Ever hit a Sub-Compact?

[tm america]

truckers are told to floor it if someone cuts you off and you know you cant stop . if you hit the brakes the load will run you over and kill you to if you floor it you will live and they will die. .whats better no surviurs or one .i think if most people were taught this when they got their licinse they would have a little bit more respect for what they do on the roads. a 285 buck fine doesnt bring the poop soccer mom back home to her kids we really need to change our ways .or you can just call it population control nrg posted a pic of what happens when the trucks tries to stop . if he would of had his foot on the gas the truck would have been missing its bumper and probably the front axles but he would have made it out alive to call the police and tow trucks.i was driving next to a semi we were going about 65.when a lady ran a stop light he didnt have enough time to do anything he floored it .it flattened the car out took his front axle off.he coasted about 1000ft before sliding into the median. he was ok .lucky the lady cell phone still in hand was ok to it went right over the engine and front of dashboard.stupid just stupid

 

[wreckerman893]

I have either been in the miltary or a commercial driver all of my adult life.

There always have, and always will be lousy drivers in the world.

One of the problems in the US is that we dont require drivers to attend a real driving school prior to getting a license. The govenment should set standards for driving schools and let private enterprise run them. In a lot of countries you will not get a license until you go to school.
Driving is not a right guarenteed under the Constitution...it is a privilege that should be taken very seriously.

16 years old is too young to be driving on the road (yea I got my license at 16 and it is a wonder I never killed my self or anyone else).

The minimum age for driving should be 18 and only after an intensive driving school.

Once these schools are establiched attending driving school once should be required before a drivers license is renewed...no matter how long a driver has be licensed.

There also needs to be a special law enforcement division that deal only with traffic violations...funded by fines imposed on sub-standard drivers.
My pet peeve is morons that don't use turn signals...if you are too lazy or stupid to signal when you turn left, turn right, change lanes or merge on or off a ramp......you are too stupid to drive and need to be fined until you see the error of your ways.

DUI is still a major problem in this country....if you have been convicted of DUI more than once you have no business driving on a public road in a vehicle ever again. And dont whine about not being able to get to work...if caught driving with a revoked license due to DUI you can work in prison for a few years. Take the bus, walk or ride a bicycle.....just stay off the road.

Distracted driving prob kills more people than any other cause.....fining people for being stupid won't cure them but it will make them pay for the privilege.
Stay off the cell phone, dont text, dont read the newspaper paper/book, have sex, shave, eat (I have seen all of this from the cab of a big rig) or do anything else except drive the dam vehicle.
The minimum penatly for distracted driving ( or as I call it Driving While Stupid) should be 200 bucks and 5 points off your license.

Ron White is right...you just can't fix stupid.

 

[still-a-truckin]

I just impounded a mini cooper Come on over and see what would happen the owner dumped the car and vandalized the interior but the car is still together come see what it would do!

 

[loosewrenchcowboy]

i had a punk kid(high school kid in a rich neighborhood-i gave him the one finger salute at the next light) cut me off in an H2 Hummer-and i mean like 3 feet from my bumper when his lane ended. my M135 rolls on 16.00-20's-and my bumper filled his back window. man, i really wish there was an IQ test to get a drivers license. stupid people shouldn't breed. can i get an amen?!

 

[ElkHunter61523]

A great majority of drivers are just steering wheel holders. With a cell in their ear. Stupidity does take care of itself, tho it usually gets others hurt, or worse. I do drive defensively, but I sure hope I don't end up tagging one with my dump or duece.

 

[m16ty]

Others are right about the big truck not fairing so well either.

My uncle was driving a Mack dumptruck when a woman pulled out in front of him in a small car. He ran over the car but it messed up his front axle in the process where he had no steering. He ended up going off the road, down a steep hill, and turning over after he ran over her because he had no control because of the damaged axle.

Don't think that just because you're in a big truck that you can run over small cars at will and walk away.

 

[Bunkerbuilder]

I remember a tale a friend told me about him making contact with his M113 or something of a tracked nature .

