Hey Zach,

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

Re the dead stopper in your lane. IMHO, you're not at fault, though your 
legislation may vary. A following driver is entitled to assume that the 
driver ahead is not a totally incompetent boob who will stop for no reason 
at all, giving you no expectation of a hazard, much less a reasonable 
opportunity to stop. In some jurisdictions, stopping on the travelled 
portion of a highway is illegal. In our enlightened Province, breaking a 
Highway Traffic Act provision makes you responsible for any ensuing 
accident, in your case the lady in front would have to prove she was not 
negligent, you would not have to prove you weren't following too close. 
Furthermore, it's reasonable to shoulder check, and for a driver ahead to 
check her mirror before applying the brakes, unless there really was a kid 
in the road.

Just my .02. As it happens, I nearly beaned a Jeep this evening. The 
old  signal left from the extreme right hand  parking lane and then lunge 
across four lanes of traffic to enter a parking lot on the opposite side of 
the street trick. Fortunately, I drive assuming the other drivers are all 
idiots (the safe "default" assumption) and had my thumb on the horn and my 
foot on the brake simultaneously. The young blonde female person (yes a 
d**** blonde) peered through the murky side window of the Jeep and waved 
BOTH hands as she stopped abruptly blocking BOTH lanes, maximizing her 
probability of being hit. She then appeared to want to complete her 
maneuver across the oncoming lanes, pushing her luck I thought. Thumb still 
on the horn and she was persuaded to drive more or less normally down the 
road to execute a right turn, from the left lane, presumably to wind up for 
another run at the left turn after circling the block!!!! Ya gotta love 
four wheel ABS discs AND an Italian Horn.


Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
91 Alfa 164L, White, original owner

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End of alfa-digest V7 #1269
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