Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Looks like that driver also has quite a record with reckless driving according to his court records.

Yes, not sure why posts referring to the other driver, Ogulkan Atakoglu, have been taken down from this thread. He posts on instagram all the time about drag racing cars. These are pix from his account:

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xta1/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e35/11258330_111401499222982_1536262681_n.jpg
https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xta1/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e35/11258330_111401499222982_1536262681_n.jpg

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Looks like that driver also has quite a record with reckless driving according to his court records.

I'll say. Including a few reckless driving for exceeding 85 in a 55. Marijuana possession. Negligent driving.

Jail time in Virginia. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea, despite the outcry it often causes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Looks like that driver also has quite a record with reckless driving according to his court records.

Just awful. Thanks for looking that up.

Time to reengineer that road.

Also of all the roads to need patrols and multiple speed cameras this would be it.
Lots of self absorbed people driving pricey fast cars is not a good mix.

So sorry for the family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Looks like that driver also has quite a record with reckless driving according to his court records.

I'll say. Including a few reckless driving for exceeding 85 in a 55. Marijuana possession. Negligent driving.

It also sounds possible that the car turning could have been making the turn slowly, and the other car might have sped up seemingly out of nowhere.

Very very sad.

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Looks like that driver also has quite a record with reckless driving according to his court records.

Anonymous wrote:You Americans choose this level of car deaths, just as you chose your level of gun deaths.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/02/economist-explains-16

Where the hell are you posting from? And seriously? Shut up, asshole. Three kids are dead.

Anonymous wrote:If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Interesting. I just searched and his social media now seems to be locked or taken down. Whatever the case, the accident will be considered the fault of the driver who pulled into oncoming traffic - that's just the law. Doesn't matter if the other driver was speeding, texting or standing on their head. The onus is on the driver pulling into an existing lane to ensure that s/he can do so safely. I'm the PP who was in a similar accident after trying to turn across a busy street and I'm sure the driver who hit us was distracted. But it didn't matter in terms of the law, and it really wouldn't have mattered if anyone had gotten hurt. We all can only control our own vehicles. We all need to drive defensively. I know how easy it is when you're in the car to be focused on where you're going, what you have to do. But nothing is more important than getting there safely. Think about your safety and those around you every time you need to pull across traffic.

This is heartbreaking.

Yes, this road -- and more importantly the extremely aggressive drivers who populate it!! -- is dangerous.

I'm an experienced driver who has been on that turn or also sometimes a true turning lane off River with a light -- like at Burdette or the entrance to Holton) and even when the light is red an aggressive driver behind will honk and gesticulate. It amps up the pressure and creates an unsafe situation even when line of sight is good.

But, back to what matters -- prayers for the daughter fighting for her life and condolences to this family. Maybe our tribute can be to *slow down* and drive respectfully on that road so no other family suffers like this.

If you search the name of the driver who hit the car carrying 4 passengers he comes up with a Facebook group for a Potomac area car club and their Facebook page is all about meeting to "race" down area roads--with jokes about riding at top speeds and evading police.

So who knows what happened. Sounds like the one car made an error and the other car was owned by a member of a group of people who hold speeding events on public roads.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make that left turn five days a week and if a car is in front of you turning left on to Braeburn Parkway as was the case in this accident, YOU CANNOT SEE oncoming traffic. It is so dangerous for both experienced and inexperienced drivers. It unfortunately was a tragic you waiting to happen.

If you can't see, you don't go. Period. You don't guess, or hope, or make a run for it. You sit there until you can see. I make a daily left turn off Route 28 that is similarly hopeless in terms of line of sight if a car is waiting to turn left from the other side, and I have sat there for upwards of 5 minutes before, waiting to be able to see a gap. It's annoying as all get-out, but when traffic is coming toward you at 50+ mph (speed limit is 40 but is routinely ignored), you can't afford to guess.

Yup. Same here. And I have sat there even when some asshole behind me has crawled up my bumper and laid on the horn. I will put the car in park and put on my flashers before I'll let someone bully me into making a turn.

If you don't drive this road regularly you don't realize how aggressive some of the driving is on it. It's much worse on Friday and Saturday nights too.

And if mcpd is reading this, there is drag racing some nights, usually around 12-1am, on the section from 7 locks to congressional.