This happened in the San Pedro area of California.

And since this person / friend might be known on this board I will not drop his name.

 

[stumps]

You may have noticed a lot of the discussion is about people pulling out in front of logging trucks, commercial vehicles, and actually military convoys as well as our own hobby trucks. I don't approve of the Wisconsin ban, and it's not that I don't feel for those affected by the ban, but I'm not going to stifle or alter what I wish to talk about because of it. Sorry Wisconsin folks

Maybe they'll ban small cars or 18 wheeler drivers too because of this obscure thread on the internet. Maybe they'll make the National Guard leave their state because of their dangerous vehicles.

I noticed exactly what the discussion was about. There was a lot of bravado, and chest thumping and suggestions of running over the top and flatten the cars out like doormats.

It's great that you have such compassion for Wisconsin. But consider this while you are being smug: What makes you think that other states won't follow the trend? They watch each other like hawks.

For example, California used to be the only state in the union that had gas mileage requirements, pollution tests, checks for leaking trucks, custom gasoline blends, special pollution requirements for cars, low sulfur diesel fuel... And now every state has them.

It is getting rarer and rarer to find new laws being enacted that increase your personal freedom.

Talk about whatever you want, but don't forget that your audience is the entire population of the internet.

-Chuck

 

[NRG]

I noticed exactly what the discussion was about. There was a lot of bravado, and chest thumping and suggestions of running over the top and flatten the cars out like doormats.

It's great that you have such compassion for Wisconsin. But consider this while you are being smug: What makes you think that other states won't follow the trend? They watch each other like hawks.

For example, California used to be the only state in the union that had gas mileage requirements, pollution tests, checks for leaking trucks, custom gasoline blends, special pollution requirements for cars, low sulfur diesel fuel... And now every state has them.

It is getting rarer and rarer to find new laws being enacted that increase your personal freedom.

Talk about whatever you want, but don't forget that your audience is the entire population of the internet.

-Chuck

I do agree. California is usually the guinea pig on alot of new horrible laws. Other states watch them and see if it works and then impose those laws in their state down the road. Right now, other states are watching the state of Oregon and their measures 66 & 67 and see how that flies. Not to get off topic but Oregon is trying to tax their way out of a recession and other states are paying attention to see if it works. States definitely pay attention to each other and learn how to screw people over more and more.

 

[Strykerboy]

its okay this morning i saw the effects on a small toyoya 4 door car V.S. a stryker m1127 the lady was fine but the whole right side of her car was peeled open in one nice line right below the window line she must have just barrly hit the rim's and step up parts of them

 

[Ferroequinologist]

When Cabell, Maddawg and I were convoying back from Haspin last year, a lady peeled a strip open on the side of her car.

I was in the rear, with a m105 and m109- 2 sets of brake lights

Cabell was ahead of me with the MKT behind his M813- another 2 sets

Maddawg was in the lead, with his m35a2 with convoy lights on- one set of brake lights

We were all going to turn left- this lady blows by us, 5 sets of flashing turn signals!!! Right as Maddawg starts his turn. bumper on the deuce just barely catches the side of her car, and it looked like a can opener all the way down the pass side. If he had been more into his turn it would have been alot worse, she was going rather fast.

People are nuts. I agree with stricter DL requirments.

 

[moleary]

It is getting rarer and rarer to find new laws being enacted that increase your personal freedom.

Talk about whatever you want, but don't forget that your audience is the entire population of the internet.

-Chuck

Chuck - the day I moderate my language or discourse for fear of the government's response is the day the government should begin to fear the response of the citizens.

Just sayin'...

 

[saddamsnightmare]

January 25th, 2010.

