Today's crazy accidents

[codemonkey]

You would think in a state that rains 9 months out of the year people could drive in it.

http://www.kgw.com/perl/common/video/wmPlayer.pl?title=www.kgw.com/093005_ax.wmv


Today's set of accidents have really clogged up Wilsonville, lemme tell ya. On my lunch break I made it about a mile in a half in an hour. Terrible stuff I tell ya.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_093005_news_area_crashes.abb8f423.html

Pretty nuts

 

[89SportVert]

It's all those damn cal-i-forn-i-a drivers that moved up here in the 90's.

 

[Rootus]

49% of Oregon drivers slow down to half the posted limit when it rains. 49% maintain their usual 20 mph over the limit when it rains. Hilarity ensues.

If people would just learn how to drive in rain, especially the first rain after a long dry spell, we wouldn't get this kinda mess. All it takes is a few dry days (literally) and everyone promptly forgets how to drive on wet pavement.

I, on the other hand, used the opportunity on an empty stretch of 99E to see what AWD can do in the rain. Fun .

 

[DrkGreenStang]

Trying living in the east side of washington where it doesn't rain often. When it does, you'd think people's brain cells got washed down the drain too. Today, I think I was the only person who knew what a speed limit was.

 

[Jon]

It's all the Washington drivers making traffic in Oregon.

 

[loud 95]

It's all those damn cal-i-forn-i-a drivers that moved up here in the 90's.

I agree.

 

[DrkGreenStang]

People are stupid.
It's all the Washington drivers screwing up traffic in Oregon.

Apparently you've never been to Idaho... some of the worst drivers ever.

 

[hungrymonkey]

been quite down here.

I was at the firehouse for a good twelve hours today, and it was nothing but older people keeling over.

 

[SRsnake]

There was a pretty nice 60's mustang hardtop smashed up on Snoqualmie pass earlier. Sad.

 

[The Factor]

Thanks to all the excellent drivers out here, my normal 10 hour day turned into 13 hour day.

 

[lamrith]

Problem is it has not rained in 9months and the cali people got lost and ended up here since we had thier weather!!!

 

[codemonkey]

Thanks to all the excellent drivers out here, my normal 10 hour day turned into 13 hour day.

That really sucks. I had planned on a NICE 9 hour yesterday, for the first time in who knows how long. I got in about 7:30 and was going to leave at 5:30. I took a lunch and everything.

Then all this crap happened, and since I had to leave town, it made more sense to just stay at work and let the crap calm down, rather than leave and spend two hours in traffic. So I ended up leaving at about 8pm. 11.5 hours

A team member of mine left Wilsonville, and got to his home in Oregon City two hours later. He even took stafford and went "the back way". Terrible stuff.

 

[gospeedgo]

He even took stafford and went "the back way". Terrible stuff.

Holy Crap! You mean that others know of my shortcut to Fry's? DOH!

 

[The Factor]

Problem is it has not rained in 9months and the cali people got lost and ended up here since we had thier weather!!!

I wish that was the case as far as cali drivers being here but unfornately all the cars I saw on and off the road had oregon plates or washington as said above you'd think they'd be a little better at it since it rains 8 to 9 months out of the year, and as far california drivers being worse i dont think so i spent a few years out there and I do believe they could drive circles around most drivers in the NW even though it only rains a few months out of the year in cali they seem to handle it much better the only thing in california they dont tolerate idiot drivers so yoiu best have bullet proof glass

 

[codemonkey]

Thats what I've noticed too ed. In cali, they have massive traffic, but they also have massive people. At least everyone there is in a hurry.

What I've noticed about east coast drivers vs west, is urgency. They have it, we don't. And nearly every person I've talked to from the East coast says the same thing. We have way less people, and just as slow, or slower traffic than big cities in the east.

