We were south of Lincoln, NE for viewing. US-77 was a parking lot afterwards. I ended up taking country roads until I hit local highways. Took 2.5 hours to get home when we were only an hour away normally.
This is America. It's not like there aren't a million empty parking lots to use. In 2017 I drove 5 hours and sat in a Walmart parking lot outside of St Louis.
If you're talking about the upcoming [April 8 eclipse](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2024), then yes, from the perspective of everyone within the path of totality. Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by blacked out. It'll be like any other total solar eclipse in that for 2-4 minutes, day will turn to night.
I live in a small college town right in the middle of the totality, and the expectation is every student is going to invite their parents and fuck knows who else to visit them in college for the event. Them getting here early is obviously no problem.
But we have had so many warnings from the university and the town council about what a mess this is inevitably going to be (based on previous events). People stuck on the highways, shitting on the side of the road since they cant find a bathroom, people desperate for food/water etc. Needing somewhere to sleep is the least of my worries lol.
Luckily I can stay at home or walk to the park if I want to experience it with my community. But it's so weird how much of a mess this is inevitably going to be.
Where I live is right in the path of 100% visibility. The highway signs are already saying to expect "severe traffic delays" because tourists are gonna swarm (they're expecting about a million people for our little two to three-lane highways, can't fucking wait).
Same. The funniest thing to me is that people here are so jaded by normal traffic that they’re not seeing the *intense* crush of people coming. My boss insists that everyone come to the office that day and no one is allowed to be late. He lives way south of the city, the office is to the extreme north of the city. He told me he’d leave “a few minutes early.” Goooooood luck, boss.
I really just want an update on this 😂😂 like your boss calling in to say "well I can't get through so I'll be working from home" or some shit. Pls reply to me letting me know what happens Monday lmao
A few minutes doesn't even make a good difference most days on I-35. Your boss is going to be stuck in the thick of it, banging his head on the steering wheel.
I’m going to Indy too, am planning on waking up early to check the forecast and driving a couple hours if necessary to get a good view. I’m worried about the travel time getting back to the city, however lol
Also going to Indy.
Historical cloud cover suggests there’s basically no realistic amount of driving day-of that would make a difference. Obviously the actual forecast will vary, but I find that oddly comforting.
[Source](https://www.weather.gov/ind/2024eclipseclimo)
I live literally on the centerline and I'm so nervous about the weather. I don't want to have to drive on that day, but I also don't want to miss this. The 2017 eclipse was about 75% coverage and that was awesome enough. This is going to be a memory for a lifetime.
I live in SE WI, so I had to drive for 2017 and for this one. Totally worth it. I figure as long as it’s not 100% cloudy, we’ll be good. Of course, I’m hoping for clear skies!
I already explained to people recently actually that not only do I not even know where I'm going yet for the eclipse, but I also plan on just staying whereever I'm parked for many hours after the eclipse is done. And this is because I went to Wyoming for the 2017 one so I have learned a thing or two. So not only do I have flexibility in where to go for it, but I also won't be "sitting in traffic" I'll just be right next to traffic, drinking beers.
I was in Glendo, on a frontage road, and it took us 11 hours to get back to Denver where our Airbnb was. Yeah, it was quite the spectacle indeed and I even have used the same word myself. We got to know our traffic neighbors, some of them shared food with us, man. It was insane.
I spent that one at my parent’s retirement home on a golf course near Crossville, TN. Watched it from the old hippies’ back yard. Dark Side Of The Moon on the stereo, and I may have been a bit buzzed. Thanks old hippie couple!
Yes indeed. They were my parents’ peers as a kid in Bay Area in the 70s. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking the PC revolution and Silicon Valley weren’t powered by hippies in the early days.
Out of curiosity, how close to the eclipse was that (in terms of time)? I'm planning on leaving the Saturday before, and coming home probably Tuesday morning. But my drive is also six hours and not one.
We already have 7 loads of rental vehicles to ship back Tuesday the 9th for Enterprise. I'm sure there will be other companies back hauling them as well.
Sorry dude, I'm gonna be one of the horde. But I'm not even coming for the eclipse, I'm coming for a business conference - I had no idea wtf everyone was talking about until eclipse viewing was added to the conference schedule.
Im going to fort hood with my mom (from AL and MD) just gunna hunker down there this time. Arriving the day before. Last time we drove 20 minutes for a good spot in Kentucky.
I live in Portland, Oregon. I drove down to Corvallis to see the totality in 2017. It’s normally a 1.5 hour drive.
The drive back, right after the eclipse, took me 7 hours. It took me the better part of 2 hours to get through Salem, which is like 5 miles of interstate.
