Some People Shouldn't Drive!

[spikesputnik]

Strikes:

1) I washed my truck yesterday

2)I work sometimes near a large retirement community

3)Saturday morning I intentionally park away from everyone in a nearly vacant lot adjactnt to the lot of the business that is open, away from the front/entrance where people gravitate to

4)She drives a POS Ford full sized van

5)She backs out of her slot an goes approximately 100' in reverse and backs into the right rear corner of my truck with the corner of her POS. Ever notice how Mercedes and BMW drivers never do this kind of stuff??

 

The bumper gets pushed into the bumper recess in the body at the corner and pushes it in to where the tail gate will not open due to interferance and the tail light is sitting alittle crooked She remarks to others that there is just a little ding in the bumper.....

 

At least she owned up to it and promptly provided insurance and DL....and yea, it could have been worse, and it could have been avoided if GM put real bumpers on their trucks. I was able to easily pull the bumper out from the body by hand, but the bigger problem is the body work that now needs to be done. Now I have to deal with sizing up body shop experience and ability; I'm hoping that no painting will need to be done....I don't see any need fo rit soo far...

Unfortunately, I have too much of an eye for detail and have almost never been satisfied with the quality control that comes out of body shops- it seems they always rush and miss things, and it is bigger mess to fix than having had done it right the first go round. And lastly, I use my truck as a truck almost daily, but cannot open the tailgate untill at least the corner is pulled out enought to get clearance- ARRRGH!

[ShoddyHog]

That sucks. I have a brand new truck, and some jackass almost backed into me in a parking lot yesterday...and they were driving a car. How the hell can you not see a full-sized truck???

[Erichcb]

I know how you feel. I park out in BFE and the wife gets mad at me for doing so. Then things like that happen to good ppl with nice trucks. What gives.........

[spikesputnik]

I've seen the "road armor"/ Mad Max type bumpers and have been temped to intall them, and then drive like the POS drivers- OOOPS

But then again, they won't care that they have a bigger pile afterwards. In their minds, their vehicles are destined look like crap and all those people with good vehicles must just be lucky.

Well, at least I made it 4 months without any damage....

<---and this switch is defective; it cycles too often for me today.

[pm26]

They don't even have to drive to damage your truck. Several years back, when I still had my Nissan pickup, somebody dinged my tailgate by hitting it with a long board while loading it into his own truck in the local Home Depot parking lot.

[spikesputnik]

They don't even have to drive to damage your truck. Several years back, when I still had my Nissan pickup, somebody dinged my tailgate by hitting it with a long board while loading it into his own truck in the local Home Depot parking lot.

 

Oh yea. A few years back a slob raked her shopping cart all the way down the side of our then new truck. Yes, the cart driver was a societal tick and was driving a POS minivan- POS again. There is a trend here. People that work hard and strive to succeed are appreciative of what they have and respect others property and take precautions not to harm others posessions, enen if they are POS's. You don't as often see Mercedes bonking into Dodge Caravans. Then there is the other side of the coin....that I dealt with today

<--This needs to be recalled

[androgelrx]

Yup, I was rear-ended 1 day after I got my truck but luckily no damage. Her bumper hit my hitch receiver and took most of the damage. I hate old people driving.

[SparkySparks]

I was backing out of a spot the other day and a little Mazda Miata started backing out after I was about half way out. Luckily I had seen the tiny car speeding out of the spot in time to stop. Not sure why people don't pay attention to their surroundings. My grandpa (80) also talks about how you have to watch your surroundings and drive for the people around you.

[Zembonez]

That sucks!

 

The world if full of idiots.

 

GM would put real bumpers on these trucks if the safety Nazis that rule the world now didn't sue and regulate us to death. Now everything has to be a "crush zone' For the safety of the idiot that hist you. I think the tail light should fire a metal spike at the eyeballs of the person that his you myself... that would slow down the frequency of collisions.

[VMax2007]

That sucks!

 

The world if full of idiots.

 

GM would put real bumpers on these trucks if the safety Nazis that rule the world now didn't sue and regulate us to death. Now everything has to be a "crush zone' For the safety of the idiot that hist you. I think the tail light should fire a metal spike at the eyeballs of the person that his you myself... that would slow down the frequency of collisions.

 

[m4gic]

...a little off topic, but I heard on the radio at work yesterday that a couple in a city north of me are trying to get an upper age limit put on drivers liscences

 

In all seriousness, something does need to be done. The province I live in doesn't require re-taking your liscence as long as you keep it renewed; some other provinces require retaking a driver's road test every 5 years. I'd say somewhere between the two is the answer. I'd say there would be a lot less cases like the OP's

[ShoddyHog]

...a little off topic, but I heard on the radio at work yesterday that a couple in a city north of me are trying to get an upper age limit put on drivers liscences

 

In all seriousness, something does need to be done. The province I live in doesn't require re-taking your liscence as long as you keep it renewed; some other provinces require retaking a driver's road test every 5 years. I'd say somewhere between the two is the answer. I'd say there would be a lot less cases like the OP's

 

I'm with you. Not too long ago, here in the St. Louis area, an old lady ran through an intersection, crashed through a school wall, and killed a child. At some point, someone has got to say it's time to give it up, and often family can't make that decision or force their loved ones to do it.

