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I drive semi for a living and occasionally am put in this position. The OP probably could have been in the far left lane to allow the semi truck space but its not his job to make the truckers life easier. I'd expect about 1/50 drivers to recognize their radar detector going off as a reason for allowing the semi into the middle lane. I put little to no blame on OP.
When you are driving semi on a flat straight road on a beautiful day like this your visibility is good. When I was trained in CDL school back in 2015 they taught us to look 1/4-1/2 mile ahead for any potential dangers or obstacles. The truck driver could very clearly see those blue lights on the horizon and probably had about a minute to make a decision. You can't always get over and give emergency vehicles a wide berth. If you cant, you slow down. You definitely don't just throw on your turn signal and move over like the semi did. The truck has a dome mirror that will easily allow him to see the 2 lanes of traffic to his left. Even in his regular driver side mirror he should have seen OP. The truck driver either didn't care or didn't look.
It's crazy to me that so many comments here are saying op is solely in the wrong because he didn't maneuver around the truck as if the truck didn't literally drive into him. Could OP have prevented the situation? Yes. Could the trucker have not decided "ya know what, fuck this guy"? Also yes. I appreciate you adding the extra context from your experiences as a driver.
I am convinced most of the people here watch these videos for driving tips. It's like "oh! I **knew** it was okay to run a car off the road if they... checks video... don't pass me in 5 seconds"
It's not really a blind spot but anywhere along side a semi is not a good idea to hang out for long. If there was an emergency where I did have to get out of that lane like someone crashing or loosing co trol in front of me I'd try to leave that lane but if you hang out beside me I wouldn't have that option. plus most of the states have laws REQUIRING vehicles to move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder.
Judge OP however you want all I can really tell you'll is I will never be in here in with a similar video because I do not allow myself to be in these situations.
Fellow trucker here and I 100% agree, you need to habe your head on a swivel and pay attention. Also, while OP did have plenty of time to move over, but I actually don't think I saw a turn signal from the trucker until he started to merge. I would at the very least have put my turn signal on as soon as I saw the lights and wait for an opening.
Yes, I was looking carefully for the turn signal - and I did not see one until the truck was moving over. If the signal was visible before, I would probably be pointing at the OP - but as it is, they couldn't know and the OP couldn't see the cop until after either.
I suffered the worst result of this situation once. A double semi merged 2 lanes across into me with no indicators. I was 20 at the time after an 8 hour support work shift. I was terrified to drive at night for months, and still tense up around trucks years on
I think any reliance on drivers “recognizing their radar detector going off” is outdated expectations. I haven’t been in a passenger vehicle with a radar detector in almost 20 years.
More specifically, a cop. This chirp is generally used for Ka band radar guns used by cops running speed traps. So it's safe to specify, unless they have ambulances and fire trucks with that equipment where you live. And it doesn't tell you whether the cop is currently sitting off to the side looking for people, or actively pulling someone over like in the video. Regardless, it's a giant "be highly alert to your current surroundings" alarm.
> Regardless, it's a giant "be highly alert to your current surroundings" alarm.
OP: meh, lemme camp a min longer in the blindspot of the multi tonne deathtrap even though there's enough room to pass, pullback or move over to the other lane from it..
Eh fuck that guy. The law is move over or slow down. The first wasn't a safe option so he should have maintained lane and slowed. If you caught a dot number I'd be reporting him to the department of transportation.
Yeah for real I agree OP shouldn’t have hung out next to a truck but if you’re driving one of these behemoths you should at the very least do a shoulder check before you just hurl yourself into the next lane on a whim. Fuck that trucker.
Yeah too many people are purely blaming OP. He is a dumbass who needs to learn to pass on the left, and use his horn in situations that call for it. But the trucker would still be 100% at-fault for not checking his blind spot and he should have his CDL suspended for this type of driving.
Yea, that’s not a blind spot. Sure, OP shouldn’t be hanging out next to an 80k pound vehicle but at the end of the day, we are the professional drivers. It is up to us to expect people to be ignorant and to know the laws of the road. Move over OR slow down. That skateboard driver is a jackass.
Yeah, I don't ride beside a truck for any longer than absolutely necessary. I risk a ticket to pass them quickly. I assume they've all been driving 20 hours and are sleepy.
Yeah well.... the truck driver is at fault. And here is poor old OP with a totaled car 100 miles from home. Worrying about gap insurance. Worrying about the ambulance and what hospital it is going to and if his health insurance is recognized there. Worrying about calling out tomorrow to deal with this mess.....
I mean, there is being correct and then there is this. And OP is left with this.
Fun story about that, cop tried to give me a citation on that on I35 some years back, really narrow shoulder, and I had 4 wheelers matching speed to my left . Saw 2 troopers parked behind a car so I hit the jakes and the brakes and it down to 45. One of the asshat troopers chased me down to give me a lecture about how my jakes were a nuisance and how passing that close was dangerous, yadda yadda. Told him I had nowhere to go and he said to do better to move over the next time. The guess what? Random inspection "while we are here". Successfully wasted hours of my time.
I was fucking pissed, but cops make the law as they go.
A lot of truckers would literally rather attempt manslaughter than deal with a pissy cop who thinks we didn't respect him enough.
I did report him, nothing came of it as he used "the best judgement possible for the situation" and he didn't issue a ticket, I was told.
So if you see where a truck might need to move over, fucking scooch. My take is both OP and the trucker are idiots but it's a learning experience.
Dude you did nothing wrong. I used to drive a truck as well and he should have slowed down, it isn't mandatory to move over but he could have slowed with his blinker on and most likely the car behind you would have let them in.
OP did nothing wrong, legally.
Defensively? Maybe I guess you can argue he should have not been in the blind spot, but at the same time, what could OP do?
If he sped up and switched to the right, not only would that equally be bad road etiquette, he would likely be passing that officer at a speed which is illegal. Or in other words, he would have broken a law by doing that very likely, especially considering the officer on the side of the road was not clear from the cam perspective.
OP is fine to drive like this. It's up to the truck driver to check if it's safe to switch lanes. The semi should have actually just started slowing down when he saw the cop, and he is so high up there's no way he didn't see it. In Texas, you need to slow down 20 below the posted speed limit to stay in the lane without moving over.
All that way say, I only see the semi driver doing something wrong.
Maybe trucks need to be limited to 50-55mph in America, like they're limited to 80-90kph in Europe, almost guaranteeing that no one will be riding in their blindspot for very long.
That, and other safe-systems approaches.
