Today, I had a semi loaded with welding cylinders coming toward me and crossing half over the center line before pulling it back. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence. It seems every time on the road, someone is on the wrong side of the road, likely something to do with using their phone. There seems to be an increase in the number of fatal head-on collisions, most of which I believe are due to distracted driving.

My question for the Trapperman Brain Trust - when this happens, do you waive, honk, or just hope they don't do it and cause an accident ...especially one that involves you? As you might guess, vehicles putting my or my family's or friend's lives unnecessarily in danger is a pet peeve of mine.

Granted, I am not without sin and if I do this, I harbor no animosity towards someone signaling their displeasure in some way.

The number of shitty drivers on the road now adays is mine boggling.

That and the number of totally idiot drivers with their dog in their lap.

In my semi I can see down into cars. Cops driving and typing on computers, women putting on makeup, people watching videos, people doing office work, are all real common. We are all human and all make mistakes but this stuff makes my jaw clench.

I
Do as you desire, they are already letting you know they don’t care so any action you take will be ignored.

Can’t do much about the 4 wheelers but once a year when I was conducting safety training we watched videos of the terrible consequences that have already taken place from distracted driving.

Today there are driving schools to get a CDL. Federal driver license issued by states. Many of them have been authorized to give driving tests for license. Pretty regular there are news reports of them giving license to anyone who attends. Fines get levied even jail time. Yet it continues as the demand for drivers keeps increasing. I think now school is mandated to get CDL licensed. Some of these folks shouldn't be allowed to drive a moped and more often than not graduates are woefully inadequate in the knowledge and skill required. Many can not speak english and are unable to read road signs. It is a bad problem and is not being addressed.

A few years ago a truck diver killed some people on I 70 just west of Denver. Had an automatic transmission that was stuck in neutral so the engine brake would not work. Instead of stopping before his brakes got hot he tried to drive down the hill. Did not use the runaway ramp or tip the truck over on a divider or the side of the mountain. Only been driving a few months. MAYBE he ignored the mountain training he received or most likely he never got any. Now he is in prison and people are dead.

They tightened that stuff up here after the Humboldt Broncos bus got T boned by a semi that ran a stop sight at highway speed. That driver should be out of the country and back to India soon. They’re aren’t truckers anymore. They follow the GPS down a black gumbo road, have no idea how their truck works, can’t drive or drive like it’s a pinto…..
And the phone thing is rampant. My kids boyfriend wrote off his 3rd vehicle and he’s 19 years old. My kids not allowed in his vehicle and the gov pulled his license anyway. He struck a 55’ double davit streetlight standard on a slight curve in his last wreck. FD found phone was on laying on the floor on a call, the road came to a slight curve and he kept going straight…..

Yep, some of the worst drivers I see on the are truckers. A shortage of drivers and such an increase in the trucking world these company's want bodies and care who they or what they know. Any warm body will do.

Retiring after 37 years in insurance claims, about the last ten years strictly in bodily injury. It's not just truckers, but all types of vehicles coming at you seem to be weaving, crossing the center line or rearending stopped vehicles. If in a serious accident, one of the first things Highway Patrol may do is secure your phone and event data recorder from the vehicle. The EDR will give a lot of information such as speed prior to and at impact, steering wheel movement, braking percentages, etc.
Watching people on the road and seeing the results, I can't decide if the drunk driver is worse than the one on their phone. I can't help but think that a lot of the same people who would like everyone's firearms taken away for "safety", go right out and surf the internet while driving down the road.

I know I am always checking the ditch for an exit strategy. And, there is no way I'd ride a bicycle on the highway.

When driving these days, just like in football.... keep your head on a swivel.

There is a lot of tragedy in this world...most of which does not need to happen.

Two years ago was my most shocking experience and terrifying for the innocent involved. We were leaving our daughters traveling around the north side of the Twin Cities MN. Three lanes and in the middle land this car is wandering side to side, speeding up slow down, so I'm going to get by it on the left-hand lane room to move over if needed. As I drive alongside the vehicle I tell my wife to look at that. The young lady driving was:
1. holding a baby in her left arm against the door breastfeeding
2. texting with her left hand
3. steering with her left knee

We called but doubt anything happened.

I recently reported our local UPS driver for swerving all over the road while on an electronic device coming at us.

Last year I asked a state trooper about distracted driving compared to drunk driving he said last year the fatalities were equal but distracted driving has a bigger volume of drivers with it starting at 16

Some people either do not appreciate risk or grossly overestimate their capabilities.

I can't remember who the comedian was as this was years ago. He said you see someone doing something stupid in a vehicle, you shoot their vehicle with a "stupid dart". When a police officer sees a vehicle with several stupid darts, he can pull them over and give them a ticket. ...he may be onto something.

sometimes I honk it is a what is likely to make it worse , will honking make them swerve or just get them to look up

I try and keep my distance from everything on the road as best I can

Good points.

Once I had a car in front of me at a signal light that was waiting for the light to turn green. When it turned green the car didn't move. Somebody behind me honked their horn. Then the car moved. Next signal light same thing happened. So, I moved into the left lane and pulled up alongside the car. It was a woman reading a book.

Saw another time where a guy had a newspaper laying across his steering wheel. He was reading as he was driving!

When I was on the volunteer fire department, we responded to more vehicle accidents due to distracted drivers than we did drunk drivers. Way more

X 1000 and they are not kids either

. . . and that's why I gave up motorcycles a long time ago.