Irish drivers

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 10:33AM #1

Walking across the street today. Was in a bit of a day dream, thought I had plenty of time to make it across but didnt judge the speed of a bmw properly. Had to run across in the end. i should have waited sure, other people were walkign across anyway. However, one thing I noticed was that the BMW sped up when he saw us and broke at the last minute just to give us all a scare. When I managed to get to the otherside I looked around and the driver said 'do you WANT to get smacked by a car??' We would have had plenty of time to get across the road in no mad rush but he decided to teach us all a lesson 'wait for the little green man'. What a w****r

RE*AC*TOR · 13-03-2006 10:36AM

This man sounds like a legend.

Did you want to get hit by a car? Did you have right of way? Pedestrian crossing, green man?

Crucifix · 13-03-2006 10:36AM

While his car was stopped you should ran at his car rolled over the bonnet then moaned in faux agony and saying "I'm gonna sue, I'm gonna sue".

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 10:38AM

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

This man sounds like a legend.

Did you want to get hit by a car? Did you have right of way? Pedestrian crossing, green man?

Hardly a legend. These bloody bmw drivers, they think they own the bloody road. Dont often feel like head butting someone but he was nearly dragged out by his silk tie and got it from me.

johnnyrotten · 13-03-2006 10:39AM

Unforunately this is a sign of the times.
I was driving southbound on the M1 on saturday in bumper to bumper traffic. Next thing a car speeds down the hard shoulder undertaking everyone including a Garda car. Of course the sheep started to follow and soon there was scores of cars doing the same. What did the Gardai do?... Nothing

Pherekydes · 13-03-2006 10:39AM

You should have made allowances for the fact that he was a Beemer driver.

RE*AC*TOR · 13-03-2006 10:39AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

Dont often feel like head butting someone but he was nearly dragged out by his silk tie and got it from me.

What a loss to society it would have been if you were hit. :rolleyes:

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 10:41AM

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

What a loss to society it would have been if you were hit. :rolleyes:

Good for you, you're very clever. Thanks for playing

lodgepole · 13-03-2006 10:44AM

Crossing the road in front of traffic and speeding up to give people like that a "scare" are both pretty stupid things to do. Just as you can never tell whether car may be travelling faster than it appears, the driver couldn't have been sure that something may not have gone wrong with his little speed up/brake fast stunt.

RE*AC*TOR · 13-03-2006 10:45AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

Good for you, you're very clever. Thanks for playing

But seriously, you do realise a road IS a dangerous place? This country is absolutely crazy for people just walking out onto the road without looking.

I was in warsaw recently, there were people observing pedestrian lights late at night with practically no traffic on the roads. Its a criminal offence to walk out onto the road against a pedestrian light there. It was a whole new experience, compared to the chaos of O'Connell St for example.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 10:47AM

Lodgepole wrote:

Crossing the road in front of traffic and speeding up to give people like that a "scare" are both pretty stupid things to do. Just as you can never tell whether car may be travelling faster than it appears, the driver couldn't have been sure that something may not have gone wrong with his little speed up/brake fast stunt.

Well thats my point. I drive myself and am very cautious when pedestrians walk out in front of me. No way would I do what he did. As someone mentioned before, anyone could have purposely ran into him to feign injury and perhaps claim for trauma. However, more seriously, he could have killed someone. I'm not throwing all the blame onto him but I wasnt intentionally trying to be wreckless. Its also not unreasonable to expect drivers to nnot be speeding down a city centre street like he was into pedestrians. I was on the far side of the crowd of pedestrians. Thats what really shocked me. If he was to have hit me, he would have taken several others aswell.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 10:48AM

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

But seriously, you do realise a road IS a dangerous place? This country is absolutely crazy for people just walking out onto the road without looking.

I was in warsaw recently, there were people observing pedestrian lights late at night with practically no traffic on the roads. Its a criminal offence to walk out onto the road against a pedestrian light there. It was a whole new experience, compared to the chaos of O'Connell St for example.

I'm not disputing that. I know I was wrong to do it but what he did was an offence worthy of losing his licence in my view.

The OP · 13-03-2006 10:56AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

Walking across the street today. Was in a bit of a day dream, thought I had plenty of time to make it across but didnt judge the speed of a bmw properly. Had to run across in the end. i should have waited sure, other people were walkign across anyway. However, one thing I noticed was that the BMW sped up when he saw us and broke at the last minute just to give us all a scare. When I managed to get to the otherside I looked around and the driver said 'do you WANT to get smacked by a car??' We would have had plenty of time to get across the road in no mad rush but he decided to teach us all a lesson 'wait for the little green man'. What a w****r

I agree with the driver. You're the dumba*s. Roads are for cars - paths are for people. You even admitted you weren't paying attention. I bet the driver had it under control.

