to know about this law more. It's brutal.

A cop had someone pulled over way off in the shoulder. Left lane could have proceeded at 110kph.

Police can easily circumvent it though, by breaching the plane of the solid white line during a traffic stop, all lanes would have to slow down to 60kph.

No offence but it sounds like your friend is following too closely. You should always have enough room to stop in emergency braking, no matter what the cause. What if the truck in front was stopping for a moose or pedestrian or he was having a heart attack? The fault does not rest with the cop who is doing his job and pulling people over.

[16hypen3sp]

Originally posted by OTown


No offence but it sounds like your friend is following too closely. You should always have enough room to stop in emergency braking, no matter what the cause. What if the truck in front was stopping for a moose or pedestrian or he was having a heart attack? The fault does not rest with the cop who is doing his job and pulling people over.

I wasn't blaming the cop. I was blaming everyone in the left lane who suddenly slammed on their brakes causing mayhem.

Once we had room to pull over with the driver we rear ended, all he had to say was "People see the cop lights and suddenly slam on their brakes. Everyone is a fucking idiot on this highway."

[jwslam]

Originally posted by 16hypen3sp
"People see the cop lights and suddenly slam on their brakes. Everyone is a fucking idiot in this province"
FTFY
There's also the granny who brakes hard in the left lane waving in 10 cars in. Unforutunately those right lane people are ones who can't make the lane change with 3 cars lengths behind them so they end up braking hard and waiting for the left lane to come to a full stop.

[OTown]

Originally posted by 16hypen3sp


I wasn't blaming the cop. I was blaming everyone in the left lane who suddenly slammed on their brakes causing mayhem.

Once we had room to pull over with the driver we rear ended, all he had to say was "People see the cop lights and suddenly slam on their brakes. Everyone is a fucking idiot on this highway."

I think you missed my point. People follow much too close (just like your friend) and get in rear enders every single day because of it. If people actually followed at a safe distance no matter what hazard poses itself (sudden braking for this example) would be easily dealt with by all involved. But people are in such a hurry that they think the extra 1 second following distance to the guy in front of them is going to get them to their destination so much quicker. Just not the case.

[codetrap]

.

[speedog]

Tailgating - plenty of people don't even realize they're doing it. My late father-in-law always tailgater, didn't matter if he was in his truck or huge ass diesel pusher motor home - it was just something that was a normal part of his driving style.

Hell, this past weekend I was west bound on John Laurie around 19th Street doing about 5k over. Here comes this vehicle behind and rides my butt about a car length back. Annoying as all hell and I figured I had no reason to lane change to get her off of my butt so instead I slowly and deliberately let my speed slow down over about 5-600 meters to the point that I was doing about 50kph. At that point she changed lanes and sped up and amazingly, she sped up to exactly the speed limit - why the fuck she felt the need to tailgate me one car length back at 5k over is truly mind boggling. Probably just the way she drives and most likely she would've soon be tailgating someone else because that's just her driving style.

[Rat Fink]

.

[trevh]

Originally posted by Rat Fink
It's really sad how the average idiot driver has difficulty spotting first responder/emergency vehicles. Lights that flash that can be seen for miles ahead, yet people wait until the last second to react. It's also sad how first responders have to park in ways that they need to hang out into the next lane as a block so they don't get smoked by blind idiots.

.....and god forbid the day that one of the emergency vehicles needs to get somewhere in a hurry. Those same idiots who can't see through the windshield also can't see the lights in the rearview mirror either. Sigh.
Everything you said here is true. We shut down all lanes on deerfoot for a minor no injury accident for this reason. Any road on Calgary is dangerous and we treat it as such.
I wish I had a dash cam yesterday driving up deerfoot, heading to a grass fire in nose hill from douglasdale. Good thing we can drive on the shoulder the whole way.

[16hypen3sp]

Originally posted by OTown


I think you missed my point. People follow much too close (just like your friend) and get in rear enders every single day because of it. If people actually followed at a safe distance no matter what hazard poses itself (sudden braking for this example) would be easily dealt with by all involved. But people are in such a hurry that they think the extra 1 second following distance to the guy in front of them is going to get them to their destination so much quicker. Just not the case.

I didn't think we were following too close. I'd say we were right where we should have been. The truck in front easily outbraked the van we were in.

But yes, I, for the most part, agree, there is quite a bit of tailgating going on.

[jwslam]

I don't think there's anything wrong with tailgating: in the right time and place AND if you know what you're doing.
I'm a tailgater. But only on open roads where I can evade onto a shoulder when necessary, which I know how to properly do.

Too bad I'm in the 1% of tailgaters that know what I just said above.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by jwslam
I don't think there's anything wrong with tailgating: in the right time and place AND if you know what you're doing.
I'm a tailgater. But only on open roads where I can evade onto a shoulder when necessary, which I know how to properly do.

Too bad I'm in the 1% of tailgaters that know what I just said above.

:nut: :rofl: :banghead:


Originally posted by 16hypen3sp
I didn't think we were following too close. I'd say we were right where we should have been.


