Ack!! I almost died

killamjl

Well-Known Member
Yea so anyway Im just crusing along a main (2 lane) residental street and a Ford Truck comes screeming (40-50mph) thru the stop sign -no pause or concern what so ever- across my driving path no less then 5 feet away from my truck. Driver side to passenger side.

Im resonably sure that if he would have hit me I wouldnt be making this post. Of course I was so stunned I forgot to get his plate numbers.

Anyway this real purpose of all this was to ask...

How frequently does this happen to you guys out there. This would probaly be my 2nd time this year, Im really starting to get peeved

Of course this would happen today after a AM Saftey meeting about preventing tier3 acciendents

I swear they jinks us
 

bellesotico

BOXstar
Those near misses are why I am so paranoid about clearing intersections. Even though I only drive on saturdays..I deal with garage salers who seem to only have their eyes on the sales and not on traffic.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
It happens all the time. And to people on cycles, it happens even more often. That is why you not only drive to control your vehicle, but you drive to where you can compensate for the oversight/stupidity of others as well.

It was a good thing that happened today. Dont sweat it. BUt learn from it

d
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
I'd be curious what % of those near misses involved people on cell phones.

Anytime I've seen someone run a stop sign, they've been holding a phone.
 

bad company

semi-pro
You didn't see the truck at the intersection? Look left, right, left at all intersections...expect the unexpected! Had you been involved in an accident, this would have clearly been avoidable.

Keep Your Eyes Moving
How do you do it? Move eyes. Front: 2 seconds. Rear: 5-to-8 seconds.
What's it do for you? Keeps you alive at intersections. Keeps eyes ahead of car.
Key Phrase - “Scan , don’t stare.”

I was just kidding...really...I had a safety audit today and I failed because I didn't know the key phrases. I am highly annoyed...

I haven't had any real issues at intersections or main roads. My probelms and "close calls" are in parking lots. In fact, my only accident was a hit while parked *legally*(apparently that was avoidable too). People in parking lots scare me...I was once told by some one that they "couldn't see me". I drive a big brown p1200. Really?

Glad you are safe and avoided an accident. When I was a pt sup, I went to an accident where a school bus ran a stop sign and hit a 1000. Luckily it was on the passenger side, and the driver was not injured. The school bus luckily only had one child left, and she was in the very back of the bus.
 

killamjl

Well-Known Member
You didn't see the truck at the intersection?

Just to clarify i wasnt at an intersection I was on a flow-thru road in a residential area, moving at 30mph no stop sign for a mile in the direction i was moving. Of course you scan from left (house line) to right (house line), but honesty I dont think anyone can react fast enough to pick up a 50mph vehicle blasting thru your drive path. Im on my 3rd beer so im over it now, but i was pretty worked up earlier

And also Ive been backed into about 4 times in parking lots, stupid bastards I'll never understand how you dont see a HUGE TRUCK behind you.

Of course parking in front of Drug Stores at 10 in the morning when old folks are flocking for there meds doesnt make me look real bright....so I dunno maybe I just need to bungee my horn on, and break out some traffic cones:anxious:
 

alexfo7o

Member
Oh! $hi7! dumb ppl the idiot was pry talking on his cell phone. I am in Colorado and although I am not a UPS driver, I do work reload. I hope to become a driver though.
I see ppl talking on the phone all the time. Even UPS drivers it pisses me off. Good luck. :happy2:
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I had a situation similar to this but it involved a deer running in front of my pkg car as I am cruising along at 55-60 mph on a 2 lane highway. That will get the heart pumping!! I can just see the look on my kids' faces when I come home and tell them I killed Bambi!!
 

longlunchguy

Runnin on Empty
You didn't see the truck at the intersection? Look left, right, left at all intersections...expect the unexpected! Had you been involved in an accident, this would have clearly been avoidable.

Keep Your Eyes Moving
How do you do it? Move eyes. Front: 2 seconds. Rear: 5-to-8 seconds.
What's it do for you? Keeps you alive at intersections. Keeps eyes ahead of car.
Key Phrase - “Scan , don’t stare.”

I was just kidding...really...I had a safety audit today and I failed because I didn't know the key phrases. I am highly annoyed...

I haven't had any real issues at intersections or main roads. My probelms and "close calls" are in parking lots. In fact, my only accident was a hit while parked *legally*(apparently that was avoidable too). People in parking lots scare me...I was once told by some one that they "couldn't see me". I drive a big brown p1200. Really?

