Dash cam captures Volvo truck avoiding collision with kids

[Perknose]

After seeing a bus stopped, no car should be speeding down beside it, let alone a truck with a longer braking distance. This is why it always baffles me how cars zoom by stopped right-lane traffic. You never know when someone will decide to jump out and make you have a very bad day. The only people who shouldn't be expecting anything while going gung-ho down their clear lane are inexperienced teenage drivers. There's no excuse for anyone else.

Yup. Whenever I'm coming up on a vehicle stopped half by the side of the road, I'm edging left as much as possible and keeping an eagle eye out for suddenly appearing foot traffic. So many people around me drive so semi-consciously, I always think it's a miracle there are more accidents.

 

[destrekor]

Good brakes.



After seeing a bus stopped, no car should be speeding down beside it, let alone a truck with a longer braking distance. This is why it always baffles me how cars zoom by stopped right-lane traffic. You never know when someone will decide to jump out and make you have a very bad day. The only people who shouldn't be expecting anything while going gung-ho down their clear lane are inexperienced teenage drivers. There's no excuse for anyone else.

Part of that though will also be dependent upon the current conditions and situation. If there is slow/stopped traffic in one lane on a highway but traffic can flow in the other lane(s), traffic shouldn't come to a crawl. Slower from the speed limit, that may be called for, but sometimes it's just ridiculous what I see. (note, I'm talking divided or multi-lane highway, especially interstates and limited-access freeways) In the kind of situation I'm describing, sudden evasive maneuvers should only ever be expected for vehicles. Bodies running out into traffic in such a scenario is literally one of the last things you should ever be concerned about, and while utterly unfortunate it would never be a driver's fault (I'm talking "la di da cruising past some cars in the right lane on the highway OMG bodies on my windshield!" - obviously if there is time to effectively maneuver to evade, take it, and this doesn't cover distracted driving obviously).

Now, on a straight country two-lane road (one lane per direction), oncoming traffic absolutely should slow while coming upon a stopped school bus. Honestly it should stop in my book, that's the rules in this here country and rightly so, but if the codified rules in another country don't tell you to stop then stopping would be the last thing you ought to do (drivers will not expect someone stopping for no reason). I'd still say slow with caution would be most appropriate.

In this specific scenario though, it looks like the truck wasn't going all the fast at all. It looked like the car that immediately preceded it was perhaps slowing while giving extra room. It doesn't look like a great distance covered during stopping, and no tire marks. It must have had a light or no load, and it couldn't have been traveling all that fast, not to stop in the distance it did.

 

[Exterous]

I would have never thought that we Americans, of all people, may just be more courteous on the road than Europeans.

We're not - not by a long shot. Its infuriating coming back here after a driving stint in Germany, Ireland, Austria etc. Eventually it gets suppressed back to merely a simmering hatred but our drivers are about 300% more retarded and 400% less courteous. (YMMV by country)

 

[rh71]

Bodies running out into traffic in such a scenario is literally one of the last things you should ever be concerned about, and while utterly unfortunate it would never be a driver's fault (I'm talking "la di da cruising past some cars in the right lane on the highway OMG bodies on my windshield!" - obviously if there is time to effectively maneuver to evade, take it, and this doesn't cover distracted driving obviously).

I'm talking about cars here, not people.

In this specific scenario though, it looks like the truck wasn't going all the fast at all. It looked like the car that immediately preceded it was perhaps slowing while giving extra room. It doesn't look like a great distance covered during stopping, and no tire marks. It must have had a light or no load, and it couldn't have been traveling all that fast, not to stop in the distance it did.

Someone mentioned that regular commuter buses are used by school kids there so drivers need to be cautious regardless of the rules (we thankfully have school buses with stop signs and flashing reds). Now they in these other countries don't have to stop completely, but going at a crawl past a stopped bus would be a good idea.