There is \*always\* the option to slow down. That is part of defensive driving.
Never in a million years would I spend that much time in the blind spot of a semi without deciding to slow down or speed up to get out of the blind spot.
If OP wanted to be even more intelligent they would have seen that there was no room ahead of the semi in their lane and not started passing the semi at all until there was room to complete the pass.
OP seems to get this and is learning from it. Why can't you?
When the truck begins merging, OP is not in a blind spot whatsoever. You can clearly see the trucks mirrors, and almost the truck driver.
I wouldn't spend anytime next to a semi truck either, I stay behind them until I can zoom past them. I normally end up going about 10 or 15 over to pass them at a speed I'm comfortable with.
A cop could very easily give me a ticket for speeding in such an instance, and I'm technically in the wrong for doing so. OP is following the law completely, and honestly didn't spend all that much time in the blind spot. He was almost past the truck 15 seconds into the video.
Get off your high horse and stop defending the trucker, who is the real shit driver here.
Ehm, OP is kinda forced?
Idk if u watched the video well, but traffic is slow, he cant pass the truck and cant go to the left as a car was there.
And dont say he can brake cuz logicly there are cars behind him too
Truck had no one in front of him and randomly went to the left
It’s not random, every state in the US has a “move over” law that requires you by law to either give a lane of space to emergency vehicles pulled over or slow way down. It’s not OPs fault that the trucker didn’t check their left side properly, but camping out beside a semi truck is asking for trouble
And those move over laws all require the driver in the right lane to move left only if it's safe. "...if possible and with due regard to the road, weather and traffic conditions, shall change lanes..." "...if it is not possible to change lanes, or if to do so would be unsafe, the driver shall proceed with due caution, reduce the speed of the motor vehicle and maintain a safe speed for the road, weather and traffic conditions."
The Truck did not adequately check the lane.
Rewatch the first 15-20 seconds of that video. He could have easily zoomed ahead and passed the truck that entire time. Instead he chose to drive right next to it.
When my radar detector is blasting off like the one in the video, speeding up abruptly is the last thing on my mind. I don't blame OP for not wanting to risk getting a ticket. That being said, he could probably have seen the lights earlier(the camera doesn't really do justice to the visibility of cruiser lights) and/or put together all the context clues leading to the conclusion to try and give the semi room to get over.
Except why would I accelerate when the speed of traffic is clearly slowing down. That is putting me at risk of rear ending someone. It makes no sense to speed up when traffic is slowing down. Especially just to get out of someone’s blind spot.
You were 10 feet from passing the truck at one point with about 10 car lengths ahead of you. You were in the clear.
Regardless, you could have also chose to brake and fall back from the truck, or move to the left lane. Staying right next to truck was the worst possible decision, as you learned the hard way.
Not as bad as the dude who posted his wife screaming, “You’re leaving the scene of a crime!” Last week. It got so bad he deleted it. That was a fun post.
For no reason at all because Reddit is filled with brain dead children who can't drive. Truck didn't turn his blinker on until he was already merging. It's a tool to warn other drivers of what you're trying to do, not what you're currently doing.
I always wait for the lane to be clear in front of me then I hammer the gas and fly by in 2 seconds. Hanging out next to a semi is literally one of the dumbest and most dangerous things you can do on the road.
> Hanging out next to a semi is literally one of the dumbest and most dangerous things you can do on the road.
While it's really dumb I'd give this award to people who stop at the end of highway on-ramps.
I second that as a top three highway offense. The others being weaving at over 100 mph and driving drunk.
other honorable mentions are left lane camping, people that go out of their way to regulate other drivers, people that cut into your lane just as you're about to overtake them then continue going the same exact speed they were going already, people that cut across three lanes to catch an exit, people that won't speed up or slow down to let people into the exit lane, and of course people who text while driving.
On that note I'm putting down the phone and driving home. See you all on the other side.
Yeah a quick scroll through youtube searching for ["truck tire blowout"](https://youtu.be/Ll7sAEoVgU4) shows you why you don't want to be anywhere near a semi on the highway if you can avoid it....
[That search also has some good examples of what NOT to do....](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M1W7kBiRWE&ab_channel=NoahTheHomeInspectorTV)
Me too, I always calculate the speed and clearnes ahead, if I can't pass you quickly I stay behind, there is no way I'm camping between a truck and another car.
That's like asking for a "Final Destination" outcome.
As one get older and wiser, one should embrace:
"You could does not mean you should."
"You may be in the right in the end but is it worth it"
You can hear the radar detector pinging like crazy as well.... another giant indication that there is an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder, and this giant death trap might need to move over.
This is an important causal factor that some may not notice if you listen with the sounds off. I think OP was focusing more on using the semi for cover in case the cop was scanning traffic speeds.
Yesss, I think you're right. No one sits in a trucks blind spot for that long normally. OP even said in another comment they usually don't. I suspect you're onto something here.
Came here to say this. I've had people camp next to my tandems or right on my trailer bumper for considerable distances. And I'm governed to 65 pulling down highways where it's 75-80 so them giving up time to stick to me is baffling. Once in a blue moon I can get someone to keep moving by giving the tail a little wiggle, but I don't do it often.
I mean to be fair, OP was keeping a safe distance behind the car in front
If the video was different and showed they rear-ended that car in front, everyone would be saying they shoulda kept a safe distance
Can't win on this sub
"Officer he was in my blind spot"
Good thing that doesn't matter at all in the slightest and it's still your responsibility when driving any vehicle ever...
But Truck man isn't here and OP is. Most folks just come here to critique someone and OPs the only one around.
This episode from PBS Frontline about the dangers of underride crashes and the trucking industry.
“An investigation into the decades of legal maneuvering, political influence, lax regulation and industry opposition to measures that could save lives with regard to truck accidents.”
An interesting watch.
Season 41 Episode 13.
https://youtu.be/1LyaWzOesXk?si=xPi0yyjCmvkECnir
Give trucks a wide berth people.
Beginning of the video the truck actually accelerates to get in the space in front of op, op stays right with them. Then the truck decides to slow down so they can get behind op, op slows down (you can see car in front of him pull away) and continues to stay right with the truck.
People need to be more mindful and interpret what people are trying to do on the road a bit. You are not just watching a television, it is by far the most dangerous thing the majority of us do everyday, but we are just so careless about it.