The video back on page 3 pretty much proves my reason for fearing stupid car drivers. Admittedly the Jeep did not have it's wheels on, but it was larger then a lot of the more modern cars and did not survive the accident. I would have liked to see an accessment of the damage to the deuce running gears..... The Unimog had an angled skid plate under the front end that would make this sort of accident more probable, as I found out in October 2008, avoiding a head on from a misguided woman in a Toyota PU who was making for the center of my grill..... Fortunately I was able to crank the Unimog out of her way, but it injured both shoulder joints due to the force involved in swinging the non power assisted wheel over to make themiss.... I think about her often, and it's not a complimentary thought, I might add.
The discussion on here could admittedly feed action by misguided DMV's like that in Wisconsin, but as on the railroad, the only solution would be to isolate light fast passenger cars (trains in that case) and heavier slower freight (trucks, in this case) to separate roads.
Perhaps the most we can hope for in the long run is that GPS and computer controls will take over the driving and minimize the human factors, because rarely does the machine fail, it's usually the loose nut at the controls...... Common sense is no longer common....


Just my worth,

Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[wreckerman893]

If "so goes California, so goes the country" is the truth then we are, as a free nation, doomed.

CA taxed and spent it's self into an abyss. They passed liberal laws and environmental regulations that has send business and industy packing to other states.

If I am not mistaken (I think I remember a 20/20 segment about it) the "staged accident" insurance scams started out there due to POS lawyers that made and industry of suing commercial vehicles.

When I am driving one of my big trucks (or even my POV) I constantly watch for people who are Driving While Stupid .....my rule of thumb is if I can avoid them without leaving the road I will.
I am not going to kill myself or destroy my vehicle to protect them from their own stupidity by running off the road.
Chances are if I did that (and missed them) they would continue on and never worry about me or my loss.

I have noticed that the more expensive the vehicle, the more clueless and oblivious the driver is. BMW's, Mercedes and Caddy drivers tend to be the ones that think they own the road.

 

[stumps]

In the Wisconsin DOT testimony, they asked the lawyer for the DOT if he had any statistics indicating an unusual number of accidents involving HMV's, he said he didn't. They asked if he knew of any, and he cited an accident between some soldiers in a Striker, and a smaller car; something that he found on the internet.

The guy is a real _____. It is not an indication of extreme brightness to come to a hearing and make statements that you cannot defend... but that is exactly what he did.

His principle assertion was HMV's posed an extreme danger to all of the other lighter cars on the road, and that HMV drivers were selfish for putting their pleasure ahead of the safety of everyone else.

When all is said and done, Wisconsin HMV'rs will still be able to register and drive their vehicles, but their use will be severely restricted to parades and shows only. They will not be allowed to paint their trucks any color other than green. They will not be allowed to bob their deuces. And most importantly, they will not be allowed to do any commercial activity. That includes farmers, farming, loggers hauling logs, etc..

The reason they won't be allowed to do this is simply because the HMV'rs that are writing the legislation, and the senators that are sponsoring the proposed bills, don't find these activities to be important. They only want to be sure that they can still do their veteran's parades, and re-enactments. That the senators aren't calling for a blanket exemption for HMV's from FMSS certification is proof that they too believe that HMV's are too dangerous to be on the road for general use. Something you guys are helping to prove.

The legislative process is similar to the courts: Once you get onto their screens, and are drawn into the process, you have already lost something you once had.

-Chuck

 

[moleary]

That the senators aren't calling for a blanket exemption for HMV's from FMSS certification is proof that they too believe that HMV's are too dangerous to be on the road for general use. Something you guys are helping to prove.

-Chuck

Anecdotes aren't proof and people who use anecdotes to prove a point are easily discredited.

If your legislators gave credence to an attorney who built an argument on anecdotes then you need to vote them out. If those opposed to the legislation didn't present refuting or offsetting evidence in a compelling method shame on them.

To draw a direct correlation between the comments made by the members of this forum and the Wisconsin legislation and the DOT attorney who pushed for it is a real stretch.

You have the right to use air your frustrations, grievances, and share your stories without censure by the government - and when they legislate recklessly you can use both your voice and your vote to protest.

The only reason I comment on this is because I hate to see Americans urged to keep quiet out of fear of the government. I served this nation (as many of us did) to protect the republic and preserve the concept that the government serves the people, not the other way around. When we start being afraid of the State we have lost much of what we, and those that came before us, fought for.

