Gas Station Near Miss!

[Phoenix599]

So...

I'd almost completed filling up my 91 NSX at a local gas station, and I'm watching the numbers spin at the pump. I'd pulled up to the second of two pumps at the island, so there is a free pump behind me. As I'm daydreaming...I hear the sound of a car's radiator fan getting closer and closer...far closer than it should be. I turn to see a very, very old man (at least in his 80's or 90's by my estimation...wearing those full-coverage sun-glasses to block most sunlight from your eyes...) driving a 25+ year old Buick...heading for my back bumper at about 1 MPH. I was reminded of an oil tanker trying to stop...

He had already passed his pump, and is staring straight ahead. I start yelling at him and jump between him and the NSX...because there is no way that I'm going to let him hit my car. He stops about three feet away, remains mostly motionless, and then slowly starts backing up...without looking behind him as far as I could tell. By this time, I'm terrified that he will back up, then shift into the wrong gear, and this will start all over again. I quickly yanked the pump nozzle out of the fuel filler neck, screwed the cap on, shut the access door, paid and grabbed the receipt in record time. I jumped in the car like I was doing an old time LeMans start, and got distance between me and the other driver.

The very, very scary part about all this is that this gentleman...someone's father and undoubtedly someone's grandfather...is out driving by himself. I value my independence as much as anyone, but IMHO this person should not be driving...period. Absolutely an accident waiting to happen. I sincerely hope that he made it home...and I hope and pray that he doesn't injure himself or anyone else.

Wow...

 

[DocL]

I see this all the time in Florida. What you did however was foolish. Let's say you startled him and he hit the gas. You would have been pinned between both cars and could have easily lost both legs, or even worse, got killed.

If you have parents and children, they are more important than a rear bumper.

Just my 2c.

 

[FF Drifter]

In the US, we say driving is a privilege but it is absolutely treated as a fundamental right. It won't happen with the AARP, but I for one support much stricter and more difficult requirements for getting and keeping a driver's license.

 

[heySkippy]

In the US, we say driving is a privilege but it is absolutely treated as a fundamental right. It won't happen with the AARP, but I for one support much stricter and more difficult requirements for getting and keeping a driver's license.

I'm with you, but for all ages, not just old folks.

 

[BETRNSX]

I was at a mall once (not with my NSX) and saw an old lady in a wheel chair being helped around by security. They helped her get into her car as she couldn't even wheel herself around let alone get out of the chair. She proceeded to drive away on her own.

I was shocked.

 

[91 X]

I see this all the time in Florida. What you did however was foolish. Let's say you startled him and he hit the gas. You would have been pinned between both cars and could have easily lost both legs, or even worse, got killed.

If you have parents and children, they are more important than a rear bumper.

Just my 2c.

Yeah, I'd much rather have my legs then a new bumper....I've seen too many news stories of old folks hitting the wrong peddle, maiming and killing people....

 

[shawn110975]

Bionic legs replacements I would have done the same thing. but..... put my butt right above the license plate bend in the bumper and extended one leg out..... if he was getting that close doing 1mph you can use one leg to lock in to his bumper, then put the other one up and use your legs as the brakes to stop his car. I did this once but was pushing a car with another car using my legs as the buffers so the bumper wouldn't touch I was 22 years old dumb and full of.....

 

[buckeyensx]

I like my car as well but not enough to get ran over by an old man.

 

[NSX-C2]

I once rushed over a busy street, slapped my hand on the back trunk of a very old Volvo as hard as I could, and It stopped about half an inch from my NSX. Five minutes later, a very old man came out of the Volvo with a cane, and said: "Sorry. I park by feel.". I was speechless.

 

[FF Drifter]

I'm with you, but for all ages, not just old folks.

I mentioned the AARP only because I don't know of any influential lobbying organization advocating for young folks. But getting and keeping a driver's license should definitely be made more difficult. Gotta admit that I look forward to autonomous cars only because it might get non-willing drivers off the road.

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

One day we all will be old but I hope I will never loose my edge.

 

[akira3d]

I almost got backed into at a gas station before an NSX drive.

I experienced an incident with my wife in her car that was with an older gentleman who seriously should not have been behind the wheel. He mildly bumped our rear-bumper while we were stopped at a red light. We motioned him to follow us around the corner and he proceeded to drive past us and turned down the next street. When we turned to follow him, he pulled into a driveway and slowly ran into a concrete wall. We got out of the car and confronted him and he seemed completely confused, not remembering that he hit us. We observed no damage to my wife's car, so we just wanted him to be aware of his actions...he probably had no damage on his front bumper, but he did after hitting the concrete wall. When he left, we started thinking that we probably should have reported him.