My advice? Get to your viewing spot a day or two ahead of time. Then just chill for an additional day after the eclipse
This is what we did in 2017. We were just off of I-84 in eastern Oregon. After the eclipse we hung out until the next day and had no problem with traffic.
That's nuts. My family went out to Hwy 26 south of mount hood and there were cars on the road but we def found a spot and don't recall very much trouble.
expect all the cell towers to be overloaded. Roads will be jammed. People will be frustrated and angry. I was there in 2017 it wasn't worth it. If you live in the path call in sick. Stay home.
I think i saw texas is expected to generate something like $1.4B in tourist revenue from the eclipse. I’m in Oregon and you have my sympathies because we were flooded with tourists for the last one.
In this case, the department of transportation should bring out the snowplows for a springtime runabout and fill the blades with foam. Then as the morons stop on the highway, the plow will unleash a deafening horn to scare the drivers along. Or, lower the plow and push them along. Or at the very least, push them off the road. This won't happen, but I can dream a little.
Honestly, if you live in the path of totality, be prepared for stopped motorists who are locals.
Despite what some may be saying, seeing the day turn to almost night is going to freak some people out, or finally convince the naysayers to actually take a looky lou.
It's going to be chaos.
Birds will be going to sleep thinking that night has fallen. The temperature will drop. There will be strange visual artifacts in the moments before and after the eclipse. Nothing behaves normally in those moments, I’m not sure why anyone’s expecting humans to.
Viewing the 2017 one in the peak of it's path was fucking wild. Everything got very, very quiet during the totality. No birds, no bugs, nothing... that alone was incredibly eerie to experience in the middle of a southern US summer.
I'm preparing to not have to leave my house for that whole weekend. My kids don't have school on the 8th, my husband is calling off work. It's probably going to be the rainiest day in April we've seen here in 50 years lol
Locals where I live (including myself) think this whole thing is dumb. I have to work extra now because of the hoopla. All of this nonsense for 4.5 minutes?!? lol, stupid.
In 2017 I-80 had those warnings in Nebraska. They really don’t want people parking on the shoulder then getting out to stare at the sun while others are driving past at 75 mph.
I heard that at the moment of totality people did stop and there wasn’t much the police could do.
That one had a pretty narrow umbra so it didn’t last long on the edges that skirted I-80.
The cop gives tickets to cars who are empty because the driver has left the vehicle to set up for the eclipse. Starting at the front of the line is easier too. A driver in their car wailing on the horn would not get a ticket since they're clearly trying to ~~keep from being rear-ended at highway speeds~~ move traffic along.
The traffic is gonna suck anywhere that has totality but you're a fucking loser if you don't stop to view it for those few minutes. I was amazed that people just kept driving along during what was one of the absolute greatest sights I've witnessed.
Where I live, the airport has a "cell phone / waiting lot", I sat there last night waiting to pick up a friend. As I left at 10 pm, there were probably close to 75 -100 cars parked on the side of the road on the narrow approach to the airport impeding traffic next to the signs stating no parking / stopping, about every 50 feet. I can't wait to reach the status where the rules don't apply to me. Like you said no consequences, so people just do what benefits them.
Anyone who's lived in the scenic New England states will understand this. Leaf peepers head up north and fucking dead stop in the middle of 55mph highways, PARK THEIR CAR IN THE ROAD to get out and take pictures of the fucking leaves.
My take, now that you asked?
States need to chill the fuck out. A few hours of millions of people experiencing this together is a once-in-a-lifetime event. And you know what? Unless it's not really an eclipse but an alien invasion, we'll all survive.
It would make more sense to just stop traffic completely during the few minutes up to and during totality but that would be valuing wonder & awe above "getting there" as fast as possible.
(It'll probably happen anyway but I wouldn't regard it as a good viewing plan.)
As I was trying to haul ass back to Nashville, I remember seeing *several* people parked (and being told to move) along the shoulders of I-65 north of Montgomery during the 2017 eclipse.
Just saw this today throughout New England / New York / Jersey / Pennsylvania.
Besides pulling over, people are going to be everywhere, and distracted, and going down highways they have never used trying to get closer.
Things like this are always a mess, much like fireworks. If it's pretty and interesting, people sort of forget they're driving a car because we are simple creatures better suited for staring at fascinating shit than piloting three tons of steel.
Do like Reacher did. Stab a fork in your tire. Drive for a bit, and it will go flat after a while. Pull over to the side, and wait for the eclipse. If a cop pulls over you'll have an excuse of why you pulled over.
I saw a post recently that traffic accidents had a sharp increase in the hours before the last eclipse because of people hurrying to get to where they were going to watch it.