Dizzyblabla · 13-03-2006 11:00AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

I'm not throwing all the blame onto him but I wasnt intentionally trying to be wreckless.

if you weren't intentionally trying to be wreckless, then you would have walked probably about 50meters up the road to the nearest traffic lights, where you're supposed to cross the road. OK, the guy shouldn't have started to speed towards you, but you shouldn't have crossed the road there in the first place.
Over the weekend it was madness, drunken louts pushing each other onto the road, or just blantantly walking out in front of me to cross the road. I don't blame the bmw driver at all, it can be very frustrating trying to get someplace and having everyone just walk out in front of you as pedestrians have 'right of way'...

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:01AM

The OP wrote:

I agree with the driver. You're the dumba*s. Roads are for cars - paths are for people. You even admitted you weren't paying attention. I bet the driver had it under control.

Crap. You sound like a wreckless driver aswell. Also you bet the driver had it under control? How could you possibly know that without being there? Or do you drive with your eyes closed? Several people had to dart across the road. I was on the otherside of the crowd and nearly had to jump the the foothpath. Also, roads are for people, not wreckless drivers.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:03AM

Dizzyblabla wrote:

if you weren't intentionally trying to be wreckless, then you would have walked probably about 50meters up the road to the nearest traffic lights, where you're supposed to cross the road. OK, the guy shouldn't have started to speed towards you, but you shouldn't have crossed the road there in the first place.
Over the weekend it was madness, drunken louts pushing each other onto the road, or just blantantly walking out in front of me to cross the road. I don't blame the bmw driver at all, it can be very frustrating trying to get someplace and having everyone just walk out in front of you as pedestrians have 'right of way'...

We were at the traffic lights. There was no traffic coming, he came around the corner at fast speed. I'll even tell you where it was. The junction between harcourt street, st. stephens green. He was coming up earlsfort terrace. He was definitely going very fast.

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:11AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

Crap. You sound like a wreckless driver aswell. Also you bet the driver had it under control? How could you possibly know that without being there? Or do you drive with your eyes closed? Several people had to dart across the road. I was on the otherside of the crowd and nearly had to jump the the foothpath. Also, roads are for people, not wreckless drivers.

No, roads are for cars. Ever heard of either 1) Waiting for the green man, or 2) waiting until it's safe to cross? Because you did neither. The funny thing is, they teach that in school when you're 8. I guess you were out sick that week....

I hate dozy prats like you, when they just wander aimlessly like a pack of sheep in front of me. I bet you were probably on your mobile too.

Hobbes · 13-03-2006 11:12AM

johnnyrotten wrote:

Unforunately this is a sign of the times.
I was driving southbound on the M1 on saturday in bumper to bumper traffic. Next thing a car speeds down the hard shoulder undertaking everyone including a Garda car. Of course the sheep started to follow and soon there was scores of cars doing the same. What did the Gardai do?... Nothing

Yea I think you need a special stone cutters badge to use the hard shoulder as your own private road. If they put 5 points on your license for that 80% of the muppets on the roads would be gone within a month.

I agree with the driver. You're the dumba*s. Roads are for cars - paths are for people. You even admitted you weren't paying attention. I bet the driver had it under control.

Actually we live in a pedestrian orientated country. If the beemer had hit him even if he was jaywalking the car driver would of gotten in trouble especially seeing as he actualy accelerated.

If he had learnt the rules of the road he would know the correct response was to slow down. I can't wait for the retesting law to kick in again and get a lot of these idiots off the road.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:16AM

The OP wrote:

No, roads are for cars. Ever heard of either 1) Waiting for the green man, or 2) waiting until it's safe to cross? Because you did neither. The funny thing is, they teach that in school when you're 8. I guess you were out sick that week....

I hate dozy prats like you, when they just wander aimlessly like a pack of sheep in front of me. I bet you were probably on your mobile too.

FYI, it was safe to cross until this maniac decided to give us all a scare. I dont think you're considering just how wreckless he was. We all would have clearly made it across the road with atleast a 4 second gap if he was driving as he should have. Let me guess, you wait for the green man every time you cross the road? If not, then you must really hate yourself.

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:19AM

Hobbes wrote:

Actually we live in a pedestrian orientated country. If the beemer had hit him even if he was jaywalking the car driver would of gotten in trouble especially seeing as he actualy accelerated.

I'm fully aware of that, and that's a stupid risk the driver took.

But my point is, that I have zero sympathy for the flocks of sheep in the city centre who wander aimlessly in front of cars. If they hit, it's their own dumb fault IMO. The safe-cross-code isn't that complex to grasp.

