r/Whatcouldgowrong Mar 21 '23

What could go wrong if you block an entire motorway for a political rally without any warning

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.6k Upvotes

185

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '23

This could have been something other than a protest like stopped traffic due to a collision ahead, etc. That’s is why you pay attention while driving. Look way ahead using good eye lead, don’t follow too close. Basic driving skills and common sense.

51

u/TheGreatHair Mar 22 '23

I have almost been in a few accidents from being distracted. What made them almost? Always staying within stopping distance. Oh shit, red! Good thing I fuckin don,t tailgate like a moron

20

u/Zomochi Mar 22 '23

What I hate is that I do this I give enough space for me to be able to stop but some people think it’s an open invitation to squeeze in between that damn spot!

5

u/TheGreatHair Mar 22 '23

Those people are the worst! Well not the worst but definitely have their own level in hell

3

u/Cautious_Rule_5516 Mar 22 '23

It's like they know you leave that spot clear for you to stop safely and then they cut in and make you have to stop suddenly. Happens to me all day everyday. 😩😫😫

How the heck did his hood pop off before hitting the car in front of him?

2

u/gowaz123 Mar 25 '23

I hate that! When I leave a decent gap whilst driving on the motorway and some idiots think its a space I’ve left for them to move it causing me to brake harshly and then will say thanks with their ‘hazards’

1

u/birdlass Mar 27 '23

I only do that if I'm trying to get to the next lane ASAP.

3

u/BoneZone05 Mar 22 '23

I think everyone should have to drive a motorcycle for the first 2 years of driving not really

I learned so much about paying attention to traffics in front / behind / around me riding my bike. I believe it made me a safer driver, but maybe, I could have been riding in the back of that pickup truck 😬

3

u/DerpyTheGrey Mar 23 '23

I actually did that because I was more comfortable with the prospect of hurting myself than hurting other people. Definitely a better driver for it

90

u/SquidsAlien Mar 21 '23

That's more down to careless driving than anything else.

-46

u/ImpressiveGur6384 Mar 21 '23

People in the roadway are a close second, then.

41

u/Aporkalypse_Sow Mar 22 '23

I don't care if someone plants a tree in the middle of the road, my ass isn't going to drive into it because I'm not a complete moron.

16

u/pomonamike Mar 22 '23

But but but… YOU have the right of way!

4

u/DopeBoogie Mar 22 '23

That tree came out of nowhere officer!

1

u/CoronaMcFarm Mar 26 '23

Well, the problem is cars in front front of you might obstruct your view and swerve to one side only to reveal an idiot stopped in the middle lane, had that experience twice but I was paying attention.

0

u/420extracts Mar 22 '23

So you seriously wouldn’t just lay on your horn to make the tree move? You’d actually slow down? What a weirdo

53

u/E_D_K_2 Mar 21 '23

What could go wrong not looking forward while driving.

38

u/olivawDaneel Mar 22 '23

OP pretending like people just flash mobbed into protesting out of nowhere and caused an instant halt. Just look ahead when driving, maintain distace between you and the car in front, and don't go over the speed limit.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 22 '23

Also, don't block roads and create needlessly dangerous situations for everyone involved. I feel like we can start there

5

u/Someguy981240 Mar 23 '23

There are 100 legitimate reasons a road might be blocked. People sometimes stop. That’s why you are not supposed to drive like an idiot.

0

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

Funny how nobody will answer why it's illegal then., and when a road is 'legitimately' blocked as you say, they post road signs warning cars well ahead of time. Why is that do you think? Hmmmmmmm

6

u/Someguy981240 Mar 23 '23

Do they post road signs when someone stops because there is a baby in the road? Or is it illegal to stop and you are supposed to just drive over them? There are 100 reasons or more that a car might stop on a highway without warning and be completely correct in doing so. Stop driving like an idiot and blaming everyone else when it causes you a problem.

1

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23

It isn't illegal btw. Not inherently. Govt/police can choose to deem certain gatherings as unlawful. But there is no law that says "blocking roads is illegal". Don't argue against false premises.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

Now we're equating protests with a baby being randomly in the road? You're a retard, straight up

2

u/Someguy981240 Mar 23 '23 edited Mar 23 '23

You are misssing my point. I will try to dumb it down for you. While you are driving too close behind the person in front of you and then smashing into their back end, you have NO IDEA why they are stopped. Your rationalization that the accident is not your fault is a post hoc excuse. You got lucky that their reason was poor. And that is why the accident is ALWAYS your fault. You are ALWAYS responsible for not hitting things that are in front of you, you entitled moron, not only when the person in front of you does not do something unexpected.

Once again - stop driving like an idiot and then whinging when you hit someone. “It’s not my fault, I am the owner of this universe, no one in front of me is allowed to stop. “ Stop driving like an idiot.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

moving goalposts now that your whole "blocking roadways is perfectly legal guys, stop checking your uncle's whatsapp guys, stop using wikipedia guys" fell through. You're a dumbass, plain and simple.

