We just returned yesterday from what is called on this forum a 'shake-down' cruise in our new LL toy. About that later on another thread.
To our question prompted by a troubling occurrence during our return home yesterday, there was plenty of traffic upon our approach to Orlando's 'mousetrap' stretch of I-4, though it was nowhere close to 'bumper to bumper' conditions. We traveled a careful speed, probably in the 50's when suddenly a little red car passes us quickly on our driver's side, then suddenly darts right in front of us seemingly close enough to bump us, or so it appeared sitting higher up in the Ram's cab. Fully in front of us now, the red car suddenly slammed on its breaks though there was no vehicle in front of them! Hubby responded quickly, though I was sure crashing into them was inevitable. After braking for just a moment, the red car hit the accelerator and sped off. Only because they braked hard for just a moment, and not two moments, and then sped off did we avert a bad accident. I will also unashamedly give credit to our good Lord for His protection. And kudos to my Hubby and his alert response.
Anyway, we shared this with a family member who believes that this was an insurance scam underway, a growing problem in Florida, a 'no-fault' state. Miscreants target someone certain to have insurance, pull in front, slam on the brakes and if an accident follows, guess who's liable? Before now, we'd never heard of this. Have any of you? The prospect is troubling and if a valid concern, how can we protect ourselves? Front cameras? Capture license plate and report it? Truth is, it happened very fast and they sped off so fast. It was a very small car such that the license plate was out of sight throughout most of the event. The quick getaway and shock of it all prevented our ability to catch the license plate number. Beware fellow RVers...we could be sitting ducks for such criminals. Must look further into the facts regarding Florida's laws.
Sounds more like a brake check than a scam. If they wanted you to run into them I think they would have braked for more than "just a moment". They would have braked to a stop.
Maybe you unknowingly upset them and this was their way of getting back?
It is inexplicable, but a brake check on our front bumper? Wow...are people like that really out there? There must be more to it than what met the eye...very unnerving.
Just hope there are witnesses. Although this happened to a friend of mine who was just driving a car, and she did rear-end the car in front. He was acting like an idiot, telling her she was going to pay. She was the one who called the police. The other driver continued to act like an idiot in front of the police, so that they decided the accident was his fault.
Occam's Razor suggests this was just some jackhole that wanted to get a thrill out of freaking out the RV driver. Some dude in a red Miata who thinks he's badass and doesn't realize he's driving a chick car.
But...
Don't the latest cars have some sort of black box that tells what the car was doing for the last n minutes ? Pretty sure that's what things like that little plug some of the car insurance companies connect to to report home whether you are a good driver/speeder/etc. It will report jackrabbit starts, hard braking, speeding and such and you get DQ'd out of your cheaper rate.
If this works the way I think, you should be able to get the data off that to show what he did right before the crash.
Could have been someone just ticked off for some reason. However, in the Orlando area, this has been a problem in the past. A couple of years ago, one of the local news did a story on it. Haven't heard much lately, but it could still be an ongoing issue.
I live in the Disney area, but have to drive to east Orlando to get to work. As much as I hate to pay tolls, I use the toll roads (417 or 429 and 408). You are MUCH less likely to see this type of behavior on those roads than I-4. After getting hit by a semi and a pickup truck on I-4 (in one incident, not two), I avoid that road like the plague. It is even more important when towing a camper IMHO.
Not directly related, but yet another reason we're in the market for a dash cam!
[a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435"]https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435[/a]
[quote source="/post/6985/thread" timestamp="1424355535" author="@fasteddieb"]Not directly related, but yet another reason we're in the market for a dash cam!
[a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435"]https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435[/a][/quote][font size="3"]You can't cure stupid.[/font]
[quote source="/post/6986/thread" timestamp="1424355859" author="@charliem"][quote source="/post/6985/thread" timestamp="1424355535" author="@fasteddieb"]Not directly related, but yet another reason we're in the market for a dash cam!
[a href="https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435"]https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=837957919558435[/a][/quote][font size="3"]You can't cure stupid.[/font]
[/quote]Darwin just did.
Speaking of dash cams, any experiences or recommendations? After doing a little research I'm considering the Mini 0805, which gets good reviews for the money (around $115 on Amazon). Don't think I need the GPS feature, just good quality recordings day & night. The one down side I see is the lack of a suction cup mount, so as to use in multiple vehicles.
I am about to pull the trigger on a G1W:
http://www.amazon.com/Recorder-Dashboard-Dashcam-Authentic-NT96650/dp/B00KZ0J452/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424387663&sr=8-3&keywords=G1W+dash+cam
At around $60, I may pick up two, one for each of our main drivers.