[ak1107]

...a little off topic, but I heard on the radio at work yesterday that a couple in a city north of me are trying to get an upper age limit put on drivers liscences

 

In all seriousness, something does need to be done. The province I live in doesn't require re-taking your liscence as long as you keep it renewed; some other provinces require retaking a driver's road test every 5 years. I'd say somewhere between the two is the answer. I'd say there would be a lot less cases like the OP's

 

I'm with you. Not too long ago, here in the St. Louis area, an old lady ran through an intersection, crashed through a school wall, and killed a child. At some point, someone has got to say it's time to give it up, and often family can't make that decision or force their loved ones to do it.

 

 

Yeah, more government interference solves everything....

[ShoddyHog]

...a little off topic, but I heard on the radio at work yesterday that a couple in a city north of me are trying to get an upper age limit put on drivers liscences

 

In all seriousness, something does need to be done. The province I live in doesn't require re-taking your liscence as long as you keep it renewed; some other provinces require retaking a driver's road test every 5 years. I'd say somewhere between the two is the answer. I'd say there would be a lot less cases like the OP's

 

I'm with you. Not too long ago, here in the St. Louis area, an old lady ran through an intersection, crashed through a school wall, and killed a child. At some point, someone has got to say it's time to give it up, and often family can't make that decision or force their loved ones to do it.

 

 

Yeah, more government interference solves everything....

 

 

I agree with that sentiment 99%, but I'm also a realist. There's so many dumb asses in society, government intervention is necessary IMHO. I see nothing wrong with requiring an exam every couple years over the age of 70. I also support legislation to make texting and driving illegal.

[spikesputnik]

My grandpa (80) also talks about how you have to watch your surroundings and drive for the people around you.

 

Man, don't take this personally, but I hope your Grandpa is not still driving, mostly for his sake. They don't take to getting bounced around very well at that age....

In these parts of the country(very large retiree population) you hear it on a weekly basis with a predictable outcome. " Mr X , 79, said his gas pedal stuck while pulling into the Dr's office parking lot" or didn't see the cement truck/motorcycle or drove down the boat ramp(true, sad story)

They say that an 80 year old's overall driving skills are equivalent to a 16 y.o. One has tons of experience but no vision, reflexes and may have one of many brain problems going on; the other one has cat like reflexes totally disconnected from their possibly pickled brain and zero experience. The difference is the velocity they're going when" it" happens...

 

Having driven in this community for about 20 years I can profile them from a mile away. I got off of street bikes as soon as I moved here, too. Blue hair barely visible over the seat, death grip "at 10 and 2 like the instructor said" on the wheel, blue swinging tag on the rearview, magnetic ribbons on the trunk of a Buick or Mercury or Oddessy, 10 mph under the speed limit, climbing the curbs to give an oncoming emergency vehicle their own lane no matter what the circumstances, stopping for oncoming school busses on divided highways with a median(not part of Florida motor law and my personal #1 peeve), stomping on the brakes when the light just turns yellow, flashing the brakes coming to a stop light, stopping 3 car lengths before the stop line, driving with the brake light on all the time(brakes smoking- saw that one), etc.... all says give them space to do their thing and get the heck away from them when you can.

 

My dimwitted driver is about 62-65, but again her POS speaks more to the scenario than her age does. She doesn't give a rats ass about her Econovan, why should she about anyone else's vehicle regardless of condition?

 

Oh yea, and my first totalled truck, in '86, was T-boned courtesy of a 16 year old....got lucky there.

 

In reference to age limits, yes something needs to be done, such as a actual driving test where the instructor can asses the applicants cognitive function say over 60 yrs, just like they do when you get your first license. BUT, it would be political suicide for any of our government officials to touch that one so I'm not holding my breath. My poor mother has a myriad of medical problems unfortunately and can barely get out of a chair these days, but they keep mailing her a license in Texas. Fortunately, she knows that her driving days are over so y'all out Kerrville way are a bit safer. Many, many, many don't know when to hang up the keys, or instead just give them to the 16 yo grandkids...

 

I'm off now to toss a few bales of hay, half dozen bags of horse feed and bags of shavings OVER the closed tailgate of my truck...courtesy of Mrs POS.

 

Zembonez- actually what I want is a paintball gun that is recessed in the grille or next to the spare as to be undetectable that shoots etching acid balls or enamel or even chocolate covered cherries at nitwits... what fun that would be