To the guy on the 401 at McCowan Road yesterday

[gww]

You're missing the point.

The point was that buddy saw me changing lanes and was on the gas to prevent me from moving over. He was deliberately being a selfish dick. I wasn't expecting him to "get out of my way". I was expecting him to maintain the fucking speed he was travelling at and not act like a spoiled self absorbed 12 year old boy.

There's this thing called common courtesty and when you're driving, it helps if you follow it. If you see someone signaling to move over, you don't speed up to fuck him over. Or if you do, you should make sure that your car has more horsepower than the guy you are being a dick to. (In his case, his car didn't have the balls to complete the manouvre he was attempting to make and mine had more than enough.)

You don't drive a Silver Honda Civic by any chance do you?

It was simply a case of he saw me signalling and moving over and he thought he would hit the gas to make sure that I didn't somehow end up in front of him.

A normal person would have just maintained their speed or backed off even to allow me to complete the move in a normal manner. Not hit the gas figuring that no-one dare move in front of me.

Got your point perfectly. You were trying to get off a McCowan and because the exit is really close to the transfer lanes you got very little time. The guy in the civic saw you and the asshole he is decided no one flipped him the bird in a while and chose to piss you off.

My response you quoted was in reference to "Just like the guy who knows your signal means you're changing lanes should keep clear."

 

[oldjones]

Your signal means you intend to change lanes or turn. It does NOT mean I have to get the fuck out of your way. If its safe for me to do so I will but its your responsibility to make sure you can change lanes (or turn) safely. What the OP did was dangerous and he was lucky. If you can't get to the lane you like get off at the next exit or plan ahead.

You're right, it does not mean you have to get the fuck out of the way. But your legal responsibility to avoid collisions and stay a safe distance behind a car in front never changes, no matter what the guy ahead of you does. All that '…get the fuck out of the way" argument is only good in the courtroom after the crash. If you survive.

The guy behind the OP, the guy who speeded-up for no reason rather than accommodating the OP's properly signalled lane change, would likely make a strong case for his right to drive according to the letter of the law and fuck everyone else. Like in the left lane at just below the speed-limit. But the case didn't get to court you'd hafta try to convince bored cops and tired insurance adjusters who typically just look at the damage and say 'as the following car, you should have slowed, not accelerated'. The OP has a similar overall responibility not to do dangerous stuff like suddenly speed up, and to avoid accidents, but without having that burden that the following car does have: IF you have maintained appropriate clearance, you will have time to avoid collision. Rear-ending someone puts the burden on you.

Still, I'll bet an explanation of how speeding up to make the other guy's lane change impossible was really an accident prevention move would be entertaining. And once again, I point out that in my earlier post, I failed to achieve the ironic humour I intended, advising people how to make lane changes.

But the only person who you might persuade to avoid the accident that's gonna kill you is you. Stay well away from every other car. Especially ones signalling to come into the lane in front of you. It means you should keep clear. He might do something stupid. Just like he signalled.

 

[Babypowder]

But if your case didn't get to court you'd be trying to convince bored cops and tired insurance adjusters who typically just look at the damage and say 'as the following car, you should have slowed, not accelerated'.

doesnt matter what he does you got to make sure its safe to change lanes. putting on blinkers isnt enough.

If the incident occurs when automobile “B” is changing lanes, the driver of automobile “A” is not at fault and the driver of automobile “B” is 100 per cent at fault for the incident.

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900668_e.htm

 

[oldjones]

Thanks babypowder, but not one of those shows a rearend collision. In all of them the two cars were travelling abreast and sideswiped. In the case we're discussing, the OP was ahead of the car on his right, signalled to change into that lane and did so. If the guy on his right had not speeded up to prevent the lane change, the worst he'd have had to do was touch his brakes to open up space in front of him, so he wouldn't be 'following too close'. As the car behind, he'd have to show the cops and court howcum there was an accident, if he was not following too close. And in a 'your word against his' situation, the driver that rear-ended the guy in front almost never gets off.

As an exercise, try to explain how two cars at the same speed could collide in a rear-ender that the guy in front could have avoided/prevented as easily as the guy behind.

And then there's the idiotic attempt to pass on the right when the guy ahead has already signalled he's coming into that lane. Unless you're trying to turn your at-fault rear-ender into a sideswipe. But a guy wanting an accident is as hard to anyone as people defending him.