Mixed reviews, but may be adequate as a basic unit to get started.
I agree with others that this seemed like some jerk that happened to act out. However I have seen the type of scam mentioned where the other car tries to get hit, or even worse the goal is to get you to avoid them and hit the car you didnt see sneak up next to you. Either way its a bad and possibly deadly situation.
I like the piece of mind from a dashcam but in all honesty I dont know how much good it will actually do. Every state has different laws and even if you can prove someone cut you off I think it would be hard to prove intent. I hate that our world is so litigious now, and in turn it makes it so difficult to simply do the right thing. In the end a dashcam may or may not help but at least its some piece of mind.
Just placed the order. Should be here in time to mount it in the Flex for an upcoming FL trip.
Will do a review once I have some time with it.
I see the cameras record to memory cards but can you connect to say a laptop and record? Ala DVR mode
We were on an interstate ramp accelerating to enter the flow of traffic, with the CampLite in tow, when the car in front of us almost stopped for no apparent reason, we almost had to stop to avoid hitting them, when they took off again. Looked suspicious.
[quote source="/post/7033/thread" timestamp="1424451802" author="@shovelhead"]I see the cameras record to memory cards but can you connect to say a laptop and record? Ala DVR mode
[/quote]Maybe - since most have A/V and/or HDMI out.
But the main attraction is their transparency - they just come on with the ignition and turn off when you turn off the car. And loop recordings so you should always capture the important stuff.
Can do a lot of this with an iPhone or GoPro, but not without some planning and effort, which means when you need it most you may or may not have it set up.
Welcome to Fla.! We used to have good drivers in this state but in the last few years it seems all the idiots have come out of the woodwork. It's really bad here in Tallahassee with the college students driving like they are the only ones on the road. It seems that the DMV gives out D/L's at K-Mart on a Blue Light Special to anyone. Texting is against the law here but can not be enforced unless the driver is stopped for something else,therefore you get people driving and texting and doing stupid things like you described. I've seen people texting that will stop in the middle of the street trying to work the buttons on their phones,we even have had college students here that have been hit and killed walking into traffic because they couldn't take their eyes of their phones. Like I said this State has gone crazy!
Quote from: @admin" timestamp="1424443695" source="/post/7022/threadI agree with others that this seemed like some jerk that happened to act out. However I have seen the type of scam mentioned where the other car tries to get hit, or even worse the goal is to get you to avoid them and hit the car you didnt see sneak up next to you. Either way its a bad and possibly deadly situation.
I like the piece of mind from a dashcam but in all honesty I dont know how much good it will actually do. Every state has different laws and even if you can prove someone cut you off I think it would be hard to prove intent. I hate that our world is so litigious now, and in turn it makes it so difficult to simply do the right thing. In the end a dashcam may or may not help but at least its some piece of mind.
[video src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvsNsWAv-EY"][/video]
Quote from: @gwbushhog" source="/post/7070/thread" timestamp="1424546173[quote source="/post/7022/thread" timestamp="1424443695" author="@admin"]I agree with others that this seemed like some jerk that happened to act out. However I have seen the type of scam mentioned where the other car tries to get hit, or even worse the goal is to get you to avoid them and hit the car you didnt see sneak up next to you. Either way its a bad and possibly deadly situation.
I like the piece of mind from a dashcam but in all honesty I dont know how much good it will actually do. Every state has different laws and even if you can prove someone cut you off I think it would be hard to prove intent. I hate that our world is so litigious now, and in turn it makes it so difficult to simply do the right thing. In the end a dashcam may or may not help but at least its some piece of mind.
[video src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvsNsWAv-EY"][/video]
[/quote]
That video is a great case in point for what I was saying. Having a dashcam on your side is great, and it might help somewhat. However even with video its near impossible to show intent.
Quote from: @vmcmn" timestamp="1424475103" source="/post/7052/threadWelcome to Fla.! We used to have good drivers in this state but in the last few years it seems all the idiots have come out of the woodwork. It's really bad here in Tallahassee with the college students driving like they are the only ones on the road. It seems that the DMV gives out D/L's at K-Mart on a Blue Light Special to anyone. Texting is against the law here but can not be enforced unless the driver is stopped for something else,therefore you get people driving and texting and doing stupid things like you described. I've seen people texting that will stop in the middle of the street trying to work the buttons on their phones,we even have had college students here that have been hit and killed walking into traffic because they couldn't take their eyes of their phones. Like I said this State has gone crazy!
Scary, considering 'they' are the future and dare I say, 'they' will be choosing our nursing homes, (just joking...sort of).