A week later, there was that incident with an old guy running over people (and narrowly missing some of my coworkers) at the Farmers Market on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, where I worked at the time. It wasn't the same guy, but my first thought upon hearing about this incident was what if it was?

--Eric

 

[boca rat]

I once rushed over a busy street, slapped my hand on the back trunk of a very old Volvo as hard as I could, and It stopped about half an inch from my NSX. Five minutes later, a very old man came out of the Volvo with a cane, and said: "Sorry. I park by feel.". I was speechless.

Urban areas in Italy can be like that. The two cars on each end of a block have their parking brakes on, every one else doesn't. You push your way in slowly....when I was in Naples, basically every car had minor dings.

But I would choose freeway and back road driving in Italy over the USA any day of the week. Folks here are clueless for the most part. Actually urban driving in Italy is actually OK, you just have to be very aggressive and at that same time defensive, prepared for anything. I've been in a taxi that went the wrong way around a roundabout (Naples), and nearly been killed by only looking one way when crossing a one way street (you guessed it, Naples).

And drink driving? First time I went out in Milan an Italian colleague picked me up, got shit faced drove us home - at 15mph. When I questioned him, he said "if you drive this slow, the police know that you've been drinking, and it's really hard to have an accident at this speed so they leave you alone". Right or wrong, the last part is true. Try it.... )

Loads of other stories like being mistaken for a terrorist on Saturday lunchtime on the Milan's busiest shopping street, the 8 offense traffic stop with the 45,000 Lira fine (I think like $50 in today's money), passing a cop car on the Torino-Milano autostrada at night doing 200kph when he was doing 60, the list goes on. Good times.

 

[jtrikakis]

Ah real driving. I've driven the Autobahn, that was fun. Try driving on 66 in NOVA, the worst. Maryland driving is much more fun.

 

[FF Drifter]

Ah real driving. I've driven the Autobahn, that was fun. Try driving on 66 in NOVA, the worst. Maryland driving is much more fun.

It gets good west of Manassas. Except that one time... with the deer... hahahah

 

[Gman]

[QUOTE=boc


And drink driving? First time I went out in Milan an Italian colleague picked me up, got shit faced drove us home - at 15mph. When I questioned him, he said "if you drive this slow, the police know that you've been drinking, and it's really hard to have an accident at this speed so they leave you alone". Right or wrong, the last part is true. Try it.... )

Lol....so you're encouraging drinking and driving?

 

[95nsxtc]

Pardon my french here but.... i f**king hate older drivers. I've lost 3 of my cars to them. I kno im young but seriously, if you dont have the money to afford a private driver by your later years, then like phoenix said, someone has to kno the person and if they are that out of it, then it shouldnt be very hard to get them to sell their car. Both my grandmas dont drive anymore on purpose by their own will and i will be the first to take the keys away from my grandfather when it becomes even questionably necessary. The encounter with NSX-C2's old person wouldve resulted in me asking for their keys and throwing them very far away. Im sorry you park by feel?!?!?! (driving thru grocery store parking lot, 'bump', o i guess ill park here. said bump was a 3 year old)Ive always been an advocate of changing license qualifications past the age of 65. I know not every older person is at fault, hell Paul Newman won his last race in his 80s, but the rest of these need to have their cars taken from them, because if they are that bad, not having a license wont stop them

 

[Brooklynzson]

i once rushed over a busy street, slapped my hand on the back trunk of a very old volvo as hard as i could, and it stopped about half an inch from my nsx. Five minutes later, a very old man came out of the volvo with a cane, and said: "sorry. I park by feel.". I was speechless.

lmfaoooooooo

 

[boca rat]

Definitely not, just saying that things are a little different over there....

Autobahn was cool, but back in the 80s and 90s the autostrada (Italy) and autoroute (France, especially in the south east) were basically the same, unrestricted. South of France was awesome, fantastic roads, beautiful scenery, no one going fast. Autobahn went down hill fast in 1990 when the wall came down. You had to be way more careful with eastern European shit boxes pulling out into the left lane at 60mph when you are doing 120...

First time I went on the autobahn around 1988, I thought I was the dogs bollocks doing 100mph in an 81 Vette in the left lane (scary thought I know but I digress). That lasted about 5 minutes before I nearly got run over by a 7 series doing 150mph or so that I didn't see coming....at night. A big lesson learned.