A few days ago I decided to pick up my son from school in the Vette. The LS5 was running good after some recently completed repairs/upgrades and the weather was perfect, which made for a nice drive. On the way to his school, I was traveling at or near the speed limit (40 MPH Zone) and entered an intersection on green only to have a Range Rover turn left, right in front of me. I mean right in front me, panic braking time. Fortunately, when the rear wheels locked-up, I had presence of mind to back out of the pedal enough to keep the front wheels rolling to maintain enough maneuverability to somehow miss the Range Rover. I still don’t know how I managed to miss it, but I remember thinking as I jammed on the brakes and the side of the Range Rover rapidly filled-up my field of vision, “This is going to be a fine end to a chrome bumper classic”. As I later sat in the parking lot waiting for school to get out, I got to thinking that there has been a disproportionate amount of such excitement with the Vette. Earlier the same day, an idiot in a S10 Blazer with a utility trailer pulled out in front of me; no way was the utility trailer going to clear without hard braking on my part. This stuff happens 3 or 4 times a year. The first day I had the Vette, an old man in a Buick pulled out right in front of me. Not even the slightest acknowledgement of any wrongdoing; despite, squealing tires, horn, and stares of disbelief from myself and my passenger; no, eyes straight ahead. Okay, he was old and probably shouldn’t be driving, but a few weeks later a guy in a 2500 Series Ram Pickup truck pulls out in front of me. I swear he was looking right at me and did it anyway. So, I drive the Vette 700 to 900 miles a year and so far average 3 or 4 such incidents a year. On the other hand, I have had only two such incidents in the same amount of time with my daily driver, a Chevy Equinox driven 34,000 miles. Statistically, something is way out of whack here. I swear more than half the time; they see the Vette and do it anyway. Do people see it and think fiberglass, won’t hurt much? Or classical car, this will ruin his day a whole lot more than mine. Anyone else experienced the same with their C3s? I wonder whether our C2 brethren run into the same issues with careless drivers. I wonder if it’s a Vette thing and the guys in C4s, C5s, and C6s are experiencing the same thing; or whether this is phenomenon confined to classics, and the guys running old Chevelles, Novas, Camaros, Fords and Dodges experience the same such carelessness. It would be a real rude awakening if one of those Jack%^$es got t-boned by a 57 Belair. Okay, end of my rant, but something just doesn’t seem right.

 

I have a C3 and a C5 and yes they do it to both of them. Around here they usually give you the finger too!!
I got one years ago with a 72 Mustang. It was a Ford LTD 1969 I think. Anyway, I totaled it with a Mustang. I hit him right in the front fender Passenger door seam and caved the whole center of the car in. The a hole wasn't wearing a seat belt and I found him sitting on the passenger floor with his legs on the driver's side and a gallon of house paint that was in t he car exploded and was all over. The cop wouldn't let him sit in the cruiser he interviewed him sitting on the curb. Also he didn't have insurance.

 

Yeah.............got to be on your toes always. Happened to me last Friday, a %$%ch in a newer Grand Prix was weaving in and out of traffic during lunch and cane right over on me in the right lane, had to lock it up and almost curbed it. So I chased her down & found her at the drive throught at McDonalds, I pulled up beside her, at first she wouldn't roll down her window, I told her that she needs to learn to drive..........she said oh I didn't see you. You don't run somebody off the road and not see them, Hell everybody in town sees a C3 on the road !

 

Could be a similar attitude people have toward motor cycles? Some sort of stereotype image they have set in their minds about the people who drive these vehicles? At times I think I'd love to have a bike. Problem is drivers in cars are often extremely careless, the biker is usually the one who loses.

Other drivers seem to have little regard for other's property...

 

It's odd what people don't see. A friend got hit in his new (to him) Chevy truck twice. Same thing, people pulled right out in front of him. I sold him the truck so he brought it back and had a solution in mind.

He had me weld the biggest tube steel bumper on the law would allow. He said after that people would go out of their way to get the heck out of his way.

I do watch people though. I watch people watching me as they drive. They almost get in a trance and zone out. They're so busy watching me, they don't realize I'm actually driving on the road where they plan on going. It's just people being stupid. You may have a point with, "It's fiberglass, I'll be ok."

That's why I liked my old Ford truck, if someone pulled out in front me, well...............

 

Short answer to your question, YES.

Hasn't happened in a while, but I do remember it happening a lot, and wondering if I have a target on my back, or is the car so low noone sees it... or WHAT??

As a driver, I always drive defensively, which helps explain no accidents in 40 years of driving, but when I drive the 68 vette, "defensive" driving becomes "paranoid" driving. I spend more time looking in the rear view mirror than out the front, and it really detracts from my enjoyment, especially when my wife is in the car. (because I worry more, not due to anything she says or does) All I see is big SUVs with drivers texting and they have size, airbags and lack of sense on their side and I have a gastank behind me.


oh... here is one example..

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...t-cut-off.html

 

I do not know what the answer is. But the vette is bad, but I have a 75 H2 750 triple. On the bike multiply heart stopping situations by a thousand percent as opposed to the vette. So here is what I found to be somewhat helpful. Always be hyper-aware of every vehicle around you. Also anticipate them making the craziest move that is possible. They will do it.

 

I remember when I got the C3, had it for a couple weeks and was driving down a side road, some blonde biotch on her cell phone driving an SUV made a left turn right in front of me. I locked up the brakes and she didn't bat an eye.

I was thinking I finally got my vette, and a week later it gets busted up. Thankfully I was able to slow down and miss the dumbazz.