[font color="#e64a19" face="times new roman"]
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEXTING_HIT_BY_TRAIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-10-11-07-57[/font]
A few weeks ago, someone was killed on I-4 when the driver in front of them quickly stopped for no reason. Neither driver was wearing a seat belt, and the one in the rear was killed. Drunk driving is suspected.
[a href="http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/28195801/fatal-crash-blocks-part-of-wb-i-4-in-lakeland"]NEWS STORY[/a]
Just got back from our first long (5k) trip - had this very experience that we captured on our dashcam - http://youtu.be/nZCDzy849d4 . I'd tell you I was in the right lane of a 3 lane highway and had been there all day - can not find any justification for this behavior short of intentional rudeness - but wouldn't go as far as to suggest they were trying for insurance - they didn't brake hard enough for that
That might just be ordinary garden variety incompetence right there. I have many times noticed drivers who are automatically on the brakes before, during, and after any lane change. For no reason.
This could even have been someone whose speed while passing exceeded the speed limit or their comfort zone. Which didn't stop them from passing (they probably didn't have good visibility from road spray and wanted to be in front), but did mean they felt compelled to hit the brakes as soon as they could. They think they're being safe. Those are some of the most dangerous ones out there.
Oregon is at that stage of growth where some of our traffic is too heavy for stop signs to be effective, but not heavy enough for a traffic light to be useful. So they are putting in circles, which nobody knows how to use unless they learned to drive in New Jersey before 1985.
So I had a little old lady this morning come to a complete stop in the circle as I approached. She's in the circle so she has the right of way, and I have a yield sign, but it's too new for her so she vapor locks and hits the brakes. I'm seeing traffic pile up behind her in the circle, so I point at her, then to the right in the direction of travel, directing her to go. She gives me the finger, then goes.
They don't make grandmas like they used to.
[quote source="/post/8966/thread" timestamp="1428383305" author="@pinstriper"]..... She gives me the finger, then goes.
They don't make grandmas like they used to.
[/quote]..... and to such a nice guy too! That there is funny.
[quote source="/post/8966/thread" timestamp="1428383305" author="@pinstriper"]
So I had a little old lady this morning come to a complete stop in the circle as I approached. She's in the circle so she has the right of way, and I have a yield sign, but it's too new for her so she vapor locks and hits the brakes. I'm seeing traffic pile up behind her in the circle, so I point at her, then to the right in the direction of travel, directing her to go. She gives me the finger, then goes.
They don't make grandmas like they used to.
[/quote]When in FL all I see are sun bonnets driving. With an occasional flip out the window.
Don't know what's worse,the college students or the grandmas. Both think they can give a turn signal when they are along side of you where you can't see it. But because they gave a turn signal or not,they think that you should not get upset because they almost sideswipe you cutting over. After all they are the only car on the road,right?
Oh BTW a good loud trucker's horn wakes 'em up. LOL
Quote from: @nmken" timestamp="1428369505" source="/post/8953/threadJust got back from our first long (5k) trip - had this very experience that we captured on our dashcam - http://youtu.be/nZCDzy849d4 . I'd tell you I was in the right lane of a 3 lane highway and had been there all day - can not find any justification for this behavior short of intentional rudeness - but wouldn't go as far as to suggest they were trying for insurance - they didn't brake hard enough for that
nmken - to me that just looks like the driver had sped up to pass and once past you used their brakes to slow down to a more comfortable speed. Even with the brake application they were going faster than you. I don't see anything rude in their driving.
This is what I bought a while ago
http://www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/best-selling-dashcams/products/blackvue-dr600gw-hd-wifi-16gb-32gb-english-version
I can view the recorded video right on my BlackBerry so can show it to the police on the site.
They also have a similar model that allows front and back window recording at the same time so you'd be able to see the driver come up then get in front of you. Can tell more of a story.
I haven't heard of the hard brake scam in Canada yet(in my area anyway) but that doesn't mean we don't have our share of bad drivers. Seems that drivers around here haven't been taught what the red hexagon sign means lol.
Posted using my powerful BlackBerry Z30
I now use a dash cam as well. Nothing fancy, mine is the Sceptre ccr200, I use a 32G SD Card, loop recording, audio off, 1080HD, works good too for night driving. It came with the suction cup mount but I didn't like it mounted on the windshield, so I made a different mount for it.
I use the dash cam as a backup to what I see on the road in front of my vehicle. I recorded some really stupid drivers on the way up to Duluth MN and back to Albuq, NM when I went out to pick up my '15 Bearcat 16FK last month. (3,000 mile round trip)
I had no close calls, no other vehicles cutting me off on the return trip with the Bearcat in tow, even driving through the massive Minneapolis Interchange everything went perfect.