2

u/Someguy981240 Mar 23 '23

What are you talking about? I never once said anything about blocking roadways being illegal or legal - what I said is that you have no idea why the road is blocked while you are driving your car through someone’s back end screaming about your entitlement to drive like an idiot. After you have killed people, you are then looking for excuses for why you driving your car into the back of the person in front of you is not your fault. If you hit the person in front of you, the accident is your fault. Period end of discussion.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

You asked for evidence and I posted a ton. I asked for evidence back, and got nothing. Your failure to produce evidence to back up your claims is equivalent to admitting you were completely wrong.

2

u/Someguy981240 Mar 23 '23

I think you must be responding to the wrong comment. This comment is incomprehensible as a response to mine. Are you asking me to provide evidence that you are not allowed to hit the cars in front of you on the highway?

1

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23

He didn't post evidence btw lol. He posted an article that he thinks agrees with his take. This man lives so much on reddit, he posted an article then posted 4 comments saying "why haven't you responded yet" in the next hour... lol. But yea his comment was directed at me. I'll respond to him soon enough. I just have a life outside of this forum.

1

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23

Roadblocks are an inconvenience. Any danger is generated by dumbfucks that shouldn't be driving.

-1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

If you unironically think blocking a motorway doesn't create danger I don't know what to tell you. Unpredictable situations make the likelihood of an accident much more likely. There's better ways to demonstrate a cause, life is not a game. Blocking roads for a protest is illegal for a reason.

4

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23

It's a highway. You're not turning a corner and finding a blockade. The protestors aren't running in front of cars.

They've been standing there. You can see the road blocked for miles ahead. If you don't see them you should see the cars stopped in front of you.

The only reason it's causing accidents is because of drivers that aren't looking at the only thing they should be looking at. The road.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

so why is it illegal?

2

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23

Blocking roads is not explicitly illegal. It is regulated in certain cases. If it causes inconvenience to an unreasonable extent to other citizens then the govt interferes. Otherwise peaceful assembly is allowed.

They always stress on reasonable time, place, and manner. For example the shahen bag stuff was a huge inconvenience. Disrupting normal flow of traffic to an extent that it was affecting other citizens.

There is no explicit law that says blocking roads for protests is illegal. Stop reading your uncle's whatsapp messages. The govt/police decide when to interfere. Usually when they're an inconvenience or pose a threat to safety.

See that? The difference? Protests aren't inherently dangerous. Blocking road isn't inherently dangerous. Especially when it's a highway. Only a dumbfuck can get into an accident on a highway in broad daylight.

2

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

Blocking a road unnanounced for a protest is 100% illegal. You're a moron for even trying to strawman that.

I guess Wikipedia is 'my uncle's whatsapp' or something. People are truly cringe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_obstruction#:~:text=Most%20jurisdictions%20consider%20the%20obstruction,a%20public%20street%20or%20highway.

Most jurisdictions[which?] consider the obstruction of traffic an illegal activity and have developed rules to prosecute those who block, obstruct, impede, or otherwise interfere with the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic upon a public street or highway.[7] Some jurisdictions also penalize slow moving vehicle traffic.[8] The unimpeded flow of traffic in the public road-space is often considered a common right.[citation needed]

1

u/olivawDaneel Mar 23 '23 edited Mar 23 '23

Find me the law stating peaceful protests on roads are inherently illegal. That protests on roads are inherently illegal. Don't link wikipedia articles. This isn't grade 6 homework.

Here's a hint. Look for something in 1988.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

Obstructing a Highway or Public Thoroughfare

What does it mean to obstruct a highway?

Below is the actual language of the statute. After the statute, we discuss what this actually means in real life.

13-2906. Obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare; classification; definition

A. A person commits obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare if the person, alone or with other persons, does any of the following:

  1. Having no legal privilege to do so, recklessly interferes with the passage of any highway or public thoroughfare by creating an unreasonable inconvenience or hazard.
  2. Intentionally activates a pedestrian signal on a highway or public thoroughfare if the person’s reason for activating the signal is not to cross the highway or public thoroughfare but to do both of the following:

(a) Stop the passage of traffic on the highway or public thoroughfare.

(b) Solicit a driver for a donation or business.

  1. After receiving a verbal warning to desist, intentionally interferes with passage on a highway or other public thoroughfare or entrance into a public forum that results in preventing other persons from gaining access to a governmental meeting, a governmental hearing or a political campaign event.

B. Obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare under subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section is a class 1 misdemeanor. Obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare under subsection A, paragraph 1 or 2 of this section is a class 3 misdemeanor.

C. For the purposes of this section, “public forum” has the same meaning prescribed in section 15-1861.

What activities can be charged as obstruction?

Let’s talk about section A(2) first. This basically says that a person can’t push the pedestrian button at an intersection to change the light from green to red for the sole purpose of soliciting the cars that are then stopped by the red light. In other words, this is targeted at people at intersections who are seeking handouts.

Section A(3) is targeting people who are blocking travel for political reasons.