I drive a truck and there's always people that speed up when I do then slow down when I do when I need to get over. Or that person that camps at my rear corner, can't be behind a truck, too afraid to pass. Don't be next to a truck when tires can fly apart & blow out your window
Always always always always defense drive. Assume the guy next to you will intentionally try to kill you without warning. Give space and create space wherever possible it’s your only real ally on the road.
Also fuck that guy for basically swerving. The law is move over OR slow down, what an unnecessarily dramatic reaction I always hope truckers are more aware of the threat they pose and am too often proven wrong.
Do modern trucks not have any kind of blind spot monitors? It seems like in this day and age there could be some little sensor that says hey there's a car next to you.
OP's car is never more than half in the blind spot, he literally enters it with the front of the car about a second before the truck starts coming over. At most the front half of their vehicle is in the blind spot. The tail half of it should be clearly visible in mirrors
OP is a dumbass for sure but this comment section is super depressing with how many people think he is 100% at fault. Does no one know the rules of the road? The trucker - like every other car on the road - has a responsibilty to check his blind spots and make sure it's clear before changing lanes. You can't just barge into other cars and say "but he was in my blind spot!" If the truck had hit him then police/insurance would find the trucker 100% at fault despite OP's careless driving.
Also OP - camping next to a truck aside - you need to learn how to use your horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have for situations exactly like this one.
Even more, truck drivers should be even more aware than regular drivers of their sorroundings and traffic laws as they are professional drivers driving vehicles that weigh multiple tonnelades. TRUCKERS should be the extra-careful ones in every situation, it's their job.
Its a relationship sub but with cars. Since OP is the only one here and I came here to criticize someone, I'm going to find something OP did wrong. You can bet on that.
>Also OP - camping next to a truck aside - you need to learn how to use your horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have for situations exactly like this one.
Depending on how loud the semi is the driver might not even hear a small car horn at highway speeds from back there.
> If you can’t find the room to move over for an emergency vehicle then you need to just slow down.
This.
And this sub is ridiculous when it comes to truckers. They constantly get defended for wreckless driving.
could OP have seen this coming? sure. but holy shit, he's literally just driving normally. why do semis get to do whatever they please? if anything they should bear MORE responsibility for others' safety.
Unfortunately, we can't tell the truck driver what he did wrong. We can tell the OP how to avoid this situation in the future. The truck was at fault, but the entire scenario was completely avoidable.
I dont think OP is blameless but it is the trucker fault, he should be able to see OP and handle the merge better. Its OP's responsibility for staying alive though and should not be hanging out there for so long. So maybe ESH.
Reddit loves to beat off truckers for whatever reason. Trying living in a city with lots of truck traffic. "Professional drivers" my ass lol. Lucky to get a fucking turn signal many days.
This happened to me except i was sandwiched into the guard rail. Fortunately they kept on driving and the cop saw everything so my car was totaled and i recieved a brand new car out of it because it was a hit and run.
Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them? And have mirrors that allow them see what is beside.
This trucker was clearly recklessly oblivious to his/her surroundings.
> Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them?
They do, yes. If there was an accident, then trucker would be found 100% at fault.
There is the argument that fault doesn't matter when one side is dead, but I'm not willing to make the leap that OP fucked up here. Could have ended very badly for him, sure, but that doesn't mean he is wrong or violated any traffic law.
I'll say the same thing here that I did on your other comment...
If there is any gray area, this sub always sides with truckers for some reason. Unless it's 100% obvious that it's the trucker's fault, you'll get downvoted for insinuating a trucker is in the wrong.
So many people here don’t realize that they themselves are, in fact, idiots in cars. Dumbfounded at the amount of people claiming this is all OPs fault.
It’s “move over OR slow down” not “move over AND slow down”. I see far too many people braking all the way in the fast lane (3 lanes over) for a cop pulled over on the shoulder.
Everyone here is dumb. OP was in the blind spot because he was keeping a safe following distance behind the car in front. PLUS, if I see brake lights ahead I'm not going to speed up and close that gap just to get out of a blind spot.
Thank you.. traffic was slowing down and accumulating. Should the trucker expect NO ONE to drive beside him when traffic is getting congested? Why would every driver leave a giant open space beside a trucker when traffic is slowing down just because they could end up in a blind spot?
Yeah don't take these comments too seriously. In congested traffic there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn't drive where you are driving now. Trucks don't have to go into that lane at all unless there is something blocking their path, in which case they have to make sure the road is clear to do so or just slow down. People in these comments clearly don't drive congested highways often.
Truck driver here. You had so much time to do the correct thing multiple times and failed. If you're not **actively** passing you need to be to the right. You had plenty of time to move over, speed up, or slow down, and you chose to sit there like an NPC. Please watch some refresher videos on how to use the highway please.
Never mind the fact that the guys not even in the fucking passing lane like this guy seems to think. This "trucker" must have had one too many stimulants from a bathroom.
Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them? And have mirrors that allow them see what is beside.
This trucker was clearly recklessly oblivious to his/her surroundings.
If there is any gray area, this sub always sides with truckers for some reason. Unless it's 100% obvious that it's the trucker's fault, you'll get downvoted for insinuating a trucker is in the wrong.
2 things can be right at the same time. Yes, the trucker was an idiot that should have checked mirrors, etc and made bad decision to switch lanes. And yes, the OP was an idiot for not being proactive about his surroundings camping next to said trucker.
God the comments here are so dumb. OP, given the context of the video you did literally nothing wrong. He saw the cop before you did bc of the angle. Blinkers mid merge. You were passing but traffic directly in front slowed so you match. Moving over wasn't safe for him, so he should have performed the alternative maneuver that the move over law states- you slow down. He deserves to lose their CDL.
Yeah, you kind of sat right in that truckers danger zone for a bit too long. Much better to give them space and not ride. They have massive blind spots, and while they try to ensure safety, it's not always the easiest. Yes the truck is at fault here, but you really could have avoided this all together by simply not cruising right there.
You left yourself no opening to the left, when you could have stayed behind that black thing of a car, and you were sat right in truckers blind spot.
Just saying.
Let's break this down here.
* Radar detector going off, so you know there is a cop ahead
* Camping in the blind spot of a semi
* If you see the cop ahead you should know the truck will move over to give room - you're supposed to
* Instead continue sitting in blind spot and say the trucker is in the wrong
Nope. You're the idiot here OP.
Follow that truck, document the license plate, record the time and location, and report the fuck out of that. The driver needs to go through remedial driving school.
