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It might not have matter because the pickup drove through a light that was red for a while (the bus' light turned yellow while in the intersection), but the dude was fiddling about while approaching an intersection. Distracted driver. You could see the pickup approaching the intersection at a high rate of speed and not slowing. Scary, and to move a bus that much is one heck of an impact.
| Re: For the "Don't need no stickin' seatbelt." folks. NPC thank goodness Guenter in Ontario - 9 years ago |
You're right that there are all kinds of driving errors in the video, besides the bus driver not wearing his seatbelt. Not sure what his injuries were, but he could have been badly cut or killed if he'd been totally ejected from the bus. He just managed to hang onto the steering wheel.
Obviously, the pickup driver was distracted in some way (guessing he was sending a "really important" text), totally missing the red light directly in front of him. From what I see in the video, he was 100% cause of the crash.
- bus driver adjusting his seat while driving
- fiddling with whatever instead of concentrating on the road
- hand position on the steering wheel, just one hand until he saw the truck, (talked about that in another recent thread). He'd have had more post collision control if his hands had been at 3 & 9 instead of both at 6 o'clock position. And, of course if he'd been belted, so he had control of the wheel instead of using it as an anchor
None of these were the cause of the accident, but they had an effect on the control he has and on how badly the bus driver was insured. He might even have been able to avoid the accident if he had noticed the truck barrelling along and slow the bus enough to avoid the collision.
I've witnessed several accidents like that (people running red lights) directly in front of me. I've learned to look both ways when approaching intersections, even if I do have the green light.
Obviously, the pickup driver was distracted in some way (guessing he was sending a "really important" text), totally missing the red light directly in front of him. From what I see in the video, he was 100% cause of the crash.
- bus driver adjusting his seat while driving
- fiddling with whatever instead of concentrating on the road
- hand position on the steering wheel, just one hand until he saw the truck, (talked about that in another recent thread). He'd have had more post collision control if his hands had been at 3 & 9 instead of both at 6 o'clock position. And, of course if he'd been belted, so he had control of the wheel instead of using it as an anchor
None of these were the cause of the accident, but they had an effect on the control he has and on how badly the bus driver was insured. He might even have been able to avoid the accident if he had noticed the truck barrelling along and slow the bus enough to avoid the collision.
I've witnessed several accidents like that (people running red lights) directly in front of me. I've learned to look both ways when approaching intersections, even if I do have the green light.
Me, too. If I'm first in line at a light, I now wait a second or two after it turns green to start moving. Probably upsets the person behind me, but I was directly behind somebody who t-boned a car that ran a just-turned-red light. She took off the second it went green and whack. Not her fault, but it was a vilonet collision none-the-less (i gave her my contact info for insurance company, which actually called me the next day). I used to watch the opposing light waiting for it turn yellow so I could take off sooner, but not anymore. Just not worth the risk with all these distracted and hurried drivers out and about.
| Exactly same thing happened to me mikefocke, '01S Sanford, NC - 9 years ago |
She spun the pickup that ran the red light around 190 degrees. After I got out and was sure everyone was OK and the police arrived, I gave her my card and the insurance company called me two days later. Only now the guy who drove the pickup and got out saying he was sorry had no memory of running the red light. She had been focused on the green light and hadn't seen him cross 4 lanes on red to get to a position in front of her.
| Bus driver Roger987 - 9 years ago |
I'd not be surprised if a court were to find him 25% at fault.
A green light is your assurance of only one thing - the light is green.
A good argument could be made that the bus driver was not exercising due care and attention. Clearly, he had chosen to divide his attention between the gizmo on his dash, and the road and cars around him.
Depending on sight lines etc., if the Defendant can prove that an attentive driver would have noticed him sooner and taken appropriate avoidance action (braking, for instance), the bus driver might wear more than just the windshield.
While there are a number of inexcusable reasons why the pickup driver was going through a red light, it is conceivable there may have been other things at play. I'm not saying this would take him off the hook, but it's a mistake for any of us to assume a green light GUARANTEES there won't be a car entering the intersection when it shouldn't.
I took another look at the video - a few things stand out:
1. while adjusting the seat (a bit late to be doing that), idiot bus driver had a pen in his hand, which he then transferred to his left hand, then placed the pen on the dash. Ever try to steer with a pen in your hand? Neither have I:
2. idiot bus driver is playing with his gizmo right up to the moment he sees (too late) the pick-up;
3. from the third camera view, there appears to be a clear sight line to the pick-up truck well in advance of the crash. There seems to have been time for the bus driver, had he not be worshipping at the alter of the electronic gizmo, to have applied the brakes, and perhaps avoid the collision altogether.
If he worked for me, it would be bye-bye time.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2015 06:52PM by Roger987. (view changes)
A green light is your assurance of only one thing - the light is green.
A good argument could be made that the bus driver was not exercising due care and attention. Clearly, he had chosen to divide his attention between the gizmo on his dash, and the road and cars around him.
Depending on sight lines etc., if the Defendant can prove that an attentive driver would have noticed him sooner and taken appropriate avoidance action (braking, for instance), the bus driver might wear more than just the windshield.
While there are a number of inexcusable reasons why the pickup driver was going through a red light, it is conceivable there may have been other things at play. I'm not saying this would take him off the hook, but it's a mistake for any of us to assume a green light GUARANTEES there won't be a car entering the intersection when it shouldn't.
I took another look at the video - a few things stand out:
1. while adjusting the seat (a bit late to be doing that), idiot bus driver had a pen in his hand, which he then transferred to his left hand, then placed the pen on the dash. Ever try to steer with a pen in your hand? Neither have I:
2. idiot bus driver is playing with his gizmo right up to the moment he sees (too late) the pick-up;
3. from the third camera view, there appears to be a clear sight line to the pick-up truck well in advance of the crash. There seems to have been time for the bus driver, had he not be worshipping at the alter of the electronic gizmo, to have applied the brakes, and perhaps avoid the collision altogether.
If he worked for me, it would be bye-bye time.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2015 06:52PM by Roger987. (view changes)
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