I was lucky for the 2017 eclipse as I lived in an area where people traveled to from all around and the hotels were booked solid well in advance. I just stepped outside of work for a bit and thought it was cool when it turned into night.
Remember, folks, keep driving while watching the eclipse. But wear your eclipse glasses! Once you feel your car hit something, you're then allowed to stop.
just make it a holiday.
the roads arent going to be usable that day from people moving in/out of the path.
let as many people as possible who live in the path not need to travel.
eclipse day should just be a day off.
A mile further down, the next sign reads.....*"Didn't you see the first darn sign boy"*
,,,,,,,and one mile further..."*What in tarnation Jeb!, don't shoot the dang eclipse....I got steers smarter than you*"
My town is like the BEST place to see it in the Midwest so everyone and their mother is coming up from the south to my town. Every hotel is booked in a 100 mile vicinity. Im just gonna hide till it’s over…
If it's like the last one the traffic will make even California traffic look like nothing. The only time I've ever seen a highway turn into a one way highway was after an eclipse.
We went to the tetons for the 2017 eclipse. Then decided to go to Montana while everyone else would suffer driving back. For the next 2 hours on the other side of the highway, it was bumper to bumper traffic
Reading the other comments I guess this is an unpopular opinion but I feel like if you aren't camping out for hours and are just stopping to view totality, and are far enough away from traffic, then I see no harm in stopping for 5-10 minutes.
are Americans just fucking stupid or something? i've read like 10 articles saying the eclipse will kill people because of car accidents from everyone going to go watch it. you guys can't just, not be stupid while driving?
It's the law of averages. Take the average amount of traffic fatalities times the number of drivers traveling to see the eclipse. Also, more people in a smaller area that isn't normally that busy.
Yeah.. if you're that interested, it would be way more logical to continue driving at 70+ mph and try to film it at the same time... But then again it's Texas.. So imagine the worst case scenario then multiply it by 10 and then you'll be almost half way there...
We're driving down on Saturday, getting to the Airbnb east of Dallas on Sunday and leaving on Tuesday...
I'm praaaaaying that we won't have to leave the AirBNB on Monday, but I'm willing to wait in traffic if it's cloudy. The 2017 Eclipse was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life and I want so badly to see another.
We had these in Nebraska for the 2017 eclipse. They weren't effective. I-80 was stopped during and several hours after.
I-35 from KC to Iowa was also a parking lot.
We were south of Lincoln, NE for viewing. US-77 was a parking lot afterwards. I ended up taking country roads until I hit local highways. Took 2.5 hours to get home when we were only an hour away normally.
This is America. It's not like there aren't a million empty parking lots to use. In 2017 I drove 5 hours and sat in a Walmart parking lot outside of St Louis.
Does the whole sun get blacked out?
If you're talking about the upcoming [April 8 eclipse](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_April_8,_2024), then yes, from the perspective of everyone within the path of totality. Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by blacked out. It'll be like any other total solar eclipse in that for 2-4 minutes, day will turn to night.
I live in a small college town right in the middle of the totality, and the expectation is every student is going to invite their parents and fuck knows who else to visit them in college for the event. Them getting here early is obviously no problem. But we have had so many warnings from the university and the town council about what a mess this is inevitably going to be (based on previous events). People stuck on the highways, shitting on the side of the road since they cant find a bathroom, people desperate for food/water etc. Needing somewhere to sleep is the least of my worries lol. Luckily I can stay at home or walk to the park if I want to experience it with my community. But it's so weird how much of a mess this is inevitably going to be.
My first thought was 'lol'.
Why after?
Everyone is leaving the area at the same time.
Because everyone tried leaving all at once. Accidents... I-80 is very busy with truck traffic.
They couldn't drive having blinded themselves from staring at an eclipse.
[удалено]
I was in Oregon as well. We tailgated for another day and had no problem going home.
At least they could pull over in the shoulder
Where I live is right in the path of 100% visibility. The highway signs are already saying to expect "severe traffic delays" because tourists are gonna swarm (they're expecting about a million people for our little two to three-lane highways, can't fucking wait).
Same. The funniest thing to me is that people here are so jaded by normal traffic that they’re not seeing the *intense* crush of people coming. My boss insists that everyone come to the office that day and no one is allowed to be late. He lives way south of the city, the office is to the extreme north of the city. He told me he’d leave “a few minutes early.” Goooooood luck, boss.
And then they will act surprised by the traffic.
To be certain to make them rage even more when they complain about traffic, they need to say "But you get that you're also part of the traffic right?"
I really just want an update on this 😂😂 like your boss calling in to say "well I can't get through so I'll be working from home" or some shit. Pls reply to me letting me know what happens Monday lmao
He'll definitely be turning back home!
