When you just don't know what to say....
Discussion
On Sunday evening I noticed an EP3 Honda Civic parked on the road opposite my apartment block with a flat front tyre. On Monday evening it's still there. On Tuesday morning I see a youngish woman getting into the car, start it up, put it in gear, and start to dial on lock to do a U turn. I knock on her window and tell her she's got a flat tyre. She tells me that she's not driving very far, and is running late. I explain that it's rather dangerous to drive on a flat tyre. She seems to take that on board, thanks me, puts the window back up and gets on her phone. I'm tight for time, so start walking down the street.
30 seconds later I hear what sounds like the world's largest angle grinder as she does the U turn on full lock, pulling the flat tyre off the rim, and then drives down the road on the exposed rim with the tyre flapping in the arch, still talking on the mobile. I thought about running after her and trying to flag her down, but a) I'm not a very fast runner and b) WTF do you say to somebody that stupid when you've already explained it to them?
Then yesterday evening I was waiting to cross the road. An Artic was next to the corner with the reversing lights and beepers on. Rather than walk out behind a reversing truck, I waited. Not the woman on the other side of the road pushing a child in a buggy, who calmly pushes her little bundle of joy in front of a reversing truck, he slams on the anchors, and she keeps walking, totally oblivious to what nearly just happened.
On both occasions, I wanted to say something, but was genuinely lost for words: what can you say to somebody who is doing something so patently stupid and dangerous?
30 seconds later I hear what sounds like the world's largest angle grinder as she does the U turn on full lock, pulling the flat tyre off the rim, and then drives down the road on the exposed rim with the tyre flapping in the arch, still talking on the mobile. I thought about running after her and trying to flag her down, but a) I'm not a very fast runner and b) WTF do you say to somebody that stupid when you've already explained it to them?
Then yesterday evening I was waiting to cross the road. An Artic was next to the corner with the reversing lights and beepers on. Rather than walk out behind a reversing truck, I waited. Not the woman on the other side of the road pushing a child in a buggy, who calmly pushes her little bundle of joy in front of a reversing truck, he slams on the anchors, and she keeps walking, totally oblivious to what nearly just happened.
On both occasions, I wanted to say something, but was genuinely lost for words: what can you say to somebody who is doing something so patently stupid and dangerous?
Edited by spitsfire on Thursday 17th October 00:44
Klippie said:
There are plenty f
kwits in the world who live in dreamland...best to let them get on with it after all people like this are put on earth to entertain the rest of us.
Yeah, I'd go with that if it was only likely to end in an entertaining fkwits in the world who live in dreamland...best to let them get on with it after all people like this are put on earth to entertain the rest of us.k-up, but if somebody else got injured/killed as a result, I'd feel incredibly guilty and wish I'd been more forceful.3 years ago in the local Tesco petrol station I came out after paying and noticed a black Merc C class in the neighbouring pump to mine being filled by a woman in her mid 30's and the drivers side front tyre was completely flat.
I mentioned it to her before I got into my car in the hope she maybe just hadn't noticed and would utilise the air supply on the forecourt to put some air in or worst case maybe get into the main carpark and call for the AA/RAC to get it changed.
Her reply .............. she knew it was flat, it had been like that for the last 2 days and that she'd ask her husband to sort it when he came back from his business trip in 4 days time. I didn't know whether to laugh or not but either way somehow i wasn't surprised.
I mentioned it to her before I got into my car in the hope she maybe just hadn't noticed and would utilise the air supply on the forecourt to put some air in or worst case maybe get into the main carpark and call for the AA/RAC to get it changed.
Her reply .............. she knew it was flat, it had been like that for the last 2 days and that she'd ask her husband to sort it when he came back from his business trip in 4 days time. I didn't know whether to laugh or not but either way somehow i wasn't surprised.
mybrainhurts said:
Hello, madam, I see you're a woman....
