HELP! HIT AND RUN! Can almost make out the plate!!!

[HonestReview]

I would be surprised if a car dashing across two lanes is a common regular occurrence. I doubt that driving frequency at the intersection has anything to do with it.
The arrows on the ground are very clear.

Long story short. Guy who cut him off got away because op's dash camera was stalk mounted and the bass caused too much vibration. Moral of the story, mount the camera directly to the windshield if you plan on bumping your stereo.

Nothing to be gotten from the video except to show the insurance company it was a hit and run.

 

[Nigel]

I would be surprised if a car dashing across two lanes is a common regular occurrence. I doubt that driving frequency at the intersection has anything to do with it.
The arrows on the ground are very clear.

Isn't the purpose of the yield signs to allow traffic from the left to cross into the right lane? But they are supposed to do it before the lane markings turn solid?

Nobody answered Tony's question about how the junction is supposed to work!

 

[thomas-dash]

I would be surprised if a car dashing across two lanes is a common regular occurrence. I doubt that driving frequency at the intersection has anything to do with it.
The arrows on the ground are very clear.

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. I've personally witnessed on multiple occasions people driving on the highway in the left lane cross three lanes of traffic to get the to the exit on the right lane with no room to spare. We both have our opinions, I guess the only difference is you have a little bit more faith in people than I do.

 

[thomas-dash]

Looks like an interesting junction design. Is this the route that the lexus driver should have taken to make the right turn? Or should the queue that the OP was in yield to allow the lexus to get across into that right hand lane?

View attachment 58562

That seems like the easiest way to go that direction on NJ-23 without fighting across two lanes of traffic. If you didn't want to take that circuitous route, then I think the proper way is to merge while the lane marking is still striped. The yield sign is there for the cars to allow this merge. The car that hit OP was already past the striped area and crossing the solid white lanes. Once they were past the striped areas, then they should have followed the route you showed or found a place to turn around legally.

 

[Dashmellow]

Isn't the purpose of the yield signs to allow traffic from the left to cross into the right lane? But they are supposed to do it before the lane markings turn solid?

Nobody answered Tony's question about how the junction is supposed to work!

You asked essentially the same question five days ago.

So how do the yield signs work? The OP didn't yield to anyone!

The yield sign is tens of yards back at the point where traffic is merging. There is no yield sign at the intersection where the accident occurred (see photo above) because there are clearly delineated lanes of traffic for left and right turns and the cars in those lanes have the legal right of way. There would be no expectation that a vehicle would come cutting across your path from two lanes over to the left to make an illegal right hand turn. The intersection also has traffic lights, thus no reason to have a yield sign.

The Lexus should have entered into the designated right hand turn lane and waited for the traffic light to turn green like everyone else. The yield sign had nothing to do with that because it was many yards behind and its purpose was for the two lanes of traffic to merge heading towards the intersection controlled by the traffic signals. As we know, the Lexus driver failed to enter the designated right hand turn lane and instead tried to make the right hand turn from two lanes over to the left across the path of other vehicles. He missed his opportunity to make a legal right hand turn at the light and tried to do so anyway after it was too late.

The design of the junction that Tony posted is irrelevant since the Lexus didn't use it properly and it does not appear to be the same intersection where this accident occurred (the street markings and arrows are different), so it doesn't really show an alternate route for circling back to make the turn in this instance.

 

[thomas-dash]

The design of the junction that Tony posted is irrelevant since the Lexus didn't use it properly and it does not appear to be the same intersection where this accident occurred (the street markings and arrows are different), so it doesn't really show an alternate route for circling back to make the turn in this instance.

OP’s video shows the North 23 mile 14 marker sign. If you search Google Maps for Cotluss road and NJ-23 you can clearly see this is the same intersection.

 

[TonyM]

This hit and run Occured in front of target across from lukoil gas station on route 23 in Riverdale.

The design of the junction that Tony posted is irrelevant since the Lexus didn't use it properly and it does not appear to be the same intersection where this accident occurred

I did my homework before posting that google earth image, rather than pick out a lookalike junction.

106 NJ-23, Riverdale, NJ 07457, USA

 

[TonyM]

The Lexus should have entered into the designated right hand turn lane and waited for the traffic light to turn green like everyone else. The yield sign had nothing to do with that because it was many yards behind and its purpose was for the two lanes of traffic to merge heading towards the intersection controlled by the traffic signals. As we know, the Lexus driver failed to enter the designated right hand turn lane and instead tried to make the right hand turn from two lanes over to the left across the path of other vehicles. He missed his opportunity to make a legal right hand turn at the light and tried to do so anyway after it was too late.

Looking at it again now, I agree with your analysis.

There is a short distance in which to merge across the dotted lines, before reaching the designated turn lanes with solid line markers. My previous attempt at a circuitous route was overly complicated

 

[IAmATeaf]

Got to agree and I know nothing about USA driving regs [emoji3] The yield sign was way before at the point where the OP joins the main road.

Bottom line is the Lexus driver cut across the lanes, probably thought it was clear when the driver to his left let him through not realising that the OP was in the very first lane.

 

[Dashmellow]

I did my homework before posting that google earth image, rather than pick out a lookalike junction.

106 NJ-23, Riverdale, NJ 07457, USA

thomas-dash:​

OP’s video shows the North 23 mile 14 marker sign. If you search Google Maps for Cotluss road and NJ-23 you can clearly see this is the same intersection.

