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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > March > 01 > Entry
Road Rules: Rain brings on Wreckpalooza
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You would think that the end of the world was coming. Today is Thursday and it’s raining. This means that for some unknown reason, forces compel us to drive with the same amount of lack of caution as we do on dry days. End result: Wreckpalooza.
If you have an accident, and nobody is hurt then start looking for the silver lining in the big dark cloud which is, nobody got hurt. Usually that doesn’t make you feel better until later.
If your car isn’t totaled, move it. Don’t leave it there to screw up everyone else’s ride home. If you hit the back of someone’s car then chances are that the big clue, being the damage to your front and their back, is that you hit the car from behind. Move the cars. Don’t say “My insurance person said to leave the cars where they are.” No. If you tell the officer this, the insurance person should be subpoenaed to court so we can chastise them. Move your car to a spot that is nearby, keeping in mind that driving home is not nearby in most cases, so that traffic can move on. You’ll be harassed less by passing motorists.
If the car is totaled out, disregard the above paragraph.
People have accidents for many reasons. While in traffic this morning, I saw a guy, driving and reading a novel. It was insane. Why can’t he read the paper like the rest of us?
If you get into an accident, the first rule is to not say what you want to say when the other driver walks up. If nobody gets hurt then everyone will most likely be upset. Don’t let that be your justification for verbally going off on someone. Remember, there are many out there who can whoop you.
Statistics say that over 73 percent of people who verbally abuse the driver who caused their accident get whooped by that driver. Before you say anything, take time to look at the driver before you spout off. Make sure they are defenseless before you go to telling them what for.
Please, give it a little space between cars and pay attention to the rainy conditions. If you have a bump-and-greet, though, move the cars out of the lane if you can and bite your lip and just make the best of it. Again, please, move your (%$^$^&)-ing car out of the way. Thank you.
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Comments
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By Beth
March 1, 2007 4:07 PM | Link to this
THANK YOU!!! I tried to tell a friend that— “Ames, move yer stinkin’ car out of the intersection, it’s way obvi that you can’t drive a lick and that you’re at fault — the big ol’ dent in the other lady’s car will tell the officers that!”
But she was adamant. “No! No, I’m not moving my car, I’m staying right under this stop light!!!111”
“But, dude, you’re totally at fault. Moving won’t somehow make that less or more apparent.”
She didn’t move, and needless to say, Glynn County drivers were not happy that day.
In other news, I got rear-ended back in August, and I just had to sit in the car for a moment and have a Zen moment with Jesus before I lost my religion on the guy in the Honkin’ Huge F-350 that rammed my little Saturn. Fortunately, my ol’ Saturn’s bumper’s like Fort Knox, so despite the heavy impact, there was very little damage.
But my patience paid off. By the time I got out of the car, looking cute, small, and sad, and saying very little, the husband and wife in the car felt such pity for me I thought they were going to cut me a check right then. Instead, the wife started fussing at the husband. “Derwood! You were dead wrong, hitting this poor defenseless girl, not paying attention! I love you, but you was dead wrong here!” She turned to me. “My husband was dead wrong, baby — are you OK? Do we need to call an ambulance? Make sure you get all our information and get in touch with our insurance company, pronto.”
So I just smiled wanly and looked pained and didn’t say much and their insurance company took care of me. I also walked away sans a butt-whoopin’, for which I am grateful.
By Ima Nidiot
March 1, 2007 9:01 PM | Link to this
Steve is such a wonderful cop, it makes me want to commit a crime, just so he can arrest me. I was gonna get some big sunglasses and rob a Bank at a Kroger, but some girls beat me to it.
My top ‘maalox moments’ on Atlanta Roads: 1) Saw woman flossing her teeth at 80mph 2) Saw man reading tiny-print bible on 285 (only going 70) 3) Nearly hit a portable cement mixer on 285. (amigos, those little chains between your truck and your trailer are there for a reason). 4) The woman tailgating me HIT the portable cement mixer, at 80mph. Explosion of liquid cement was very spectacular. she was shaken, unhurt, car totalled 5) Semi lost it’s drive shaft on GA-400…caused a fun dodge-em type driving game. 6) The “You’re Busted” game. When I see a car or truck that has the phone number printed real big AND they are driving ‘creatively’, I ALWAYS call the company and give them hell. 7) I’ve seen LOTS of neat crashes. 8) Got to follow and report a hit-run driver. The guy hit two cars and kept on rolling. I got on the cell with FCPD and gave them tag, vehicle, driver descr, and even where the loser lives (the dispatcher asked me kindly to discontinue the pursuit).
By Van
March 1, 2007 9:44 PM | Link to this
I have posted this question before, but to no response. Since Steve brought up the topic of rain in this article, I will pose it again. Why can’t the good folks at the DOT or Glidden paint or wherever come up with a road paint that will not disappear when the road gets wet and slick at night? On most roads it is like trying to play a game of “Guess where the lanes are” when it rains. I wonder how many accidents happen as a result of poorly-marked roads. Reflectors placed on the lanes help, but they few and far between. Am I the only one who has a problem with this?
By jabster
March 1, 2007 10:23 PM | Link to this
Allstate used to tell people to leave their car put until the cops arrived, even after Georgia passed a law making this illegal. Maybe we need to start issuing tickets to any insurance company who tells people in writing (on their insurance card, etc.) to leave their car put.
By Lt. Steve
March 1, 2007 10:36 PM | Link to this
Jabster: Yes. Bring the vermin to court and make them sit until the last case. Van: You would think that. I’ll pose it on thier website to see if there is anything in the works. I had a bad drive to Ball Ground tonight. I just followed the road and left it up to my good senses to see where I was, up until I saw the sign “Welcome to Ellijay. And Ima….thankyavuramuch..
