driving fun

[cellio]

Dear City of Pittsburgh,

I'm not unreasonable; I don't expect pristine roads while snow is actually falling. But you've known this was coming for days, and it's not off hours, and Forbes Avenue is kind of a major road (to say nothing of the lesser roads). I really expected to see some evidence of plowing or salting this morning.

No love,
Monica

Dear driver from Ohio,

You should be familiar with the white fluffy stuff from back home. No one else on the highway is having difficulty maintaining the posted minimum speed of 40mph. If you really think that's twice what's safe, could you at least have the decency to stop swerving between lanes and slamming on your brakes at every little twitter of fear? And maybe consider getting off at the next exit and taking local roads?

But hey, at least I know my horn works now.

What is the law (and etiquette, for that matter) concerning stopping for accidents you witness but aren't in? Ever since I was run down by someone speeding through a red light, and not one of the several witnesses stopped to support my story (or see if I was ok -- I was thrown several feet), I've tried to stop if I actually see the accident and I can. I always stop if I see clear fault (and especially if I think the underdog is going to take the hit unfairly, like when the bicyclist or pedestrian really was being stupid), or if anyone seems to be injured. (Well, unless police or an ambulance just happen to be there...) But I didn't stop for either of the two fender-benders I saw on my way to work today, because they looked minor and what would be the point? It got me wondering about what my obligations are in all of these cases, from fender-benders up to major squishings, in light of my observation that no one else ever seems to stop. Does everyone just assume that the insurance companies, police, and ambulance crew will work it out, and your testimony or other help is irrelevant?

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I call 911, and give contact information. I can be found if needed.

(This presumes that it is just a fender bender or something like that.)

On the other hand, one time, that lead to an awful lot of phone calls. Driver of a cube-truck ignored a "maxium height" sign, and plowed into it. Bent it over, trapping cars in the lot. He left.

I managed to get out before the sign finished falling, and followed him - calling in his plate number. I sure got a lot of calls from the town (who prosecuted for the cost of repair) and the defense attorney trying to shake my story...

[cellio]

Wow, that one sounds interesting! I'll bet that driver didn't keep his job, as he exposed his company to the suit.

[dagonell.livejournal.com]

I have my doubts. Many years ago, my van was legally parked in a parking lot. A semi rig had to back and fill to line up with the driveway to get out. He backed into my van. I ran up and told him what he had done. He picked up a pad, tore off the top sheet and handed it to me. I figured that he wanted to exchange information. It was an accident form with all of his information already filled in! He didn't even bother to collect any info from me, he drove off. I made a copy of the form because this was new territory for me. I filled in the rest of the form with my information and a description of the accident and sent it off to his insurance company. They sent a check to cover my damages, I never even got so much as a phone call.
-- Dagonell

[cellio]

Trucking/busing companies are probably used to collisions with other vehicles, and they can delude themselves that the other drivers might have been at fault. Property damage on the scale of overpasses and then leaving the scene of the accident might be different. Or might not!