I concluded that the intersection was not the same because the arrow markings in the road are different in the video than they are in the Google Map image.

In the video, there are clearly two right/straight arrow markings in the road in the right turn lane, one after the other as the OP's car approaches the turn.

There is also a left turn arrow in the lane to the OP's left.

The Google Map photo you posted shows only a single right/straight arrow marking in the road approaching the turn as well as a straight arrow to the OP's left instead of a left turn arrow as clearly seen in the OP's video.

So, I concluded that this must be a different intersection along Route 23 in New Jersey.

Something doesn't add up when you compare the two images.

 

[TonyM]

I concluded that the intersection was not the same because the arrow markings in the road are different in the video than they are in the Google Map image.

Something doesn't add up when you compare the two images.

OP was travelling south, not north.

Sadly the lane markings are mostly obscured by stationary cars in the aerial view.

 

[Dashmellow]

OP was travelling south, not north.

Sadly the lane markings are mostly obscured by stationary cars in the aerial view.

OK, that would explain it, but then why did you post a close up aerial view featuring the northbound intersection? It was confusing.

 

[TonyM]

OK, that would explain it, but then why did you post a close up aerial view of the northbound intersection?

Just trying to show the area where cars approaching from the north are queueing and merging with those on the loop. You can see the short stretch of dotted lines, then the solid lane markings which the Lexus should not have crossed like you said.

 

[Dashmellow]

Just trying to show the area where cars approaching from the north are queueing and merging with those on the loop. You can see the short stretch of dotted lines, then the solid lane markings which the Lexus should not have crossed like you said.

I understand. The way it was presented lead my eye to the northbound turn as I couldn't see the road markings in the southbound lane of travel.

 

[HonestReview]

I find it hilarious certain parties here are trying to over analyze the situation. The Lexus was 100% at fault. The whole debate is summed up in one photo.

1. Note Red Circles. Left Hand Turn ONLY.
2. Note Orange Circle: Right Hand Turn Only or Proceeding straight
3. Thus, 3 Left Turn Lanes, one Right Turn Lane / Proceed Street Lane

Lexus crossed the solid white line, and tried to make an illegal right turn, by crossing two Left Only Turn Lanes.

OP would have no way of knowing the idiot in the Lexus was going to drive illegally. You often have split seconds to make a decision. Video always makes it appear as if reaction times can be prolonged. But we have the benefit of seeing and knowing an event is about to occur.

 

[Dashmellow]

It's a shame that the OP spontaneously decided to turn off the road into the convenience store parking lot. If he had continued along the road along with the Lexus that made the illegal turn and hit him he would likely have been able to capture his license plate on camera just by letting the car get ahead of him. And at that point he had already turned off the loud music.

 

[Nigel]

It's a shame that the OP spontaneously decided to turn off the road into the convenience store parking lot. If he had continued along the road along with the Lexus that made the illegal turn and hit him he would likely have been able to capture his license plate on camera just by letting the car get ahead of him. And at that point he had already turned off the loud music.

Except that the Lexus turned right so was not behind!

 

[Nigel]

I find it hilarious certain parties here are trying to over analyze the situation. The Lexus was 100% at fault.

Nobody has ever suggested that the Lexus was not at fault!

What I suggested was that although the Lexus was at fault, it would have been sensible for the OP to have avoided the collision. The Toyota that the Lexus cut across first braked to avoid the collision and so avoided getting damaged, the OP accelerated into the collision so did get damaged.

OP would have no way of knowing the idiot in the Lexus was going to drive illegally.

We can see the Lexus indicating a right turn for a quarter of a minute before the collision, plenty of time to to plan a safe option!

 

[Dashmellow]

We can see the Lexus indicating a right turn for a quarter of a minute before the collision, plenty of time to to plan a safe option!

I often see drivers with their turn signal on that never make the turn. Some don't even realize that their signal is on. Pisses me off but it is hardly uncommon. The OP may not have noticed the signal or expected the Lexus to do something as crazy as cut across two lanes of traffic even if he was signalling that he wanted to. Perhaps the OP could have displayed more situational awarenes but the Lexus was at fault. Stop blaming the victims whenever someone posts a video where they are suddenly cut off in traffic.

 

[HonestReview]

Nobody has ever suggested that the Lexus was not at fault!

What I suggested was that although the Lexus was at fault, it would have been sensible for the OP to have avoided the collision. The Toyota that the Lexus cut across first braked to avoid the collision and so avoided getting damaged, the OP accelerated into the collision so did get damaged.


We can see the Lexus indicating a right turn for a quarter of a minute before the collision, plenty of time to to plan a safe option!

You still gloss over the fact that no one expects a car to cross TWO left only turn lanes, to make a right turn. Especially the driver in the ONLY Right or Straight turn lane. Maybe the OP is a new driver. Maybe he lacks defensive driving. No matter how you slice it, the guy in the Lexus broke the law.

1. By Crossing over Two Lanes to Make a Right Turn in a Left Only Lane
2. Fleeing the scene of an accident.

There's not justification you can make here to change that situation...

Op broke Moral Decency. His crappy music rattled the living hell out of the Nextbase Stalk Mounted camera and rendered the video partially meritious by establishing fault, but then meritless in establishing the driver at fault (no plate identification). Op is sentenced to time served, considering the circumstances and the fact that the hit and run driver made a clean getaway.