In oregon we have:

The brake happiest people in country.
People that go into siezures when they see brake lights.
People that dont pay attention to green lights / ramp signals. (wait for the horn!)
Cell phone morons (nationwide)
Excessive lane changing, (with no apparent benefit)
Many people who drive under the speed limit
People who drive under the speed limit in the left lane. (been discussed here).
People who wait until the absolute last minute to merge lanes, then shove themselves into a spot and cause an accident, or near miss. (When this happens, people start the brake light party)
People who slow down heavily for an accident, in either lane.
People who slow down to watch someone pulled over.
People who slow down when a disabled vehicle has its hazards on.

The west coast in general, especially Portland and Seattle, have these problems so bad we have traffic comparable to cities five times their size. The one thing people love to say about us west coasters, is that we don't know how to drive.

 

[ddonaca351]

Almost wrecked my truck on the way to work tonight...

Came up off 205 onto padden East-bound and as I made the turn the freaking assend tried to pass me!!

Just motoring along about 35, hang the corner (like i always do) and wwaaaaaaaaaa, countersteer, cs some more, cs some more, hit the steering lock, peddel it, pray, peddel it some more, look to the right and note that all traffic behind me was stopping, (thats a good thing) momentarily think "damn if it grabs, Im on my top"... slide along about 50-60 meters that way (good thing its 3 lanes wide right there) and then caught it on the first whip when it came back.

Got to work, cleaned out my shorts, had a cup of coffee.

Made mental note to self: "Self..., its slick right there."

You shoulda seen the look on the faces of the other drivers when we got up to the light and I just took it all in stride... (luuuuucckkkyyyy)

Dave-

 

[The Factor]

Thats what I've noticed too ed. In cali, they have massive traffic, but they also have massive people. At least everyone there is in a hurry.

What I've noticed about east coast drivers vs west, is urgency. They have it, we don't. And nearly every person I've talked to from the East coast says the same thing. We have way less people, and just as slow, or slower traffic than big cities in the east.

In oregon we have:

The brake happiest people in country.
People that go into siezures when they see brake lights.
People that dont pay attention to green lights / ramp signals. (wait for the horn!)
Cell phone morons (nationwide)
Excessive lane changing, (with no apparent benefit)
Many people who drive under the speed limit
People who drive under the speed limit in the left lane. (been discussed here).
People who wait until the absolute last minute to merge lanes, then shove themselves into a spot and cause an accident, or near miss. (When this happens, people start the brake light party)
People who slow down heavily for an accident, in either lane.
People who slow down to watch someone pulled over.
People who slow down when a disabled vehicle has its hazards on.

The west coast in general, especially Portland and Seattle, have these problems so bad we have traffic comparable to cities five times their size. The one thing people love to say about us west coasters, is that we don't know how to drive.

So true

 

[hungrymonkey]

We dont get the traffic down here.

But we do get all the Californians on business trips and vacations. They cruise along going 90. Passing on the right, cutting me off and tailgaiting.

Then there are the cars from washington. Which usually do not speed as fast. But they like to right pass (bugs the **** out of me).

 

[89SportVert]

I wish that was the case as far as cali drivers being here but unfornately all the cars I saw on and off the road had oregon plates or washington

Of course they have <st1:state w:st="on">Oregon</st1:state> and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1 ="">Washington</st1></st1:state> plates, they have been invading since the mid 90's. Just because the plate is NW, does not a native NW driver make.
​

The one thing people love to say about us west coasters, is that we don't know how to drive.

Well now that would seem to be all about perspective. There are those in the west that believe the benefits of the marginally better quality of live is outweighed by the gramps and grams thinking it Sunday seven days a week.
​

Then there are the cars from washington. Which usually do not speed as fast. But they like to right pass (bugs the **** out of me).

If ya don’t like getting passed on the right keep in mind “SLOWER TRAFFIC STAY RIGHT”. That is relative to traffic not the speed limit.​

 

[boomr]

You would think in a state that rains 9 months out of the year people could drive in it.
Pretty nuts

And here I thought we (us here in AK) were one of the few that had this problem. Every year on the first or second snow fall, every _____ (use what ever description you see fit) seems to have forgotten how to drive on the snow, I mean dang, it's only been 6, maybe 7 months since they drove on snow last. All I can associate it with is short term memory loss