Wife texted me from her office asking me to pick up some special cat food (cat is not doing well since her vaccination almost two weeks ago, but that is a separate rant).

I did not want to run all over, looking for it, so I checked online. Walmart, not in stock. Publix, not in stock. Amazon, expensive and a week and a half for delivery.

Checked the manufacturer, aha! Target carries this stuff. Download the Target app for iPhone and look in the local store, yup, in stock, aisle E29.

Threw on a pair of grungy shorts (don't need to dress nicely, I'm not going to Walmart) and set off for the eight minute drive to Target.

A few minutes from my house, approaching the intersection where I got nailed when Mercedes Girl ran a red light couple years ago, I had a solid green, then slammed on the brakes as I caught some motion with peripheral vision (trained pilot reflexes ).

A white compact sedan crossed the intersection from left to right, at right angles to me, I would estimate maybe 40 mph.

I pulled into the driveway of a closed business, wondering whether at 84 I was no longer competent to drive, but I reviewed the video on my dash camera and sure enough, I had the green, and the miscreant had sailed through his (her?) red light at a high rate of velocity.

If I had not been able to stop as quickly, another ten or fifteen feet, and I know for sure that I would have been badly injured, if not DOA.

Where the hell do these drivers come from? S/he was heading into a very large apartment complex, adjacent to, but not part of, the gated neighborhood that I live in.

You are fortunate to have pilot reflexes. That kind of stuff helps out in all kinds of situations. Glad you are still a breathing member of the forum.

Glad you're ok, I've saw several close calls lately.

People are crazy and they drive even crazier!

Glad you’re still with us V ! Close calls like yours give me the willies. Don’t know if I could drive right off without shaking or soiling myself!

I used to ride a motorcycle, sometimes I’d have to walk around after a close one, work the shakes & thoughts off. Great job being very aware!

glad you didn't get rear ended for your good reflexes

^^^excellent point the way folks ride your ass.

quote:

Originally posted by nasig:

glad you didn't get rear ended for your good reflexes

There was nobody behind me, so that was not a problem.

I have the habit of glancing at the rear view mirror when approaching a traffic light, and if there is anybody fairly close, I tap the brake pedal lightly. Not enough to apply the brakes, but enough to flash the brake lights, just as a "heads-up" in case I do have to stop.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
You are fortunate to have pilot reflexes. That kind of stuff helps out in all kinds of situations. Glad you are still a breathing member of the forum.

Some do. When I got checked for reflexes at 16 in driver training, I set the record for fastest ever recorded at my school.

I'm now in my mid 70s and check online every year. Still about 0.22s for me, not bad for an old guy.

I'm not a pilot but spent many decades riding motorcycles so I have intersection awareness built into me as well. It's saved my ass a few times thankfully. I'm really glad you dodged the bullet. Us old farts don't heal as fast as the young'ns do.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Still about 0.22s for me, not bad for an old guy.

Not to drift topic, but thanks for mentioning an online test. I’m not nearly 0.22 second fast, but according to several trials my reaction “age” is well under 30, so that’s encouraging at 75.

I nearly got nailed, on foot, in the hospital parking garage this morning.

Quick follow-up for an outpatient procedure back in November. Walking from the elevator to my car in the garage (I was in the first corner space, maybe 20ft from the curb), car comes around the corner (at an appropriate parking lot speed, luckily) & just kept coming at me. No idea what the guy was distracted by (both hands on the wheel), until he saw me & stopped.
I had already started backtracking by the time he came to & stopped.

First, glad you're OK.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Approaching the intersection where I got nailed when Mercedes Girl ran a red light couple years ago

quote:

the miscreant had sailed through his (her?) red light at a high rate of velocity

Coincidence, or something about that intersection? Poor placement of the light, odd geometry, ?

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Still about 0.22s for me, not bad for an old guy.

Not to drift topic, but thanks for mentioning an online test. I’m not nearly 0.22 second fast, but according to several trials my reaction “age” is well under 30, so that’s encouraging at 75.

The one I went to said my 'reaction age' was 24. So I got that goin' for me.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

Coincidence, or something about that intersection? Poor placement of the light, odd geometry, ?

I don't really know. The light has been at that intersection for as long as I have lived here, 35 years. I have never had any trouble seeing it, nothing unusual that I can tell.

The layout of the intersection, Bunnell Rd. goes E - W. Pearl Lake Causeway runs N - S, and is only on the north side of the intersection, forming the stem of a T. The south side of the intersection, where Pearl Lake Causeway would be if it extended all the way through, is a private, non-city street, that is the entrance to a very large apartment complex.

First time, I was in my truck, westbound on Bunnell Rd., Mercedes Girl was southbound on Pearl Lake Causeway intending to turn right to westbound Bunnell Rd., she blew through the red light and slammed into the passenger side of my truck.

The "almost" last night, I was eastbound on Bunnell Rd., the compact sedan (Nissan, if I had to guess), was southbound on Pearl Lake Causeway, blew through the red light going pretty fast, and continued southbound into the apartment complex.

My money says that the drivers were distracted in both cases, not paying attention, but I guess that there's always a possibility that the traffic light is defective and does not show red for southbound traffic on Pearl Lake Causeway when the Bunnell Rd. traffic has a green light. Next time I'm out and about I'll park in the stop and rob lot that has a view of the traffic light on the southbound Pearl Lake Causeway side, have a Coke (even though I'm white), munch on some Dot's pretzels, and watch the light and the traffic.

During school start and end hours, there is a crossing guard there who is able to control the traffic light manually. I don't suppose that there's any way he could screw things up.

First I am glad you are okay.

I have lived in central Florida for over 20 years and have noticed the problems we have on the roads got much worse about 10 years ago. At least in the area I live in.
In the area I live in we have seen a huge influx of people moving here from not only around the country but from around the world.
Cell phones and texting have made it much much worse.
A few weeks ago I posted about a person I watched drive off I4 several times, when I finally passed him he was on his cell phone.
I am seeing this more and more every day. People just not paying attention or caring where and how they are driving.

Glad you ok!

Glad your cat like reflexes kept you safe.

Jeepers, glad you are okay!

You sure saved your Tuchas!

quote:

I have lived in central Florida for over 20 years and have noticed the problems we have on the roads got much worse about 10 years ago.

Yes it has, the influx of half of the PR after the hurricane, and all the Northerners escaping COVIDOMO et al the roads are packed, you'd think everyone has moved here and none of them drive for shidt.....

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

I have lived in central Florida for over 20 years and have noticed the problems we have on the roads got much worse about 10 years ago.

Yes it has, the influx of half of the PR after the hurricane, and all the Northerners escaping COVIDOMO et al the roads are packed, you'd think everyone has moved here and none of them drive for shidt.....

I have a neighbor who is Haitian. He leaves for work around the same time my wife does.
My wife will sometimes get stuck behind him either going to or coming home from work.
He is absolutely horrible on the roads she has told me.

I do not think him or his wife have ever owned a car till they came to the United States. I think they were recruited by the big entertainment company in central Florida to work after the earth quake back in 2000.

His wife has driven through the garage door(from the outside) more than once and hit the tree in their front yard twice. They have even taken out my neighbors mail box several times.