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Truck driver refuses to back down in face of impending doom
By adamg on Thu, 05/30/2019 - 11:12am
Roving UHub reporter Katy B. watched the action this morning when a box-truck driver came face to face with a "CARS ONLY" sign on a ramp to Storrow Drive: He said screw this and hit the accelerator.
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Comments
great footage!
now put the phone down and face forward
True, true
Was it irresponsible to drive and film? Yeah. But it was also irresponsible to simply plow through that sign as the truck was captured doing, making this an actually news-worthy clip. How often do we get into spats over is there enough signing to prevent this sort of thing or not.
Looks like anything short of a brick wall was not stopping this guy. Have we heard if he actually Storrowed himself?
Unless you immediately sent that video to the State Police
it was not worth you risking a crash in order to film it.
Driving and cellphone use.
I’m underwhelmed by this video.
Roving reporter Katy might put her efforts into being a more responsible driver.
The law banning cellphone use while driving can’t come soon enough.
Hopefully the law will pass
Hopefully the law will pass soon. And hopefully cops will do their job for once and enforce it. Until then I will continue to yell "put your damn phone down" at drivers I see doing dangerous and dumb crap like recording videos while driving.
Katy B and this truck driver should both have their licenses suspended.
What's the hold-up on the cell phone ban?
It's crazy to me that people are "hoping" here and on Twitter that the state passes a handheld phone ban.
NY has had one since 2001. CT since 2010. MA is not very progressive on this issue. Hell, I remember when cell service in the Big Dig tunnels was triumphantly touted as a new amenity for suburbanites and all others passing through the city without stopping.
I agree. Going down the
I agree. Going down the eastern seaboard, NH, VT, CT, RI, NY, NJ, MD, DE prohibit all mobile phone use while driving. ME and MA are the only ones left in New England. You have to go west to PA and south to VA to find no bans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_cell_phone_use_while_drivi...
I think this is up-to-date for NorthEast (can't link the image correctly):
https://www.germanautolabs.com/blog/which-states-ban-cellphone-use-while...
How does that interact with using phones for navigation?
Phones are displacing dedicated GPS units, which in turn displaced the use of paper maps.
Voice commands or just pull over
Lets not forget the cliche of the car on the side of the road, driver with a puzzled looking surveying the map unfolded on the hood.
Current law
I believe the 2010 law outlawed texting and internet use while the phone is held in the hand, but not dialing phone numbers. Mounted devices are fine to look at. The general distracted driving law would still apply if someone is excessively focused on their map. Or reading a paper map in a dangerous manner while driving.
Good question. There have
Good question. There have been a number of state house meetings on this issue, with accident victims relating their stories. It would be fascinating to know the behind the scene workings behind the lack of progress on this bill.
Pigheadedness
No one tells Boston car drivers what they can and can't do.
Just like no one tells Boston bike riders what they can and can't do.
We already have this law
Don't we already have one banning handheld cellphone use for anything other than talking? Texting, videoing, etc. are already illegal.
the sound on the radio when
the sound on the radio when the truck decides to move forward is perfect
Please don't give these people a wider audience
Adam, I wonder if you might take a stance on what the other commenters are pointing out and refuse to post videos like this that are clearly filmed by someone who is operating a car. It's irresponsible and dangerous of them to do this and I think posting stuff like this only encourages the behavior.
virtical video is stupid.
virtical video is stupid.
So tired
Of this mantra.
Yep. It's a lot easier to
Yep. It's a lot easier to hold your phone, and even conceal it in a pocket, while filming occasionally tense situations. It's nearly impossible to film inconspicuously while holding your phone in landscape. Especially if you're dealing with a subject that could get pissed off at your filming. And operating a vehicle? That it's not in portrait is the least of the problems.
Pointing it out on videos like this, which are clearly spur of the moment, is dumb. Stuff that's clearly staged or set up to record and you do it? Sure. It's pedantic most other cases.
There's an app
for that
https://horizon.camera
Really, it should be just a software switch in the native camera app
Wow, thanks for that. I had
Wow, thanks for that. I had always wondered why you couldn't get landscape default for cameras, but makes sense with the view finder. I'm more concerned with video, though, as there are perfectly good use cases with portrait mode on photos.
At that point
The fact the driver slowed and then moved forward is the most sensible if they have gotten that far already. The only alternative would be to park it right in the middle of the road under the sign which would have been that much worse for traffic and completely unsafe.
Hidden bailout point
The truck driver is on the Bowker Overpass. He doesn't know this, but the final way to avoid doom here would be:
- Get into the right lane, the one that goes to Storrow Drive eastbound
- At the bottom of the ramp, stop, and back up briefly into Charlesgate East (which merges in here)
- After backing up, exit right onto Back Street, which leads to Mass. Ave. Turn right or left onto Mass. Ave.
Do anything else, and he'll hit the Silber Way bridge or the Fairfield Street bridge.
Where to exit?
That's the problem, once a driver gets to the sign, the only way out is too create more of a problem.
I was wrong about the location of these signs
After looking at Google Street View in the area, I see that the truck driver was actually here. The right answer at this point is much easier: stop, back up, and take the right-lane exit to Charlesgate East and Commonwealth Ave.
The thing about signs though
The thing about signs though is that you can see them before you actually get to them...
https://goo.gl/maps/cApmXjeJTmZLwydRA
Two no trucks signs, and the overhead "CARS ONLY" signs, all of which are visible in plenty of time to take the exit on the right.
Sure, once you hit them you'd have to back up to get to the Comm Ave exit, but they're only 30 ft beyond the exit. Signs are intended to be seen before you're less than 30 ft away from them.
But what are you supposed to do?
I was driving Storrow recently and wondered what a truck operator should do in this exact situation:
Reverse?
Turn Around?
Park and Call Police?
Set the Truck Ablaze?
Go Full Speed and Pray?
Leave It There Like a Lime Bike?
None of those seem right...
I still don't understand why
I still don't understand why there aren't a bunch of warnings BEFORE trucks get to these "cars only" signs. It's too late at that point.
For this one, I don't know where you would put the warnings
You are going northbound on the Bowker Overpass, over the Mass Pike, from Boylston Street and Park Drive. If you are driving an overheight truck, you are allowed to be there, and should take the right-side exit to Charlesgate East and Commonwealth Avenue. The signs are over the lanes that you should not be in, which go to Storrow Drive eastbound and westbound.
At this location there are no
At this location there are no less than 4 signs, one on each side and two overhead, that are located such that you can see them, and then take the Comm Ave exit:
https://goo.gl/maps/cApmXjeJTmZLwydRA
It's not too late. The truck driver had plenty of opportunity to exit after seeing those signs before they hit them.
Cell Phone ban???
A list of all states that ban cell phone usage while driving is a useless list.
A list of accident statistics pre and post ban might be helpful to anyone considering a similar ban in MA.
Posting opinions of cell phone bans below an article on storrowing is also pretty useless.
Props for posting an opinion
Props for posting an opinion about people posting opinions!