Posted on 01/05/2016 5:58:33 PM PST by lowbridge
‘Under a big W...’
I’m glad he admits to driving like a dumbass.
Too many people speed on Angeles Crest Highway and get in wrecks. Then they hire some sleazbag lawyer to sue the taxpayers, claiming the was responsible for their injuries.
Witnessed a fatal version of this this last summer, a long 1/3 mile tumble down a Utah mountain. Paramedics took one look and packed up their gear.
Over the speed limit and/or too fast for conditions (VC 22350)
SoCal ping
Too many people speed on Angeles Crest Highway and get in wrecks. Then they hire some sleazbag lawyer to sue the taxpayers, claiming the was responsible for their injuries.
That being said, if someone was so impressedAt the exit, I could barely see because it was so bright, a person standing and holding something while motioning . . .with how dangerous that spot of road was that he was volunteering his time to warn others about it bears witness that something isn't right about that road.. . . The guy who was standing at the edge of the tunnel ran over and told me that he was trying to get me to slow down because he nearly lost it himself in the same spot.
Granted that he admits that he alone drove off that road, there is a reason why the number of accidents we suffer in this country is no worse than it is. That reason is that the rules of the road are made so that to cause a wreck it takes two people making a mistake.
Or one FUBAR. And it sounds like it is way too easy to FUBAR at that spot.
Boys will be boys and some will ignore any warning signs just for driving-thrills in the mountains, but at least if they're dead and are in the Big Rest Stop in the sky they (and their estate) can't say they weren't warned.
Since this happened a year ago, I wonder if any "Danger" signs are posted in that area now.
Leni
It is a winding mountain road. Not an oval test track. And it should come as a surprise to no one that the sun is bright when you come out of the tunnel.
In other words, he was driving too fast for the conditions. Particularly visibility. That is what the basic speed law addresses.
California Vehicle Cede section 22350:
"No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property."
He was also likely driving in excess of the posted speed limit, which is prima facie reckless. Particularly on a winding mountain road.
And if the guy in front of him had a problem: chances are very strong that guy was driving recklessly as well.
All just my opinions, of course.
Isn't that the truth!And for that very reason it would save lives if, in daytime, the last quarter mile of every tunnel were illuminated with gradually increasing intensity.
All very well to cavil that "drivers should know" - but then, drivers should know not to cause traffic tie-ups by rubbernecking at accidents and even at scenic vistas. And a fat lot of money you will make betting that all drivers will remember and take due cognizance of the fact that daylight is dazzling when you have become acclimated to the low light levels typical of tunnels.
You make a good point. There are a lot of bad drivers out there who simply don’t think about stuff as simple as how quickly their eyes will adjust to light.
And yes, every road could be made safer for the inattentive and overly aggressive drivers. But that doesn’t equate to the road being dangerous.
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