Glad you are safe and avoided an accident. When I was a pt sup, I went to an accident where a school bus ran a stop sign and hit a 1000. Luckily it was on the passenger side, and the driver was not injured. The school bus luckily only had one child left, and she was in the very back of the bus.
Man, I'm glad you said you were kidding. I was ready to climb on my soapbox about all the key phrases and the way my sup rattles them off all the time. Unfortunately, before he became my boss he had 4 accidents in 3 years. Those who can, drive. Those who can't, manage:laughing:
 
There is no way to deny that using the 5 seeing habits, will make you a safer driver. To say you can avoid all accidents using them is not reality though.
UPS management believes there is no such thing as an unavoidable accident but that has little to do with reality.
 
O

oldupsman

Guest
Killamji,
I'm retired now having been a member of the Circle of Honor and finished my career with 30 years of safe driving, all in package car. I'm a firm believer in the 5 seeing habits. I'm also a firm believer in something else. Once in awhile you just get lucky. Now one could argue that good habits lead to good luck, and I believe that too. But sometimes the Lord just takes care of you. Case in point.
One week before my induction into the Circle of Honor I'm sitting at a 2 way stop sign intersection. I'm checking for traffic, see a car coming towards me at a good clip. Look across the way and see a small 12 wheel dump truck pulling out into the intersection. I knew the guy and the truck. It was an older gentleman who worked part time for a local feed mill. It's obvious he didn't see the car coming. I'm sitting in my package car screaming, NO NO NO because the guy has no clue he's about to get hammered. The car coming sees the truck pulling out and swerves toward me to try to miss the truck. Catches the front bumper of the truck, spins around in a 180 and heads for me. And its true what they say about accidents, this was all happening in slow motion. I see the driver of the car plain as day spinning the steering wheel in no particular manner, it was just panic. I mean this car is headed for my package car, not a thing I can do. And for some reason at the last moment it swerves and misses me by about 5 feet. It's things like that that keep you humble behind the wheel. No one was injured. And 5 days later I'm at a Circle of Honor dinner being told what a great driver I am. Yeah right. Like I said sometimes you just get lucky. Be safe.
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
The good news: As of July 1st all phone talking has to be hands-free in CA.

The bad news: They'll still be yakking away and distracted.

Really good news: No one under 18 can use a phone while driving, hands-free or otherwise.
 
Killamji,
And 5 days later I'm at a Circle of Honor dinner being told what a great driver I am. Yeah right. Like I said sometimes you just get lucky. Be safe.
First and foremost, congratulations on the "Circle of Honor"!
It is so sad that IF you had gotten hit that day, the C of H could have been taken from you because of UPS policy of "no such thing as an unavoidable accident". In no way should an accident as you described ever be held against a driver in your position.
 

Marne Vet

Well-Known Member
Daily near misses? My trip is in the hood, so no one really gives a crap about stop signs, right of way, or lights. No one cares about the law in my area, and it's always your fault when they almost kill you. I've been side-swiped, and rear-ended 9 times in 19 years. The biggest joke was when they sent me to a special meeting with Sups and Safety personnel to find out why I've been hit so many times. Like I can control how others drive? All of these hits were stationary while I was at a stop, and I'm told "was there anything you could've done better to avoid being hit?" Yeah, CALL OUT. That was response when asked. Idiots. One sideswipe was by a drunk driver, and I was still asked if I could've done anything to prevent it. I was inside with a customer when it happened! smh.
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
the more hours and miles you log on the road, you come to question how so many people managed to get Drivers licenses, and are still alive.
you also come to realize that maintaining a Safe Driving Career, is truly a great accomplishment.
Not because of how good you are(that counts too) but rather how lucky you are as well.
 

MassWineGuy

Well-Known Member
I'm glad you escaped this encounter unharmed. I agree about the seeing habits, etc. helping a great deal. But there is always going to be some civilian driver who manages to get through all of that and crash into a package car.
 

bluehdmc

Well-Known Member
The good news: As of July 1st all phone talking has to be hands-free in CA.

The bad news: They'll still be yakking away and distracted.

Really good news: No one under 18 can use a phone while driving, hands-free or otherwise.

5 yrs later has the law helped?
I would guess not, it's been about 10yrs in NY, and about that in NJ and I see people yakking away with the phone to their ear. Even the cops! (Think they'd set an example?)
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
i was watching the news, and apparently down in FL they passed a similar law... only one problem, the police cannot pull you over for it,
apparently they have to get you on something else first...
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
i was watching the news, and apparently down in FL they passed a similar law... only one problem, the police cannot pull you over for it,
apparently they have to get you on something else first...

That's what they call a secondary violation----give it a few years, they will change it to a primary violation.

In NY they can pull you over for yakking on your cell phone while driving. They have SUV's that sit higher on the road, allowing troopers to look down into vehicles. These have been successful but it is still amazing how many people are on their cells or distracted in other ways while driving.

Do any of you ever see people driving with their dogs on their laps?
 
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