Readers’ Scoop: Aside From The Chillul Hashem, You Almost Ran Someone Over

Readers-Scoop-Logo smallHere goes….More on our great driving Habits….Well after seeing yesterday’s post about someone cutting off a funeral procession, I thought it would take a while to outdo that one. Not so! You were driving a Buick with Illinois plates going north on Forest Ave. shortly before 7:30 a.m. yesterday. While I was waiting for the red light, you tore around me with inches to spare and shot off as soon as the light turned green. Ok, unfortunately, THAT alone does not startle anyone in this town anymore. I figured you might be one of the members on Lakewood’s Fire Department and you just received a call.

You then proceeded a couple blocks north and caught up to a school bus slowing down with its yellow lights flashing already. The bachur waiting at the corner steps off the curb to approach the bus as the red lights start flashing and you promptly tore around the school bus ON THE RIGHT SIDE! The bachur jumped back onto the curb and the driver screamed, but you were long gone.

Aside from the Chillul Hashem, you almost ran someone over. What chas Veshalom would have been your excuse? What in the world were you thinking about? Please, let this be ANOTHER wake-up call.

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38 COMMENTS

  1. Get a job with the LPD! What’s this moaning everytime you see someone drve inapropiate, the saying goes “anyone who drives faster than me is a maniac and whoever drives slower is an idiot” . Just relax!

  2. Anyone responding to an emergency call whether a firefighter or Hatzolah member would be using flashing emergency lights so you can forget that excuse. Aside for the fact that every emergency responder knows to use extreme caution around school buses.

    Illinois plates? sounds like someone’s shver needs to pay for his eidim’s life insurance besides for the car insurance he’s already paying.

  3. michigan and illinois plates are commonplace in today’s lakewood. Insurance is cheaper or something there. Seichel is apparently in short supply too. If it wasnt that the cops would get harrassed for enforcing the law, they would really crack down on people who do these things. But we all know, as soon as 2 yeshiva guys get a ticket for speeding, talking on cell while driving or illegal moves around a school bus, (moderated) will call —- and they will tell Robert Lawson the real “rules of the road”. A shandeh and a chillul Hashem, and we know it but we tolerate it. Let the hamoin am state here that we will not stand for it anymore and the askanim should keep silent where true dangerous violations (i.e. moving violations, not parking) are involved. The safety of YOUR children depend on it.

  4. Not as bad as the minivan that made a right onto 4th st from Madison yesterday without signaling. The 18 wheeler behind her almost made her and the car he almost swerved into a PANCAKE

  5. FYI…
    I happen to know whom you are talking about. The guy is a foreigner. (israeli to be exact) and wont be here long – no worries.
    You can be sure he wont be reading this. He does not read newspapers and doesnt know what the internet is.
    Sadly driving is not one of his strong points either.

    As #1 put it. R E L A X! BH nothing happened. Shomer Pesoyim Hashem

  6. doe V look around your complex’s parking lot. lots of illinois plates and I dont think they are your cleaning lady’s many cars.

  7. I spoke to my rov about reporting someone passing a school bus to the police, he said not only its allowed you have an obligation to do that

  8. I saw 2 women in a car yesterday with Hatzolah on her tail with lights and sirens and she acted oblivious to everyone else moving over! She just stayed driving in the left lane going the speed limit. Where’s the seichel??

  9. some people got their licenses so long ago, they already forgeot the rules of the road. Maybe retaking a written test to renew one’s license should be mandatory. I know it’d be a pain in the neck, but, really, so many people are totally oblivious to obvious common sense on the road it is absolutely astounding!

  10. For future reference, there is a 5 point moving violation for passing a school bus with red flashing lights.

    Try fighting that ticket in court…

  11. Eitza tova #19…..I am guessing that you either do not have scool age children or you need help. That could be your kid stepping off the curb to the bus. What can your cooment possibly mean? You see, this is why we will never resolve the problem. We have terrible drivers AND we have Eitza Tovas to cheer them on.

  12. I already noticed this animal several times around town, silver Buick with Illinois plates. We got to take him down once and for all! Chilul Habriyas and Hashem!!!

  13. reg joe shmoe said,

    “I saw 2 women in a car yesterday with Hatzolah on her tail with lights and sirens and she acted oblivious to everyone else moving over! She just stayed driving in the left lane going the speed limit. Where’s the seichel??”

    If you learned anything and werent affected by todays liberal american “culture” you would know that woamn dont have siechel like us men (“dattam kallos”) There is a reason why many chasidishe rabbonim beleive woman shouldnt drive and anyone who obsereves the world can see that they are correct. I’m sure if any of our Chazal would see woman driving they would recoil in horror.

  14. You know, I’ve been encouraged by the posting of items like this lately. As a long time resident, I can tell you that the Yeshivishe driving is a phenomenon that grew with the growth of the Yeshivishe community: ergo, those who say we’re imagining it, or dan l’kaf zchus or mind your own business are making a serious error. The problem is very real.

    Around 1990, I had a situation that required me to drive up Forest Avenue every morning between 8 and 9 AM. I had driven for many years before that in and around Lakewood, Ocean County, in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Israel, Los Angeles and a number of places in between. Nothing prepared me for the insanity of the driving on that one stretch of road. Every day was another death-defying experience, with people blowing stop signs, shooting out of driveways, pulling out of parking spots, passing buses, stopping unexpectedly in the middle of the road, etc., etc. Unfortunately, this experience can now be “enjoyed” just about anywhere in town as the community has grown.

