I don't know if I'm the only class A CDL holder on this web site (Truck Driver) ,but I just have to say this. Today I had a young kid, looked to be in his teens,driving a slammed Accord whipping in and out and around my truck trying to weave through traffic. He comes to his exit cuts me off and slams on his brake. He is now in the hospital with a broken neck, leg and numerous cuts and bruises. If it had not been for witnesses I would have been found at fault.Understand this people A TRACTOR TRAILER DOES NOT STOP AS FAST AS A CAR!!!! This kid was very lucky that he was able to leave with his life.I get people who cut me off and hit their brakes all the time and it has to be one of the stupidest things you can do.Almost everything you own has spent sometime on the back of a tractor trailer including your Focus so give us some respect.In most parts of the country we are not allowed to travel in the left lane we must ride in the right lane. So next time your coming up on your exit and you think you can whip around that truck and jam your brakes ,think about Charles Perez of Fall River ,MA who was going to be starting his senior year of high school on thursday and instead is laying in a hospital bed.

Stupid punk drivers, I see that kinda of stuff here in new mexico where I live.
Like they say..............................you play, you pay. Unfortunately it had to be like that.

My stepdads been a driver all my life and shown me some of the pictures from accidents.

I have a rule your bigger than me and it WILL hurt, I won't even pass you guys on the right because I know you usually can't see me lol.

Your title "Road Respect" says it all....

Sorry to hear about the kid but I'm happy to hear that you weren't found to be at fault.

It's little kids like that that have a "hot" (i use the term very loosely) car and think they can do whatever they please. It just sucks that the kid had to find out the hard way what the consequences of his actions were. Hopefully he'd have learned a valuable lesson with this unfortunate event...

On the other hand though...I just wish that people who drive trucks/suv's also knew fully well that they're truck/suv can't stop as fast as a smaller car. Everyday I drive on the road with the fear that i'm gonna get hit from behind by ignorant drivers who constantly tailgate me. It's a real uncomfortable feeling and I know if i speed up i'm either gonna get pulled over...or the person behind will speed up along with me.

I had some jackass in a slammed truck tailgating me today through a FRIGGIN' residential street right next to a school. I was doing 25. There were kids on the sidewalk.

I have a lead foot. I will typically go between 10 to 20 over on the freeways here (and trust me... most of the time i'm just keeping up with traffic) but I NEVER speed in residential areas. I've heard too many stories of kids or the family pet running out from behind parked cars.

Jackholes like these guys are the reasons people who mod their cars get harrassed by the cops.

And don't get me started on the SUV"s around here in Detroit. They seem to think that four wheel drive makes them STOP FASTER in the snow and ice.

I'm sorry to hear about that kid. I'm glad he lived through it... i bet that's a lesson he won't forget.

BTW, I always give trucks respect on the road.

Stupid kid. I don't know how someone can NOT be afraid of eighteen wheelers. I get nervous just driving alongside them - their tires are as tall as my hood!

Originally posted by s3r
Stupid kid. I don't know how someone can NOT be afraid of eighteen wheelers. I get nervous just driving alongside them - their tires are as tall as my hood!

QFT!

I wouldn't say i'm terrified of big rigs, but I stay as far away from em as possible...

i have always sort of hated getting stuck behind trucks, especially in areas where there are lots of traffic lights. and i still do- though i definitely have always been aware of their limited visibility and long stopping distance. but it wasn't until i started loading and unloading them that i really had a concept of exactly how much weight they were carrying, and how that affects how long it takes them to stop and accelerate. and then, i started doing brakes and wheel seals on trailers, and it was shocking at how quickly that stuff wore out, especially with our overloaded and ancient trailers. but it wasn't until i rode in one for a few hours, going to a junkyard outside of cincy, in the middle of nowhere- twisty backroads and hills- that i really, really understood what it was all about. oh my goodness, don't ever cut a tractor-trailer off! you never know what they're carrying and how good the brakes are, and even if everything is in tip top shape, it is no joke.

i am glad everyone lived, and i am glad you didn't get found at fault.

^^^^^^^ Yeah, what he said.

Also don't forget... if they blow a wheel out... those pieces go EVERYWHERE and can cause accidents when they scare the beejesus out of you 'cuz there's a thick piece of rubber flying at your windshield.

I give trucks respect. They are BEASTS to drive. If I was driving something that huge I sure would appreciate courteous drivers. I always let them in front if they're signalling to get over, give them space when they're making turns, and give them a wide berth in general.

But then again, I'm just a courteous driver anyway. I frequently speed and pass, but i'm never a dick about it, and never tailgate.

Originally posted by witchcitySVT
Today I had a young kid, looked to be in his teens,driving a slammed Accord whipping in and out and around my truck trying to weave through traffic. He comes to his exit cuts me off and slams on his brake. He is now in the hospital with a broken neck, leg and numerous cuts and bruises.

I guess he was a little too fast and a little too furious... [driving]

i always respect truck drivers, as i've been looking into getting my Class 1 license with airbrakes ( in nb canada ), which translates into an A license for most of the states.

I also know that someone driving a tractor trailer isn't likely to jam their brakes on, cut me off, or be an [:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)], so i'm just as courteous to them.

Now when some punk kid with a bunch of their friends flys by me at a speed i didn't know their moms 'rolla or civic could handle, then i get a little ticked and lay on the horn at them, let them know people DO know they are speeding well over a safe and reasonable limit, and MAY report it ( though i've never done so ). Just in hopes they will slow down and not cause an accident.

i hate how some punk kid makes the rest of the young divers look bad. Im 19 but i sure as hell am not that stupid.

I try to stay far, far away from trucks because I've had 2 windshields cracked by debris kicked up by trucks and once had a truck tire explode in the lane next to me and it ripped the chrome trim around the windshield off, cracked the glass and dented/scratched the roof. I was just glad I wasn't riding a motorcycle - I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be hit by something while riding...

it's stupid to pull in front of anyone and slam the brakes
i had an expedition behind me with a huge grill guard on riding me
and the idiot elderly in front got spooked and slammed their' brakes, I hit mine
swerved into the (thankfully empty lane besides me)
and none of my passengers had to experience the horror
of looking in the rearview and seeing a swerving armored SUV
tires billowing smoke that ended with an andrenaline dump
and thankfully no one got in a wreck,
but that bastardo in the suv stayed much further back the next 15 minutes

I have a buddy that is a truck driver, local though not long distance. He spends most of his time in traffic. He has a rule too, lol...its called "you'll learn after this".....trust me, I have seen his "I'm a big truck and you better respect me" driving style first hand.

I saw some lady tried to cut him off, lets just say there is one less half of a BMW on the road now....and he wasn't found at fault because of a traffic camera. People are just selfish now, and think they own the road.

I have a buddy that is a truck driver, local though not long distance. He spends most of his time in traffic. He has a rule too, lol...its called "you'll learn after this".

Thanks for the support guys. I am well aware that not everybody drives like an ass around trucks ,but this was fresh with me when I wrote it. Driving is my job and part of my job is keeping people around my truck safe. It really shakes me up when something happens. I spend 60hrs a week driving in my truck and accidents are bound to happen. I've been in 3 in the past 5 years and have never been at fault.This was the first time that someone was injured.

I have drove trucks for 13 years now and know exactly what you mean almost as nice as when you are trying to merge onto the frreway off a express ramp and the retard's wont move over a lane even though it is empty and causes you to have to stop or slow way down. That is my biggest pet pieve