 

[Babypowder]

The Op obviously was able to successfully change lanes and didn't leave much space behind him so if the other driver hit him after he was in the lane then the OP wouldn't be @ fault . however if the other driver kept accelerating while he was changing lanes and the op got the rear side of his car damaged then the OP would be 100 percent @ fault as per the chart.


definitely not worth playing chicken just to catch an exit.

 

[K Douglas]

Holy crap, is anyone shocked that there are inconsiderate drivers out there? Captain you need to get out more.

 

[gww]

You're right, it does not mean you have to get the fuck out of the way. But your legal responsibility to avoid collisions and stay a safe distance behind a car in front never changes, no matter what the guy ahead of you does. All that '…get the fuck out of the way" argument is only good in the courtroom after the crash. If you survive..

When some idiot decides to change lanes into me that becomes my fault how ? Even if you change into the lane and I slam into your rear end its still a result of a unsafe lane change. If you change lanes it is YOUR responsibility to make sure it is safe.

 

[RandyAndy2]

I used to live in Vancouver for many years. When I moved back to the GTA I was amazed that almost no one seemed to signal their lane changes. Then I realized it was because of the situation laid out by the OP, that some asshole will see you signal, believe that this harms them in some way, and move to block you out. I still signal my lane changes, but after I do I tend to move fast enough so that I can't be blocked out.

By the way, you don't tend to see this kind of thing in Vancouver, except from transplanted Torontonians.

 

[Greek Monique *retired]

my biggest pet peeve is when people try to merge onto a 100km an hr hwy doing 60km its annoying following someone like that and getting cut off by it...

 

[james t kirk]

When some idiot decides to change lanes into me that becomes my fault how ? Even if you change into the lane and I slam into your rear end its still a result of a unsafe lane change. If you change lanes it is YOUR responsibility to make sure it is safe.

I'm guessing you live outside the 416.

I dunno why, but whenever I drive in Burlington where friends live, I find the drivers there to be extremely agressive - like "fuck you, you can't be in front of me". I find this a lot actually.

In Toronto, people are more considerate (I know this is hard to believe). I find drivers in T.O. are much more apt to be courteous than those in the 905. 416 drivers are more like, "meh, guy needs in, so be it."

I guess at the end of the day, I made my manouvre, there was no accident. I just pissed Beavis off because he had to hit the brake. If he would have plowed into me, he would have rear ended me and he would have been charged. If I changed lanes into his side, then I would have been charged. But since I successfully changed lanes - what more need be said. And here's the hell of it. I would never do what Beavis did to me. If I see someone ahead of me changing lanes, I don't speed up to prevent him from getting in front of me.

You're just one of those idiots who thinks that the world revolves around you and you don't need to be courteous.

 

[gww]

I'm guessing you live outside the 416.

I dunno why, but whenever I drive in Burlington where friends live, I find the drivers there to be extremely agressive - like "fuck you, you can't be in front of me". I find this a lot actually.

In Toronto, people are more considerate (I know this is hard to believe). I find drivers in T.O. are much more apt to be courteous than those in the 905. 416 drivers are more like, "meh, guy needs in, so be it."

I guess at the end of the day, I made my manouvre, there was no accident. I just pissed Beavis off because he had to hit the brake. If he would have plowed into me, he would have rear ended me and he would have been charged. If I changed lanes into his side, then I would have been charged. But since I successfully changed lanes - what more need be said. And here's the hell of it. I would never do what Beavis did to me. If I see someone ahead of me changing lanes, I don't speed up to prevent him from getting in front of me.

You're just one of those idiots who thinks that the world revolves around you and you don't need to be courteous.

Actually your guesses about ME are wrong. If I can get out of your way 99% of the time I do - that is of course if you did not piss me off before that.

Beavis as you call him is an Asshole. There are lots of them out there so get used to it - 416, 905. 519 where you go there is one close by.

 

[Ironhead]

Fuck you.

You saw I was changing lanes to exit on McCowan, you saw I had my signal on, and you sped up just to be an asshole (nobody gets in front of you do they?) Common courtesy - if you're on the inside, and you can see a guy needs over in order to exit and he has his signal on, give him a break and let him in.

You could have just eased off on the gas a bit and let me in, but no, you hit the gas to show me that you were boss, so I took my lane whether you liked it or not. Guess you didn't count on that did you.

Obviously you didn't like it because you laid solid on the horn and I just gave you the prolonged finger.

You have a nice day.

Welcome to 'GTA Driving 101'.
Most Toronto drivers, I find, are like that. Will not let anyone in.