RE*AC*TOR · 13-03-2006 11:21AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

There was no traffic coming, he came around the corner at fast speed.

this is a contradiction of your orignal statement...

40YardScreamer wrote:

didnt judge the speed of a bmw properly.

you either saw it and didn't judge its speed correctly or you didn't see it until he came around the corner fast.. which was it?

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:24AM

The OP wrote:

I'm fully aware of that, and that's a stupid risk the driver took.

But my point is, that I have zero sympathy for the flocks of sheep in the city centre who wander aimlessly in front of cars. If they hit, it's their own dumb fault IMO. The safe-cross-code isn't that complex to grasp.

You seem to think that I had milliseconds to get across the road when I decided to go. I had well enough time. The bmw driver decided to cut that down as much as he could. You are missing the serious issue here.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:25AM

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

this is a contradiction of your orignal statement...

you either saw it and didn't judge its speed correctly or you didn't see it until he came around the corner fast.. which was it?

Point taken, he was coming around the corner and I judged it to be ok to cross. As everyone had.

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:26AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

FYI, it was safe to cross until this maniac decided to give us all a scare.

So in other words, it wasn't safe, because there was a chance a car could have come around the corner, with no red lights to stop it.

You also said you were in a day dream, so I'm inclined to think you just crossed with the herd as oppossed to assessing the situatuion yourself.

I have never had that happen to me, because I'm always aware of my surroundings - I cross at pedestrian crossings, or I wait until it IS clear - not when a bunch of stupid sheep start to move in one direction, and I follow suit. I assess the situation for myself and I don't daydream when crossing roads. It's not difficult.

90% of pedestrians get knocked down within 100 yards of a pedestrian crossing.

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:28AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

Point taken, he was coming around the corner and I judged it to be ok to cross. As everyone had.

Ha! So you did see him before you crossed. That's not what you implied here:

"There was no traffic coming..."

lodgepole · 13-03-2006 11:33AM

So disregarding the original posters ability to weigh up the situation, you think it's okay for a car to accelerate towards pedestrians if those pedestrians are acting carelessly?

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:34AM

40YardScreamer wrote:

You seem to think that I had milliseconds to get across the road when I decided to go. I had well enough time.

But you admitted in your first post that you "didnt judge the speed of a bmw properly" - so it was your poor judgement that caused it, added to the fact that you said you were daydreaming, and you didn't even wait for a green man. Seems pretty obvious who's fault it is.

Hmm, let's see who's fault it is:
1) The driver who was seen coming by the pedestrians, and had a green light giving him right of way.
2) The self-confessed daydreamer who decided to cross in front of a moving car, without a green man, even though they saw the car coming. Add to this the pedestrian made a speed judgment of the car while daydreaming.

Point taken, he was coming around the corner and I judged it to be ok to cross. As everyone had.

Ah, the ol' sheep theory confirmed. "But everyone else did it too!"

johnnyrotten · 13-03-2006 11:35AM

Pedestrians and animals have the right of way on the road people.
Hit the pedestrian - face the consequences

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:38AM

Lodgepole wrote:

So disregarding the original posters ability to weigh up the situation, you think it's okay for a car to accelerate towards pedestrians if those pedestrians are acting carelessly?

No. I think they should brake.
But I have no sympathy for dumb pedestrians acting carelessly if they get knocked down. I also believe the driver had it under control, and had given himself enough time to stop completely if a sheep strayed from the flock.

40YardScreamer · 13-03-2006 11:38AM

The OP wrote:

But you admitted in your first post that you "didnt judge the speed of a bmw properly" - so it was your poor judgement that caused it, added to the fact that you said you were daydreaming, and you didn't even wait for a green man. Seems pretty obvious who's fault it is.

Hmm, let's see who's fault it is:
1) The driver who was seen coming by the pedestrians, and had a green light giving him right of way.
2) The self-confessed daydreamer who decided to cross in front of a moving car, without a green man, even though they saw the car coming. Add to this the pedestrian made a speed judgment of the car while daydreaming.

Ah, the ol' sheep theory confirmed. "But everyone else did it too!"

I never said I was just following the pack. I looked and saw a car coming around the corner. If any of you guys know the street, you'll know that the bmw had no right to be anywhere near the crowd of pedestrians from where he was coming from in that space of time.

The OP · 13-03-2006 11:39AM

johnnyrotten wrote:

Pedestrians and animals have the right of way on the road people.
Hit the pedestrian - face the consequences

I understand that, but I don't agree with it, which is my point. Why do we always have to cater for the lowest common denominator?

Irish drivers

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