Video: Driver left scene of an accident / Update: driver caught

[whatthe2]

That's not a private driveway if it is his driveway.

Doesn’t matter, CA doesn’t exempt you in front of your own driveway.

Sgt. Derik Ohlson, who is in charge of the Redlands Police Department Traffic Unit, noted that California Vehicle Code section 22500 governs the issue of blocking public or private driveways and the law does not give exemptions to owners of private property. “Therefore, any vehicle that is blocking a public/private driveway is subject to citation. Without further research, one can only speculate on why this is the case. It may be so that emergency personnel and equipment have access to the private property in case of an emergency,” he said.

 

[jsanford]

I was in a my-fault accident while in college. When I graduated and bought my first car, my premiums cost more each month than my payments, for three years. It certainly hammered the lesson home, monthly. 36 times.

I don’t know this young woman’s story—although I buy it, people drive terribly on their cellphones—but she’ll either learn from it, or not. No guarantees. Have to laugh that she lives across the street and thought you wouldn’t notice, Nest cam or not.

 

[SOULPEDL]

OK, I figured out a likely scenario to explain the accident. Variation on what was said, except that the turn in the middle of the street wasn't to line up to the Tesla, it was more likely hesitation in a left turn.

We are missing the conversation in that car. The debate was about the Tesla and whether or not to take a closer look. Explains the long pause at the stop sign, then starts the turn and pauses. Reconsidering, the driver backs up using mirrors and didn't realize that they weren't retracing their path.

Boils down to a lack of spatial awareness followed by a holy-crap moment where Fight or Flight instincts took over so they drove off quickly. Two very separate events, one messed up driver, maybe drunk maybe not.

Face it, you don't ram a car in reverse with a side brush... that's hard to do actually without catching the corner.

 

[gflight2002]

Oh really? This says otherwise:
Law section

(e) (1) In front of a public or private driveway, except that a bus engaged as a common carrier, schoolbus, or a taxicab may stop to load or unload passengers when authorized by local authorities pursuant to an ordinance.

I believe this happened in New Jersey, and here is what New Jersey law says:

New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 39 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION
Section 39:4-138.3 - Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions

Universal Citation: NJ Rev Stat § 39:4-138.3 (2013)

39:4-138.3. Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.39:4-138 to the contrary, any municipality may, by ordinance, permit the parking of motor vehicles in front of private driveways whenever both the motor vehicle and driveway involved are owned by the same person, whenever the motor vehicle is owned by a member of the same household as the owner of the private driveway, or whenever the owner of the private driveway authorizes the parking of a motor vehicle in front of the private driveway; and where such parking is not otherwise prohibited and the permitting thereof would not interfere with the normal flow of traffic.

 

[whatthe2]

I believe this happened in New Jersey, and here is what New Jersey law says:

New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 39 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION
Section 39:4-138.3 - Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions

Universal Citation: NJ Rev Stat § 39:4-138.3 (2013)

39:4-138.3. Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.39:4-138 to the contrary, any municipality may, by ordinance, permit the parking of motor vehicles in front of private driveways whenever both the motor vehicle and driveway involved are owned by the same person, whenever the motor vehicle is owned by a member of the same household as the owner of the private driveway, or whenever the owner of the private driveway authorizes the parking of a motor vehicle in front of the private driveway; and where such parking is not otherwise prohibited and the permitting thereof would not interfere with the normal flow of traffic.

Got it thanks. Not sure why I was thinking CA.

 

[dhanson865]

Minimum liability is 1million CAD in Ontario. Most push it to 2million for 3$/month more. How the hell do people drive with such low insurance?

In places with lower requirements the cost isn't subsidized as much. Those that pay for the high coverage pay a higher percentage to the pool than those that don't. That makes it a negative feedback making those that don't want to pay more risk the under insurance side of that equation.

 

[Omnomynous]

It doesn't look intentional to me. Stupid, but not intentional. Actually, accidentally stupid and then unforgivably stupid. Just a spectacularly bad driver with the morality of a 12 yr old on a joyride, which is just as bad as intentional. They should take her license away.

 

[molder101]

Well my first joke got moved to snippiness so I must rewrite it because it was too easy to misinterpret..... I figured the scenario was so absurd that surely the joking element would come through.... so let me try again.... I'm suggesting that the OP was tricked by a gorgeous woman driving around with a 6 month old baby.... only to pass a white Tesla.... she stops the car and stares into her rear view mirror. Surely the man who owns the Tesla Model 3 is well off..... he must be compassionate and caring too because the vehicle is electric... he cares about the earth... (the car is masculine in my sexist joke).... this compassion will end up being the OP's undoing as his kindness will soon leave him vulnerable. As she stares back, the nest camera at the house catches her eye.... the woman's intentions turn dark..... her crying baby and late car payment has pushed her to the brink.... she reverses the car.... slams the vehicle into the Tesla....and drives off knowing she'll be caught... the trap is set.

The OP finds his car and is enraged.... tracks the person down with the police and knocks on the door with a powerful law officer at his side .... yet when the door opens.... instead of a careless hoodlum, he is confronted by a desperate, beautiful woman.... tears in her eyes.... clutching her child close.... don't send me to jail sir! Little Mauricio needs diapers and food! his heart melts. Fast forward 16 years.... the OP is now driving the young man to the mall in his still unrepaired Model 3.... Instead of using the insurance money to repair the car, he put the money in a 529 tax sheltered account so the young boy could go to college..... The OP is broke..... the con is complete.