You want to see courteous driving go to Raleigh, North Carolina. I could not believe how courteous they were/are. The longest I had to wait before someone let me in was about five seconds.

 

[Blue-Spheroid]

The OP acted like an idiot.

It may have been inconsiderate of the driver on the right to speed up to prevent the lane change but one might also suggest he was speeding up to allow the OP to (properly) slow down and get in behind him.

The sense of entitlement the OP displays is a bit over the top. Just because the guy didn't do him a favour is no reason for him to cut dangerously and aggressively in front of him. Asside from highlighting the type of arrogant self important person the OP is, this incident also highlights his lack of good sense. Even if he had 100% right of way to "take the lane" (which he didn't) it is still stupid to do so.

Luckily, the other driver had more sense than the OP and merely honked his horn to show his displeasure. What guarantee did the OP have that the driver wouldn't ram him. Or, perhaps, the right-hand driver might have lacked the skill to slow down in time to avoid a collision.

Is believing that you're right more important than avoiding a (potentially fatal) collision? Is the OP a Darwin Award waiting to happen?

 

[SillyGirl]

You want to see courteous driving go to Raleigh, North Carolina. I could not believe how courteous they were/are. The longest I had to wait before someone let me in was about five seconds.

That is true. I live near Raleigh, driving here is very different than it was near Boston.

 

[Moraff]

Never mind the illegality—albeit arguable—of passing on the right.

It is not illegal to pass on the right on a multi-lane hwy in Ontario. Not the smartest maneuver, but not illegal.

 

[Rising Sun]

I think, maybe, you mean Kennedy as opposed to McCowan?
If you're in the Express lane and exit into the Collector lane, the exits, in order, are Kennedy Road, Brimley Road, and then McCowan. There's actually an interchange back into the Express lane before the McCowan exit.
If it helps, the Kennedy exit, in my very humble opinion, is very close to the Express-to-Collector interchange and I usually make it a point to be in the Collector lane long before the Kennedy exit as I hate cutting across 4 lanes so quickly.

 

[GPIDEAL]

The OP acted like an idiot.

It may have been inconsiderate of the driver on the right to speed up to prevent the lane change but one might also suggest he was speeding up to allow the OP to (properly) slow down and get in behind him.

The sense of entitlement the OP displays is a bit over the top. Just because the guy didn't do him a favour is no reason for him to cut dangerously and aggressively in front of him. Asside from highlighting the type of arrogant self important person the OP is, this incident also highlights his lack of good sense. Even if he had 100% right of way to "take the lane" (which he didn't) it is still stupid to do so.

Luckily, the other driver had more sense than the OP and merely honked his horn to show his displeasure. What guarantee did the OP have that the driver wouldn't ram him. Or, perhaps, the right-hand driver might have lacked the skill to slow down in time to avoid a collision.

Is believing that you're right more important than avoiding a (potentially fatal) collision? Is the OP a Darwin Award waiting to happen?

Even if the OP was wrong to make quick lane changes to enter an exit, the other driver shouldn't take it out on him by suddenly increasing his speed to create an even more dangerous situation knowing full well the intention of the OP who signalled for the lane changes in advance.

 

[nottyboi]

People are such dick wads... today I was parked in a lot. I started my car and some woman drove right into the spot in front of me expecting to force me to back out so she could drive though.. there were other spots she could have done this with but they were slightly further from the store. So rather then allow the stupid lazy bitch to get her way.. I just stayed there...she looked at me... and it took her a while to figure out what I was doing before she gave up and shut her car off... then I moved HAH!!!

 

[nottyboi]

Your signal means you intend to change lanes or turn. It does NOT mean I have to get the fuck out of your way. If its safe for me to do so I will but its your responsibility to make sure you can change lanes (or turn) safely. What the OP did was dangerous and he was lucky. If you can't get to the lane you like get off at the next exit or plan ahead.

Er no, it is firstly improper to pass a car on the right.. (illegal in many countries), if someone signals their intention, it is courteous and beneficial for all drivers to make small adjustments to allow them to exit or complete their manuver. That said when dickwads try to leap frog me one car when I am in the left lane and keeping pace.. I slam the door shut HARD. lol...

 

[milehigh]

Well I think people are Toronto are getting ruder all the time, and especially so on the roads..... no courtesy.

When I was in Alberta, I was in shock how nice the people were... on the roads and in general. I was even inside a grocery store loading up a cart... accidentally dropped an item on the floor, near a lady... said I'm sorry as I am Canadian... She said "hurt me, hurt me baby." Really nice people out there.