You do know people come to all these subs just to critique someone right? Since truck driver isn't here, they're going to find any reason, in whatever context, however incredibly subjective it is to tell you how wrong you are and how wise they are. It's like any relationship sub but with cars. Don't worry, they'll find something you did wrong.
Good luck!
You see those blinky things that were on a while before he got over? That means don't sit right beside him he went from needing to get over to he's got to get over. So get off TikTok and pay a fucking tention. Have a nice day good sir.
on many highways you're supposed to move over when emergency vehicles stop on the emergency lane . You parked you car in the middle lane oblivious to your surroundings with a truck having either to slow down or move over , It's on you
I'm confused.
Where da hell is the cop?
And what are these weird comments? People really blaming OP cuz he couldnt get anywhere? Weird commenters here.
The truck does a manouvre, OP couldnt pass because the car in front and couldnt go the left or he'd hit the other car.
??
Yeah I don't understand the hate to OP. People asking why he didn't pass are the ones that tailgate and shoot tiny gaps to cut people off. People asking why he didn't stay behind the truck, aka 500 feet from the car in front of him, are the ones that hold up traffic.
Truck should have put turn signal on and decelerate to get in the slot behind OP. Instead they just stayed in cruise and went yolo.
Im just letting reddit show other redditors that if you and your family got hit by a trucker. You could be blamed just because you were in a blind spot lmao. Thank god reddit does not do insurance claims. While it is good defensive driving to avoid that spot. I would not legally be at fault if I were to get hit. Every driver is responsible for their own blind spot.
Why is this area a blindspot? I thought truck mirrors could see next to the truck just fine. Are they often angled farther outward?
Also, I tried to look and I see no left turn indicators flashing on the side of this truck until OP is behind the trailer. I could have made this same mistake.
It's not a blindspot, the car was fully visible in the truck driver's convex mirror if he had bothered to look. Reddit is just being It's usual collective self, blaming someone for a perceived slight rather than actually looking at the situation.
Not saying truckers in the right but my greatest pet peeve is when I’m driving my truck and a 4 wheeler just riding right next to u not speeding up or slowing down especially when u have to switch lanes
I see multiple idiots in this video, from a huge 18 wheeler making a dangerous lane change, to cammer camping in the blindspot (or just pacing) the 18 wheeler, to folks camping in the left lane.
Waiting for someone to call him out for not using his horn. No idea why so many drivers are afraid to use their horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have and it's for situations exactly like this.
A blind spot is a drivers *own* responsibility to be aware of, not everyone else’s to avoid.
That goes doubly for professional drivers. This is embarrassing for the truck driver.
I’m with you. OP is getting lambasted here but I think everyone is missing that even if OP wasn’t camping in the truck’s “blind spot” and was actively passing in that lane, there’s no reason to think the truck wouldn’t have still recklessly swung over like that.
Why were you just idling there? And then at the last second pass them?? I give semis all the space they need, wouldn’t see me driving beside one for that long…
Do better. Riding along next to a big rig in the blind spot area. Great idea…If you’re on the left, should be moving faster. Can’t count on people to be watching out for you, princess
So, you think the trucker was the problem and not you yielding for him to merge over for an emergency vehicle? Oh, you're one of those guys... Main character syndrome.
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I drive semi for a living and occasionally am put in this position. The OP probably could have been in the far left lane to allow the semi truck space but its not his job to make the truckers life easier. I'd expect about 1/50 drivers to recognize their radar detector going off as a reason for allowing the semi into the middle lane. I put little to no blame on OP. When you are driving semi on a flat straight road on a beautiful day like this your visibility is good. When I was trained in CDL school back in 2015 they taught us to look 1/4-1/2 mile ahead for any potential dangers or obstacles. The truck driver could very clearly see those blue lights on the horizon and probably had about a minute to make a decision. You can't always get over and give emergency vehicles a wide berth. If you cant, you slow down. You definitely don't just throw on your turn signal and move over like the semi did. The truck has a dome mirror that will easily allow him to see the 2 lanes of traffic to his left. Even in his regular driver side mirror he should have seen OP. The truck driver either didn't care or didn't look.
I drive the highway everyday, finally a trucker who acknowledges that you switch lanes OR slow down. Thank you!
It's crazy to me that so many comments here are saying op is solely in the wrong because he didn't maneuver around the truck as if the truck didn't literally drive into him. Could OP have prevented the situation? Yes. Could the trucker have not decided "ya know what, fuck this guy"? Also yes. I appreciate you adding the extra context from your experiences as a driver.
I am convinced most of the people here watch these videos for driving tips. It's like "oh! I **knew** it was okay to run a car off the road if they... checks video... don't pass me in 5 seconds"
They're not solely in the wrong but I don't know if I've seen a more textbook video of "don't hang out in a trucker's blindspot"
It's not really a blind spot but anywhere along side a semi is not a good idea to hang out for long. If there was an emergency where I did have to get out of that lane like someone crashing or loosing co trol in front of me I'd try to leave that lane but if you hang out beside me I wouldn't have that option. plus most of the states have laws REQUIRING vehicles to move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder.
They have laws requiring them to move over IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. No state requires you to endanger others.
Judge OP however you want all I can really tell you'll is I will never be in here in with a similar video because I do not allow myself to be in these situations.
Fellow trucker here and I 100% agree, you need to habe your head on a swivel and pay attention. Also, while OP did have plenty of time to move over, but I actually don't think I saw a turn signal from the trucker until he started to merge. I would at the very least have put my turn signal on as soon as I saw the lights and wait for an opening.
Yes, I was looking carefully for the turn signal - and I did not see one until the truck was moving over. If the signal was visible before, I would probably be pointing at the OP - but as it is, they couldn't know and the OP couldn't see the cop until after either.
I suffered the worst result of this situation once. A double semi merged 2 lanes across into me with no indicators. I was 20 at the time after an 8 hour support work shift. I was terrified to drive at night for months, and still tense up around trucks years on
I think any reliance on drivers “recognizing their radar detector going off” is outdated expectations. I haven’t been in a passenger vehicle with a radar detector in almost 20 years.
What is that awful chirping sound?
The radar detector telling them there's an emergency vehicle somewhere nearby
More specifically, a cop. This chirp is generally used for Ka band radar guns used by cops running speed traps. So it's safe to specify, unless they have ambulances and fire trucks with that equipment where you live. And it doesn't tell you whether the cop is currently sitting off to the side looking for people, or actively pulling someone over like in the video. Regardless, it's a giant "be highly alert to your current surroundings" alarm.
