Why public roads are not your private race track

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:17 am

I tend to not post these types of things, but this video illustrates why you should not treat public roads as a private race track.

Accident was in yesterday in Ohio. 19 year old driver in a 1985 Firebird passes a police officer on the berm at over 100 MPH, looses control, launches into air and hits bridge. Driver is in critical condition. It sounds like it wasn't a car chase, but rather someone weaving through interstate traffic at high speed and the police car just happened to witness the accident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOyAUpLcblo

Kevin Harvey · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:33 am

Holy crap!

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:33 am

I know this isn't going to go over well, but that video also illlustrates why you shouldn't be "cruising" in the passing lane. If that cop was using the roads properly, that kid would've walked away with a loss of license, instead of being put in the hospital.

Stephen Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:35 am

Jason Mauldin wrote:

I know this isn't going to go over well, but that video also illlustrates why you shouldn't be "cruising" in the passing lane. If that cop was using the roads properly, that kid would've walked away with a loss of license, instead of being put in the hospital.

Brass pass gets to ride in any lane they want. They are immune to traffic laws.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:43 am

Jason Mauldin wrote:

I know this isn't going to go over well, but that video also illlustrates why you shouldn't be "cruising" in the passing lane. If that cop was using the roads properly, that kid would've walked away with a loss of license, instead of being put in the hospital.

I normally commute 40 West between Wade and 540 around 4 PM.

It is common to see a State Trooper keeping up with traffic at 75 plus in the fast lane.

One day an older civilian car came screaming up behind me in the slow lane near the end of the on ramp from Airport Blvd (he wasn't coming down the ramp). The driver pulled into the ramp, passed me and the car in front of me ON the shoulder for most of the pass. Good thing that he made the pass before the shoulder got too narrow. FYI the car in front of me was going about 65. This kind of stupidity is common and usually the "slow traffic" in the fast lanes that these guys decide is too slow is going at least 75.

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:53 am

Jason Mauldin wrote:

I know this isn't going to go over well, but that video also illlustrates why you shouldn't be "cruising" in the passing lane. If that cop was using the roads properly, that kid would've walked away with a loss of license, instead of being put in the hospital.

WHAT!!!! are seriously going to attribute any amount of blame for that accident on any driver other than the kid...seriously?!?!?!?

that didn't even look like a pass attempt to me...seems to be more suicide than anything...no braking, didn't even look like he lifted.

and what's the deal with all the cops running lights on the other side of the road. were they looking for this kid. if so, then jason, i certainly see why the cop should have moved into a slower lane for him. :roll:

i have no love for slow drivers in the fast lane. i'm the guy behind you flashing his lights so you'll stop talking on the phone and move over...but the cop being in that lane had ZERO to do with the kid hitting the turbo boost button.

Stephen Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:06 am

Chris Brown wrote:

and what's the deal with all the cops running lights on the other side of the road. were they looking for this kid. if so, then jason, i certainly see why the cop should have moved into a slower lane for him. :roll:

I actually just think that is bad video, I don't think there are any cops running lights on the other side of the road. They look like it in the distance, but once the cars get close, you can see they aren't cops. Regardless, I don't think we have any reason to believe the cop wasn't just cruising in the fast lane as Jason stated.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:07 am

At least (it appears) nobody else was injured.

Is there any backstory to this? This video only shows the end result, not how it all got started. I mean was the kid high, passed out, or what?

Stephen Westerfield · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:09 am

Vincent Keene wrote:

At least (it appears) nobody else was injured.

Is there any backstory to this? This video only shows the end result, not how it all got started. I mean was the kid high, passed out, or what?

http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/video:-...caught-on-tape

http://projects.daytondailynews.com/cac ... 2310crash/

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:10 am

Like I said, It wouldn't go over well... I'm not assigning blame to the cop. I'm simply saying that this is proof of why cruising in the passing lane is a bad idea. The kid could've easily crashed into the back of him instead, resulting in a much different outcome for the cop.

The news article claims it was NOT a chase, so the cop was just cruising in the passing lane for whatever reason.

I'm absolutely not condoning the speeding, that is illegal for obvious reasons. But the kid is in the hospital, when he could've learned his lesson in a different manner, if people used the roads the way drivers used to be taught.

You can't control other people, but you can give them the room they need to kill themselves.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:12 am

Chris Brown wrote:

that didn't even look like a pass attempt to me...seems to be more suicide than anything...no braking, didn't even look like he lifted.

Actually you see the brake lights just before he hits the bridge. I guess his air brakes weren't working?

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:17 am

Stephen Westerfield wrote:

Chris Brown wrote:

and what's the deal with all the cops running lights on the other side of the road. were they looking for this kid. if so, then jason, i certainly see why the cop should have moved into a slower lane for him. :roll:

I actually just think that is bad video, I don't think there are any cops running lights on the other side of the road. They look like it in the distance, but once the cars get close, you can see they aren't cops. Regardless, I don't think we have any reason to believe the cop wasn't just cruising in the fast lane as Jason stated.

yeah, ok...looks to be just the film

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:20 am

Quote:

The specific cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Marty Fellure said crash investigators are looking into whether speed played a factor.

Really? Speed could have been a factor? Sherlock Holmes is on the case!

Quote:

Investigators don’t know how fast Eden was driving but suspect he was traveling in excess of the 65 mph speed limit.

Wow, now that is a stretch of the facts for sure. :roll:

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:21 am

Jason Mauldin wrote:

Like I said, It wouldn't go over well... I'm not assigning blame to the cop. I'm simply saying that this is proof of why cruising in the passing lane is a bad idea. The kid could've easily crashed into the back of him instead, resulting in a much different outcome for the cop.

you aren't? it certainly seems like you are.

i really don't care if it was a cop or grandma driving the car. i'm coming at this from a personal responsibility standpoint. the kid is responsible for his driving, in total...IMO

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:26 am

From the Dayton Daily news link:

"Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Marty Fellure said crash investigators are looking into whether speed played a factor. ...

...Investigators don’t know how fast Eden was driving but suspect he was traveling in excess of the 65 mph speed limit."

That level of understatement is almost British in quality.

Definitely more to the story, especially with no brakes after hitting the median. Hope he makes a recovery and gets the help he needs

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