The problem isn't the Amish; watch out for IDIOTS!

[dressagetraks]

I was coming back from an errand run in the city this morning and took my back alternate route through Amishland. Only a couple of miles longer, and I get to see horses.

So I was going through the heart of Amishland on a highway (2 lane, 55 mph, signs all over warning people to be careful). I topped a hill, and shortly below the crest of the hill on the other side came a whole Amish family in their buggy. There was a man behind them in his TRUK (jacked up, country music bumper stickers on back and front, definitely a TRUK, not just a means of transportation). This idiot was just in the process of starting to swing out to pass the buggy - going UPHILL, almost at the top of the hill, in a TOTALLY blind spot, on a 2-lane 55mph highway. He saw me about the same time I saw him, and guess what he did? Yep, he GUNNED it, pulling out into my lane, like hurrying up to pass faster in this totally unsafe spot to ever even think of passing anyway was the correct decision. I slammed the brakes on, and fortunately, my little car is very responsive. If I'd been in my truck, I could not have stopped on a dime like that. Fortunately also, the man who was behind me and coming over the hill a few seconds after me was also on the ball. The Amish dad driving jerked his horse up sharply - I saw the horse pin his ears in mild protest - and they hit a dead stop, and this idiot in his TRUK slipped around the buggy between the buggy and me and went roaring on over the hill with a VAROOM!!

Amish dad and I looked at each other for a second, and then he tipped his hat, and I waved, and we all started off again. No translation needed. Understood in all cultures.

Seriously, he would have been over the hill into a passing spot with good visibility in just a few more seconds. What kind of moron passes almost at the top of a totally blind hill on a 2-lane highway?

They have the look out for Amish signs all over that stretch, but I think they need to make a new highway sign, look out for idiots.

[Kimberlee]

The truck driver deserves a darwin award

[Come Shine]

In our area, a few years back, someone threw a beer bottle at a buggy. It caught one of the young ladies full in the face. I don't think they ever caught the *** responsible. Sigh. What a world.

[Daatje]

That idiot has a clone in about 9 of every 10 motorists that pass me while hacking on the street.

I now carry a whip wrapped in blaze orange tape that is nearly as long as the width of one lane.

I hold this orange whip into the roadway with my arm extended as cars approach us from behind. Now, if they want to squeeze between my horse and an oncoming vehicle, they have to run smack into my orange whip first.

This has made hacking much safer for me as most of the idiots get the message that they must wait to pass, not gun it and squeeze.

I hate inconsiderate motorists......which is to say most motorists.

[JohnDeere]

I want a car like JamesBond has--with those misseles that come from the front and back? Wouldnt it be great fun to just blow up someone like that?

Just kidding--1/2

[Trevelyan96]

Yup, there are idiots out there. One almost nailed me and DD hauling home from a lesson one day. Passing on a hill AND curve on a 2 lane road. Honestly, if I hadn't been hauling up hill, he would have nailed us. And you can bet if that had happened and I'd lived through it, I WOULD have sued his ass into homelessness, even though I am the type to HATE people who sue over every little 'accidental injury'. But any idiot who thinks that they are too important to heed even the simplest of safety rules deserves it! They are an unnaceptable danger to everyone on the same road.

And I don't think the problem is even that these people aren't taught safe driving, they just think they are 'too damn important' to follow the freaking rules! I witness this attitude every day in DC, with the commuters who think that they just have to pull into the intersections even when the KNOW they're going to block it, because they're too 'important' to stop and wait for the next light!

[slpeders]

must be something in the air, or ? on a similar-sounding road that I drive a lot there have been TWO fatal accidents in the past month. TWO! flipping idots that were in such a big hurry that they HAD put someone's life on the line. One of them ran head-on into a group of motorcyclists heading out for a road trip, killing the guy in front. One of them crossed the centerline and ran head-on into a dump truck, killing everyone in his car. Frankly, it boggles the mind, and I'll be taking an alternate route for a while if I can. Some people seem to think they are the ONLY vehicles out there and the rest of us will just evaporate or get out of their way some other way. <sad, head-shaking icon would go here>

[twofatponies]

I swear it really is seasonal. Winter and bad weather keep the worst folks at home, it seems.

I was meeting a friend two days ago and had the very first run-in with a disrespectful driver on our riding roads. It's an area that isn't a shortcut to anywhere, so 99% of the drivers are neighbors and drive nicely. Many stop to chat.

But there was my friend coming up the road, and a perky blonde city lady in her snazzy car zipped by her at 40 mph without even moving over. My friend's horse jumped a bit at the near miss and lost his footing in the ditch. I raised my hand and made the "hey, slow down" signal, and the woman didn't even look at me, just continued barreling past, hitting a puddle of cow patties that splashed us with a loud hiss and made my mare flinch. I've never needed to yell at anyone before, but I turned around and let loose with some pirate talk. Idiot. I bet if we'd been in the middle of the road she would have simply blared the horn and kept going.

