Rubbernecking

[MetKiller Joe]

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mba/lowres/mban1428l.jpg

Today, I was commuting through the city (Boston) to get to school in the south. Why do I commute to school when there are others locally? That's a thread for another day. Point being, today it rained/sleeted/snowed, so I was expecting traffic. The traffic starts piling up, and not 15 minutes from my exit, there was an accident sufficient to bring out a tow truck (which I saw coming to the scene in the breakdown lane) and a cop car (I know this because there were flashing lights.

I put effort in trying not to look at the accident and the people in front of me, giving way to curiousity, look at the accident... causing 1 mile of backup.

My question is: Can I lay on the horn?

Rubbernecking is like staring at a cripple with horrible side effects (rear-ending and traffic). When you are already late, it is particularly painful to know that the idiot in front of you could give a damn about any body's time, let alone yours.

[n00b1n8R]

A 10 minute drive from my place to the main shopping centre in town turned into a 45 minute ordeal a few weeks back.
Shit was so not cash.

The trouble is that tooting your horn isn't going to make a difference to the inconsiderate wankers 2 k's up the road.

[Hotrod]

You could lay on the horn, but what difference would it make? People would just get angry at you for seeming impatient. I say you just wait it out.

[Mr Buckshot]

Heh, I use the bus and it always has the right of way so my bus trips are never interrupted like that :O

[OmegaDragon]

You should go to the northern area of Puerto Rico any part of Puerto Rico. Not even the ambulances can get through because of the people going 2 mph trying to get a glimpse of the accident. They can't even go through the emergency lance, or the grass since people start driving over it to see if they can get there faster when there is a huge traffic jam. Shit is fucked up :/

[Limited]

If they actually stopped their car to look, then hell yes.

However if they are crawling you just gotta suck it up and bear it sadly. Theres multiple reasons why the people could be going slow. Most of the time the person directly in front of you is not to blame, therefore honking your horn can do nothing at all to get them to speed up, as theres some slow idiot in front of them.

The other reason they could be going slow is to be cautious, you can be over cautious but you saying there was a 1 mile backup theres no need to be worried about getting hit in the back as you will see it in plently of time.

Also, looking at a crash is just human nature, we drove past one earlier while going shopping, a taxi smashed into the back of a car at a red light, they just put on hazards, exchanged insurance info and just drove off, but I had to look :P Car in front had their rear bumper completely smashed in, where as the back behind (taxi) was fine, bloody taxi drivers.

[Syuusuke]

Walk/biking ftw.

People always flip me off when I'm on my Suzuki (heheh). But never when I'm in a car...

[Heathen]

I keep projectiles in my car for that.

[MetKiller Joe]

If they actually stopped their car to look, then hell yes.

However if they are crawling you just gotta suck it up and bear it sadly. Theres multiple reasons why the people could be going slow. Most of the time the person directly in front of you is not to blame, therefore honking your horn can do nothing at all to get them to speed up, as theres some slow idiot in front of them.

The other reason they could be going slow is to be cautious, you can be over cautious but you saying there was a 1 mile backup theres no need to be worried about getting hit in the back as you will see it in plently of time.

Also, looking at a crash is just human nature, we drove past one earlier while going shopping, a taxi smashed into the back of a car at a red light, they just put on hazards, exchanged insurance info and just drove off, but I had to look :P Car in front had their rear bumper completely smashed in, where as the back behind (taxi) was fine, bloody taxi drivers.

The only time I would consider is when these people blatantly stop to see the accident.

One can do the natural thing and be curious; if you aren't in Boston, I don't care. However, if you are stopping in the road to gawk in Boston, and you are a driver, expect loud noises. Commuters have enough stress without the added tension rubbernecking.

[kenney001]

Lol I managed to shut down all southbound traffic on I-35 in Dallas at 7pm on a Friday Night....I can only imagine

[n00b1n8R]

Where the hell did the term rubbernecking come from.
I'd never heard of it before this thread.

PS. I have often considered (after i get my P's), getting me and a mate and driving down a two lane road (one in each lane) with huge amps in the back pointing behind the cars and then having a conversation over the amps while doing 50 km/h in a 100 zone.

[Bodzilla]

Where the hell did the term rubbernecking come from.
I'd never heard of it before this thread.

PS. I have often considered (after i get my P's), getting me and a mate and driving down a two lane road (one in each lane) with huge amps in the back pointing behind the cars and then having a conversation over the amps while doing 50 km/h in a 100 zone.
and there we have it.
The best argument for guns i've ever heard.