witnessed very preventable accident..... venting (Orlando: work, house, construction)

[backtofla]

i was on east colonial/50 heading west towards alafaya. i am going to pick up dinner. but before i get to my destination, i witness someone coming up behind me, and pretty fast. he was now on my buttocks, no doubt. i go into the left turning lane to go pick up my dinner (he's still riding my ass) and traffic up ahead is stopped at the red light. traffic was pretty backed up. as i turn left, the car riding my ass slams on his breaks! why? because traffic was backed up and he didnt notice everyone was completely at a stop at the red light. he smacked right into the person that would have been in front of me, had i not turned. the guy was speeding, riding my butt, and not paying attention. very preventable.

i witnessed so many folks cutting eachother off, driving in the emergency lane trying to pass ppl, only to get right back into the lane that they were previously in. can you imagine? driving in the emergency lane for 5 seconds just so you can pass the person in front of you? in heavy traffic! absurd!

for this reason, along with a few other orlando downfalls, i am looking to leave orlando. the driving and rudeness on the roads here is more than i can handle. i have family members that have lived in orlando for yrs wanting to leave too. and this is a big reason why.

2 other incidents: walking my dogs lastnight, a car flew by us on a residential street (right in front of my house). i yelled for them to slow down. they did. but then, just to make me even more mad, they began to rev up their engine and squeel their tires at the end of my street, you know, where ppl walk, ride their bikes...

same night... in my neighborhood, which is one lane coming in and one lane going out, a man is speeding excessively around a turn, and at this same time, i am coming up on this same turn. i had to get out of his way as he was taking up both lanes around this turn. had i not moved over and slowed down, he would have hit me. i honked and screemed obscenities, which were deserved. speeding in a 25mph zone on a turn, taking up the entire road with oncoming traffic ahead is stupidity.

[VaNative]

Originally Posted by backtofla

i was on east colonial/50 heading west towards alafaya. i am going to pick up dinner. but before i get to my destination, i witness someone coming up behind me, and pretty fast. he was now on my buttocks, no doubt. i go into the left turning lane to go pick up my dinner (he's still riding my ass) and traffic up ahead is stopped at the red light. traffic was pretty backed up. as i turn left, the car riding my ass slams on his breaks! why? because traffic was backed up and he didnt notice everyone was completely at a stop at the red light. he smacked right into the person that would have been in front of me, had i not turned. the guy was speeding, riding my butt, and not paying attention. very preventable.

i witnessed so many folks cutting eachother off, driving in the emergency lane trying to pass ppl, only to get right back into the lane that they were previously in. can you imagine? driving in the emergency lane for 5 seconds just so you can pass the person in front of you? in heavy traffic! absurd!

for this reason, along with a few other orlando downfalls, i am looking to leave orlando. the driving and rudeness on the roads here is more than i can handle. i have family members that have lived in orlando for yrs wanting to leave too. and this is a big reason why.

2 other incidents: walking my dogs lastnight, a car flew by us on a residential street (right in front of my house). i yelled for them to slow down. they did. but then, just to make me even more mad, they began to rev up their engine and squeel their tires at the end of my street, you know, where ppl walk, ride their bikes...

same night... in my neighborhood, which is one lane coming in and one lane going out, a man is speeding excessively around a turn, and at this same time, i am coming up on this same turn. i had to get out of his way as he was taking up both lanes around this turn. had i not moved over and slowed down, he would have hit me. i honked and screemed obscenities, which were deserved. speeding in a 25mph zone on a turn, taking up the entire road with oncoming traffic ahead is stupidity.

I know what you're talking about...everyone is in a hurry down here and it drives me nuts! I was going to work the other morning on 408 Eastbound and this dude behind me apparently didn't like the fact that I was ONLY going 5 miles over the speed limit. He just HAD to get somewhere really fast so he passes me and then has to go through the toll plaza as he didn't have an EPass like I did...which I thought was funny. He had to stop and I didn't but...in no time, he was passing me again and going off toward downtown. There's never a cop around when you need one!

[THASPECIAL]

It's good to hear about this stuff......it's also good to vent it out.....anyone who comes on here and tries to say that you are being negative needs to stop because they werent there.......good post man

[Long Island Mermaid]

Welcome to my world (Long Island, NY) I am actually moving to Orlando area but near exit 68 on I4 (Disney) hoping that it will help me slow down in general. At least near Disney more people are going slow because thay are as lost as I am. 2 months ago I was nearly run off the road (driving my Mom's car w/Arizona handicap plates) because I was not speeding on one lane 535 near Publix. Of course after he passed, I saw him at the next light. I had seen bumper stickers years ago that read "Courtesy my ass, this is NY". I suppose that may read Orlando someday.

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by Long Island Mermaid

Welcome to my world (Long Island, NY) I am actually moving to Orlando area but near exit 68 on I4 (Disney) hoping that it will help me slow down in general. At least near Disney more people are going slow because thay are as lost as I am. 2 months ago I was nearly run off the road (driving my Mom's car w/Arizona handicap plates) because I was not speeding on one lane 535 near Publix. Of course after he passed, I saw him at the next light. I had seen bumper stickers years ago that read "Courtesy my ass, this is NY". I suppose that may read Orlando someday.

