r/Roadcam • u/Playful_State5887 • 6d ago

[USA][GA][Stockbridge] Hazards On, Brain Off

So I was driving on Hwy 138, just cruising, when this car suddenly decides to stop dead in the middle of the intersection. She flips on her hazards like that somehow grants immunity from bad driving. I had no clue what she was doing, so I honked.

A few seconds later, an ambulance shows up, lights flashing, sirens wailing, making a left onto our street. Now, according to Georgia Code § 40-6-74, every driver is supposed to yield, pull to the right, clear the intersection, and stop until the emergency vehicle passes. That’s the law—it keeps everything safe and fluid.

I understand why she put on her hazards. The idea was to warn others—including me—so the ambulance could move through easier and prevent accidents. That’s noble in theory. But here’s the problem: not clearing the intersection causes more harm than good. Sitting there frozen in the middle just makes the road tighter and forces the ambulance to navigate around her instead of giving them the space they need.

So instead of helping, she basically turned herself into a traffic cone with flashing lights—well-intentioned maybe, but still completely in the way.

64 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

80 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Individdy G1W 6d ago edited 6d ago

Is it possible that they had car trouble at just the wrong time? I don't think we can know for sure. I don't see how OP could have known in the moment. Maybe the car died and they were trying to start it. I've seen this happen a few times when a light turns green.

Still upvoted because it's a good video to learn to chill the f*** out when a car in front has trouble. It's literally what the hazard lights are for.

0

u/ApartStrain7989 5d ago

You didn't even watch the video... They stopped in the middle of an intersection for the ambulance that has to avoid them while it crosses the intersection they horrendously stopped in. Maybe if you're gonna weigh in actually watch it through next time

1

u/Individdy G1W 5d ago

When I watched the video multiple times yesterday, I saw the car in front braking then coming to a stop and putting their hazards on in the intersection. After the emergency vehicle passes, their brake lights go off and thee accelerate forward, through the intersection. I could see two occupants in the car. These are the things I observed (from memory). Did you observe something different in the video?

What did you see that supports your conclusion that they were stopping for the emergency vehicle, and not stopping due to car trouble? Remember, we can't read their mind so don't actually know why they stopped unless we ask them.

(Try to avoid the erroneous conclusion that I didn't watch it merely because I didn't come to the same conclusion as you.)

1

u/ApartStrain7989 5d ago

They stopped in the middle of the intersection, not because of car troubles, but for the ambulance. Watch the video again and tell me you don't see the car move or some other wrong justification for doing the least safe thing.

1

u/Individdy G1W 5d ago

They stopped in the middle of the intersection, not because of car troubles, but for the ambulance.

You're asserting that this is the hidden cause, the workings of the driver's brain, but where did you observe their mental activity in the video? When a car has trouble, you'd see the same thing: braking as they notice the issue, coming to a stop once they decide it's not safe to drive, and hazard lights.

0

u/ApartStrain7989 5d ago

The ambulance that crosses in front of them is the first piece of evidence, the second piece of evidence is the car continuing on after the ambulance passes. I mean you clearly did not actually pay attention while you had the video playing. Because if you actually saw any of the important details you'd know that my conclusion is correct

1

u/Individdy G1W 5d ago

I mean you clearly did not actually pay attention while you had the video playing.

There you go again, assuming I didn't watch the video because I don't have the same conclusion as you. It would really help if you paid attention when you read my reply, where I described these details of the video, from memory even since I watched it so carefully yesterday. Read it again:

When I watched the video multiple times yesterday, I saw the car in front braking then coming to a stop and putting their hazards on in the intersection. After the emergency vehicle passes, their brake lights go off and thee accelerate forward, through the intersection.

So what is left? We both saw the same details. You can only imagine one possibility. I have given two. The only one you can imagine is the most ridiculous. Argument from incredulity? I can only conclude that your repeated baseless accusations of me not watching the video are to deflect from a lack of substance to your position.