Though both the examples I've posted were women, I've seen some blokes doing similarly idiotic things; sailing a dingy in coastal waters without flares, radio or lifejackets on board and smoking in a petrol station are two that immediately spring to mind. I had words with the guy in the boat, and nearly got into fisticuffs when I told him I'd be leaving my details with the harbourmaster so they'd have a witness for the Fatal Accident Inquiry - this was shortly after several people had died in similar tragic circumstances whilst sailing on the West Coast. He didn't go out in the end, not because he'd had second thoughts, but because the others wouldn't get into the boat after overhearing our argument. Came back at the end of the day to discover that the tyres on our trailer had been let down, which really says it all. Boats seem to attract this sort of stupidity like nothing else, with cars a close second.richwig83 said:
It's called 'Natural Selection' ;-)
Stuff like trying to fish a slice of bread out of the toaster with a knife is just natural selection at work, but what gets me is when the idiot is exposing other people to serious risk. Call me an idiot, but it gives me this feeling of dread deep in my gut that somewhere down the line I'm going to be thinking to myself 'I wish I'd said something/called the police/taken his keys off him..... Edited by spitsfire on Thursday 17th October 02:08
These things do make you wonder.
A few months ago I was woken in the early hours by an approaching screeching/grinding noise that sounded very much like a car running on a rim, and as I got to the window to satisfy my curiosity, it had stopped just out of view, but I could see the light from the headlights on the road. After a few moments the car moved off again and into view, and yes, it was a car on its rim making its way into the local estate.
I figured that the owner was probably almost home and rather than change the wheel there and then would nurse it home and deal with it later. The next day in the morning as I was heading to work, I heard that noise again as the car was leaving the estate. Crazy I thought, but perhaps they are going to a garage to get it sorted.
Nope, I heard it again later that evening as the damned thing came home again. I've no idea how far the car had been driving but to have not changed the wheel at all was madness.
A few months ago I was woken in the early hours by an approaching screeching/grinding noise that sounded very much like a car running on a rim, and as I got to the window to satisfy my curiosity, it had stopped just out of view, but I could see the light from the headlights on the road. After a few moments the car moved off again and into view, and yes, it was a car on its rim making its way into the local estate.
I figured that the owner was probably almost home and rather than change the wheel there and then would nurse it home and deal with it later. The next day in the morning as I was heading to work, I heard that noise again as the car was leaving the estate. Crazy I thought, but perhaps they are going to a garage to get it sorted.
Nope, I heard it again later that evening as the damned thing came home again. I've no idea how far the car had been driving but to have not changed the wheel at all was madness.
Brigand said:
These things do make you wonder.
A few months ago I was woken in the early hours by an approaching screeching/grinding noise that sounded very much like a car running on a rim, and as I got to the window to satisfy my curiosity, it had stopped just out of view, but I could see the light from the headlights on the road. After a few moments the car moved off again and into view, and yes, it was a car on its rim making its way into the local estate.
I figured that the owner was probably almost home and rather than change the wheel there and then would nurse it home and deal with it later. The next day in the morning as I was heading to work, I heard that noise again as the car was leaving the estate. Crazy I thought, but perhaps they are going to a garage to get it sorted.
Nope, I heard it again later that evening as the damned thing came home again. I've no idea how far the car had been driving but to have not changed the wheel at all was madness.
I'd like to bet they were on their phone telling their mate not to buy cans of tyre fixing stuff.A few months ago I was woken in the early hours by an approaching screeching/grinding noise that sounded very much like a car running on a rim, and as I got to the window to satisfy my curiosity, it had stopped just out of view, but I could see the light from the headlights on the road. After a few moments the car moved off again and into view, and yes, it was a car on its rim making its way into the local estate.
I figured that the owner was probably almost home and rather than change the wheel there and then would nurse it home and deal with it later. The next day in the morning as I was heading to work, I heard that noise again as the car was leaving the estate. Crazy I thought, but perhaps they are going to a garage to get it sorted.
Nope, I heard it again later that evening as the damned thing came home again. I've no idea how far the car had been driving but to have not changed the wheel at all was madness.
"I've sprayed the wheel with three cans of the stuff, but it isn't doing anything!"
It shocks me seeing all these dappy mums getting their kids out of the car on the road side when parked up parrallel to the road. Especially on a main road.
Why not lean in from the kerb? Or park the other way round so little Rupert is the side of the kerb.
Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed. We need some social cleansing.....
Why not lean in from the kerb? Or park the other way round so little Rupert is the side of the kerb.
Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed. We need some social cleansing.....
spitsfire said:
Klippie said:
There are plenty fkwits in the world who live in dreamland...best to let them get on with it after all people like this are put on earth to entertain the rest of us.
Yeah, I'd go with that if it was only likely to end in an entertaining fkwits in the world who live in dreamland...best to let them get on with it after all people like this are put on earth to entertain the rest of us.k-up, but if somebody else got injured/killed as a result, I'd feel incredibly guilty and wish I'd been more forceful.The game isn't straight...