 

While my c3 has been sitting I had the opportunity to enjoy a harley for a few months. By enjoy I mean ride a total of 2 months before some F'n A-hole decides (these are his words in the police report) "I saw a guy on his motorbite and I thought I had the right of way", and proceeds to make an illegal left turn, slamming a Dodge Ram Quad cab into my leg, sending the shattered bone through the skin and nearly requiring amputation.

It isn't the hobby/sport... it's the A-holes. If I ever get back on a bike, I will have an AK-47 slung on my back (I ASSURE YOU, motorists would suddenly become observant). Now that I read this thead and have a non-pedigreed vette, I will be looking up an aftermarket tractor-trailor air horn for her. May not stop idiots from cutting me off, but I promise it will only happen once with that driver... that and there's good odds Miss Pris' Starbucks ends up all over her blouse.

 

I had train horns on my Tractor trailer. Yes, believe it or not, TWICE someone ran up under the back of my trailer. My rig was 70 feet long, 13 and half feet high, eight feet wide and BRIGHT FRIGGIN' ORANGE. (Allied Van Lines) BOTH times, what did the person say? "I didn't see it."

I should also mention I was legally parked on the side of the road with safety cones out and the four ways on.

They didn't see me when I was driving down the road either. ...but they heard the train horns.

 

i have a C3 and a C5 and i also agree that it doesn't seem to matter they do it to both. i've had an idiot try to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane right (and i do mean right ) in front of me and the screeching brakes and horn and my yelling didn't even seem to phase him as he looked right into my eyes as his car was perpendicular in front of mine making the turn!

my experience however seems to indicate the worst is on any high speed highway with a higher speed merge lane. i don't know if they look over the top of the vette (either one in this case) or what it is, but it seems like every time someone just continues to merge right into my lane (and sometimes right into my side) while traveling at high speed. scares the crap out of my wife, i can tell you that. it has however programmed me to be much more aware of everything around me at all times while driving either of the vettes.

 

It's not vette specific. It's just how people are driving nowadays.

Heck a cop did the same to my wife last year....she was driving my Blue Z71 (chevy 4x4) with 33" tires on it......she could read his name tag. She gave the one finger wave and hung out the window giving him an ear full.....she was within a foot of t-boning him......that's how close it was.

Small town....he didn't even apologize.....she could have sent him to his grave if she didn't react so fast. So yeah.....it's everyone.

 

http://www.hornblasters.com/ thinking of a set for my Vette

My buddy was parked with his semi full load of lumber... kid slams into the back at 70mph in a brand new Explorer fresh off the dealers lot, he was screwing around with the stereo and wasn't watching the road. He survived after being Airlifted to hospital

 

I can only say that I tend to drive my cars in a "cautiously aggressive" manner. If you don't get out of other folks' way, they'll run you over. So, if in a congested group of cars, I just get away from them as soon as I can. And, as mentioned above, always anticipate that others will make the worst possible choice while driving their cars. So far, so good....

 

wow thought it was my imagination. been riding bike for over 30 years and that is understandable not to see but 1.5 years into vette and its happening there as well and dont even have much seat time in.

thanks for letting me know its not just me

 

So weird that this thread developed. I had some nut look and cut me right off the other day. I was just telling my friend the story how it seemed almost intential the way he did it

 

Absolutely they do it intentionally. Last Saturday, I was driving down a 50 mph street with a car sitting at the light waiting to take a left onto the street I was on, going the same way. In other words, he was on the left, taking a left. The light was green our way, but my daughter and I could see the driver looking at us. He then ran the red light, timing it so that I had to panic stop to avoid crashing into him. He then proceeded to drive at normal speed, and suddenly slam on his brakes for no reason twice, each time looking in the rear-view to see if I had to lean on them hard. Of course, I wasn't anywhere near him after the first incident. Some people just want to jack with you because you have a nice car. It stinks, but I just enjoyed the beautiful weather while I waited to lose him.

 

Haven't had any problem (yet) with people pulling in front of me to cut me off.

I've had lots of problems with tail gaters. These are people that ride right up behind me. I guess the idea is they want me to give them an acceleration demonstration or maybe, what I often do, is just pull over and let them go by. I don't mind letting them successfully think they've intimidated me, I just want them to disappear. Being tailgated in a C3 is an anxious situation since there's really no rear end collision protection. As far as safety goes, I consider my 68 to be a 4 wheeled motorcycle. In the event of a collision, I dont' think the body would offer much protection, maybe a little from the birdcage.

The worst car I had for tail gaters was my 69 BB with pretty much open sidepipe headers. I drove it through the 70's and 80's. With the exhaust sound it attracted a lot of pests.

I haven't had too much trouble with the 68, although it's loud (factory sidepipes). My 08 does attract a**holes. Mostly people in SUV's and pickup trucks. One tactic is to drive right behind be for a while, suddenly pass me, and then quickly pull right in front of me so that I brake to keep them from hitting the front fender.

I've since come to believe that the 08 is a cop magnet. For the last fifteen years that I've lived in LA I do a lot of freeway driving. Usually at 70 to 75 with an occasional burst to 80. This is in a 95 Cadillac Seville. No problem. Then one Sunday, I got tagged by the CHP. Was it a coincidence unrelated to me driving an 08. I don't think so. After being stopped, when the officer walked up and looked in I could see a look of disappointment in her face as she looked and me and my wife, both in our late 60's. I think she was expecting some sort of a younger dude. I got a ticket for driving 75 mph. (75 mph!!!! on the freeway, drive the speed limit of 65 and just abouteveryone will pass you.)

 

 

Ive had very close calls in my 1970 BB Vette, and I swear most do stupid stunts in front of me out of jealousy . Had one Punk get along side me at 50 mph and pretended he was going to sideswipe me ... he came real close and just wanted to give me a good scare. Be careful , and id carry some protection if i were you (IE: Something that goes 'bang') .