10,000 auto accidents Jan 1 - 15

We've had 10,000 claims filed for auto accidents in the first two weeks in January this year, higher than normal.

Are people forgetting how to drive in the winter?

From my observations, looks like more often than not peeps are breaking traffic rules, such as driving thru red lights, making illegal turns, and just a total lack of respect for the rules of the road. It's getting worse out there!

Here's an idea, let's get some traffic cops out there to issue some friggin' traffic tickets already. WTF does it take to get some traffic enforcement around here?

Seems it's been a steady march towards less traffic policing (minus speed traps, those make good money 'eh) since photo radar came in. At the same time, people running red lights, making illegal turns and just being douchbags seems to have gotten worse over the same period.

And I'd like to point out that over the last several years I've sold my sports car, and my driving habits have "mellowed" from my teen years...so...wtf!

ugg. got stuck behind some tool driving at 30 in the 70 on Route 90 again this morning. WTF is wrong with these people? Why do they want to cause to many accidents?

how about instead of the "just slow down" campaign, they mothball it and start a new one called "just follow the damn rules"..?

hell yeah

I sure wouldn't mind the cops sitting at a few key intersections and handing out traffic tickets for being in the intersection when the light turns red.. and sitting there for 4 minutes blocking it.

or.. holy HELL I wish people could get the new sterling lyon to kenaston turning lane..ARRGGGH

maybe it will get better when the snow melts and they finally paint lines but man is that an area just begging to start causing accidents.

what you describe happens every day downtown and all across the city by the sounds of it.

People sitting in the intersection on a red, and intersection that wasn't clear for them when they entered..

My favorite downtown is people turning left onto eastbound Portage Ave from either Donald or Garry....they'll all want to turn into the middle, or to the curb lane...(even though they are supposed to turn into the most immediate lane) and they'll stack up into the intersection, all trying to turn into the same damn lane...when there are other lanes open, totally open with no cars in it!

Forty percent of accidents in Winnipeg are rear-enders. That needs to be addressed.

I bet a lot of them would be avoided if these inbred dingleberries would learn to use their signals. Why, for the love of all that is holy or unholy, does nobody in this city use their signals? MADDENING.

Sourpuss wrote:I bet a lot of them would be avoided if these inbred dingleberries would learn to use their signals. Why, for the love of all that is holy or unholy, does nobody in this city use their signals? MADDENING.

That would be telegraphing your next move. Two things we're known for here. The first you mentioned already. Second and equally practiced is the art of cutting people off. We see a signal being used in a car 50 feet in front of us and we will drop everything, floor it and block you from your intended lane change.

Winklovic wrote:Forty percent of accidents in Winnipeg are rear-enders. That needs to be addressed.

a) many winnipeggers don't seem to understand the concept of following distance.

b) When I'm actually driving to conditions and increasing my following distance, people don't like that I have so much space between me and the next car and cut me off.

c) Still too many distracted drivers with cellphones and whatnot, laws or no laws.

Northlands wrote:

Sourpuss wrote:I bet a lot of them would be avoided if these inbred dingleberries would learn to use their signals. Why, for the love of all that is holy or unholy, does nobody in this city use their signals? MADDENING.

That would be telegraphing your next move. Two things we're known for here. The first you mentioned already. Second and equally practiced is the art of cutting people off. We see a signal being used in a car 50 feet in front of us and we will drop everything, floor it and block you from your intended lane change.

Actually what some people like to do is let you think they will let you into a merge lane.
Then at the last second they floor it to see if you will have to hit the ditch to avoid an accident. Makes me wish I was driving a tank.

I read some of these stories and it sounds like it's open warfare out there, with EVERYONE speeding and tailgating and running red lights and not signaling and refusing to yield... All the while EVERYBODY thinks the poor driving habits seen in Winnipeg are unique to Winnipeg.

So maybe can the hyperbole and recognize that Winnipeg drivers are no better or no worse than any other driver on this continent (well maybe excluding Mexican drivers).

grumpy old man wrote:I read some of these stories and it sounds like it's open warfare out there, with EVERYONE speeding and tailgating and running red lights and not signaling and refusing to yield... All the while EVERYBODY thinks the poor driving habits seen in Winnipeg are unique to Winnipeg.

So maybe can the hyperbole and recognize that Winnipeg drivers are no better or no worse than any other driver on this continent (well maybe excluding Mexican drivers).

Not using hyperbole. Actually happened to me 3 time coming out of the Walmart shopping centre on Kenaston.
I try to plan my driving to avoid merge lanes altogether now.