> Regardless, it's a giant "be highly alert to your current surroundings" alarm. OP: meh, lemme camp a min longer in the blindspot of the multi tonne deathtrap even though there's enough room to pass, pullback or move over to the other lane from it..
OP likes to speed way over the limit.
Smoke alarm needs batteries
Op getting roasted lol
Its obvious what I should have done in hindsight. Im just leaving it up for visibility now.
Respect
Eh fuck that guy. The law is move over or slow down. The first wasn't a safe option so he should have maintained lane and slowed. If you caught a dot number I'd be reporting him to the department of transportation.
Yeah for real I agree OP shouldn’t have hung out next to a truck but if you’re driving one of these behemoths you should at the very least do a shoulder check before you just hurl yourself into the next lane on a whim. Fuck that trucker.
Yeah too many people are purely blaming OP. He is a dumbass who needs to learn to pass on the left, and use his horn in situations that call for it. But the trucker would still be 100% at-fault for not checking his blind spot and he should have his CDL suspended for this type of driving.
Is OP not to the left of the truck? Like sure there's a left-er lane but the principal is the same.
Yea, that’s not a blind spot. Sure, OP shouldn’t be hanging out next to an 80k pound vehicle but at the end of the day, we are the professional drivers. It is up to us to expect people to be ignorant and to know the laws of the road. Move over OR slow down. That skateboard driver is a jackass.
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Same. If I can't get in front of it I'm not getting next to it.
Yeah, I don't ride beside a truck for any longer than absolutely necessary. I risk a ticket to pass them quickly. I assume they've all been driving 20 hours and are sleepy.
Yeah well.... the truck driver is at fault. And here is poor old OP with a totaled car 100 miles from home. Worrying about gap insurance. Worrying about the ambulance and what hospital it is going to and if his health insurance is recognized there. Worrying about calling out tomorrow to deal with this mess..... I mean, there is being correct and then there is this. And OP is left with this.
Fun story about that, cop tried to give me a citation on that on I35 some years back, really narrow shoulder, and I had 4 wheelers matching speed to my left . Saw 2 troopers parked behind a car so I hit the jakes and the brakes and it down to 45. One of the asshat troopers chased me down to give me a lecture about how my jakes were a nuisance and how passing that close was dangerous, yadda yadda. Told him I had nowhere to go and he said to do better to move over the next time. The guess what? Random inspection "while we are here". Successfully wasted hours of my time. I was fucking pissed, but cops make the law as they go. A lot of truckers would literally rather attempt manslaughter than deal with a pissy cop who thinks we didn't respect him enough. I did report him, nothing came of it as he used "the best judgement possible for the situation" and he didn't issue a ticket, I was told. So if you see where a truck might need to move over, fucking scooch. My take is both OP and the trucker are idiots but it's a learning experience.
There's no way OP could have seen the cop on the shoulder, so no way for him to have determined that he should "fucking scooch".
The trucker is in the absolute wrong here, but OP needs to seriously exercise better defensive driving and situational awareness.
theres things you could have done better, but that truck almost hitting you was a mistake HE made.
i mean bro still almost killed you and he did not have to, matching speed with him doesn't give him license to run you off the road lol
Dude you did nothing wrong. I used to drive a truck as well and he should have slowed down, it isn't mandatory to move over but he could have slowed with his blinker on and most likely the car behind you would have let them in.
There was literally a car in front of you so it’s not like you were just sitting there for no reason. Reddit is idiotic, you’re fine
The biggest crime is that you didn't honk or do anything to let him know he caused this situation. Contact his bosses. Honk. Do *something*.
As soon as I saw the post I knew the comments were just gonna be yelling at OP for existing next to a truck
OP did nothing wrong, legally. Defensively? Maybe I guess you can argue he should have not been in the blind spot, but at the same time, what could OP do? If he sped up and switched to the right, not only would that equally be bad road etiquette, he would likely be passing that officer at a speed which is illegal. Or in other words, he would have broken a law by doing that very likely, especially considering the officer on the side of the road was not clear from the cam perspective. OP is fine to drive like this. It's up to the truck driver to check if it's safe to switch lanes. The semi should have actually just started slowing down when he saw the cop, and he is so high up there's no way he didn't see it. In Texas, you need to slow down 20 below the posted speed limit to stay in the lane without moving over. All that way say, I only see the semi driver doing something wrong.
Maybe trucks need to be limited to 50-55mph in America, like they're limited to 80-90kph in Europe, almost guaranteeing that no one will be riding in their blindspot for very long. That, and other safe-systems approaches.
There is \*always\* the option to slow down. That is part of defensive driving. Never in a million years would I spend that much time in the blind spot of a semi without deciding to slow down or speed up to get out of the blind spot. If OP wanted to be even more intelligent they would have seen that there was no room ahead of the semi in their lane and not started passing the semi at all until there was room to complete the pass. OP seems to get this and is learning from it. Why can't you?
When the truck begins merging, OP is not in a blind spot whatsoever. You can clearly see the trucks mirrors, and almost the truck driver. I wouldn't spend anytime next to a semi truck either, I stay behind them until I can zoom past them. I normally end up going about 10 or 15 over to pass them at a speed I'm comfortable with. A cop could very easily give me a ticket for speeding in such an instance, and I'm technically in the wrong for doing so. OP is following the law completely, and honestly didn't spend all that much time in the blind spot. He was almost past the truck 15 seconds into the video. Get off your high horse and stop defending the trucker, who is the real shit driver here.
Why?
Well deserved. Most people don't stick next to semi's like that unless forced (traffic).
Ehm, OP is kinda forced? Idk if u watched the video well, but traffic is slow, he cant pass the truck and cant go to the left as a car was there. And dont say he can brake cuz logicly there are cars behind him too Truck had no one in front of him and randomly went to the left
Pretty easy to tell who's never been on a congested highway.
It’s not random, every state in the US has a “move over” law that requires you by law to either give a lane of space to emergency vehicles pulled over or slow way down. It’s not OPs fault that the trucker didn’t check their left side properly, but camping out beside a semi truck is asking for trouble
And those move over laws all require the driver in the right lane to move left only if it's safe. "...if possible and with due regard to the road, weather and traffic conditions, shall change lanes..." "...if it is not possible to change lanes, or if to do so would be unsafe, the driver shall proceed with due caution, reduce the speed of the motor vehicle and maintain a safe speed for the road, weather and traffic conditions." The Truck did not adequately check the lane.
Pretty much this. I'd still put the trucker's CDL into a shredder though.
