Close calls on the Freeway

I seem to getting into close calls every week on my commute going to work to Pleasanton.  Its always East bound between Castro Valley and the 680 intersection between 6:30 and 7AM.  I don't drive on the fast lane but some idiots almost got me in a wreck the last 3 weeks.  Freakin people with road rage should chill!

Here's whats happened:
3 weeks ago, big rig truck about 300 feet from me makes an unsafe lane change to his left, stupid truck driver almost hits a car he didn't see. To avoid collision the car driver swerves hard left to the next lane and almost hits a mini van.  Mini van driver swerves hard left to the fast lane to avoid getting hit.  This is all happening in 65 miles + an hour.  Could had a big pile up.

2 weeks ago, I was next to the fast lane.  A Toyota mini van was tail gating a car going at hi speed on the fast lane.
Stupid mini van driver cuts a few feet in front of me to over take the car he is chasing.  Then cuts a few feet in front the is chasing then goes over 100 miles an hour in the fast lane.  That sure got my heart pumping.  I can't believe somebody driving a mini van would drive this way!

Today at about 6:50 AM, pick up truck with big 100 quart size or larger ice chest driving the fast lane.  He gets past about 200 feet from me.  Next thing I can see in slow motion the ice chest come flying outside his truck and directly in front of me.  I swerve hard to avoid it in a split second.  I catch up with the SOB driver who didn't stop at my work exit and wrote down his license plate number.  As soon as I get to work I called the CHP about the ice chest on the freeway and gave his license plate number.  I asked the lady, what are going to do about it?  Nothing since I didn't hit the ice chest.

I hope my nine lives don't run out!!!

I guess the really unfortunate part of your story is that it doesn't sound all that far out of the ordinary around here these days...

Good to have somewhere to vent,

 

You no doubt have manifested some physical symptoms from the fright. 
I'd send the trucking company a letter demanding recovery for negligent infliction of emotional distress! 
No actual cooler v. car contact needed.

ch-ching! 

I commuted for nearly 3 years over 250 miles a day to work .... there are a LOT of idiots out there on the roads!  We had a great collection of pictures we took while on the road of accidents "waiting to happen".

I have to say, the best thing I took away from riding motorcycles is the heightened awareness you learn to have.  I now drive like I used to ride, with the mindset that I'm invisible to everyone else on the road.  Driving like this reduces the number of close calls considerably.  Hope you are done with the close shaves!

It's scary out there on the roads for sure...

Yesterday morning driving down to dive with pacifico...6am and still dark...guy walking on the right shoulder of HWY 1 south of Monterey...stumbling all over the place, and almost went right out into the lane in front of us.

 

Called 911 to help him out...felt bad that he might get in trouble, but figured that was better than him getting run over.

 

Stay safe out there fellas.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I commute from Lodi to Sacramento for office days, the other days I am driving the roads of the great state of California enforcing laws that have nothing to do with public safety unfortunately, but I feel your frustration, I see it everyday too. I learned how to cope, literally. I save my old Copenhagen cans, and when I see someone worthy of a gravel filled Copenhagen can, I share.

Before I moved to Califfornia I had never been in so much as a fender bender. In 4 1/2 years of living there I was rear ended 3 times. I moved away 2 1/2 years ago and haven't had another accident since. Coincidence? I think not.... 

BTW, you expressed surprise that a mini-van driver would act that way? When I lived there I found the mini van drivers to be among the worst, most inconsistent, least likely to use a signal, and most likely to be speeding.

Before I moved to Califfornia I had never been in so much as a fender bender. In 4 1/2 years of living there I was rear ended 3 times. I moved away 2 1/2 years ago and haven't had another accident since. Coincidence? I think not.... 

BTW, you expressed surprise that a mini-van driver would act that way? When I lived there I found the mini van drivers to be among the worst, most inconsistent, least likely to use a signal, and most likely to be speeding.

So you HAVE driven through the parking lot at the Gilroy outlets!

I have to say, the best thing I took away from riding motorcycles is the heightened awareness you learn to have.  I now drive like I used to ride, with the mindset that I'm invisible to everyone else on the road.  Driving like this reduces the number of close calls considerably.  Hope you are done with the close shaves!

+1
Exactly how I feel.
I'm lucky enough to work in traffic and see crazy stuff daily. People are just so distracted these days it's flat out scary!

Yeah, what is wrong with some people?? Driving has intensified now that a newborn is onboard...

They are everywhere.
My commute  from work to home is a whopping 4 miles.
Almost got side swiped by a guy doing a bad lane change on the off ramp.
We were next to each other at the stop light and I rolled down my window and, nicely mind you, mentioned his lane change cut me off and he nearly side swiped me.
His reply was, "You mean the false lane?"
No, you crossed the dotted line into my lane.
He rolled his window up and ignored me.
That's when the finger and f'bombs started flying from me.
I was SO pissed.
Thought about following him but what good would that do?
Later that night Becky and I were sitting at a bar having a beer and sandwich watching the game. I looked over at a table that was behind us but pretty close.
What do you know?
I said to Becky, "I think that's the F****R that cut me off today.
After I finish this beer I'm going to have a talk with him."
Drank it fairly quickly, turned around, and he was gone.

I drive for a living I've seen almost every type of vehicle do everything unsafe.seen cops txting and driving.I live in oakland work in Fremont I was in the fast lane retard lady starts changing lane I'm blowing my horn cause we are side by side stupid b didn't even pause.if it was the part of the freeway didn't have a shoulder I would've been in the wall.hey fishingaddict I was coming home from work when I saw you on the freeway going to pickup your revo  .I had a guy put me into the wall on the orinda side of the caldacutt tunnel.I was doing 75 in the fast lane he clip me from the far right lane.when the truck stop rolling I was on the far right shoulder.I had a seatbelt bruise for two weeks.nowadays it's not I'm gonna watch how I'm driving it's not enough you have to watch how other people are driving

Dear Lord Mel!!!  That's some scary stuff right there, and I'm glad your OK!  I hate 680/580/880/280, and I guess I might as well throw in 80    Since Sara and I have moved up to the hills we enjoy driving slowly a lot more.  I must admit, in my youth I had some stupid speed demon and road rage incidents but now I try and avoid them at all costs.  Too many people die on these freeways every week.  Just yesterday Sara and I witnessed someone take an off ramp waaaayy too fast and they spun out of control.  Luckily didn't flip or hit anything...  or anyone else.  With the holiday season in full swing, it ususally gets a bit worse 

I have to say, the best thing I took away from riding motorcycles is the heightened awareness you learn to have.  I now drive like I used to ride, with the mindset that I'm invisible to everyone else on the road.  Driving like this reduces the number of close calls considerably.  Hope you are done with the close shaves!

+1 Awareness and always counting on the other guy to do something stupid has saved me and the cabriolet so many times. Glad you avoided the crash....

Hmmm. Tote going postal be careful guys, those pricks will shoot if pressed to hard or worse pull over and go toe to toe with you... I stopped and got into it with a road raged guy last year. Beat him till he stopped moving then had to call an ambulance... found out later that his situation sucked and really a hug would have been the better move. You never know what the other guy is going threw... but sometimes they are just jerks.

Tote if you haddent got pissed, you might have got him to buy you a beer 
love not war, spread it around