Hazards On The Trail

[gettinoutofjersey]

over and over it is seen where a little old lady in an antique mercedes is in her own little world driving down the fast lane at half the speed of the surrounding cars and a couple vehicles behind finally get the chance to pass and need to make up lost time. so who is at fault? the old bag that could care less or the guy that is frustrated and speeding?

[photoman_6]

Originally Posted by gettinoutofjersey

over and over it is seen where a little old lady in an antique mercedes is in her own little world driving down the fast lane at half the speed of the surrounding cars and a couple vehicles behind finally get the chance to pass and need to make up lost time. so who is at fault? the old bag that could care less or the guy that is frustrated and speeding?

well, although i also get impatient sometimes, there is no reason to carry it to that extent. You're supposed to be an adult.

[blueherons]

I almost got run over today on my bike by a little old lady in a Prius. She never even saw me and if my husband had not screamed at me and I had not have driven onto the sidewalk, I'd be pretty hurt right now.

[wondermint2]

The other day I drove from Nokomis to the Auto-Zone in Venice (about 7 miles).

And even though now is supposed to be "off-season" - traffic was heavy (but moving along).

I think people get frustrated driving in traffic on Hwy. 41. Some guy was tailgaiting me - but because of traffic I couldn't go faster. I was in the left lane - but only because I needed to make a left turn. There was maybe a few car lengths space between me and the car in front of me - so what am I supposed to do?

So this idiot that was right on my bumper squeezed in front of me when there really wasn't enough space. He then proceeded to tailgate the next car in front of him. He kept tapping on his brakes. Very impatient. Freaking idiot.

[joejaw]

The common misconception of the pedestian always having the right of way is a major cause of a lot of pedestrian related accidents. The pedestrian does not always have the right of way when crossing or walking in the roadway. If you walk out in front of a car and your not in a crosswalk and get hit its your fault 99% of the time. Even in the instances of a cross walk a driver must stop and give the right of way to a ped but the ped just cant walk out and expect drivers to stop causing a traffic hazard. Too many ped's just walk out thinking they have the right of way and they don't. Its a safety hazard for them and drivers. The problem with this is too many people lack consideration for others and knowledge of traffic laws. Ok i will step down from my soapbox and get back to Sarasota and Manatee county research. Have a good one everyone and be safe

[TamiamiTrailBlues]

I caused a wreck on Beach Road on Saturday. Was crossing at beach access 11. Pushed the crosswalk button, the first cars to reach the walk stopped and waved me on, and a Ford Taurus rental car full of tourists weren't paying attention, and slammed into the southbound vehicle at about 30 mph. Idiots.

[wondermint2]

This is a good one. I was coming to a stop light and wanted to make a right turn. The light was red and I was the first car at the intersection. There were traffic cameras at this intersection.

The law says that before turning right on red - you must come to a stop and check/yield for traffic before turning right.

So some guy pulls up behind me as I was stopping and starts blowing his horn like the world is coming to an end! Not just a little beep - but HONK, HONK Hoooonnnkkkkk LOL

There were no cars coming in the other direction - but with traffic cameras there - I'm going to stop on red before turning right. I'm not sure if Sarasota County actually issues traffic camera tickets for not stopping on red before turning right - but I'm certainly not going to chance it.

Apparently this idiot that went berserk on his horn was not even aware of the law....

[LIFL]

Originally Posted by PixiStix

People will always speed, run red lights, step out in to the road randomly/not use a crosswalk, not use the bike lane/ go the wrong way... people just don't care & don't pay attention. On top of that, our area has a high number of tourists, elderly & homeless. Again, I will say, most of these accidents boil down to stupidity- whether on foot, bike or a vehicle.

Yep, stupidity causes many accidents, and not just car accidents.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Very telling is the graph from the following web page about pedestrian fatalities in Sarasota:

http://www.city-data.com/accidents/a...a-Florida.html

Pedestrian fatalities in Sarasota are listed for 1993-2011 and compared to the Florida average. As you can see from the chart pedestrians are run over and killed at a much higher rate in Sarasota compared to the Florida average.

Plus I wonder how the Florida average compares to the national average?

Well to answer my own question - Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrians:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/us...anted=all&_r=0 (click for full article)

On Wide Florida Roads, Running for Dear Life

"ORLANDO, Fla. — As any pedestrian in Florida knows, walking in this car-obsessed state can be as tranquil as golfing in a lightning storm. Sidewalks are viewed as perks, not necessities. Crosswalks are disliked and dishonored. And many drivers maniacally speed up when they see someone crossing the street.

Then there are the long, ever widening arterial roads — those major thoroughfares lined with strip malls built to move cars in and out of sprawling suburbs.

It is no wonder that four Florida metropolitan areas, led by the Orlando region, ranked as the most dangerous places to walk in the country, according to a recent survey by Transportation for America, a nonprofit safety advocacy organization."

[LIFL]

I forgot to add this to my response,
1-As I have said many times before, the traffic here is nothing.
2-The drivers however are horrible.
3-As gettinoutofjersey said, the pedestrians have right of way, so its is legally the drivers fault.