INSTANT KARMA

[kcjenkins]

INSTANT KARMA

The YouTuber going by the username Florida Driver posted video Wednesday, saying that she’d been tailed by the truck driver for three minutes.

“After about a minute, and me shaking my head, I pulled out my phone and started recording. I couldn’t move over because there were trucks in the right lane, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to speed on a rainy day with the roads being as slick as they were. I was turning left in about a half-mile when this happened,” the driver wrote.

“Now bear in mind, that this guy had already passed a truck in a left turn lane, was tailgating and driving recklessly on a wet slick road, wasn’t paying attention, and all in all being an ignorant [a**]. In the full video which I will post later, you will be able to see that not once was I mouthing off, I never brake checked him, and in fact until I watched the video after the accident I didn’t even know he shot a bird at me because I wasn’t looking at him at all, I was paying attention to the road while holding the phone up with my right hand,” the driver continued.

Just after the man driving the black Ford pickup truck passed this driver and changed lanes, he lost control and spun out into a grassy median.

“That’s what you get,” the woman filming yelled as she laughed.

Watch what the incident as it unfolded (Content warning: offensive hand gesture):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3XqZoaWKv2k

According to the driver who recorded the footage, the man in the truck fled the scene but with the video, law enforcement were able to identify and charge the driver.

[David1980]

In Washington it's against the law to sit in the left lane on a multi-lane highway. I believe that's true in most states. It sadly does not get enforced much.

[Catherine]

Read the description: lady said right lane was blocked by trucks (and you could see one occasionally in the video) until he passed her, and that she was poised to make a left turn herself.

Same thing has happened to me more than once; stuck in a lane because no one will let me over or i have to make a specific turn, and get tailgated by some idiot who wants to drive way faster than the road conditions allow.

[David1980]

Read the description: lady said right lane was blocked by trucks (and you could see one occasionally in the video) until he passed her, and that she was poised to make a left turn herself.

Same thing has happened to me more than once; stuck in a lane because no one will let me over or i have to make a specific turn, and get tailgated by some idiot who wants to drive way faster than the road conditions allow.

Yes, occasionally. Very occasionally. My regular driving is in Seattle so to me that road looked wide open.

You see the same truck in the right lane right at the start and then again at 50 seconds in - she's driving the same speed as the truck in the lane over. Looks like plenty of space behind it. At 1:08 we can see the road in front of her. She could have sped up or slowed down and easily gotten to the right. My guess is she was intentionally driving the same speed as the truck to the right in order to block the truck that crashes.

As for her left turn, she said the guy was tailgating her 3 minutes. 3 minutes at 50 mph takes you about 2.5 miles. Do they really need to be in the left lane 2.5 miles before their left turn? I don't believe for a single second she couldn't have pulled to the right or had any intention of doing so. I'd love to see her pulled over and given a ticket for that.

That doesn't excuse what the guy did. They're both idiots and probably neither of them should be on the road.

[kcjenkins]

She was going the speed limit, so even though it would have been nice for her to move over, it would have required her to either speed to get in front of the truck, or slow down to get behind the truck. Then have to worry about being able to move back into the left lane for her upcoming left turn. 3 min is not an unreasonable length of time to be forced to stay at the speed limit, IMHO. It would be different had she been driving slower than the speed limit, but why blame the law-abiding driver for not accommodating the speeder?

[JohnH]

I always accommodate the speeder & reckless driver.

It's the safest thing to do.

The guy in the pickup is truly a jerk, but she's putting herself in serious danger by driving the way she is driving. She doesn't have an "out" if something goes wrong. If the truck to her right swerves slightly has a blowout, starts shredding a recap, or if something goes wrong in front of her, the only choice she has is the median and possibly a head-on into oncoming traffic. And we won't go into how distracted she is by filming the whole thing - it's worse than texting IMO.

If someone's tailgating me, I'll speed up somewhat to get over & let them pass if possible.

Even if they're dead wrong, I don't relish being dead right.

[Elrod]

Scooters...........I like em alot.

[Carolbeck]

Also staying in the Tractor Trailer Drivers Blind Spot (right lane) is not a good thing either. I see it all the time, someone gets in the left lane to pass a big rig and freeze. They stay neck and neck and the Tractor Trailer Driver can't see them. If you do not see him in his mirror, he can't see you. Not worth being dead. Either pull behind or increase speed a little and get ahead. No matter what speed you do on an Highway, there is always someone who wants to go faster.

Not worth having an accident or loosing your life.

[JohnH]

You're right.

Very dangerous place to be.

And anyone who has ever found themselves side-by-side with a tractor trailer shredding a tire will vow never again to be in that scary spot for very long. (Trust me).

There's no question that the video depicts a dangerous driver in the pickup (he doesn't even know how unstable pickup trucks are because they're so light in the rear). He got what was coming to him. But the person filming it is also a very bad driver who made several foolish mistakes IMO.

[jklcpa]

The driver filming did several things wrong, 2 were clearly illegal, at least where I live. She was out in the left lane when there were several opportunities for her to move over, and she was using a cell phone or camera while driving. She was a danger on the road due to her inattentive driving, and not willing to move over.

[kcjenkins]

OK, I give you all that. I would have moved over too. But just the same, can you honestly say you did not enjoy seeing him getting what he deserved?

[Lion EA]

I was scared for her talking about the road conditions but driving with one hand and watching her phone/camera screen instead of the road.

[JohnH]

OK, I give you all that. I would have moved over too. But just the same, can you honestly say you did not enjoy seeing him getting what he deserved?

Oh absolutely enjoyable.

She should have tossed him a roll of toilet paper as she went by - he probably had a sudden need for it.

[mcb39]

I didn't enjoy hearing her laughing about his misfortune. It could just as well have been her. She wasn't giving him an inch. I would have gotten over.; and I wouldn't have been making a video. I would have been shaking in my boots.

[kcjenkins]

Yeah, She should not have filmed it while driving, but if anybody deserved to wipe out, it was that jerk. Notice AFTER he passed her he slowed back up just so he could flip her off. What a jerk.

[jklcpa]

I don't want to see anyone wipe out because they could also take me out or someone else in the process. We never know when someone is driving under the influence of alcohol or some drug, Rx or other, and might be in an "altered" state, and I don't need to be a party in any way to a rage incident. I agree with Marilyn about moving out of their way. I'd rather have them ahead of me and allow some distance between me and them but where I can still keep an eye on their driving. That's easier than worrying about what some jerk behind me is doing.