Totally hilarious... Love it.

You have the soul of an author!

Not everything in life needs taken so seriously.

 

[molder101]

Nice reading your posts, you have a great view on life. Glad everything worked out.

Would caution you tho, don't mention the bf to her. Odds are she's just going to mention what you said when she gets into another argument with him and bring up your name and then you have no Idea what the bf is going to do.

Smart recommendation. Maybe I'll just generalize.

 

[molder101]

Gonna get thousands of disagrees here as my viewpoint is contrary to most.

My wife worked in personal lines insurance for decades. A $2,000 semi-annual premium for minimum coverage is essentially unheard of (at least in California). For a premium to be that high, this person has to have had a horrible driving record: perhaps a DUI, a couple of at fault accidents, and maybe a slew of other moving violations. So, I think we can eliminate the possibility that this will be a learning experience for this poor young lady and help her mature. I think it is odds-on that she is a recidivist with hit-and-run.

Second, she is clearly talking on the phone while driving. I don't care if it is a residential area; New Jersey prohibits driving while "using" a cell phone. I think we can glean from this that she is indifferent to following the law. She is a selfish, self-centered little girl.

Third, she is unmarried, living with her mother, early 20s, and has an infant. She has no visible means of even minimal support for herself and her child. Getting pregnant is an adult thing to do. Raising a child is probably the most important task we humans are faced with. So, on the one hand she wants to be an adult and raise a child. But on the other hand, she acts like a small child that broke the neighbor's window and does not come forward and admit it.

Fourth, she did not come forward voluntarily. She only admitted her crime after she was confronted with incontrovertible evidence. Why do you suppose that is? It is more than plausible that she has been down this road before, given her insurance premiums. She knows full well the mess that she got herself into.

It is OK to have empathy for her situation. But she should get whatever the State of New Jersey metes out as appropriate. You are an adult. You made bad choices.

I do agree with these points, sometimes it's just a judgment call.

You are correct that it could be her premium was high because of violations, however it could also be she had a lapse in coverage or something like that that raised the rates. Add to that the fact that she is a young driver and 4k a year is easy in NJ (for minimum limits).

What she did does not reinforce to me that she is responsible though I hope that that will change in the future.

Unfortunately, you generally need responsible people around you/in your life or it is difficult to learn it.

 

[molder101]

Don’t just blame democrats. I live in a state that was ran by republicans (until recently). Republicans haven’t exactly been friendly to Tesla nor insurance rates.

Agree that often it's non-partisan failure when it comes to government, however my reference point was the previous NJ administration vs the current. As it pertains to my stated annoyance, it was driven by one side, which is why I shared it that way. It by no means was meant to further that one party is better than another overall. That tends to be something quite personal to individuals.

 

[molder101]

I believe this happened in New Jersey, and here is what New Jersey law says:

New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 39 - MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC REGULATION
Section 39:4-138.3 - Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions

Universal Citation: NJ Rev Stat § 39:4-138.3 (2013)

39:4-138.3. Parking in front of driveway permitted; conditions
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.39:4-138 to the contrary, any municipality may, by ordinance, permit the parking of motor vehicles in front of private driveways whenever both the motor vehicle and driveway involved are owned by the same person, whenever the motor vehicle is owned by a member of the same household as the owner of the private driveway, or whenever the owner of the private driveway authorizes the parking of a motor vehicle in front of the private driveway; and where such parking is not otherwise prohibited and the permitting thereof would not interfere with the normal flow of traffic.

Thanks for sharing this.

I couldn't fathom why I wouldn't be able to park in front of my own driveway, but this makes it clear it's OK.

 

[gflight2002]

Thanks for sharing this.

I couldn't fathom why I wouldn't be able to park in front of my own driveway, but this makes it clear it's OK.

Your welcome!

 

[buttershrimp]

Let me try and deliver this joke one last time... it's too good to let it die without one last attempt.

The OP was fooled by the oldest trick in the book..... "The Tesla Two Step"

The woman in the video drove past the Tesla.... and thought to herself.... "dammmmmmnnnnn! that car is sweet!" The owner must be compassionate and caring because the vehicle is electric... he cares about the earth... he'd be a good father to Little Billy.... the young child sitting in the back.

The woman's intentions turn dark..... raising a child on her own has pushed her to the brink.... she puts her car in reverse and slams the vehicle into the Tesla.

The trap is set.

When the OP finds his car damaged, and becomes enraged. He tracks the criminal down with the help of the police.

When police knock on the door, the OP expects to see a criminal, but instead he sees a desperate, beautiful woman with tears in her eyes.... clutching her child.... "don't send me to jail sir! Little Billy needs to go to school!"

The OP's heart melts.

10 years later, and the OP is forced to drive to drive little Billy to school in his still damaged Model 3.... Instead of using the insurance money to repair the car, he put the money in a 529 tax sheltered account so Billy could go to college.....

The OP is broke..... the con is complete.

The Tesla Two Step.