Another traffic fatality to discuss...

[tater]

I used KPH for our friends overseas

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by tater

I used KPH for our friends overseas

74 mph is still very fast for a DUI call. He was probably slowing some for the intersection as well.

[tater]

Yeah, I was guessing his speed, but the limit on that road varies between 40 and 55, and regular traffic usually moves about 60-65. Was a guess on my part. The other road (girl's car) is 50 mph, as I recall, and regardless, they had a green light.

Clearly from the wreck the APD truck was moving pretty fast.

[AVGWarhawk]

Whatever the case, it is a horrible accident. I wish accidents like this did not happen.

[August]

Originally Posted by tater

Clearly from the wreck the APD truck was moving pretty fast.

Especially for a truck.

[tater]

I've been thinking about such accidents because last week a guy slammed on the brakes after looking up from his phone, and didn't manage to stop until through the light, and that was including using my wife's BMW which was stopped at the red light they shared as a barrier.

His skid marks were ~300ft until he hit my wife's bumper (I measured them on google earth), and my wife's car ended up ~75' into the intersection, and his car 75' past that.

Glad he looked up from texting when he did. #@$!# POS. Wish he had died to prevent entering the gene pool, sadly he just broke his nose.

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by tater

I've been thinking about such accidents because last week a guy slammed on the brakes after looking up from his phone, and didn't manage to stop until through the light, and that was including using my wife's BMW which was stopped at the red light they shared as a barrier.

His skid marks were ~300ft until he hit my wife's bumper (I measured them on google earth), and my wife's car ended up ~75' into the intersection, and his car 75' past that.

Glad he looked up from texting when he did. #@$!# POS. Wish he had died to prevent entering the gene pool, sadly he just broke his nose.

reminds me of an accident I had in 89-90. I was at a light, late for a meeting and stepped on the gas as soon as the light turned green. Another car trying to beat the yellow light hit me from the left going 70-80 kmh and tore off my bumper. If he had had been 1-2 seconds later, he would have hit my door and probably have killed me. Ever since then, I always check and wait 1-2 seconds after the light turns green before taking off...

A lot of these accidents are from lack of specialized training. Eons ago when I was a student, I had a part time/summer job as a driving instructor. One of the "Old Hands" there used to teach police/ambulance drivers how to drive. He always told me and had proven that you could get faster from point A to B by going a bit slower, paying attention to other cars and making your intentions clearly known rather than just barrelling along at top speed.

[tater]

I went through a green light once, years ago. I was the 3d car through the light, it was "very green." Some jackass in a 1980s oldsmobile ran the red light by going around the 2-3 stopped cars in his lane by driving into the left turn only lane to avoid them. Luckily I saw him and slammed on my brakes in time to have everything in front of the wheels of my honda accord removed.

The guy stopped in a parking lot right there, then took off! I was incredulous taht someone would leave a crash, and went into the motel lobby to use a phone. While on the line cop cars showed up, and I went outside frantically to describe the car and that he had fled.

The cop said, "calm dow, he didn't make it far. He rear-ended a police cruiser at Carlisle."

When the guy that hits you also hits a police car... they all show up, they even took pictures of my wreck for me

[fireftr18]

There's not enough to the story to really comment on it. Apparently, from reading the comments, it is a problem intersection.
I can comment in general on emergency vehicle driving. In Kentucky, the law says basically an emergency vehicle on an emergency, can ignore speed limits, stop lights, etc. But must proceed with due regard for safety. In other words, do what you want, but if you hurt someone, you're responsible. Most states have the same laws. Specifically, Lexington, KY, my dept requires a full stop at stop lights and stop signs before proceeding.

[tater]

Originally Posted by fireftr18

There's not enough to the story to really comment on it. Apparently, from reading the comments, it is a problem intersection.
I can comment in general on emergency vehicle driving. In Kentucky, the law says basically an emergency vehicle on an emergency, can ignore speed limits, stop lights, etc. But must proceed with due regard for safety. In other words, do what you want, but if you hurt someone, you're responsible. Most states have the same laws. Specifically, Lexington, KY, my dept requires a full stop at stop lights and stop signs before proceeding.

I imagine our laws are the same. I've likely seen hundreds of emergency vehicles go through lights in decades of driving, and they always stop, or nearly stop that I have seen. It is a bad intersection, all the more reason to always be careful.

[August]

I would think it is simple self preservation.

Regardless of laws, lights, sirens or anything else, the ambulance or patrol car driver is smart to slows down and look before crossing an intersection to avoid being t-boned himself, which in this instance had the officer got to the intersection just a split second later might have been the case.