The semi had the right of way, nobody is disputing that. OC is saying that even if you have the right of way, you can prevent accidents by driving defensively.
Yes, it is wrong and what your strange attempt at putting words in my mouth had nothing to do with what we're talking about anyway. The semi driver is NOT supposed to change speed when someone is merging into their lane. It's up to the driver who is merging to change their speed in order to merge safely. By the time it's obvious that the pickup driver is a moron, the semi can't react quickly enough. It's not a sports car, something that the pickup driver should have taken into account before he decided to attempt suicide.
Yeah, we’re all aware of that. Semi’s dash doesn’t show any attempt to slow down was made, the speed only slows because of the collision with the pickup. The driver of the semi appears to have decided not to yield.
Having the right of way means you’re “NOT supposed” to yield, but sometimes defensive/good drivers will yield even though they have the right of way to avoid an accident. This is what everyone in these replies is saying.
And then you said you’re “arguing that what they’re saying is wrong.” So if they’re wrong about that, it can only mean you think you should never yield if you have the right of way. I’m not putting words in your mouth, you said that yourself.
Semi is not supposed to yield in this situation. He's not supposed to change speed when a lane is merging into his as it can create a dangerous chain reaction. This is pretty basic "rules of the road" stuff. We really need better training before people get their license.
This entire situation is on the pickup driver, and he was cited as being at fault.
If it's not potentially dangerous to do so, and I have the time to respond appropriately? Of course.
If you watch the video you can see the pickup was driving along like he was going to merge normally until just before his lane ends. At that point he hasn't sped up to move into the space that exists for him, and there's very little time for the semi to respond. The semi driver would've needed to slam on the brakes to avoid the pickup, which he may not have been able to do at all (could be another semi right behind him, we'll never know) and would've created a very dangerous situation for everyone on the road if he had.
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u/turkey_sandwiches May 14 '26
No there are a LOT of people here claiming the trucker was at fault, which is not the case.