 

[gunboy1656]

If they want the info they will get it whether it is from this thread, .MIL documentation, make up a number in their head or wherever they are going to get it.

I would love to see the ACTUAL numbers of accidents in our trucks as compared to the active forces.

I would almost bet, there are less accident with our trucks then any other vehicle on the road.

 

[moleary]

I agree Gunboy. In fact, if it hasn't been done already it would be a really good exercise to have someone compile the actual number of accidents per miles driven for comparison to the national averages for a variety of vehicle classes.

This is data that should be readily available on a state-by-state basis. You would need some quantification of miles driven in MVs in a given time period, reportable along with reported incidents in MVs during the same time period. In a state with inspections that should be easily gathered, and the same should be true of any accident or ticket data. DMV might have the miles, LE would have the accident reports.

If our belief is true, that these vehicles and their operators are safer than the norm, then this data would be invaluable. If we find this information doesn't support our beliefs, then perhaps a review of the hobby and its impact on public safety is warranted.

 

[croftonaviation]

Others are right about the big truck not fairing so well either.

My uncle was driving a Mack dumptruck when a woman pulled out in front of him in a small car. He ran over the car but it messed up his front axle in the process where he had no steering. He ended up going off the road, down a steep hill, and turning over after he ran over her because he had no control because of the damaged axle.

Don't think that just because you're in a big truck that you can run over small cars at will and walk away.

Your uncle was lucky, I treat my deuce like a tractor, I am pretty sure a rollover type accident would not have a good outcome. As long as whatever you hit with it stays on the ground I think you would be good to go, but there just isn't enough metal above the doors to stop anything.

 

[stumps]

Anecdotes aren't proof and people who use anecdotes to prove a point are easily discredited.

If your legislators gave credence to an attorney who built an argument on anecdotes then you need to vote them out. If those opposed to the legislation didn't present refuting or offsetting evidence in a compelling method shame on them.

Very true, but simplistic and lacking any real understanding of the value of one person's vote.

I'm out of state, Wisconsin legislators don't care what I think about their laws, even though, as a Wisconsin land owner, they affect me. I can't vote, but I can influence others that are Wisconsin residents. The more folks I can influence to my way of thinking, the more power I have over this situation.

Voting is not how you get action from your legislators, money, and showing that your position represents the will of a lot of voters is.

To draw a direct correlation between the comments made by the members of this forum and the Wisconsin legislation and the DOT attorney who pushed for it is a real stretch.

I implied no such thing.

You have the right to use air your frustrations, grievances, and share your stories without censure by the government - and when they legislate recklessly you can use both your voice and your vote to protest.

Agreed.

The only reason I comment on this is because I hate to see Americans urged to keep quiet out of fear of the government. I served this nation (as many of us did) to protect the republic and preserve the concept that the government serves the people, not the other way around. When we start being afraid of the State we have lost much of what we, and those that came before us, fought for.

You don't get it yet.

Tell us why you don't speak freely on these forums about how much money is in your bank account; your social security number; where and what your most valuable trinkets are; how you keep your house key under the mat with the duck on it; what guns you have in your house, and where; that obscure little auction site where you always win with such low bids; that dodgy little thing you do on your taxes...etc... .

There is a thing called enlightened self interest.

If you tell enough people about how unsafe HMV's are, and give them enough examples of unsafe activities using HMV's, and tell about the unsafe things you will be doing if such and so happens to cross you, it will become "common knowledge" that HMV's are unsafe, and that people who like them are unreasonable and dangerous. You are in effect lobbying against your own self interests.

Legislators legislate things that they think will attract voters. If great blocks of voters believe (even falsly) that HMV's are dangerous to them and their families, legislators are going to do what they can to alleviate their fears, and attract their votes.

Just because someone in the WI DOT thinks HMV's are mean killer machines that put everyone on the highways at risk, ALL Wisconsin HMV owners will have their use of their HMV's limited to parades.

Don't you think it might be a better use of these forums to promote the wholesome nature of our activities, and what a benefit our owning HMV's is to our communities?

-Chuck