I get caught and given 3 points for failing to observe a no entry sign into bus lane that wasn't a bus lane the previous week - fking Edinburgh Tram works.
I could wander around the car park at the Gyle shopping centre and see a myriad of Renault Scenics (and similar), all with 'Little Princess on board' signs, with 4 odd tyres, with the pressures somewhere between 0.5 and 8 psi, one headlight broken, the other on full beam, dents on every corner and the driver on her phone... they never seem to get a tweak from Plod.
And the one time I happen to mention to one of these 'yummy' mummies that she's got a flat on her Range Rover I get told to fk off.
I get caught and given 3 points for failing to observe a no entry sign into bus lane that wasn't a bus lane the previous week - f
king Edinburgh Tram works.I could wander around the car park at the Gyle shopping centre and see a myriad of Renault Scenics (and similar), all with 'Little Princess on board' signs, with 4 odd tyres, with the pressures somewhere between 0.5 and 8 psi, one headlight broken, the other on full beam, dents on every corner and the driver on her phone... they never seem to get a tweak from Plod.
And the one time I happen to mention to one of these 'yummy' mummies that she's got a flat on her Range Rover I get told to f
k off.Lady I know (had to accompany her to court) has just (two weeks ago) been given 120 hours community service for dangerous driving. Think the service was given as a matter of leniency as she needs the car to get to work (lives in a remote location) otherwise she was looking at a fine and a 12 month ban. Only reported when someone noticed the car in the car park and rang the police. When they turned up she told them where she had the blowout and how far she had driven
She had a blow out on the Autobahn and continued to drive her car a further 6 miles with no tyre on the rim. When I asked her what happened, she explained she was unaware of the blow out as she had her cruise control on (front left tyre). I asked her how come she didnt realise when she had to go over the concrete speed bumps to get to her place of work, her only answer was the radio must have been too loud 
She had a blow out on the Autobahn and continued to drive her car a further 6 miles with no tyre on the rim. When I asked her what happened, she explained she was unaware of the blow out as she had her cruise control on (front left tyre)
. I asked her how come she didnt realise when she had to go over the concrete speed bumps to get to her place of work, her only answer was the radio must have been too loud The problem is one of general risk, or rather, a lack of it.
In this modern world we have no genuine predators, we exist at the top of the food chain, and have learnt to manage our whole world. So, for the average person, they simply have no "feeling" of danger. Hence they can walk around oblivious on their mobile, feel happy driving on flat tyres and many, many other stupid things. Occasionally, it does all go wrong, and then we have to spend millions of tax payers ££ having a "inquest" into why it went wrong etc........... (when generally the answer is that someone was stupid)
In this modern world we have no genuine predators, we exist at the top of the food chain, and have learnt to manage our whole world. So, for the average person, they simply have no "feeling" of danger. Hence they can walk around oblivious on their mobile, feel happy driving on flat tyres and many, many other stupid things. Occasionally, it does all go wrong, and then we have to spend millions of tax payers ££ having a "inquest" into why it went wrong etc........... (when generally the answer is that someone was stupid)
As a bus driver I see these people ALL the time. I could go on for days but I'll just mention the latest:-
Driving an eighteen ton bendy bus down the road, notice a load (about 60-70) foreign kids standing on the pavement next to a stadium.
The lane next to me is empty so I give them a wide berth just incase. Doing about 20 this girl walks BACKWARDS into the outer lane without looking to take a photo of her mates. I stamp on the brakes, tyres smoking and the girl screaming from the horn. It really was very close.
Passengers start cursing ME for braking so hard, threatening to complain and their teacher comes over to start shouting at me in broken germanglish. Presumably for not running over the brat or for not blocking two lanes of traffic to allow her photo.
Utterly lost for words I ignored them all and just drove on...
Driving an eighteen ton bendy bus down the road, notice a load (about 60-70) foreign kids standing on the pavement next to a stadium.
The lane next to me is empty so I give them a wide berth just incase. Doing about 20 this girl walks BACKWARDS into the outer lane without looking to take a photo of her mates. I stamp on the brakes, tyres smoking and the girl screaming from the horn. It really was very close.
Passengers start cursing ME for braking so hard, threatening to complain and their teacher comes over to start shouting at me in broken germanglish. Presumably for not running over the brat or for not blocking two lanes of traffic to allow her photo.
Utterly lost for words I ignored them all and just drove on...
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