Scruit

A lot of people here assuming that I saw her signal. I didn't see if before changing lanes - I was splitting my attention between checking to make sure nobody was coming up behind me in the lane i wanted, and directly ahead to make sure I wasn't going to rear-end anyone. It's easy to see all the extra detail when looking at a 1080p video over and over - bear in mind I only had a second to see her signal. I don't think there is a "good" way to make this lane change. You either switch quickly between cars and establish yourself in the lane like I did... Or you switch slowly and find yourself changing lane *next to* multiple cars which is a disaster waiting to happen. Or you slow down your entire lane of traffic to match pace with the people who are two lanes over than you so you can merge into the lane in a "space" (ie not next to someone in the next lane over) The answer is for everyone to stay in their lane until it's safe to move - and to keep looking once you begin changing lanes. From a "biker always loses" perspective - and remembering that i didn't see her signal as my sightline to her turn signal was blocked by the white SUV until after I started my lane change - what is the safest way to make this lane change?

I leave my helmet in the top case.

Yup - Odeon claims the helmets are a tripping hazard in unlighted aisles and walkways - especially during an evacuation. So I can only assume they will be banning bags and coats too?

Huh. Wierd. I used to visit Odeon cinemas many moons ago. .Can't imagine there being a health and safety issue with helmets unless the riders are leaving them on the floors ans risking slowing down an emergency escape.

I'm sure they mean you can't walk in there wearing the helmet. No businesses like seeing someone walk in with a helmet still on due to robbery concerns.

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2013/09/12/dublin-i270-crash-near-sawmill-road-dumptruck-car.html I came across this accident scene during my morning commute, arriving before the emergency services. I have a pretty beefy medical kit and fire extinguisher in my trunk, so I made my way up to the front and started checking on people. There were about 5 witnesses/stranded drivers milling about and they pointed me at the driver of a massive dump truck who was lying on the floor behind his truck. I rushed over to check on him and found him to be confused. He was complaining of being light-headed but checked out to have no injuries except for an apparently broken finger. I gave a passerby my golf umbrella to keep the driver dry and told him I'd back back for his finger after checking on everyone else. I asked the people milling around if anyone else needed any medical assistance and they pointed me to the front of a truck. One woman complained of a sore neck, but she was walking around chatting with people so I knew she could wait for EMS. I asked again, anyone else need medical help? Someone told me to go to the space between the truck and the wall. As I walked around the corner I found an unrecognizably crushed car. The rear seats were pressed up into the front seat. Any rear-seat passenger would have been killed without a doubt. The floor of the trunk & spare wheel well were crushed upwards and now stood vertically, less than a foot from the driver's head. The driver's door was open and man was talking with the driver. I saw medical gloves on him and saw he was wearing an EMS t-shirt. He saw me and I told him, "she's all yours.." I asked him if he needed any medical supplies and he said she was ok, just trapped. The FD was en route with jaws of life. We divvied up the patients and I went back to the truck driver. The truck driver was standing and said he was feeling fine, just nervous (he just rear-ended a car hard enough to reduce it's length by 50% - he needs to be nervous) So I went back to help support the more injured driver. I stayed out of the EMS guy's way, but had to mention that the engine was still running and should be tuned off due to fire/fume hazard. The driver and EMS guy both said they hadn't noticed it was still on. Remembering a story my sister-in law (traffic cop) told me about a while back where an uninjured (but trapped) driver burned to death when the car caught fire before FD could get there, I grabbed the big fire extinguisher I keep in my trunk and set is within reach and just milled around checking for signs of smoke or fuel leaks. I heard the fire trucks arriving and realized they couldn't get through due to debris in the emergency lane, so I had to quickly move it - a bumper, fender/wing, headlights and other stuff. The fire truck got through, so I grabbed my medical kit and fire extinguisher and prepared to leave. I got my leave from an officer and headed out. The freeway was still blocked 30 minutes later, but is open again now. Took them an hour to open it again. Have to say when I walked around the corner of the truck and saw the car smashed down to the size of a Smart Car I was prepared to see a body. The only thing better than seeing the off-duty EMS guy already there was seeing that the lady had no major injuries - just cuts on her hands (her steering wheel was touching the windshield) and freaked out by the fact she was trapped - but the EMS guy calmed her down and I made sure I was ready to try to deal with any fire that might have started.

I had been signalling for a few seconds before then - I always do two shoulder checks. My lane change took one second? How long should it take? I am fully in the lane before she starts her lane change. Is there a time period that I must be in the lane before she can no longer run me out of it with impunity? In dense traffic like that (where there is a row of slower cars adjacent to the lane that you want to switch into) what would your approach be?

Look at my speed compared to the vehicles in my lane. I was going with the flow, not tailgating or passing on the right. Her lane was slower than the speed limit due to the semi in front of her. We had just passed a double-lane on ramp where a large number of vehicles are signalling left to get into the lane she is leaving, so until the move happens you can't tell if you've caught them at the beginning of the lane change or at the end.

