This is Day 29 of the 30-day Traffic Koans contest. Details on how to enter can be found here: https://steemit.com/traffic-koans/@jedau/traffic-koans-halfway-update-1505319420-6600256
With the cargo bay door closing, the man and the woman ran towards it hoping to make it to the other side.
"We're not gonna make it," the woman exclaimed.
Being a lifelong fan of Indiana Jones, the man relished the opportunity to recreate one iconic scene. He only wished he had a hat that he could dislodge from his head and save in the last second.
"Trust me that we're going to make it," the man reassured. "When I say so, slide towards the cargo door."
"Are you crazy?"
"Trust me. This is gonna work!"
As the pair neared the door, the man saw it as the opportunity he had been waiting for.
"Slide!" he commanded, as he crouched down and slid himself.
The woman hesitated and slowed to a halt instead.
Seeing the woman behind him, the man extended his arm to her, as if telling her to grab hold so that he could take her with him.
The cargo bay door closed and the woman slammed against it. On the floor lay the man's amputated arm, blood gushing out from it.
I won't wash my hands clean of this. There are many times when I have committed this infraction. Most of them were an accident, because I wasn't paying enough attention, but some of them were caused by a rush. I have yet to be caught, but I try to do my best to be vigilant and not commit this act again. It's been years since I last committed this, accidentally or otherwise.
There was one time early in the morning, I was a passenger and we were heading out to take a final exam for an acupuncture course. We stopped at a three-way intersection, because, well, the red light was on. Everything was normal, and we were just waiting for the light to turn green. When it did, we slowly crawled forward.
Suddenly, a car came screeching from the left side and it skid towards us. It didn't just beat the red light, it blatantly ran through it. No, that would be too kind. It barreled through it knowing that it was already red. My heart stopped at that moment, everything turned to slow motion. You could see the smoke coming from where wheels skid.
Thankfully, it didn't hit anything. There was a car to our left too, so that would've been its direct target if ever it came a feet or so closer. What was the driver thinking? It had been a full three seconds since the light turned red for them and yet it seemed like it was going a hundred kph in a 40 kph zone. That was the definition of reckless. I would understand if there was a car chase or an emergency, but it immediately slowed down after it cleared the intersection. The car to our left stopped to confront the speeding car, and we would've too, but we were pressed for time.
It really threw me off my game, and I made three mistakes in the exam. My mother, who was my classmate, got a perfect score though, so there goes my excuse.
Ever beat a red light? Ever seen somebody else do it? The clock is ticking! One more koan after this one and the month-long contest is a wrap. Get your entries in before the light turns red!
Speeding up when the light is yellow? Guilty. When I was young I was much worse though, speeding up from a long ways back. Now if I think it will probably turn red before I completely clear it I generally slow down instead. The cities have cameras in the lights now too, so if you go through it when it's red they take a picture of your license plate and you get a ticket in the mail. Or so I've heard. Not interested in testing it out :)
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They have them here! But fortunately they have big signs advertising them before you get to them
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Well that is awfully nice of them, as far as I know the only way you can tell is there's a blinking white line through the light...and you can't see that until you're on it.
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It is considerate eh. Mother flunkies!
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AHAHA! I can't fault you for it :) We actually have that contactless arrest here now, although I'm not sure how accurate the images of the plates are. There's a website they put up where you can check if your plates were matched to a violation though.
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Wow - the penultimate koan! It's been quite a ride...('scuse the pun haha!)
Yeah, I've definitely sped up at the yellow lights.... but only so I would make it through before the reds appeared. I've never actually run a red light.
Wait.
Tell a lie...
I have once run a red light - purely by mistake - I literally didn't see the lights. Thankfully, it wasn't busy. But on the other hand, I was driving my mother in law to go and pick out some curtains haha! She wasn't impressed!
Also.... you know acupuncture??! Does your coolness never end??!
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OHOHO!! Well played!! Puns are always welcome!
That's what gets me most of the time as well. Sometimes the lights aren't so easy to see. I know we shouldn't blame it, but yeah... It is what it is.
Wait, let me check.. hmm.. yup, it just ended there. That's about it. My whole life is already on Steemit for everyone to read. I have no more tricks up my sleeve haha!
Thank you for joining me on this ride! It's bee a great deal of fun getting to know you through this! One of the admittedly few positives from this challenge, but one that I'm extremely thankful for :D
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Aw and the same goes my friend. :)
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This would stand as an origin story to many more future interactions!
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Also.... I keep meaning to say - I know you love to find other great writers on Steemit. I recommend you check out @wrongjohn. His stuff is always fun to read. :)
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Great! I shall check him out now! I trust your judge of character after all :D
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Before the yellow light blinked before turning red or green at ours, so we could easily figure out what's going to be next. But I guess, since they decreased the city limit, the yellow light doesn't blink anymore. So, sometimes even if I drive within city limit, I'd end up in the middle of the crossing, if I don't speed up (what I rarely do) when the light turns red exactly when I'm at the crossing line, and especially when I have someone right at my back. Usually it works when I stop, anyway, but once it just didn't. So, I usually have this dilemma. Actually, my usual preference is to stop, but I always have to pay attention what's going on around me.
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Definitely a lose-lose situation on a technical standpoint. I really prefer the countdown instead so that people would have a realistic estimation of when to stop. Better to err on the side of caution if you're unsure though.
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If I choose to run the yellows it's usually when I'm in that annoying spot where you can go either way (brake hard or accelerate hard). I have had a few instances where I've chosen to accelerate and wondered why the car behind me (which definitely should have stopped!) and sometimes the one/s behind that didn't stop when they definitely should have!
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Yeah, that really is a precarious situation. If you do stop, and you end up going beyond the line you're still at fault. So, if you're not going to be able to stop comfortably, it would be best for everyone if you crossed completely. It's a risk, but it has way better results.
Haha! Yeah! I wonder the same too. Sometimes I feel like I'm the last one to legit make it, but then I see several cars trailing me that seemed to run the red light hahaha!
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I know the timing of most of the lights (except this one huge intersection which has some mind bogglingly fast switches, probably because that huge intersection is also insanely busy) so usually I know I'm legit the last one through. I think if you notice the light changing red as you're part way or just about through the intersection that's a pretty good indicator XD
Oh I just realised I have run red lights before, usually on a turn if I've pulled out but didn't end up having the gap I thought I did so was stuck in the middle of the intersection when the lights changed and had to floor it through because there was no going back DX
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We're only human after all, and I bet those switches that you can't predict are operated manually haha!
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I am quite the timid obeyer of lights lol.
Check you, it's the penultimate one. You are almost at the end!! Have you ever heard of father Ted? There was a woman in it who would always offer a cup of tea. When someone said no she would say go on and in her Irish accent it sounds like how I think koan would sound.
You go Jeddy! ;0)
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Ha! Now I can't think of the word koan without saying it in her Irish accent! Darn you!
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Me neither!! :0D
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My best friend was on transit for a Job interview and became hooked by the red traffic light when suddenly, an unexpected fast moving vehicle sped off from behind and collided with the bus my friend boarded. Luckily, he wasn't injured unlike the lady sitting by his right. Probably, the fast moving incoming vehicle came from that direction. Traffic laws are meant to be obeyed by all road users. Irrespective of social class
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