By Chris
March 1, 2007 11:59 PM | Link to this
I drive a truck so sit higher than most cars. My wife once brought my attention to a woman in the car next to us changing her tampon on I-85 SB during the morning rush hour. LOL.
By Early Bird
March 2, 2007 7:21 AM | Link to this
Van, Thank you for bringing up this topic! Here I thought it was just me and my middle-aged eyesight.
DOT, please restripe 285 more often!
By nona
March 2, 2007 7:38 AM | Link to this
Living in Cobb county for the past 8 years I’ve become aware of a custom ( perhaps a local ordinance ) that means every Cobb commuter through Fultom must observe the following:
Fridays, in the rain, drivers must place their brain in the trunk , slam the lid and throw away the key. To use anything resembling a concious thought in that situation will result in being expelled from Cobb and relocated to another county even farther from civilization.
Oh, by the way: Welcome to the bumper-to-bumper rainy day idiots parade.
By nona
March 2, 2007 7:42 AM | Link to this
That’s FULTON not Fultom. Please excuse the typo.
By Patrick
March 2, 2007 7:47 AM | Link to this
It’s not just 285 with bad striping. The striping on I-20 on both sides of the Perimeter practically disappears when it’s raining in the early hours of the morning. When I used to have to leave the house at 4:45 AM in order to get to Norcross before 7:00 AM, I’d cringe if it started to rain. If it was raining too hard before I left, I either called in out due to inclement weather, or late. I’d then wait until 7:00 AM or so when it was lighter outside before even thinking about leaving the house.
By AtlantaDriver
March 2, 2007 7:51 AM | Link to this
My favorite was going north on 400 (back before it was crowded), doing about 75. I had to move over a lane to let someone much faster go past. There was a woman with a TV, including rabbit ears sticking out of the window, putting on makeup, and eating doing well over 80.
To make matters better, it was the receptionist for my office.
By Paul
March 2, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this
They do have very good reflectors for marking lanes. First, though, they grind a little depression in the roadway, and then they glue the reflectors to the bottom of the depression. Then when it rains and the hole fills up with water, the reflectors are not able to distract anyone very much.
By Vera Duvall
March 2, 2007 8:49 AM | Link to this
We had a school bus wreck that went off an interstate bridge onto a street below, here in Huntsville, AL., loaded with local school children, sounds similar to the one in Atlanta. We must insist that Bus Drivers, Big Truck Drivers and all motorized vehicle drivers practice more caution when driving. We are killing more American People with our Motor Vehicles than are being killed in Iraq. Add those to the fact that there were more homicide deaths in America last year than American Soldier deaths in Iraq and you find that we would be safer in the war zone than on our streets and in our homes.
By Chris F
March 2, 2007 9:01 AM | Link to this
LOL! It’s the same way everywhere. The paint that is used across Georgia is meant to disappear when it’s dark and wet. I’ve said many times to my wife and everyone else that someone needs to find a better paint. Out here where I live (Carroll County), they must repaint every 50 years or so. Most of the roads have very faint stripes. The other drivers take this as a sign that it’s a free-for-all. I’m constantly having to play Chicken with oncoming cars that think they own the whole road. It’s insane.
By Patrick
March 2, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this
I live out in Haralson County, where all that construction on I-20 between US 27 and the GA/AL state line is occurring. The new construction has made it even MORE difficult to see the lines in the road than it was before. Hey GDOT: Please get out and restripe all major interstates outside of I-285, and definitely outside of the Metro-Atlanta area. People do live and have to drive outside of 285. Not everyone lives in Metro Atlanta, or inside the Perimeter. I’m surprised more accidents haven’t happened out here than in the metro area. Especially since we have more truck drivers out here. Who’s driving those things: reincarnated kamikaze pilots? Oy!
By Duh
March 2, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this
There needs to be a law that states, if you cause an accident during rush hour traffic, then you should loose your license for six months. Double that if it’s raining. Idiots like that should take the bus.
Let’s remember, driving is a privilege, not a right.
By Pavement Markings
March 2, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this
The primary problem with pavement markings in the rain is the water covers them. You can have great reflective pavement markings under normal circumstances, but get a layer of water over them, and the light diffracts differently and is not longer reflected back towards the driver. The best solution is to the wet pavement issue is to install raised pavement markers, but they don’t last long and is a pricy cost to maintain. Add in the impact of closing portions of the interstate for hours at a time to stick new ones down, and the non-sexiness of maintenance money, it’s easy to see how these tings fall down. Politicians have a hard time cutting ribbons at a series of pavement markers.
By Brian
March 3, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this
I haven’t completely thought this through…so I’m sure there is a reason it would not work.
But anyways, could you pave one lane with asphalt (blacktop) and one with concreate (grey-top) to have some major color difference and possibly have one lane slightly higher than the other? You would be able to “feel” it when you veer into another lane.
By Fustrated in NorthEastGeorgia
March 4, 2007 12:18 AM | Link to this
Imagine a dark, curvy, country road in northeast Georgia that has no lane markers/reflectors and no paint lines (yellow or white). I have 2 questions…
1) Why is it an officer that pulls you over has to ask “Why did you cross the center line?”
2)And why do they get hostile when you ask them “What center line, there is no lines out here at all.”
GDOT PLEASE PAINT LINES ON ANY ROADS THAT YOU MAINTAIN!!!
By LaurieG
March 4, 2007 8:55 AM | Link to this
Why not just use a concrete or asphalt mix that sheds water better? They exist…Combine this with the reflectors and/or brighter/wider striping and you’ve got yourself a winner!
By Bubba
March 5, 2007 2:38 PM | Link to this
Brian, I like the different colored lanes but the raised or different level lanes won’t work. You obviously don’t ride a motorcycle.