Re: 3 chasers Killed
Posted by
Chris in Tampa on 3/29/2017, 9:47 pm
I saw some of that video too with the stop signs that were being run through earlier. I have watched storm chasing videos before and I don't recall ever seeing that, but most of the time I see the video there are not stop signs around. They are usually on main roads that are less likely to stop people with stop signs, just traffic lights. Of course you can be on a road without stop signs and be hit from someone that ran their stop sign. I'm not sure, but I would assume this was not a four way stop or else both would have had to gone through without stopping.
I was watching the NBC Nightly News tonight and they had some of the video. They mentioned that the two chasers in the car that ran the stop sign worked with the Weather Channel and that NBC or their parent has a stake in TWC. I was thinking then about a lawsuit that will likely come.
I hope other storm chasers learn from this. There's not going to be less storm chasers, only more over time, as the technology becomes even cheaper. They can't assume there is no one else around. This might be a very isolated incident. Hopefully most everyone is not ignoring stop signs and lights. Already storm chasers are likely going above the speed limit when it comes to being around a tornado. That's simply going to happen, but storm chasers can't be right around a tornado in an area that has stop signs and lights. If the area has that around, you need to be further from the tornado so you can get away and still be careful at intersections. In the Plains you can probably get closer most of the time if it's not rain wrapped because you can probably see a long way around you and could get away faster without worrying about intersections. You can also see traffic on roads more clearly to see if anyone else is possibly not paying attention to intersections. In a town you can't see both ways very well if you don't have a stop sign or light and you are going along at normal speed. Someone could hit you and you would never see it.
Maybe we'll see a little bit less chasing in some of the more congested areas?
One thing chasers also need to be careful of is other chasers getting out of their vehicles. You could drive quickly by a stopped car and someone filming a tornado isn't paying attention as they go to get in their stopped car and they get run over.
Cell phones are definitely a problem. Anything distracting is. Even talking on a hands free phone distracts you. You are focusing on the conversation to some extent. Even the radio can be distracting at times, though you don't have to focus on it like you would a conversation on a phone. People also shouldn't be smoking in cars while driving. That takes away one hand. So does drinking anything while driving. Most cars have cup holders and drivers use it too.
A serious problem we have in the Tampa Bay area, for whatever reason, is wrong way drivers on various roads. It happens constantly in the past few years and sometimes it is deadly. Usually drunk drivers. It's incredible how many times that has happened over the past few years. Dozens and dozens of times. I like to stay off the roads at night and especially holidays. I don't bother going out on New Year's Eve or the Fourth of July for fireworks, too many drunk people on the roads. |
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jimw,
3/29/2017, 7:16 am Post A Reply
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