But honestly that's the worst person I've ever met out riding, so I feel blessed!

[BramblewoodAcres]

I never, ever have a problem just poking along behind farm equipment. Doesn't bother me in the least and I figure they'll turn off eventually, so it's no big deal to poke along for awhile. I'm never in THAT much of a hurry.

But boy, does it ever piss all the people behind me off because they feel the need to pass...and not only do they now have to pass the farm equipment...they have to pass me, too.

[BuddyRoo]

When I was younger and dumber, I did a whole lot of road riding which is probably why my mare (now 18) is a saint on the road.

I had a near-miss a few months ago. I was riding against traffic on the shoulder--deep ditch with tile on my left. Car approaching from behind and one coming towards me. On the FLAT!

Car coming towards me swerved AT ME onto the shoulder kicking up gravel and we had to jump the ditch into the neighbor's yard. Neighbors were out gardening and saw the whole thing. Yelled "You okay?"

me: Yep. Sorry about the hoof prints in your yard!

Them: Kid doesn't realize that a horse through the windshield would've killed him too, eh?

Me: nope.

Le sigh.

Idiots abound.

[JLMet]

I would love to take this time to give props to my horse (I did not ask him to do this nor did I own him at the time)

We were retraining because his idiot abusive owners had no clue what to do with him. At that time he was in an area that was pretty much made for the horses, lots of trails, signs all over the place plenty of side road room so horses could be out of danger. You had to cross the road to get to the trails.

Didn't seem to matter to one driver who I could hear very loudly coming up fast. Instead of asking my boy to keep walking, I get him over as far as I can and ask him to stand. He happily obliges and what does idiot clone # 1,563,175 do? He slows to a dead crawl and slams on his horn behind my boy while I'm on him! I really have no clue why he did it, what the reason was and I don't care but I praised the heck of out my boy for what he did. (I know he could have gotten hurt but there was no controlling him at that moment) He pins his ear, wails his butt around and kicks his hoof into the car! Nice dent, broken headlight and driver went speeding off as pissed as ever. No damage done to Scout and I was laughing uncontrollably once I knew he was fine. Guess my mustang was better than his!

[Daatje]

LJmet, that's awesome.

[RV]

on a positive note . . .

We had a horse get loose last week and in his mad dash he ran into the road, which is a fairly busy back road - 35 mph speed limit - everyone goes 50, the barn in between two rather sharp curves - needless to say a dangerous road for a horse to gallop away on - there was no trot, no canter, he could have a new career at the track!

Drivers stopped and waited patiently, a few offered to help, there was a HUGE back up and not a soul tried to so much as inch forward until the horse was safely caught and walking to the barn.

One non-horsie lady pulled into the barn driveway to try to prevent him from galloping back into the road (at this point he was running on the front lawn adjacent to the road) -not sure how she thought blocking the paved driveway would prevent him from running out across the grass . . . but still, very kind.

[Hunter Mom]

A friend of mine took her trailer to a nearby small town to have lights redone. When she went to pick it up, she returned to the interstate via a few miles of 2-lane highway. As she went down the highway, a man slammed into the back of her trailer (thankfully empty) and totaled it. Pushed the back doors a good 3' into the trailer, destroyed the tack area in rear. He left his car & took off on foot. Then, he stole a "new" car and came to town, where he reported his car stolen. After his DUI test came back positive, they figured out who he was and that his car wasn't stolen.

Now, he has to face multiple criminal charges, and - oh yeah - he's military so that isn’t' going to go well, either. All over a drunken response to a fight with his girlfriend. Not a good day for him.

[Trevelyan96]

Our area is becoming too 'urbanized'. There's a few farms on the main road that used to trail ride all the time in the area and on the road. The last 10 years or so, they've been almost hit, yelled at, people deliberately trying to spook their horses, even with little 4H kids on ponies. Needless to say, they don't ride in my neighborhood anymore, and it's like only 100 yards from their farm to the neighborhood entrance, that's how dangerous that road has become.

I REALLY wish we were further away from the city. I hate what has happened to my county. These people want to live 'in the country' but then they act like all the country people are supposed to change their way of life to suit them.

[see u at x]

I agree with you 100%, Trevelyan. I don't get all the "city people," either, who think that everything should change to their way of thinking.

Up until a few years ago, I boarded in Accokeek, straight down 210/Indian Head Highway. At the time, I lived in Alexandria, so it was pretty convenient. For 3 years, I dealt with WW Bridge traffic and the idiots that drive 90 mph down Indian Head. I finally had enough and moved my horse to Manassas to the same barn where my then dressage instructor was boarding. My best friend's mom lives in Accokeek also, and one of my friends is still at my former barn. I hate, hate, HATE driving down there to visit them, because people are just a$$hats on the roads.

[Auventera Two]

These stories are really something. Wow, what IS wrong with people?