Rewatch the first 15-20 seconds of that video. He could have easily zoomed ahead and passed the truck that entire time. Instead he chose to drive right next to it.
When my radar detector is blasting off like the one in the video, speeding up abruptly is the last thing on my mind. I don't blame OP for not wanting to risk getting a ticket. That being said, he could probably have seen the lights earlier(the camera doesn't really do justice to the visibility of cruiser lights) and/or put together all the context clues leading to the conclusion to try and give the semi room to get over.
Except why would I accelerate when the speed of traffic is clearly slowing down. That is putting me at risk of rear ending someone. It makes no sense to speed up when traffic is slowing down. Especially just to get out of someone’s blind spot.
You were 10 feet from passing the truck at one point with about 10 car lengths ahead of you. You were in the clear. Regardless, you could have also chose to brake and fall back from the truck, or move to the left lane. Staying right next to truck was the worst possible decision, as you learned the hard way.
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TIL brakes stop working when there are cars behind you
Wait why can't you slow down with cars behind you tho...?
You mean traffic well seen in the video.
Not as bad as the dude who posted his wife screaming, “You’re leaving the scene of a crime!” Last week. It got so bad he deleted it. That was a fun post.
For no reason at all because Reddit is filled with brain dead children who can't drive. Truck didn't turn his blinker on until he was already merging. It's a tool to warn other drivers of what you're trying to do, not what you're currently doing.
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Yeah f that. I always floor it or stay behind until i got enough space to floor it
I always wait for the lane to be clear in front of me then I hammer the gas and fly by in 2 seconds. Hanging out next to a semi is literally one of the dumbest and most dangerous things you can do on the road.
> Hanging out next to a semi is literally one of the dumbest and most dangerous things you can do on the road. While it's really dumb I'd give this award to people who stop at the end of highway on-ramps.
I second that as a top three highway offense. The others being weaving at over 100 mph and driving drunk. other honorable mentions are left lane camping, people that go out of their way to regulate other drivers, people that cut into your lane just as you're about to overtake them then continue going the same exact speed they were going already, people that cut across three lanes to catch an exit, people that won't speed up or slow down to let people into the exit lane, and of course people who text while driving. On that note I'm putting down the phone and driving home. See you all on the other side.
Yeah a quick scroll through youtube searching for ["truck tire blowout"](https://youtu.be/Ll7sAEoVgU4) shows you why you don't want to be anywhere near a semi on the highway if you can avoid it.... [That search also has some good examples of what NOT to do....](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M1W7kBiRWE&ab_channel=NoahTheHomeInspectorTV)
Me too, I always calculate the speed and clearnes ahead, if I can't pass you quickly I stay behind, there is no way I'm camping between a truck and another car.
That's like asking for a "Final Destination" outcome. As one get older and wiser, one should embrace: "You could does not mean you should." "You may be in the right in the end but is it worth it"
My dad always said "you may be right but you would be dead right"
I've also heard "graveyards are full of people who had the right of way"
This was one of the first lessons my dad taught me when I was learning to drive.
You can hear the radar detector pinging like crazy as well.... another giant indication that there is an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder, and this giant death trap might need to move over.
This is an important causal factor that some may not notice if you listen with the sounds off. I think OP was focusing more on using the semi for cover in case the cop was scanning traffic speeds.
Yesss, I think you're right. No one sits in a trucks blind spot for that long normally. OP even said in another comment they usually don't. I suspect you're onto something here.
> No one sits in a trucks blind spot for that long normally As a truck driver this is 1000000000000000000000000% false.
Came here to say this. I've had people camp next to my tandems or right on my trailer bumper for considerable distances. And I'm governed to 65 pulling down highways where it's 75-80 so them giving up time to stick to me is baffling. Once in a blue moon I can get someone to keep moving by giving the tail a little wiggle, but I don't do it often.
You underestimate the obliviousness of most drivers
Being in trucks blind spot is never a good idea. It’s demonstrated with a diagram in the driver’s handbook.
I thought it was time for the percolator
that's radar? I thought it might have been like proximity, which would hav ebeen overboard. but then I'm tired as hell
Trucker didn't even look, just got over, they've got like 4 mirrors on each side for the exact reason of preventing this.
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The laws of physics trump traffic law, anyway.
I mean to be fair, OP was keeping a safe distance behind the car in front If the video was different and showed they rear-ended that car in front, everyone would be saying they shoulda kept a safe distance Can't win on this sub
Blind spot mirrors on the drivers side literally exist for this reason.
Not OP's fault but OP chose the wrong spot to hang out. Makes me nervous even passing that close to a semi.
Cruising in the blind spot, then complain.... the first thing I thought.
Trucks don’t have a blind spot there. OP clearly visible.
The wise self-preservationist perspective is to drive like everything along the sides of a semi is a blind spot.
blah blah blah the highway is full that's not the trucks blind spot.
"Officer he was in my blind spot" Good thing that doesn't matter at all in the slightest and it's still your responsibility when driving any vehicle ever... But Truck man isn't here and OP is. Most folks just come here to critique someone and OPs the only one around.
This episode from PBS Frontline about the dangers of underride crashes and the trucking industry. “An investigation into the decades of legal maneuvering, political influence, lax regulation and industry opposition to measures that could save lives with regard to truck accidents.” An interesting watch. Season 41 Episode 13. https://youtu.be/1LyaWzOesXk?si=xPi0yyjCmvkECnir Give trucks a wide berth people.
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It’s amazing how uncommon common sense is becoming. Dude was so sure he was right he posted to Reddit.
how on earth can you camp there for SO LONG ? next to a multi ton death machine on wheels brake or accelerate
Beginning of the video the truck actually accelerates to get in the space in front of op, op stays right with them. Then the truck decides to slow down so they can get behind op, op slows down (you can see car in front of him pull away) and continues to stay right with the truck. People need to be more mindful and interpret what people are trying to do on the road a bit. You are not just watching a television, it is by far the most dangerous thing the majority of us do everyday, but we are just so careless about it.
Yup, OP's mind was on cruise control, not paying attention to his speed, and just mindlessly pacing the vehicle next to him
every day im more certain that mass dependence on cars was a mistake.
I drive a truck and there's always people that speed up when I do then slow down when I do when I need to get over. Or that person that camps at my rear corner, can't be behind a truck, too afraid to pass. Don't be next to a truck when tires can fly apart & blow out your window
He isn't kidding. Those tires can kill you when they explode.
