I’m coming down a hill in a C-class tram in a 60kph zone. It has just started drizzling, which makes the tram more prone to slipping and dramatically increases the distance needed to stop, so I’ve reduced my speed to 45kph. An expensive black sedan pulls an illegal U-turn with no warning and then stops across the tracks because there isn’t room to complete it without reversing. I slam on the emergency brakes, go into a skid because of the weather conditions, and end up a couple metres behind him before he actually reverses out of my path. I come to a rough stop beside the car. Because the gong is automatically activated during the braking, the driver of the car assumes that I’m after his attention and tries to communicate with me through two layers of glass. Since I’ve already stopped, I figure I may as well entertain this.
Car driver: “What’s the issue?”
Me: “I’m in a 28-ton vehicle coming down a hill, and you have performed an illegal turn in front of me and then stopped.”
Car driver: “But I got out of the way.”
Me: “You hadn’t before I had to apply the emergency brakes, and in any case I couldn’t assume that you would have.”
Car passenger: “You were going pretty fast down the hill though, weren’t you?”
Me: “I was doing 45. It’s a 60 zone.”
Car passenger: “Are you sure about that?”
Me: “Yes. Absolutely positive.”
Car passenger: “Okay then…”
Me: “…righto…”
Me: *returns to tram quite confident that they have no idea what almost just happened*
I don’t know how you can resist the temptation to just slam into people who do that.. just ever so slightly, enough to put a dent in their car and ruin their day.
Toby: When in my car, it’s the thought of bugging my insurance and the time it’ll take to get the car fixed (during which time I have no car).
For Alex, I suspect there’s a lot of paperwork involved, plus all the people who can no longer reach their destination for however long it takes to sort the whole thing out
Correct—the initial delay is minimal but there’s a lot of paperwork at the end of the shift, and involvement in accidents (even when not at fault by law) forms a permanent part of one’s tram driving record.
Not that this bothers every tram driver though.
I haven’t had an accident yet, and want to see how long I can go without having one. I’m told however (entirely unofficially, of course) that after the first accident finally comes and goes, a lot of tram drivers stop caring as much about saving an ignorant car driver’s side panels and let the tram stop without full emergency brakes—which is far less likely to cause harm (like sprains and even broken bones) to innocent people on board.
There is of course an “official” procedure to follow when an accident is imminent. I do apply emergency brakes if it will prevent a collision. But I always feel bad about what this does to the people inside my tram when I do it, even if they don’t require medical treatment as a result.
In other news, Toby: got my motorbike L’s today. Now I just need a bike. 😛
ooh, do you know what sort of bike you’re after?
You have to come on a ride once you’ve bought one though!
Sadly, no. I’m completely clueless at this stage. Much to learn!