iheartmyredcar

I am going to write about what happened to me today while leaving work. This is the third time in 3 weeks I have almost been hit at this same intersection leaving work. I believe the person that floored their vehicle at me, was looking for an insurance claim to get a new vehicle. I don't remember that well what happened at the end because I was too busy trying to get out the way. However I do remember every event leading up to it. All I know is that it was an old model car and it was the only car that moved in the intersection besides the idiot across from me making a right hand turn without stopping on red.



First off, this is one of those roads that at 5:30 pm on a weekday you need to avoid like the plague because the road cannot not handle the amount of traffic that comes through at that time.



Below is a diagram of the intersection. It is one those intersections where the cross roads do not line up at all. It is not drawn wrong.







I am going to try and give you all the details I can without getting you to confused.



I am sitting in lane C waiting for the light to turn green. Once it turns green, I move into the intersection and wait because traffic across from me is going straight, left and right. Since the intersections are not completely perpendicular I move slightly to the right when I pull out so I do not block traffic moving from lane B to E. (reference above)



Here is where the fun starts: Light turns yellow, traffic is still turning right out of lane A and one car comes flying though the intersection going straight. Light turns red and another car behind the car going straight (from B to E) decides to run the red however he is moving at a snails pace. By the time this car is clear I was going to go left to clear the intersection but traffic from A would not stop. I would have just got into the wrong lane then get over in time to get on the highway a quarter of a mile up but this person turned right on red without stopping and went into the lane below D. At this point, the light turned green for the lanes to my right. All I remember is looking back to right to make sure no one would hit me because after all I'm just trying to clear the intersection and I knew their light had to be green by now. As I look to my right, the "other car" floored it. I could tell he floored it because the front lifted up. I immediately throw my car in reverse, thankfully there was no one behind me or I would have been screwed, and got out that cars way.



After backing up out of the intersection safely I realized that if I would have stayed there a few seconds longer to try and clear the intersection and that car would have hit me, it would look like to any insurance company like I ran the red. Plus I was making a left hand turn. Double wammie. The other cars in the front of the other two lanes next him did not even budge. It's not like you could miss a 2013 Subaru Legacy sitting in the intersection.



I really think this guy saw the opportunity to possibly hit a brand new car with his junker and get a new car out it.



Before the posts start about how woman cannot drive, I have driven in Manhattan at 5pm on a Friday with no problems. Same goes for Philadelphia. Therefore I get really irritated when males tell females they do not know how to drive. So do not post if your post will have any of that crap.



Hopefully I explained it good enough.



Thoughts?

majik

You mentioned earlier it could have been a setup... snail moving slowly to "catch" the car out in the intersection and the following car gets an opportunity to ram you. Do you think that's the case or just a random guy trying to take advantage of the situation?

iheartmyredcar

I really think it was just a random guy trying to take advantage of the situation. I'm so glad I looked right one more time before attempting to clear the intersection.



I could only imagine what people sitting to my left thought.

pas1216

Why were you in the intersection to begin with? I was taught to stay in my turn lane, behind the stop line even if my light is green until it is safe to turn. (yes I know it was rush-hour, but the rules are still the same) The guy was probably pissed you were in the intersection when his light was green, if you had followed the rules of the road, you wouldn't have been in that situation. I would have floored it to scare the crap out of you too.



Sorry, just calling it as I see it.

iheartmyredcar

However in a busy big city, you will not ever get out if you don't inch out. Trust me if you waited for your turn to turn in NYC you would be sitting for several cycles and getting the people behind you pissed off. And you do not want to piss people off during rush hour.

i8acobra

Well, here in Vegas, it's illegal to go from "C" to "D". If you do go from "C" to "D" to try to turn into a gas station at the corner of "A" and "D", for example, and someone turning from "A" hit you, you'd be at fault.

187sks

The guy might have been pissed and stupid. With a bazillion witnesses there to say you were sitting stationary and a derpwad decided to ram you he would still be at fault, at least here. In Washington you can't ENTER an intersection after the light turns red, but it's not illegal to be in the intersection after the light changes. I don't know about anywhere else.

iheartmyredcar

That's what the rule is in the northeast.

pas1216

I was checking the Highway traffic act for Canada and don't see staying behind the stop line until safe listed anywhere. I think that is what I was taught in drivers ed MANY years ago. If I KNOW I can't make it through an intersection I'll stay behind the stop line, sometimes, depending on the intersection, I'll attempt what iheartmyredcar did. Why doesn't that intersection have turn arrows at it if it's that busy?



I did find something HILARIOUS while searching through the Highway Traffic Act though:

iheartmyredcar

No idea. I hate that intersection. I think I am going to drive through the plaza and go to the light with an arrow for now on.