Rubber-neckers!!

[Linda]

I don't know what you call them in the UK - rubber-neckers are those drivers who insist on slowing down (some even slamming on their brakes:mad: ) and gawking at any vehicle that has stopped on the highway, on the side of the highway, or any kind of accident, regardless of whether there is anything to see.

This week has been particularly bad on the highway beside Toronto airport runway 24. It's understandable on the day of the Air France accident, but every day since then? There is absolutely nothing to see - the plane is in a ravine - these people who are slowing down to look, or parking on the shoulder, would get a much better view of things if they watched TV, bought a newspaper, or searched the internet.

I'm fed up of getting stuck in traffic, when I purposely leave the office early to avoid it! |rant|

Oh I do feel better now :D

Linda

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi Linda,
Well, I call them ghouls ..... the ones who slow down to have a look at any form of accident. When we have passed any scenes like this on the Motorways, I look the other way as I don't want to see anything.

As for slamming on the brakes in order to view an accident, when someone has done this in front of us ....... I daren't tell you what Gerry calls him! Something like ****** *******! should just about cover it! ;)

Been gardening again, so going for a nice, long soak in the bath now.

[Geoffers]

[QUOTE=Diane Grant-Salmon]the ones who slow down to have a look at any form of accident./QUOTE]

In my former life as a policeman, I dealt with many accidents and I have to say that rubber-neckers were one of the biggest pains in the nether regions (if you get my meaning) that there could possibly be.

3 or 4 cars piled in a heap by the side of the road, I'm waving my arms about trying to clear traffic from the scene and someone would always slow down and say "has there been an accident?" or "is anyone injured?" - or worse still, someone will stop on the last lane still open on the road and ask "can you tell me the way to Oxford?"

One accident will always stick in my mind though, I was waving traffic through when a car full of people slowed down to get a better view of the mayhem, all were leaning over onto one side of the car and the driver wasn't looking what he was doing, he drove over my foot - various utterances sprang forth such as "golly gosh, what a pity." The driver came back to his senses and tried to regain control of where he was steering, put his foot on the wrong pedal and accelerated into the side of an ambulance. He pleaded guilty at court

Grumpy flat-foot of Charlbury
Officially - GrmpyDeChrlbry - GrmpyOlMn'sClb and CntkrsOlFrt

[coenmfam]

Dont forget those other parasites
the professioal rubber-neckers - the Media
who assert ther right to stick their nose everwhere and into everything
at every inconvenient time

for a few years I was involved with the local State Emergency Sevice
( a little like Civil Defence, Search & Rescue, Mountain Rescue, Sea Rescue
all rolled into one )

we had to do a rescue up a mountain called Bluff Knoll
not particularly high, but deceptively dangerous
I was on radio's, as I hate the icky red & gooey bits
and the rescue co-ordinator was constantly getting calls to his
mobile from the TV and Radio stations - so much so that they flattened his battery
Grrrrrrrrrr
and he needed that mobile to speak to Police and St Johns etc
( there are some things better not said on radio )

Between my time in the SES and the local Bush Fire Brigade I've developed a distinct dislike to the media, who seem to live by the motto
"never let the truth
stand in the way of a good story"

Neville

[Linda]

leave the office late insteadNot a bad idea Mythology, but in this particular case it would not make a difference - the traffic is jammed up all the time right now.

Also, for early birds like me - I would be waiting until past my bedtime! |laugh1|


Dont forget those other parasites
the professioal rubber-neckers - the MediaOh yes the media! The traffic was backed up one morning last week, because everyone was slowing down to watch a news reporter who had parked his van off the shoulder on the opposite side of the road from the airport - on a highway at least 12 lanes wide! - and was trying to balance himself and his tripod on top of his small van! He was on the opposite side in order to avoid the police, who were ticketing stopped vehicles on the airport side.

Fingers crossed that all those who wanted a look have seen it, and that traffic will be back to normal this coming week.

Grumble, grumble, grumble
Linda

[Stephen M. Kohler]

Rubberneckers and Ghouls – north of the Mason Dixon line they are called “Buzzards” – south of the Mason Dixon line they are called “Vultures”.

I’ve not had the pleasure of driving in either London or Toronto. I have however had the distinct experience of driving in Frankfurt, Germany, Damman, Kobar, and Daharan, Saudia Arabia, Seoul, and Taegue, Republic of Korea, and Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, DC. Atlanta, Georgia at rush hour is by far the worst - an eighty-mile-an-hour bumber to bumper speedway. If anyone hits the brakes it causes a terrifying chain reaction.

You need surface to surface missiles just to plow the road!

Stephen