You are living out near where i deliver pizza's now.......it will be a slower pace except there are some crazy azz drivers on this side of town because they are all mostly tourists and dont know where they are going like you said........i have seen some crazy sh.......it around here delivering pizza.......i have seen people stop on the entrance ramp to I-4 on 535 just to look at a map....and they had people honking at them to go but they stayed still and people had to go around them....i got in a hit'n run accident at that same area a couple months back in which the cops were of no help and i saw the guys that hit me smoking weed at the previous stop lights....they came from that neighborhood back by the Wal-Mart over there......but little did i know that they would tailgate me and ram the back of my car and drive off onto the exit of I-4 in rush hour to get away from me seeing thier tag and car model....all i remembered was that it was silver and looked like some kind of chrysler model.....i work on Palm Parkway out there......oh one other story ......i swear this is true.....i was driving on 535 towards Palm Parkway and about a quarter of a mile away from turning right on Palm Parkway to get back to work from my last delivery.....as i was going i noticed some jackazz actually parked his motorcycle in the middle lane and left it there!!!......i was surprised to see this.....the kick stand was down and no one was on it......in the middle lane of the three lanes......what are some people thinking?

[rholborn]

I-4 has been a place lately that i have freaked in the car by saying where is a cop when you need one! so i agree with va native!
Listen to this, my hair stylist went off the beaten path to publix down at colonial drive where they're doing construction in the parking lot. She noticed a sleek shiny expensive black car following behind her while she was walking into publix. after she came out, the same car was back, this time following slowly behind her, so she thought they were waiting to take her parking space. the guy driving was good looking, dressed to the nines, and put down the passenger window to talk to her. she was trying to be polite walking faster to the car. he blocked her car in from behind, came up to her, telling her to get in and go to lunch, she was beautiful, come out for a drive, saying "trust me i'm a nice guy".
make a long story short, a woman /hero/ and guaridan angel, picked up on what was going on. she asked my stylist "do you need help?" (My stylist now had his hands on her shoulders at the time, trying to twist her pull her into his car). She looked her straight into her eyes and said "Yes, I don't know this guy and he won't leave me alone". Anyway, the guy freaked out and left p.o.'ed. PHEW! This was in the middle of the day and no one else noticed this but the guardian angel. the angel also got the guys tag number, they called the cops, and it turns out the guy had been arrested and convicted 4 times previously for sexual assault. #1) My stylist will definately "pay it forward" for the rest of her life #2) More people should be alert to their surroundings, not only for ourselves but for others too!

[backtofla]

rholborn, that's a scary story. i hate hearing stuff like that. one of many reasons i hope to get out of orlando. it's gotten crazy.

[THASPECIAL]

Originally Posted by rholborn

I-4 has been a place lately that i have freaked in the car by saying where is a cop when you need one! so i agree with va native!
Listen to this, my hair stylist went off the beaten path to publix down at colonial drive where they're doing construction in the parking lot. She noticed a sleek shiny expensive black car following behind her while she was walking into publix. after she came out, the same car was back, this time following slowly behind her, so she thought they were waiting to take her parking space. the guy driving was good looking, dressed to the nines, and put down the passenger window to talk to her. she was trying to be polite walking faster to the car. he blocked her car in from behind, came up to her, telling her to get in and go to lunch, she was beautiful, come out for a drive, saying "trust me i'm a nice guy".
make a long story short, a woman /hero/ and guaridan angel, picked up on what was going on. she asked my stylist "do you need help?" (My stylist now had his hands on her shoulders at the time, trying to twist her pull her into his car). She looked her straight into her eyes and said "Yes, I don't know this guy and he won't leave me alone". Anyway, the guy freaked out and left p.o.'ed. PHEW! This was in the middle of the day and no one else noticed this but the guardian angel. the angel also got the guys tag number, they called the cops, and it turns out the guy had been arrested and convicted 4 times previously for sexual assault. #1) My stylist will definately "pay it forward" for the rest of her life #2) More people should be alert to their surroundings, not only for ourselves but for others too!

Interseting story....hope this gets another person to see what is happening in the community.....


Im just waiting for someone to chime in and say "this could happen everywhere" or "if you think thats bad look at what happened in this state"....

or " why are you people always posting negative stuff about Orlando...I want to live my life thinking nothing is wrong and that i dont see that guy trying to put me in his car"......LOL........just a little sarcasm.......i dont like people that say this kind of stuff on here....telling us we cant vent about problems we face or problems that are a reality in "our" community........

These people are the ones who shut the TV off when they are giving a description of a serial killer that happens to live in thier city but they shut it off before they could see the face of this guy because they think it spreads too much negativity

[rholborn]

hi backtofl, Please know I wasn't trying to spread negative things about Orlando, and this could have happened anywhere in the country. It was just shocking when I heard it, because I've lived in Fl. since 1990, and knock on wood I haven't known anyone personally that has ever experienced anything similar to this at all. I thought also if I wrote about this, perhaps describing the individual this would make women be a bit more alert too. This stuff happens, I used to be an EMT for several years and of course I knew of worse. I was just shocked to hear it from someone I knew personally.

[carolac]

I would like to add one more venting comment. If you want to talk on the cell phone, but can't seem to pay attention to what's going on, can't figure out how to use your turn signal, can't figure out how to use your side or rear view mirrors, can't drive the speed limit, can't see the red light or people in the cross walk, or even that traffic is actually stopped, just hang up the cell phone.