I was hauling home from a day of trail riding. Was on a slow/windy road and there was a truck in front of me. I left a good 3 trailer lengths or so between me and the truck. We were doing maybe 40 mph. A little black car zipped up behind me, and was so impatient that she flew around me in a no-passing zone, and swerved back in the lane RIGHT in front of me, leaving no room at all. And of course, at that moment, the truck decided to turn right all of a sudden. All of it happened so fast and now I had no space between me and the stupid car in front of me. Truck hit the brakes, black car hit the brakes, I hit the brakes, and all I could see in my trailer camera was my horse going down on her knees. I was so angry I felt like crying. I got home and found that all my tack had been dumped over, and my saddle had landed in a tub of soaked beet pulp. I was so angry. My horse was fine, but the incident made me want to never trailer my horse anywhere again.

Then here's the time when *I* almost hit someone who was riding her horse. Was going home from work, and there's a road with a steep hill, and a 45 mph zone. I was going barely 45, crested the hill, and there is a horse and rider IN my lane. I hit the brakes and swerved to the center line, at which point I struck a squirrel who was darting across, and I looked back to see the dead squirrel fly over in front of the horse. The girl is gripping mane and petting the horse's neck.

I was shaking and felt like I would puke. That poor horse was a SAINT. His stupid idiot rider should have got off in the ditch on that hill. Or why ride on that hill in the first place? It's a total blind spot. Why was she IN the lane???? Ugh, it scared me so bad. I can't crest that hill now without wondering if she'll be there again. I slow down to like 25-30 every time now, even though the limit is 45.

[grandprixjump]

several years ago....

One of the carriage drivers in Indy had a very rude person in a car with T-Tops if I recall correctly, loud radio, revving the engine, seeing how close he could get to the carriage. She proceeded to remove his cigarette from his mouth via buggy whip, he calmed down right away after that...

[camohn]

I was coming back from an errand run in the city this morning and took my back alternate route through Amishland. Only a couple of miles longer, and I get to see horses.

So I was going through the heart of Amishland on a highway (2 lane, 55 mph, signs all over warning people to be careful). I topped a hill, and shortly below the crest of the hill on the other side came a whole Amish family in their buggy. There was a man behind them in his TRUK (jacked up, country music bumper stickers on back and front, definitely a TRUK, not just a means of transportation). This idiot was just in the process of starting to swing out to pass the buggy - going UPHILL, almost at the top of the hill, in a TOTALLY blind spot, on a 2-lane 55mph highway. He saw me about the same time I saw him, and guess what he did? Yep, he GUNNED it, pulling out into my lane, like hurrying up to pass faster in this totally unsafe spot to ever even think of passing anyway was the correct decision. I slammed the brakes on, and fortunately, my little car is very responsive. If I'd been in my truck, I could not have stopped on a dime like that. Fortunately also, the man who was behind me and coming over the hill a few seconds after me was also on the ball. The Amish dad driving jerked his horse up sharply - I saw the horse pin his ears in mild protest - and they hit a dead stop, and this idiot in his TRUK slipped around the buggy between the buggy and me and went roaring on over the hill with a VAROOM!!

Amish dad and I looked at each other for a second, and then he tipped his hat, and I waved, and we all started off again. No translation needed. Understood in all cultures.

Seriously, he would have been over the hill into a passing spot with good visibility in just a few more seconds. What kind of moron passes almost at the top of a totally blind hill on a 2-lane highway?

They have the look out for Amish signs all over that stretch, but I think they need to make a new highway sign, look out for idiots.

Living here and driving for a living (home health care) this is sadly a near daily occurance for me. I get passed waiting behind a buggy on hills, on blind curves, or get forced onto the shoulder by idiots on the other side of the road doing the same things. If I am driving the horse trailer to/from my lesson (F350 with one horsie on 4 horse trailer) it is the same....just that the rig being passed is now bigger. My fave is the hispanic teenager driving a Civic with the fart can muffler and more chrome than the value of the whole car that even deemed to give ME the finger on the way past me. Huh? He is the moron passing illegally (roll eyes).
Idjit Driver Alley are routes 896 and 372.

[Kate66]

I would love to take this time to give props to my horse (I did not ask him to do this nor did I own him at the time)

We were retraining because his idiot abusive owners had no clue what to do with him. At that time he was in an area that was pretty much made for the horses, lots of trails, signs all over the place plenty of side road room so horses could be out of danger. You had to cross the road to get to the trails.

Didn't seem to matter to one driver who I could hear very loudly coming up fast. Instead of asking my boy to keep walking, I get him over as far as I can and ask him to stand. He happily obliges and what does idiot clone # 1,563,175 do? He slows to a dead crawl and slams on his horn behind my boy while I'm on him! I really have no clue why he did it, what the reason was and I don't care but I praised the heck of out my boy for what he did. (I know he could have gotten hurt but there was no controlling him at that moment) He pins his ear, wails his butt around and kicks his hoof into the car! Nice dent, broken headlight and driver went speeding off as pissed as ever. No damage done to Scout and I was laughing uncontrollably once I knew he was fine. Guess my mustang was better than his!

excellent!!!