    Even though being dan l’kaf zchus is a great mitzva and ideal, it does not outweigh the issues of chillul Hashem, pikuach nefesh and the mitzva of V’nishmartem. It’s no longer a matter of being dan l’kaf zchus either: when there’s an epidemic, you don’t say, “maybe its this, maybe its that…” When you see with your eyes dozens of examples of horrible driving, lack of courtesy, inconsideration, violations of laws, carelessness, recklessness and outright chutzpa EVERY DAY, you have to be a tipish to insist that people are making up the problem.

    Rather than scoffing at people who raise these issues, let’s praise them and keep repeating the message that driving behavior must change: our very lives, our health and the Honor of Hashem depend on it!

  15. for this reason i dont pickup hitch hikers. On centeral today a bachur was waiting for a hitch. The car in front of me braked sharpely & swerved out of norm to the right so he could do a “mitzvah”.

    he had no idea what was behind him and what accident he can cause.

    We need to set up legal pick up points and this would alleviate the sudden drastic wild moves of piclup friends that need a ride.

    OR we need to create a working bus transprotation system for major artieries of traffic such as central, county line, route 9, forest, hope rd. 14 th st…..Park Ave. Ridge….

  16. It’s just city driving, yes Lakewood has become a city it is not because people are moser nefesh to learn Torah, it is not because shvers are moser nefesh so their daughters should marrie benei Torah it’s because Lakewood has grown like a city.

  17. Why can’t we be honest? If you want to pull out of your driveway…you have to wait for a goy! to let you out! If you want to pull out into traffic….you have to wait for a goy to wave you in! wanna parallel park? You have to wait for a goy to stop behind you! Our manners and midos on the road stink! And it is just a reflection of the arrogant way we think we own this town. Do you think the secular newspapers are dreaming when they write about the rabbinical students driving with a coffee in one hand and a cell phone in the other while 2 kids are walking across the back seat??? They are right! And we are guilty of putting our kids and others lives in our arrogant hands. Let’s stop making excuses! Stop shooting past Stop signs. Stop swerving around the road. Stop balancing an entire meal on your steering wheel. Start being courteous. Start being a mentsch. Start following laws. it’s your obligation as a citizen and MOST of all as a frum ben Torah.

  18. Hey 25! Can you explain your stupid theory as to why “yeshivish” ppl SPELL any worse than goyim or non Torah learning Jews? DISSCUSTING

  19. Chaim; since it is well known and documented that limud hatora leads to improved midos your slander of torah learners is SHEKER, a talmid chochom treats his wife his neighbors and a goy better than the am haaretz he is more of a mench and drives safer and better. On the other hand please explain what causes a goy or a fancy working guy to control his midos? Do they learn musser in the bar? …??

  20. Did you ever experiance road rage from a yeshivaman? Did he ever curse you or try to run you over?? They talk on phones just as much as anyone els in the world! You guys don’t check your BB? ??

  21. tyrone, whats a “fancy working guy”?
    sinas chinam will get you everywhere in this world, but you will pay for it later, when it counts. its time for you to pick up the mussar sefer you keep waving, open it and read a little. save your own soul, no one else will care.
    as to your blindness to the machlah of insensitivity to others when driving, and in other areas…mussar will allow emes to re-enter your heart and mind. dont be a knee-jerk apologist for anti-social anti-Torah behaviour

  22. #33. First not every one in Lakewood acts in the manner Chazal describe a Talmid Chocom as acting .Tragically there even those (a tiny minority) who act more like that which Chazal were describing when they said ‘Talmid Chocom Sh’ain Bo Daas Nevoalh Tova Himenu'(the Talmid Chochom part doesn’t apply, the ain bo daas might)

    In relation to this specific issue.There are too many complaints about the way we drive for us to ignore them.Derech Eretz (as it applies on the road)is no different from other areas of Derech Eretz that need constant work and improvement.But given the Chilul Hashem & danger involved it should be a priority.

    One of the 48 kniyonim of Torah is ‘Ohev es H’tochocah’ That is not apparent by those who respond to criticism by talking about how much better we are.

  23. Tyrone, with all due respect….please stop talking about Yeshiva guys! Try to open a Gemorah or other sefer instead of making a fool of yourself online.

  24. Tyrone is in need of a lot of love and warmth and comfortable pajamas and special candies that make him feel good in the room with the rubber walls.

    He shows the reason we have the problems described in this and a growing number of threads. The chutzpah of thinking Yidden can do no wrong and should never be criticized. As others have done, I wrote a comment that was reasoned, balanced and consistent with the everyday observations of anyone with eyes. For this Tyrone (what an appropriate name for someone who speaks like Reverend Wright) calls my “theory” stupid. My comment was not theoretical, Tyrone, it was empirical.

    As the Shaarei Tshuva says, the worst middah a person can have in terms of improving character is leitzanus, which he defines as contempt for mussar or constructive criticism. Such a person can never grow, because he rejects all attempts and ideas aimed at helping him change his ways. Such is the prescription of the Gadol Tyrone.

    As you put it to someone else, Tyrone: get a life and start by growing up and open up a mussar sefer for once.

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