3 killed in crash on River Road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people so concerned with what happened and how? What does assigning blame even do now -- 3 people paid with their life and this poor teen girl is now an orphan. If her dad misjudged -- well he and his family paid the ultimate price. If the BMW driver was at fault -- well that still doesn't bring this family back together again.

Because either way a lesson need to be learned and hopefully we can all don our best not to let this happen again.

The "best" (though nothing is guaranteed) way for it not to happen again is to not make left turns on open intersections like that -- drive to the next light w/ the left turn signal, wait for it to give you a green arrow, then make a u turn and come back to wherever you wanted to go. What are the chances this happens given peoples' obsession with -- OMG I'm SOOOO busy, you have NOOO idea how busy we are, we are already SOOO late -- attitude!?

I say just feel sad for this family bc this is the ultimate tragedy and move on w/o blaming either side.

I don't know anybody who does this. You might go 2-3 more intersections before you can turn again. Turning left across traffic isn't illegal, nor is it unsafe in normal conditions. IF your car experienced acceleration issues or IF you had an obstructed view or IF the oncoming car was speeding like mad, that would change things, but people perform this maneuver every single day with no incident. It's a bit much to suggest everyone go an extra few intersections each way to avoid making left on green every single time.

[Anonymous]

So, I know this road well - travel on it 2-3 times a day, at minimum. And this spot is very tricky - it's a gap in the road where multiple things are happening at once - either side can slow and try to U turn or go left and dash across oncoming traffic onto the small access roads, but also, people from the access roads are often trying to drive across the entire width to cross into the other access road - or to come into the main Rd- I've had situations where I am at that spot trying to u turn or go left and there will be a car directly in front of me trying to go straight or right or left, but it's not possible for either of us to really see the traffic we're going into. This is just to say this is an inherently dangerous spot, regardless of cars, speed, or time of day. I'm heartbroken for this awful tragedy and I hope there will be a push to install a traffic light.

[Anonymous]

Why not have a light there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I know this road well - travel on it 2-3 times a day, at minimum. And this spot is very tricky - it's a gap in the road where multiple things are happening at once - either side can slow and try to U turn or go left and dash across oncoming traffic onto the small access roads, but also, people from the access roads are often trying to drive across the entire width to cross into the other access road - or to come into the main Rd- I've had situations where I am at that spot trying to u turn or go left and there will be a car directly in front of me trying to go straight or right or left, but it's not possible for either of us to really see the traffic we're going into. This is just to say this is an inherently dangerous spot, regardless of cars, speed, or time of day. I'm heartbroken for this awful tragedy and I hope there will be a push to install a traffic light.

There is.
https://www.change.org/p/maryland-state-highway-administration-install-traffic-signal-at-intersection-of-river-rd-braeburn-pkwy-pyle-rd-near-whitman-hs

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link, PP. Signed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the link, PP. Signed.

Ditto. Thank you for posting. Signed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of posters here find the idea of a teenager making a mistake like this easier to deal with mentally than a parent making a mistake like this. But that urge shouldn't let us ruin someone's name before the facts are out.

It's a tragedy either way

It is. But given the 20 year old's driving record, which is exceptionally poor for four years of driving, along with what we know about how 20 year old men drive, and given that 50 year old fathers with their families in the car tend to be conservative and not risk taking, many people are getting upset that a family was destroyed likely due to the young boy's recklessness.

[Anonymous]

So the Volt driver's life was more valuable bc he's 50 and fathered children? People here sound like they'd be fine if it had gone the other way and the victim was a rich 20 yr old in a BMW.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of posters here find the idea of a teenager making a mistake like this easier to deal with mentally than a parent making a mistake like this. But that urge shouldn't let us ruin someone's name before the facts are out.

It's a tragedy either way

It is. But given the 20 year old's driving record, which is exceptionally poor for four years of driving, along with what we know about how 20 year old men drive, and given that 50 year old fathers with their families in the car tend to be conservative and not risk taking, many people are getting upset that a family was destroyed likely due to the young boy's recklessness.

I have twice asked that posters refrain from posts of this sort. If such posts continue, I will be forced to lock this thread and prohibit further discussion of the topic. Based on current information, it is simply impossible to say to what the crash was "likely due".

[Anonymous]

I drive a Hummer H3. A guy in a Corolla pulled out across two lanes of traffic right in from of me. I had a choice - swerve and hit the little boy on his bike on the sidewalk or simply hit his car. I chose the latter. I still suffer shoulder issues and he had a head injury that he (Thank God) recovered from. The Toyota driver was cited at the scene.

He stood no chance against my truck, just like this little Volt stood no chance against the more substantial BMW. I am loathe to incriminate either party. It's unfortunate that the guy in the BMW has a poor driving history. He will be raked over the coals even if he wasn't speeding.

This poor girl has lost her family and her life hangs in the balance. It's tragic all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there is a school in the neighborhood, there should be traffic light at every intersection, PERIOD! I've seen young people got involved in a accident before. We came back from around midnight, the road was still closed from Whittier. It's so tragic and painful.

I'm going to 100% agree with this post! That turn should have had a light. End of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Europe is mandating collision avoidance systems in the next 4 years. There are people in this country who say that they don't want the government telling them when to put their brakes on! I am all for madatory collision avoidance sysems in cars.

When they fail, they FAIL! Also keep in mind you are leaving open the possibility of hacking. Consider what's gone on with baby monitors, etc.

[Anonymous]

Possibility of hacking? Already happening. Just google car hacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Possibility of hacking? Already happening. Just google car hacking.

Not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I drive a Hummer H3. A guy in a Corolla pulled out across two lanes of traffic right in from of me. I had a choice - swerve and hit the little boy on his bike on the sidewalk or simply hit his car. I chose the latter. I still suffer shoulder issues and he had a head injury that he (Thank God) recovered from. The Toyota driver was cited at the scene.

He stood no chance against my truck, just like this little Volt stood no chance against the more substantial BMW. I am loathe to incriminate either party. It's unfortunate that the guy in the BMW has a poor driving history. He will be raked over the coals even if he wasn't speeding.

This poor girl has lost her family and her life hangs in the balance. It's tragic all around.

The curb weights of the Volt and the BMW M235 are nearly identical at around 3500 pounds.