So you would say that given the situation, there was adequate distance between the van you were in, and the truck you were following?


Originally posted by 16hypen3sp
The truck in front easily outbraked the van we were in.


Sounds like the driver of your van didn't give himself enough stopping distance.

:nut: :rofl:

[zipdoa]

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[codetrap]

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[AndyL]

Originally posted by jwslam
I don't think there's anything wrong with tailgating: in the right time and place AND if you know what you're doing.
I'm a tailgater. But only on open roads where I can evade onto a shoulder when necessary, which I know how to properly do.

Too bad I'm in the 1% of tailgaters that know what I just said above.

Go back and look at the subject of this thread...

So you can tailgate, evade onto the shoulder... Right where I'm probably working... Genius!

[16hypen3sp]

Can't say with absolute certainty that we WERE NOT in the proper spot while following the truck. Seemed pretty fine to me at the time.

You can say that the accident would not have happened if people didn't start panic braking in front of a fully loaded van. Couldn't imagine if a semi had been in the left lane at the time. Would have been ugly.

People panic braked in that situation because they did not know the law about passing emergency equipment in the far lane.

[Go4Long]

Originally posted by 16hypen3sp


I didn't think we were following too close. I'd say we were right where we should have been. The truck in front easily outbraked the van we were in.

But yes, I, for the most part, agree, there is quite a bit of tailgating going on.

If you hit the person in front of you, you were following too close. Whether it was for conditions or your abilities is the only question.

The vehicle ahead of you should be able to make an emergency braking maneuver and you should have time to see it, process it, and react appropriately in order to avoid hitting them (without using the shoulder)...if you don't have time to do that, regardless of any other details, you were following too close.

[theken]

If you are a tailgater, you will get into an accident, top 1% of retarded is still retarded..... You realize you can not go faster than the guy ahead of you no matter how close you get to him he will not just disappear. 4 seconds following distance no less and you will be fine. Tailgating means you are aggressive, which means you make snap lane changes, which means you cut other people off to gain 2-3 seconds and end up at the same red light as the guy you passed.

I had a bike yesterday fly from behind me into a merge lane, barely make it in front of me without hitting the curb flying around like a retard, and the lights at Blackfoot I was ahead of him....the road is everyone's and it is everyone's responsibility to keep it SAFE not fast.

[16hypen3sp]

Heads up. Alberta Bill 5 incoming. also applies to snow plows.

If passed, Bill 5 The Traffic Safety Amendment Act, tabled in the legislature Wednesday, would require drivers in all lanes of traffic travelling on the same side of the road as a stopped emergency or roadside worker vehicle slow down to 60 km/h or the speed limit, whatever is lower, when the vehicle’s lights are flashing.

The same rules would apply to vehicles travelling in both directions on highways that only have one lane in each direction.



https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/traffic-bill

[Tik-Tok]

So what everyone already does?

[Masked Bandit]

So what everyone already does?

I believe the law at the moment is for drivers in adjacent lanes only?

[bjstare]

So what everyone already does?

I think you and I must drive on different roads. I see people driving like assholes close to tow trucks pretty regularly. Would love to see them hand out tickets for this.

edit: didn't see the snowplows thing. Not sure I'm on board with that.

[suntan]

I believe the law at the moment is for drivers in adjacent lanes only?

That's what I thought.

[Tik-Tok]

I believe the law at the moment is for drivers in adjacent lanes only?

It is, but without fail on Deerfoot the traffic slows to 30km/h in all lanes, both North and South, when an emergency vehicle is sitting within visible distance

[88CRX]

In heavy traffic you might not even see a pulled over vehicle on the shoulder from the far left lane. Stupid law is stupid. Drivers should just pay attention.

[suntan]

It is, but without fail on Deerfoot the traffic slows to 30km/h in all lanes, both North and South, when an emergency vehicle is sitting within visible distance

Well yeah, you might catch two hot chicks fighting each other after an accident.

[FraserB]

I think you and I must drive on different roads. I see people driving like assholes close to tow trucks pretty regularly. Would love to see them hand out tickets for this.

edit: didn't see the snowplows thing. Not sure I'm on board with that.

I don’t think snow plows are going to be stopped on the side of the road with any huge frequency.

[16hypen3sp]

Bill 5 changes delayed to September.

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/speed-reduction-to-protect-safety-of-roadside-workers-delayed-until-september/

[firebane]

Bill 5 changes delayed to September.

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/speed-reduction-to-protect-safety-of-roadside-workers-delayed-until-september/

Sure... but we have such poor drivers on the road that don't even know the basics that it won't make a difference.

Most of seasoned drivers have already been taught or do the right thing.

[Yolobimmer]

That's cause they park like assholes and don't pay attention to their surroundings or take enough precautions.

[Swank]

“The changes are extensive and we require more time to communicate those changes...". Ya think?!?!?!

Outside of the roadside 'flashy light' workers I think you'd be hard pressed to find many, if any people who knew this was originally starting today.

[03ozwhip]

“The changes are extensive and we require more time to communicate those changes...". Ya think?!?!?!