I watch the way people in this city drive and it does scare me. If people were to drive the same way they do here in a large American city, there would be more murders happening because of road rage!!! It is amazing how people assume that American's are rude but I was in Minneapolis over the holidays and I can say that driving there is a much easier experience than any day here in Winnipeg. Using the 94 system there, at 55-65 MPH, bumper to bumper in rush hour and people are merging with no effort, changing lanes with signals and no one closing the gap to not let you in.

Using a brief example of driving in Minneapolis is what I refer to as hyperbole. I spent many many many many hours driving in other NA cities for a day here and there and encountered the best and the worst in drivers.

And outsider, pulleeesse. Nobody believes everyone is forcing you into a ditch on purpose. I doubt even you believe that.

I will agree Winnipeggers have very little experience using merge lanes. That might be because there are so very few of them in this city and of those, most are very poorly designed.

I think the greater problem with merge lanes is that often enough you dont know there is one (or isn't one) until you round the corner. Some places where you would think there would be one, there simply isn't and its not only baffling its hazardous.

Good point. This goes back to the planning discussions. The city needs to standardize on road construction. Those standards need to include proper merge and exit lanes. The planners need also build a future proof plan for such things as acquiring ROWs for merge and exit lanes, overpasses, high speed roadways, etc...

grumpy old man wrote:Using a brief example of driving in Minneapolis is what I refer to as hyperbole. I spent many many many many hours driving in other NA cities for a day here and there and encountered the best and the worst in drivers.

And outsider, pulleeesse. Nobody believes everyone is forcing you into a ditch on purpose. I doubt even you believe that.

I will agree Winnipeggers have very little experience using merge lanes. That might be because there are so very few of them in this city and of those, most are very poorly designed.

I suppose you are going to tell me I don't see people step on the gas instead of the brake at least 3 times a week when I push the cross-walk light to walk across the street. How is it that a guy driving a big tractor with a front-end loader can find the time to stop but someone driving a SUV in the next lane can't stop in the same distance. Once again no hyperbole.

You cited a very specific example. Are you now saying that was just a made up example to illustrate just how bad it is out there? That is hyperbole.

As to your crosswalk example, yes, I am going to tell you it is your imagination. Why? Because in MY experience we all make every effort to stop. To suggest otherwise is hyperbole.

I don't think you know what hyperbole means.

Outsider wrote:Actually what some people like to do is let you think they will let you into a merge lane.
Then at the last second they floor it to see if you will have to hit the ditch to avoid an accident. Makes me wish I was driving a tank.

That's never been my experience. I would say such actions are very rare.

grumpy old man wrote:
As to your crosswalk example, yes, I am going to tell you it is your imagination. Why? Because in MY experience we all make every effort to stop. To suggest otherwise is hyperbole.

I don't think you know what hyperbole means.

Dr. Google is my friend.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole

Unfortunately not all Winnipeg drivers are like you.
There are some drivers in this city who are either too busy, distracted or "important" to think traffic lights apply to them.
And I used example of my personal experiences.
One of the things I miss about private insurance in Manitoba is the accessing of blame by the private insurance company.
Private insurance companies held bad drivers responsible and rewarded good drivers records through their insurance costs.
Now it just seems everyone is responsible.
Consequently a lot of people do not seem to care how many accidents they get into.

Some here are paying a couple of grand for their Driver's License though.

I'm having trouble following your logic outsider. You're all over the place with your complaints.

First people are intentionally forcing you into ditches. Next they were gunning it when you used crosswalks. Now people don't care if they get into accidents. And still you claim none of this is hyperbole?

I don't know one single person who does not care if they get into an accident. I have never seen anyone intentionally accelerate when people were using a crosswalk nor intentionally force another driver off the road.

But in your world this is commonplace?

grumpy old man wrote:I'm having trouble following your logic outsider. You're all over the place with your complaints.

First people are intentionally forcing you into ditches. Next they were gunning it when you used crosswalks. Now people don't care if they get into accidents. And still you claim none of this is hyperbole?

I don't know one single person who does not care if they get into an accident. I have never seen anyone intentionally accelerate when people were using a crosswalk nor intentionally force another driver off the road.

But in your world this is commonplace?

It appears you do not believe me.
There is nothing like personal experience to prove a point.
Feel free to park your car on a side street near a cross-walk near an apartment block on a week-day.
And use the cross walk a few times especially NEAR the rush hours.

No, I don't believe people purposefully force you off the road when merging. Or anytime for that matter.

Nor do I believe that all drivers intentionally accelerate when people use the crosswalk.

And no, I do not believe that people don't care if they get into accidents.