What we see in our office are charges related to section A(1). These charges often stem from an intersection takeover or street takeover. In an intersection takeover, people use their cars and bodies to block travel through an intersection so that other drivers can do donuts or other stunts in the intersection. Anyone whose car is parked in the intersection, or who is physically standing in the intersection blocking traffic, could be charged with obstruction.

Another possible situation would be if someone parked or stopped their car on a road or highway in such a way that the car was blocking the passage of traffic in a lane.

What are the consequences of an obstructing a highway conviction?

A conviction for obstructing a highway (Section A(1)) is a class 3 misdemeanor, the lowest level misdemeanor in Arizona. In theory, a class 3 misdemeanor can result in up to 30 days in jail, fines up to $500 plus surcharges (just about doubling the fines), and up to one year probation. As a practical matter, jail time and probation are unlikely unless the driver has a substantial criminal history.

https://trafficlawguys.com/criminal-traffic-violations/obstructing-a-highway-or-public-thoroughfare/#:~:text=A.,an%20unreasonable%20inconvenience%20or%20hazard.

Now let's see YOU post evidence that it's legal like YOU claim.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

And before you post something else that's stupid, if you really think it's not illegal, go park your car in an intersection and stand outside and block everyone and see what happens when the cops show up. Tell them you're protesting, it's perfectly fine, right? Surely you won't get arrested.

2

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

you're awfully quiet after all that stupid shit you were talking, and you just downvoted all my posts lol. Pathetic, but completely expected.

1

u/Alchemystic1123 Mar 23 '23

Regardless of your personal opinions, it's illegal, and it's illegal because it creates danger. Your opinion means shit against the law my friend.

18

u/Glittering_Sail_3914 Mar 21 '23 edited Mar 21 '23

I knew what would have happened,

There could be a minister rally on fucking highway where cars are at speed of 80km/hr,so naturally if there is traffic on highway this cases are unavoidable.but then also driver should have slowed the car.

And also i don't think this video is from india,

Edit- yeah this post is from Pakistan,guy that has posted is from Pakistan so i think this post too is from pakistan.i may be wrong though.

2

u/Sonic--boom Mar 23 '23

It is from Pakistan. Also being a Pakistani myself I'm pretty sure the car was traveling with the group that was rallying seeing how the car is the one mostly used by politians and people in power here. They were probably traveling with the rest and weren't that careful/were trying to drive faster.

8

u/exhaustedqueer Mar 22 '23

Oh yall don't have brakes?

4

u/HeartlesSoldier Mar 22 '23

Actually that's just following too closely no matter how you look at it

2

u/Panamaned Mar 22 '23

What are those belty looking things hanging from the roof pillars? Some sort of decoration? Nobody knows. Nobody knows.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '23

The only english they know is mother f#@&#$ 😂

1

u/hersheymarshmellow Mar 22 '23

Fuck you bloody

1

u/BigChunilingus Mar 22 '23

BLOODY FUCK YOU

1

u/bmujeeb Mar 22 '23

It's in Pakistan..

1

u/Djentleman97 Mar 22 '23

It amazes me how many people don’t just look a bit ahead instead of only focusing on the one person right in front of you at all times. I’ve avoided so many situations by just scanning my surroundings once in a while.

1

u/Both-Independence342 Mar 22 '23

Too bad he didn't get the truck with people in the bed.

1

u/Famous-Swan-8933 Mar 22 '23

i mean it doesn’t take a genius to recognize that the thing in front of you is getting closer and maybe you should lay off the fuckin gas, skill issue

1

u/Plainclothesnpc Mar 22 '23

Fucking geniuses I tell ya. Hit your brakes in the middle of a freeway again! Go ahead! I dare ya!

1

u/Albioris Mar 23 '23

I'm sorry, but if your dumb enough to sit or lay down on a highway you get what you get.

1

u/ETVG Mar 23 '23

People riled up together, regardless if they're right or wrong, can behave super entitled.

1

u/ArchdevilTeemo Mar 27 '23

I hate political rallies on highways as well but this wasn't the cause of this crash.

0

u/Ivor-Toad Mar 22 '23

RHD? Where's that?

0

u/Nuni2xTimes Mar 22 '23

I like the fact that no Karen screamed and how normal of a day it is for the taxi driver.

-3

u/Hexacus Mar 21 '23

The taxi driver didn't even flinch

1

u/Sonic--boom Mar 23 '23

There was no taxi

-5

u/Hexacus Mar 21 '23

The taxi driver didn't even flinch

-4

u/GiantRetortoise Mar 22 '23

Oh the bootlickers are posting their protest violence videos today, lovely

-4

u/Dirty_munch Mar 22 '23

Lol i wasn't sure if its Maga Idiots or somewhere in the middle East.. says a lot

5

u/BostonTBagParty9090 Mar 22 '23

That you might need glasses

-27

u/Rezomik Mar 21 '23

only in india. stupid people.

5

u/_lucif3r_ Mar 22 '23

its pakistan homie with the extra chromie

1

u/Sonic--boom Mar 23 '23

...hella weird to see this comment knowing you are indian...and that this is clearly in Pakistan. Man's just calling himself stupid