Advice to Explorer Drivers

I had an Explorer almost run me off the road this morning. This prompted me to give Explorer drivers a little friendly advice - When using your turn signal as a virtual bumper, please be sure that your intended victim can actually see your turn signal.

Here is what happened -

I was driving towards Raleigh NC on I-40 at the I-540 Interchange. This is one of those interchange where an off ramp from one interchange continues on to the next as a separate lane and the right two lanes can both exit. However one can also continue on straight (one lane is exit only, the other is an exit and a thru lane). I am in the exit/thru lane, intending to continue on I-40. A car coming from the first interchange pulls in front of me forcing me to slow. I could not move to the middle lane because there is an Explorer in the middle lane coming up from behind. Therefore I slow and stay behind the slightly slower moving car at a safe distance (3 car lengths more or less). The Explorer pulls beside me so that his rear wheel panel is about even with my front wheel and then matches my speed. As we approach the exit, the Explorer starts drifting into my lane. Assuming he doesn't see me, I politely honk the horn. Instead of moving back into his lane, the driver in the Explorer moves further into my lane and tries to force me into a car to my right in the exit only lane. I lay on the horn and manage to keep from hitting either car, but I am really pissed. I think (but I am not sure) that the Explorer had its turn signal on. I say I am not sure, because the Explorer never pulled clearly in front of me. He was riding along in a position where the rear corner of his uber station wagon was hidden behind the A-pillar of my small sedan (a Mazda3). If the signal had been on, and I had seen it, I would have made room for him, even though there was literally no one behind me for at least 200 yards (i.e., plenty of room behind me to change lanes). So the moral of the story for Explorer drivers (and others), if you want to bully your way into a slot between cars, at least make sure your intended victim sees your turn signal. Don't assume that people in smaller vehicles have seen the small, poorly located turn signals on the rear of your vehicles. The rear turn signals of older Explorers, particularly the ones with the yellow European style rear turn signals, are not as obvious as you might think. Fortunately there was no accident. The Explorer owner did eventually move into my lane (but too late to exit) and he/she slowed way down - probably out of embarrassment at almost causing a 2 or 3 car pileup. I don't know if they were on a cell phone, or if they didn't see me in their rear view mirror, or if they assumed I saw their turn signal and that I would slow down to let them in, or if the driver was just an arrogant SOB trying to pass one more car before the exit. I am just glad no one was hurt - this time.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White
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Damn, you too? I have seen more and more of this lately. slow moving traffic, everyone bunched up, impatient driver flips on signal, waits about 0.5 seconds for a "nice person" to open up a hole for him, then moves over anyway... whether or not you have actually seen his signal, or even physically could. Hint: If your rear bumper is not at least slightly in front of my A-pillar, I probably can't see your turn signal.

At least with Euro-style side repeaters you could see if someone is planning on running you off the road.

nate

Reply to
N8N

You DON'T have side repeaters as standard ?

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

Not required by any FMVSS; only position lights are required. Some vehicles have them, some don't.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Yup, and if you wire the side marker lights to flash with the turn signals you have the best of both worlds. I did that on my Camaro and am happy with the result, maybe not quite as effective as the repeaters on my BMW, but good enough.

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Ulf

Reply to
Ulf

I make it a practice to not sit in the blind spot of any vehicle, but maybe that's just me. No doubt the Explorer driver should have been more aware, but I don't count on the other guy being a great driver.

Alan

Reply to
wtrplnet

#3 is the correct answer.

"the driver was just an arrogant SOB trying to pass one more car before the exit"

I learned this is standard practice in Georgia (regardless of vehicle make, by the way). Invariably, cars follow behind then zoom around and make their exit right at the last possible moment. I don't know what the logic is. Perhaps it's a fear that car in front will STILL be in front once they exit the highway and there won't be anyplace to pass.

Reply to
Herb Kauhry

When I engage in this maneuver, and I do, I do so because two or more dullards have formed a rolling road block, and when one of them begins their de acceleration for the off-ramp, I take the only chance I've been given to pass them. I don't really relish the thought of operating my vehicle in proximity to ignorant idiots who don't have a clue as to what's going on around them.

Reply to
Murderous Speeding Drunken Distracted Driver (Hector Goldste

The situations in which I've had to deal with idiots like this, you're always in *someone's* blind spot. Every lane with a line of cars all close together. I imagine that the idiot actually feels justified in running me off the road, because I was a big meanie and wouldn't let him in, he just doesn't realize that he doesn't have any visible signals on the side of his vehicle.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Yeah - at least then you'd know that some asshole was about to try and run you off the road.

Reply to
Scott in SoCal

Well, if the other options are "beside" or "behind," it does seem to be the best choice.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Electing to be in front of "ignorant idiots who don't have a clue as to what's going on around them" is probably not the wisest of choices. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

You've got a LONG way to go before you can advise others on what's wise and what is not.

Reply to
Murderous Speeding Drunken Distracted Driver (Hector Goldste

I haven't looked around, but I hope their are other newsgroups for all of the other car/suv/truck models that cut in front of you. I would hate to think we "Ford Explorer uber station wagon" owners were the only vehicles that had idiot drivers. Tom

Reply to
Tom from WI

No, but those Explorer with the tiny yellow rear turn signals are especially hard to see.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

You didn't recently move from Ohio, did you? :)

Reply to
Scott in SoCal

Sure, if your goal is to make it easier and/or more likely for them to run into you. -----

- gpsman

Reply to
gpsman

Assuming a clear road ahead, I'm having a hard time figuring out how you could possibly be more wrong. Unless you're going to assert that even oblivious, ignorant drivers will wilfully ram you from behind?

nate

Reply to
N8N

so what is the point of your letter? an idiot not paying attention when driving could have been driving anything, hell here in denver it happens every time you drive. do you have something against ford explorers. what if it was a chevy suburban, would you have written this senseless letter then?

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Reply to
marlow

That's what your horn and throttle peddle are for...

Reply to
My Name Is Nobody

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