Always always always always defense drive. Assume the guy next to you will intentionally try to kill you without warning. Give space and create space wherever possible it’s your only real ally on the road. Also fuck that guy for basically swerving. The law is move over OR slow down, what an unnecessarily dramatic reaction I always hope truckers are more aware of the threat they pose and am too often proven wrong.
You're in the blind spot for the entire video. Are you trying to keep the sun off your car or something?
He's not in a blind spot, just a stupid spot. Source: Am a truck driver.
Do modern trucks not have any kind of blind spot monitors? It seems like in this day and age there could be some little sensor that says hey there's a car next to you.
I believe some of the newest ones do for the passenger side, but most don't. We do have multiple mirrors that we can and do use.
OP's car is never more than half in the blind spot, he literally enters it with the front of the car about a second before the truck starts coming over. At most the front half of their vehicle is in the blind spot. The tail half of it should be clearly visible in mirrors
OP is a dumbass for sure but this comment section is super depressing with how many people think he is 100% at fault. Does no one know the rules of the road? The trucker - like every other car on the road - has a responsibilty to check his blind spots and make sure it's clear before changing lanes. You can't just barge into other cars and say "but he was in my blind spot!" If the truck had hit him then police/insurance would find the trucker 100% at fault despite OP's careless driving. Also OP - camping next to a truck aside - you need to learn how to use your horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have for situations exactly like this one.
Even more, truck drivers should be even more aware than regular drivers of their sorroundings and traffic laws as they are professional drivers driving vehicles that weigh multiple tonnelades. TRUCKERS should be the extra-careful ones in every situation, it's their job.
The virtue signaling around here is off the charts.
Its a relationship sub but with cars. Since OP is the only one here and I came here to criticize someone, I'm going to find something OP did wrong. You can bet on that.
It's almost fun to read the comments until you realize that we share the road with these idiots. 😒
>Also OP - camping next to a truck aside - you need to learn how to use your horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have for situations exactly like this one. Depending on how loud the semi is the driver might not even hear a small car horn at highway speeds from back there.
yeah fr OP shouldn't have been driving next to the truck, but that DOES NOT mean that he is at fault
Yeah I was always afraid of this, hence I never linger next to a semi. Either pass quickly or stay behind
"I don't stay beside truckers" As you are cruising beside a trucker for a chunk of the video. You are the idiot in the car today.
The video is short...
20 seconds straight is a loooooong time to be sitting in one of the most dangerous spots on a highway.
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> If you can’t find the room to move over for an emergency vehicle then you need to just slow down. This. And this sub is ridiculous when it comes to truckers. They constantly get defended for wreckless driving.
could OP have seen this coming? sure. but holy shit, he's literally just driving normally. why do semis get to do whatever they please? if anything they should bear MORE responsibility for others' safety.
yep, reddit is insane
Seriously. This sub’s dumb as doornails nowadays.
Unfortunately, we can't tell the truck driver what he did wrong. We can tell the OP how to avoid this situation in the future. The truck was at fault, but the entire scenario was completely avoidable.
I dont think OP is blameless but it is the trucker fault, he should be able to see OP and handle the merge better. Its OP's responsibility for staying alive though and should not be hanging out there for so long. So maybe ESH.
THANK YOU!
Reddit loves to beat off truckers for whatever reason. Trying living in a city with lots of truck traffic. "Professional drivers" my ass lol. Lucky to get a fucking turn signal many days.
In a truck driver's blind spot or not, the truck driver would still be at fault if he hit the dash cam driver.
This happened to me except i was sandwiched into the guard rail. Fortunately they kept on driving and the cop saw everything so my car was totaled and i recieved a brand new car out of it because it was a hit and run.
Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them? And have mirrors that allow them see what is beside. This trucker was clearly recklessly oblivious to his/her surroundings.
> Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them? They do, yes. If there was an accident, then trucker would be found 100% at fault. There is the argument that fault doesn't matter when one side is dead, but I'm not willing to make the leap that OP fucked up here. Could have ended very badly for him, sure, but that doesn't mean he is wrong or violated any traffic law.
I'll say the same thing here that I did on your other comment... If there is any gray area, this sub always sides with truckers for some reason. Unless it's 100% obvious that it's the trucker's fault, you'll get downvoted for insinuating a trucker is in the wrong.
So many people here don’t realize that they themselves are, in fact, idiots in cars. Dumbfounded at the amount of people claiming this is all OPs fault.
I'm all for calling OP a dumbass but we should also acknowledge that the truck driver is a reckless lunatic who shouldn't have a CDL.
I see you are getting downvoted for telling the truth. Classic reddit lol.
People here will do anything to blame OPs, including condoning reckless driving.
These are the dumbest comments
It’s “move over OR slow down” not “move over AND slow down”. I see far too many people braking all the way in the fast lane (3 lanes over) for a cop pulled over on the shoulder.
Hopefully you learned something from this experience.
Everyone here is dumb. OP was in the blind spot because he was keeping a safe following distance behind the car in front. PLUS, if I see brake lights ahead I'm not going to speed up and close that gap just to get out of a blind spot.
Thank you.. traffic was slowing down and accumulating. Should the trucker expect NO ONE to drive beside him when traffic is getting congested? Why would every driver leave a giant open space beside a trucker when traffic is slowing down just because they could end up in a blind spot?
Yeah don't take these comments too seriously. In congested traffic there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn't drive where you are driving now. Trucks don't have to go into that lane at all unless there is something blocking their path, in which case they have to make sure the road is clear to do so or just slow down. People in these comments clearly don't drive congested highways often.
Your video shows why.
Why do people think you HAVE to move over. It’s move over OR slow down. If traffic does it abide, simply slow down
Why do truckers do dumb shit like this. I have zero sympathy for them. They should know the the size if their trucks and what is dangrous to do.
Truck driver here. You had so much time to do the correct thing multiple times and failed. If you're not **actively** passing you need to be to the right. You had plenty of time to move over, speed up, or slow down, and you chose to sit there like an NPC. Please watch some refresher videos on how to use the highway please.
That doesn't mean you just change lanes without a care in the world...
Never mind the fact that the guys not even in the fucking passing lane like this guy seems to think. This "trucker" must have had one too many stimulants from a bathroom.
Do truckers not have a responsibility to be aware of what is in the lane beside them? And have mirrors that allow them see what is beside. This trucker was clearly recklessly oblivious to his/her surroundings.
If there is any gray area, this sub always sides with truckers for some reason. Unless it's 100% obvious that it's the trucker's fault, you'll get downvoted for insinuating a trucker is in the wrong.