We're not - not by a long shot. Its infuriating coming back here after a driving stint in Germany, Ireland, Austria etc. Eventually it gets suppressed back to merely a simmering hatred but our drivers are about 300% more retarded and 400% less courteous. (YMMV by country)

Whenever we drive out of the metro NY area, it's quite evident how much more courteous drivers are to each other. Come back here and we're battling for lane changes and people speeding up because you flipped your turn signal on. So even in the US you'll see better/worse depending on areas.

 

[Exterous]

Whenever we drive out of the metro NY area, it's quite evident how much more courteous drivers are to each other. Come back here and we're battling for lane changes and people speeding up because you flipped your turn signal on. So even in the US you'll see better/worse depending on areas.

For sure - but my experience in rural areas in Europe >>> rural areas in the areas in the US

 

[destrekor]

We're not - not by a long shot. Its infuriating coming back here after a driving stint in Germany, Ireland, Austria etc. Eventually it gets suppressed back to merely a simmering hatred but our drivers are about 300% more retarded and 400% less courteous. (YMMV by country)

LOL yeah I don't mean to say we're angels by any means. Every single time I get behind the wheel I know I'm going to be frustrated in short order. And I love driving, but the frustration gets exhausting at times. My biggest gripe here in Ohio tends to be people who have no idea how to use the left lane. I'm okay with them going slow and being exceedingly cautious, but there comes a time you have to get the hell out of the left lane. But it seems more than anything everyone around here is just terrified behind the wheel. That scares me, because when your terrified you're probably going to lose control the moment you have to perform evasive maneuvers.

 

[Darwin333]

I know kids are kids when around each other, but the parents should really hammer it in that the policy is to first look and then crossover.
Especially on such a dangerous road.

They couldn't look in that situation because the bus was in the way. That's why you are supposed to cross the street in front of school buses not behind them, kids are impatient as you can see from the video.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I remember as a kid they pretty much drilled road safety into us from a young age. Always look both ways, don't run, don't make sudden moves, cross in front of the bus, or wait for the bus to leave, use the crosswalks when available etc.

 

[William Gaatjes]

They couldn't look in that situation because the bus was in the way. That's why you are supposed to cross the street in front of school buses not behind them, kids are impatient as you can see from the video.

Then the parents should hammer it in that the kids must wait until a clear view.
I can understand that one of them may have had an emergency like needing to go to the loo. But even then : Clear view, then cross when save.
No exceptions.

 

[rh71]

They couldn't look in that situation because the bus was in the way. That's why you are supposed to cross the street in front of school buses not behind them, kids are impatient as you can see from the video.

I'd totally helicopter parent a child as young as that if they were crossing that kind of road everyday.

I'd rather be that parent than lose a kid to their questionable decision-making around 2 ton+ pieces of moving machinery going 40mph+. There are no take-backs.

My boys are 9 and my parents live on a double yellow line road. The moment they step out of that house, I get nervous. Only made worse these days because of all the distractions especially cellphones. Cars have sideswiped our parked car and another somehow swerved completely into the backyard after tapping a tree in the snow.

 

[KIAman]

My boys are 11 and 8 and I've very strictly ingrained the danger of roads and parking lots, especially parking lots where tall cars that don't have backup cameras are death machines waiting to kill children.

I know kids will be kids but there are very few things in life that I'll harshly punish my kids but breaking the road and parking lot rules elicit my toughest punishments.

With that said and the trust they've built with me, it still scares me when they are not in the house. Watching that video gave me a heart attack thinking about my own kids.

 

[midnight growler]

Watching that video gave me a heart attack

You're not the only one (to admit it anyway)

 

[JTsyo]

Then it must not be necessary to stop traffic in the opposite lane to achieve a high safety record.

Well pedestrians are a little more careful when they realize their safety is in their hands.

 

[Alpha One Seven]

Well pedestrians are a little more careful when they realize their safety is in their hands.

Sounds like a winning strategy then, it even helps kids to learn to be more observant.