If he was texting then charge him like a civilian. That would likely end his career, but that's on his shoulders IF HE WAS TEXTING. If he fell asleep then I agree hsi actions were not in bad faith. He should still be charged with the offenses he committed, but they are not career-ending.

The only guy I knew who got fired for blowing a sales meeting was because he was playing with a small toy car, driving it up his arm and giggling to himself. Turns out he was on something. Boom, gone. The rest of us seem to have more understanding bosses. Unless they show he was acting in bad faith I say he gets some disciplinary action but not fired. If you really need to have him off the road then put him on walking the beat / bicycle cop or put him in corrections or other non-driving role. There's always options. You don't throw people away for a mistake.

I fall asleep at my desk every once in a while - usually due to a recent all-nighter at work. Boss has caught me a time or two. It happens. I figure out how much time I lost and add that to the end of my work day. When it's the boss who caught me he always remind me there is a "nap room" in the building and tell me to take a 30 minute nap.

When will the law change to let us shoot bad drivers' cars with paintballs full of paintstripper?

There is a video, however I am seeking legal advice before releasing it. In some states you are required to stop and share info whenever there is an accident - damage/injury or not. My understanding of Ohio law is that if there is no damage or injury then there is no requirement to stop and share info. As my motorbike made no contact with her car, and the only contact was me slapping her vehicle to get her attention (which caused no damage) I just continued riding (didn't book it, she was behind me for another 5 or 6 miles and could read my plate the whole way).

Why did he get smacked in the helmet at the end? An NFL-style attaboy?

Different news outlets are reporting different things on this. I wouldn't be so quick to make set-in-stone statements about what went on. Some places are saying there was a gun involved, some say he had his hand on his gun in it's holster - some say there was no gun, some say a gun was recovered but not used, some say no gun recovered. Details are still sketchy.

For the record I always through Z should have been acquitted, and TBH, should never have been charged in the first place. That trial wasn't even close. However... I said the law in Florida required the suspension until the situation was sorted out. As it happens it was sorted out quickly so any suspension should be lifted immediately. If you have two people saying they were threatened with a gun then some investigation has to take place. If they can arrest him temporarily then they can take his permit away temporarily - both would otherwise be an infringement on his rights. Are you saying it's OK to jail someone for 24h, just not take their permit away for 24h?

Fair enough. Never had an OVI so I don't know the process (not accusing you of having one). What about people who beat the charges? They've already been punished to a certain extent...? Flip side - what if they didn't suspend immediately and that same person OVI'd the next day...?

Better call Saul. Or, people are arrested pending an investigation and the lawyer can't do dick about it until their detention limit rolls around. Or the person can be held on a bail amount that the lawyers can't do dick about. Lots of scenarios.

The law is ALSO clear that an ARREST for a disqualifying offense OR a restraining order are both grounds for a temporary suspension of the CHL/CCW in Florida and Ohio - I didn't write that law. People can be arrested prior to being charged and nobody has a beef with that concept. Same with the temporary CHL/CCW suspension. If a person is accused of assault and there is evidence to support that they can be arrested. That would otherwise be a violation of their rights, but is allowed by due process. If we are ok with them being arrested pending investigation then why not having their permit suspended pending investigation? I accept that there are often political motivations behind the issuance of a suspension (James Yeager). I also accept that people can lie to the police and get someone's permit suspended. You can also lie to get a restraining order for the same effect. You can lie to children's services and get your neighbor investigated. You can bash your head against a wall and get your brother investigated for assault. You can let someone who rear-ended you with no visible damage go, then smash up your own bumper to claim more compensation. There's ways to play any system.

Suspension is not a punishment. Arrest is not a punishment, it's a means of gaining control of a situation until you can figure out what is going on. I guess it doesn't make sense when compared to a DUI suspect who doesn't lose his license until convicted. Definitely a double standard.

It's a double-edged sword, for sure. You have to weigh the chances of the accused person subsequently committing an offense with that gun versus the chances that the reporting person is lying. There is no right answer here.

Florida law requires the suspension of a CCW for a DV *arrest*. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm by anyone with a DV *conviction*. Ohio law requires the suspension of a CHL upon arrest for an offense that could disqualify you if convicted. Do you not think it's prudent to suspend a CCW after a person is accused of a gun crime - at least until it is determined that no charges will be filed? TBH, he's likely to lose the permit anyway as anyone who is subject to "restraining order" is required to have their CCW/CHL suspended until the order is lifted. During a divorce it's standard for both parties to have restraining orders issued against each other. Ergo once the divorce filing is accepted and the TPOs are filed his CCW/CHL goes bye-bye until he's done.

It's the piece of paper the government gives you so you can prove you were lied to.

It's frightening to think that despite voting for Obama, I have more respect for Putin than Obama right now...