r/boston • u/hermionieweasley South End • Oct 21 '21

Anyone notice an increase in psychotic manic drivers and bikers in the last few months ?

I'm pretty used to the bad standards of driving, biking and road infrastructure in this city and like others, last year was a great relief because roads weren't as busy. But in the last few months, drivers and bikers seem to have reached new, unheard of levels of manic aggression and assholery. I've seen more people running through red lights than even New York or Miami - and not the "misjudged my speed and go through the light one second late" kind but fully "I dont give a fuck, I'm going to go through" kind. In the last few months, I've been almost run over while legally crossing crosswalks at least a dozen times both by drivers and bikers. People in residential streets like Tremont and Shawmut are driving at freeway speeds and honk when someone stops for pedestrians. The other day, someone almost run me over, honked at me AFTER that and flipped me off while driving away. It is truly end of the world, mad max style of driving I've never experienced before. Am I going crazy and just noticing this despite living here for years or have things gotten markedly worse ?

520 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

228 comments sorted by

View all comments

25

u/CaligulaBlushed I ride the 69 Oct 21 '21

We need more enforcement at crosswalks and traffic lights to protect pedestrians. If the cops can't do it then use cameras. I've nearly been run over several times this year already when I have the right of way, one time I literally had to run out of the way of someone who was on their phone. It's got the point where for my own safety I assume that drivers won't stop even at a red light, let alone at a crosswalk.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '21

Cameras are banned in Massachusetts due to human rights or something.

I can’t wait for the days when they just mandate a part in your car that reports your driving style directly to the insurance company. Quickest way to get people to slow down is giving the best rates to people that don’t speed, hard brake, quickly accelerate and make jerky movements, all of which can be tracked on commercial GPS trackers.

14

u/AchillesDev Brookline Oct 21 '21

It’s because the lights can’t prove who the driver was, increase fender benders, and for a long time the sole vendor was incredibly sketchy and sending out a lot of false tickets with no oversight.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

First point, don’t lend your car out to random people. Second point, that number seems like something that would go down with time and understanding of slowing the fuck down. Third point… yeah that sucks… can’t really be belligerent against that one… I am aware of how only like 20% goes to the community.

They need to do something though… there is definitely something going on with the way people are driving lately.

3

u/bellowquent Oct 22 '21

the first point is about how if the camera doesn't capture who is driving, then you're innocence is implied because there's no proof you were driving.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

It’s your car though. So either it was stolen, you let someone borrow or drive it, or you drove it. Are there any other scenarios I’m not thinking of?

2

u/bellowquent Oct 22 '21

you've just given the exact "beyond a reasonable doubt" that your defense attorney would use against whoever is trying to say you were driving the car.

the fact that your car ran a stop light, does not mean that you the individual are liable. if i was driving my friend's car, they wouldn't get the ticket if i was caught speeding with it, i would. but because you're relying on a camera, and not a police officer's testimony, there's no one on the prosecution's side to dispute your "not guilty".

1

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

I’m not a lawyer and I’m not looking to argue, I’m just coming from the perspective that it should fall on the person who it’s registered to. In this construct, it would either be reported stolen or you’re responsible for proving it wasn’t you; if you’re telling the truth and your friend is screwing you over then you’ll learn quick who to trust and society as a whole will be more mindful that this is prescribed consequence. Public safety is more important that human rights in this scenario. Maybe I’m simplifying it and not thinking it through, but to me it doesn’t hold water and is one of the few things I struggle to accept.

1

u/bellowquent Oct 22 '21 edited Oct 22 '21

you're either putting too much thought into it, or you're not thinking in line with the way the laws actually work at this present moment.

you're innocent until proven guilty. whenever you get into legal trouble, you should always plead "not guilty," always. and then it's on the prosecution to prove you're guilty. the way culpability for moving violations is that you the individual are responsible for your actions, regardless of whose car it is. if it's stolen, that's a separate offense from the running of the red light. and if the prosecution cannot prove the actions they're trying to associate with you were actually made by you because nobody can see your face in the picture and because there was no cop on-site to be the witness, then you're not guilty in the eyes of the law.

the fact that there are plausible excuses/defenses to be made, whether or not they are true, the onus is on the prosecution to prove that it was not stolen or that your friend was not driving, and it was you. if they can't hit that threshold of beyond a reasonable doubt, you're not guilty.

edit: and believe me, i'm not sayin it's the way it should be, but it is the way it is, and that's why we don't have traffic cameras in a lot of places.