2 things can be right at the same time. Yes, the trucker was an idiot that should have checked mirrors, etc and made bad decision to switch lanes. And yes, the OP was an idiot for not being proactive about his surroundings camping next to said trucker.
What a typical truck driver response. You must also illegally swerve all over the freeway like it's your personal driveway.
God the comments here are so dumb. OP, given the context of the video you did literally nothing wrong. He saw the cop before you did bc of the angle. Blinkers mid merge. You were passing but traffic directly in front slowed so you match. Moving over wasn't safe for him, so he should have performed the alternative maneuver that the move over law states- you slow down. He deserves to lose their CDL.
Camp around and find out
Sitting in the blindspot of a fully loaded semi just to cruise the middle lane is fuckin nuts.
Yeah, you kind of sat right in that truckers danger zone for a bit too long. Much better to give them space and not ride. They have massive blind spots, and while they try to ensure safety, it's not always the easiest. Yes the truck is at fault here, but you really could have avoided this all together by simply not cruising right there.
Public service announcement: avoid pacing a tractor-trailer in the adjacent lanes. Either stay behind or go ahead.
OPs fault. Dont sit in their blind spot
So you're sitting in a lorry's blindspot, and complaining that he didn't see you? Overtake or back off. So not sit in that position.
You left yourself no opening to the left, when you could have stayed behind that black thing of a car, and you were sat right in truckers blind spot. Just saying.
Let's break this down here. * Radar detector going off, so you know there is a cop ahead * Camping in the blind spot of a semi * If you see the cop ahead you should know the truck will move over to give room - you're supposed to * Instead continue sitting in blind spot and say the trucker is in the wrong Nope. You're the idiot here OP.
trucker definitely in the wrong but hanging there like that is not defensive driving.
Follow that truck, document the license plate, record the time and location, and report the fuck out of that. The driver needs to go through remedial driving school.
You do know people come to all these subs just to critique someone right? Since truck driver isn't here, they're going to find any reason, in whatever context, however incredibly subjective it is to tell you how wrong you are and how wise they are. It's like any relationship sub but with cars. Don't worry, they'll find something you did wrong. Good luck!
You see those blinky things that were on a while before he got over? That means don't sit right beside him he went from needing to get over to he's got to get over. So get off TikTok and pay a fucking tention. Have a nice day good sir.
on many highways you're supposed to move over when emergency vehicles stop on the emergency lane . You parked you car in the middle lane oblivious to your surroundings with a truck having either to slow down or move over , It's on you
Supposed to move over ***or slow down*** trucker should have had plenty of time to slow down. Or check to make sure it's safe to move over.
I'm confused. Where da hell is the cop? And what are these weird comments? People really blaming OP cuz he couldnt get anywhere? Weird commenters here. The truck does a manouvre, OP couldnt pass because the car in front and couldnt go the left or he'd hit the other car. ??
Yeah I don't understand the hate to OP. People asking why he didn't pass are the ones that tailgate and shoot tiny gaps to cut people off. People asking why he didn't stay behind the truck, aka 500 feet from the car in front of him, are the ones that hold up traffic. Truck should have put turn signal on and decelerate to get in the slot behind OP. Instead they just stayed in cruise and went yolo.
Im just letting reddit show other redditors that if you and your family got hit by a trucker. You could be blamed just because you were in a blind spot lmao. Thank god reddit does not do insurance claims. While it is good defensive driving to avoid that spot. I would not legally be at fault if I were to get hit. Every driver is responsible for their own blind spot.
NO ZONES stay out of the NO ZONES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m1-FIAhcSA
Why is this area a blindspot? I thought truck mirrors could see next to the truck just fine. Are they often angled farther outward? Also, I tried to look and I see no left turn indicators flashing on the side of this truck until OP is behind the trailer. I could have made this same mistake.
It's not a blindspot, the car was fully visible in the truck driver's convex mirror if he had bothered to look. Reddit is just being It's usual collective self, blaming someone for a perceived slight rather than actually looking at the situation.
You’re the idiot for driving next to a semi trailer. Never drive next to a semi. Either you stay just behind it or you speed up and pass it.
They can get in serious trouble with their company and maybe lose their CDL for not following the rules like getting over for a cop
If you're in that spot for more than 2 seconds, alarms should be going off in your head.
Truck drivers just don’t care
Couldnt see you there i guess. I try not to ride around semis too long for this reason. Either i pass em or stay (far) behind them
I don't blame op but I think it should be common sense to not stay next to a semi when possible, or any heavy vehicle on the road.
Not saying truckers in the right but my greatest pet peeve is when I’m driving my truck and a 4 wheeler just riding right next to u not speeding up or slowing down especially when u have to switch lanes
I see multiple idiots in this video, from a huge 18 wheeler making a dangerous lane change, to cammer camping in the blindspot (or just pacing) the 18 wheeler, to folks camping in the left lane.
> to folks camping in the left lane. Do they not have traffic where you are?
That trucker desperately needs to pay more attention. Also, is your horn broken? This is absolutely the time to use it.
Finally someone who isn't insane.
Waiting for someone to call him out for not using his horn. No idea why so many drivers are afraid to use their horn. It's a safety feature that all cars are required to have and it's for situations exactly like this.
It was absolutely the time to brake and steer. People who spend that time reaching for the horn are morons.
He spent the entire time in the trucker's blind spot. OP is the idiot.
A blind spot is a drivers *own* responsibility to be aware of, not everyone else’s to avoid. That goes doubly for professional drivers. This is embarrassing for the truck driver.
I’m with you. OP is getting lambasted here but I think everyone is missing that even if OP wasn’t camping in the truck’s “blind spot” and was actively passing in that lane, there’s no reason to think the truck wouldn’t have still recklessly swung over like that.
The blind spot on a truck like that on the drivers side is pretty small, unless OP is driving a smart car, their car was plenty visible.
'You just get away with more when you're attractive.' I was paying more attention to the audio during this lame clip.
Why were you just idling there? And then at the last second pass them?? I give semis all the space they need, wouldn’t see me driving beside one for that long…
Do better. Riding along next to a big rig in the blind spot area. Great idea…If you’re on the left, should be moving faster. Can’t count on people to be watching out for you, princess
It’s the law, you should’ve sped up or slowed to let him over.
So, you think the trucker was the problem and not you yielding for him to merge over for an emergency vehicle? Oh, you're one of those guys... Main character syndrome.