Outside of the roadside 'flashy light' workers I think you'd be hard pressed to find many, if any people who knew this was originally starting today.

I just found out the other day. I always slow down regardless, but still, I think it should be common sense, but you know...

[BokCh0y]

I just found out the other day. I always slow down regardless, but still, I think it should be common sense, but you know...

Common sense...is not so common nowadays.

[Yolobimmer]

Common sense...is not so common nowadays.

Slowing down a 4 lane highway to 60 cause the guy in the shoulder has his emergency blinkers on?

The current law is common sense. This new shit is stupid as fuck.

[16hypen3sp]

Alberta Bill 5 coming into force on Sept 1 with a big roll back! Only the adjacent lane needs to slow down now. So basically the bill is keeping things the same as now but expanding it to maint. crews and what not!

Hell yah! I'm going to keep hauling ass in the far lane!

Changes to Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act will take effect Sept. 1, 2023. And, while they mean drivers will have to slow down when passing all roadside workers, they apply only to the closest lane of traffic, not all lanes of traffic, which is what the province had previously said it was planning for.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9883132/alberta-roadside-worker-safety-snowplow-lanes/

[ExtraSlow]

How does it apply to lane splitting?

[Darell_n]

How does it apply to lane splitting?

You need to correlate your speed, then, to your relative mass in each lane, on a precise logarithmic scale. Best to pull over and stop to do the math.

[Tik-Tok]

Alberta Bill 5 coming into force on Sept 1 with a big roll back! Only the adjacent lane needs to slow down now. So basically the bill is keeping things the same as now but expanding it to maint. crews and what not!

Hell yah! I'm going to keep hauling ass in the far lane!


Not that it matters because the retards in all lanes slow down anyways

[Kloubek]

Alberta Bill 5 coming into force on Sept 1 with a big roll back! Only the adjacent lane needs to slow down now. So basically the bill is keeping things the same as now but expanding it to maint. crews and what not!

Hell yah! I'm going to keep hauling ass in the far lane!

Changes to Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act will take effect Sept. 1, 2023. And, while they mean drivers will have to slow down when passing all roadside workers, they apply only to the closest lane of traffic, not all lanes of traffic


Good. It was a stupid rule. Can you imagine 4 lanes of traffic all slowing down from 120 to 60 suddenly? I never actually saw it occur with the existing rules (and I didn't follow them either), but that's a bunch of rear-enders just waiting to happen. The fact it was even passed in the first place makes me wonder if the lawmakers actually brainstorm changes they want to make in detail, or do they just launch ideas and let real-life experience determine whether it was a good idea or not? Seems like an odd way to set regulation.

$100 says they don't properly advertise this rollback either - inevitably resulting in the public not knowing what the heck they are supposed to do by law. This has actually always been a sore spot with me - we make and change so many laws and rules without proper public informing that we're all just waiting to get caught on a law we didn't realize existed in the first place. This is a good example, where most people I know had no idea this law making all lanes slow down was even in effect. I guess now that it's being largely rolled back, they'll be none the wiser...

Ignorance is bliss. Until you get fined hundreds for a law you were never told about.

[suntan]

There's signs all over the place stating new rules are coming in effect sept 1.

I realize personal responsibility is something you don't believe in.

[Kloubek]

There's signs all over the place stating new rules are coming in effect sept 1.

I realize personal responsibility is something you don't believe in.

I have yet to see a single sign. Not a one. I have also seen zero social media presence - unlike when the law went into effect, where they actually made an effort. Guess there's still time.

You're right, of course - I could spend an hour daily researching any possible law changes across Canada. The fact I choose not to clearly demonstrates my lack of personal responsibility. You're so smart, and your telepathy a true gift from the Gods. You must be very proud.

[suntan]

There's at least three in both directions on the QEII.

[rage2]

Good. It was a stupid rule. Can you imagine 4 lanes of traffic all slowing down from 120 to 60 suddenly? I never actually saw it occur with the existing rules (and I didn't follow them either), but that's a bunch of rear-enders just waiting to happen. The fact it was even passed in the first place makes me wonder if the lawmakers actually brainstorm changes they want to make in detail, or do they just launch ideas and let real-life experience determine whether it was a good idea or not? Seems like an odd way to set regulation.
I actually disagree with you and think slowing down all 4 lanes is the proper way of doing it. On QEII 2 lane, when right lane slows down to 50 or 60, people in the left lane were doing 130 flying by people in the right lane. That's a massive speed differential. I mean I'm keeping up with traffic but I'm sure the fuck not comfortable flying by cars to my right like they're standing still so I'm hugging the left and sometimes even driving a little on the rumble strips. One idiot lane changing would cause chaos.

Most of the time tho, I already see people slowing down on the left lanes regardless, way before the all lanes slow down rule was coming into play. So there's currently a huge mix of speed differential, and gets worse with more lanes.

I would say slowing down all 4 lanes is the safer way, just because people on the road are fucking idiots. If we had better driving ability across the population, we could get away with just single lane slowing down.