Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Calumus on November 21, 2018, 08:30:51 AM

Title: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Calumus on November 21, 2018, 08:30:51 AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y9feVp0RZvQ
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Fly320s on November 21, 2018, 08:36:53 AM
Stupid cop for driving like that and for stopping in the tall grass.  And the other driver is also an idiot for stopping on the median instead of the shoulder.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Calumus on November 21, 2018, 08:54:15 AM
Yeah, I thought passing on the shoulder at 120+ was a bit absurd for a speeding ticket. Plus, I'm not sure when pulling over to the left became a thing. I never saw it until a couple years ago, now it's fairly regular in my area.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: MechAg94 on November 21, 2018, 09:59:06 AM
Seems to me he should have pulled forward behind the other car to get away from the burning grass.  Too late a minute or two later.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Fly320s on November 21, 2018, 10:27:47 AM
Plus, I'm not sure when pulling over to the left became a thing. I never saw it until a couple years ago, now it's fairly regular in my area.

I'm seeing it more around here and every time I see it happen the driver is young.  I'm guessing that today's driver's education class isn't working too well.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: MechAg94 on November 21, 2018, 11:04:14 AM
I'm seeing it more around here and every time I see it happen the driver is young.  I'm guessing that today's driver's education class isn't working too well.
If the road is a divided highway and the median is large, I can see it working just fine.  In this case, I think the right side was better. 
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Sindawe on November 21, 2018, 11:15:58 AM
Once again the phrase "Don't go into the long grass" proves to be sound advice.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Fly320s on November 21, 2018, 11:16:48 AM
If the road is a divided highway and the median is large, I can see it working just fine.  In this case, I think the right side was better. 

I see a couple of problems with using the grassy median.

1.  It is grass/dirt/mud.  Traction is reduced, which affects deceleration as well as acceleration after the stop is finished.
2.  Grass/dirt/mud is harder to drive on.
3.  The median is often slopped away from the road.
4.  Fire hazard as seen in the video.
5.  Generally, traffic in the lane closest to the median is travelling faster than the right-hand lane.  Makes getting back on the highway harder.
6.  Many states have laws that require other drivers to slow and/or move over one lane when passing an emergency vehicle.  "Fast lane" traffic moving into the "slow lane" is unusual and may cause problems.
7.  If the car needs to be towed after the traffic stop, now the heavy tow truck needs to drive on the soft surface of the median.
8.  Most states require a driver to move to the right when an emergency vehicle is behind them.  The median is not to the right.
9.  The grass might hide obstacles that could damage the car or cause loss of control.

The first time I saw someone move to the grassy median when being pulled over was on I-95 in MA.  I think I posted about it here.  His actions almost caused a multi-car crash, because he pulled onto the median without slowing down first.  He damn near lost control of his car.  The state trooper that was following him had to move hard to the right to avoid hitting the idiot, which caused many other cars to have to slow or move in reaction.  This happened at busy time of day on a four lane portion of the northbound side of I-95.  It would have been a big crashy mess.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: 230RN on November 21, 2018, 12:00:06 PM
No crap, I thought everyone was aware of this danger since cat converters became common.  Don't all "off road" vehicles have guards on the converters nowadays?

I'm not up to snuff on all the modern details, but it sure was a well-publicized danger years ago.  I seem to recall a joke about the pollution from the fires being worse than the pollution from the cars.

Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: RocketMan on November 21, 2018, 12:57:00 PM
Lots of stupid displayed by that trooper, and not just with the grass fire torching his cruiser.
He should be driving a desk permanently.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: fifth_column on November 21, 2018, 01:43:38 PM
The audio of the cop before and as he pulled the speeder over brought to my mind the saying "What he lacked in competence he made up for in confidence."
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Parker Dean on November 21, 2018, 02:27:33 PM
... Plus, I'm not sure when pulling over to the left became a thing. I never saw it until a couple years ago, now it's fairly regular in my area.
I've always considered it a form of passive resistance by members of the lower socio-economic groups by trying to make things as difficult as possible for the officer without actually doing anything technically wrong.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: MechAg94 on November 21, 2018, 02:28:29 PM
I see a couple of problems with using the grassy median.

1.  It is grass/dirt/mud.  Traction is reduced, which affects deceleration as well as acceleration after the stop is finished.
2.  Grass/dirt/mud is harder to drive on.
3.  The median is often slopped away from the road.
4.  Fire hazard as seen in the video.
5.  Generally, traffic in the lane closest to the median is travelling faster than the right-hand lane.  Makes getting back on the highway harder.
6.  Many states have laws that require other drivers to slow and/or move over one lane when passing an emergency vehicle.  "Fast lane" traffic moving into the "slow lane" is unusual and may cause problems.
7.  If the car needs to be towed after the traffic stop, now the heavy tow truck needs to drive on the soft surface of the median.
8.  Most states require a driver to move to the right when an emergency vehicle is behind them.  The median is not to the right.
9.  The grass might hide obstacles that could damage the car or cause loss of control.

The first time I saw someone move to the grassy median when being pulled over was on I-95 in MA.  I think I posted about it here.  His actions almost caused a multi-car crash, because he pulled onto the median without slowing down first.  He damn near lost control of his car.  The state trooper that was following him had to move hard to the right to avoid hitting the idiot, which caused many other cars to have to slow or move in reaction.  This happened at busy time of day on a four lane portion of the northbound side of I-95.  It would have been a big crashy mess.
All good reasons, but I have seen medians on the left all in concrete that were wider than the lanes.  Certainly not everywhere.  

As far as tall grass, that isn't the best idea no matter where it is.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Perd Hapley on November 21, 2018, 02:49:39 PM
If there's room on the left, it could be safer for the officer to enter/exit his vehicle.

Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Hawkmoon on November 21, 2018, 04:34:37 PM
Once again the phrase "Don't go into the long grass" proves to be sound advice.

That's the bottom line. Catalytic converters are HOT. The high speed chase didn't help any, but it also probably didn't make much difference. The converter would have been hot enough to light dry grass anyway.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: RoadKingLarry on November 21, 2018, 10:15:23 PM
A few years ago one of the company installers pulled off the road to check directions to his next service call.
We were in the midst of a Summer drought after a wet spring, lots of dead/dry grass.
He lit off the grass and torched his service rig, a Ford Transit with less than 5K miles on it.
oopsie
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Doggy Daddy on November 21, 2018, 10:49:20 PM
"I'm the only one in this room on this road professional enough..."
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: freakazoid on November 21, 2018, 11:04:16 PM
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidbordwell.net%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FLost-World-long-grass-500.jpg&hash=ad6a3ab75aea860f7d9b258b9f4b90b0090e5940)
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Fly320s on November 22, 2018, 09:30:54 AM
What is that?  Lightning strike?
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: 230RN on November 22, 2018, 10:11:25 AM
The officer did say something about "I don't recommend doing that... but ( I, he ) just did...." as he pulled off the road.  ~1:55.
Title: Re: Don't stop in tall grass after a high speed run...
Post by: Fly320s on November 22, 2018, 12:17:24 PM
The officer did say something about "I don't recommend doing that... but ( I, he ) just did...." as he pulled off the road.  ~1:55.

I think he was talking about passing on the shoulder at 100+ mph, but he could be talking about the entire episode.