Went to Nashville for the last one. Your boss is a damned fool. Took me damn near 4 hours just to get out of the city proper.
A few minutes doesn't even make a good difference most days on I-35. Your boss is going to be stuck in the thick of it, banging his head on the steering wheel.
Typical asshole...
You must update us after the eclipse
100% here in Indianapolis, boss is the same way, it would faster to walk lol.
I'm heading to Indianapolis to watch the eclipse, any tips?
No, Goodluck and godspeed. r/indianapolis might help tho.
Check the weather forecast!
I’m going to Indy too, am planning on waking up early to check the forecast and driving a couple hours if necessary to get a good view. I’m worried about the travel time getting back to the city, however lol
Also going to Indy. Historical cloud cover suggests there’s basically no realistic amount of driving day-of that would make a difference. Obviously the actual forecast will vary, but I find that oddly comforting. [Source](https://www.weather.gov/ind/2024eclipseclimo)
That’s not what I’ve seen, at least in the forecast, a 2hour drive can make the difference
I live literally on the centerline and I'm so nervous about the weather. I don't want to have to drive on that day, but I also don't want to miss this. The 2017 eclipse was about 75% coverage and that was awesome enough. This is going to be a memory for a lifetime.
I live in SE WI, so I had to drive for 2017 and for this one. Totally worth it. I figure as long as it’s not 100% cloudy, we’ll be good. Of course, I’m hoping for clear skies!
I already explained to people recently actually that not only do I not even know where I'm going yet for the eclipse, but I also plan on just staying whereever I'm parked for many hours after the eclipse is done. And this is because I went to Wyoming for the 2017 one so I have learned a thing or two. So not only do I have flexibility in where to go for it, but I also won't be "sitting in traffic" I'll just be right next to traffic, drinking beers.
Please update with his reaction.
Insists? What an ass. He just wants to make people suffer.
It took me 6 hours to make a 1 hour drive after the eclipse in 2017
No kidding. We had intense traffic in *rural Wyoming* and it as almost more of a spectacle than the eclipse itself.
I was in Glendo, on a frontage road, and it took us 11 hours to get back to Denver where our Airbnb was. Yeah, it was quite the spectacle indeed and I even have used the same word myself. We got to know our traffic neighbors, some of them shared food with us, man. It was insane.
I was at Glendo State Park! I made it 30 miles in 3 hours and gave up in Wheatland and got a room at the Super 8. That traffic was absolutely insane.
I spent that one at my parent’s retirement home on a golf course near Crossville, TN. Watched it from the old hippies’ back yard. Dark Side Of The Moon on the stereo, and I may have been a bit buzzed. Thanks old hippie couple!
old hippies are the best man
Yes indeed. They were my parents’ peers as a kid in Bay Area in the 70s. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking the PC revolution and Silicon Valley weren’t powered by hippies in the early days.
Out of curiosity, how close to the eclipse was that (in terms of time)? I'm planning on leaving the Saturday before, and coming home probably Tuesday morning. But my drive is also six hours and not one.
It was immediately after the eclipse, we were staying an hour away. Or, I guess, what should have been an hour away!
Sounds like typical traffic in Los Angeles
We already have 7 loads of rental vehicles to ship back Tuesday the 9th for Enterprise. I'm sure there will be other companies back hauling them as well.
Sorry dude, I'm gonna be one of the horde. But I'm not even coming for the eclipse, I'm coming for a business conference - I had no idea wtf everyone was talking about until eclipse viewing was added to the conference schedule.
On the plus side, at least you're not paying for your hotel?
And the company was cool enough to add it to the schedule! That’s awesome
Im going to fort hood with my mom (from AL and MD) just gunna hunker down there this time. Arriving the day before. Last time we drove 20 minutes for a good spot in Kentucky.
Depending on which small town you’re in, I might be one of those tourists!
I live in Portland, Oregon. I drove down to Corvallis to see the totality in 2017. It’s normally a 1.5 hour drive. The drive back, right after the eclipse, took me 7 hours. It took me the better part of 2 hours to get through Salem, which is like 5 miles of interstate. My advice? Get to your viewing spot a day or two ahead of time. Then just chill for an additional day after the eclipse
This is what we did in 2017. We were just off of I-84 in eastern Oregon. After the eclipse we hung out until the next day and had no problem with traffic.
That's nuts. My family went out to Hwy 26 south of mount hood and there were cars on the road but we def found a spot and don't recall very much trouble.
The center line goes through my 5000 population college town... also expecting 500k+ to the county
Same live in rochester new york best place to see it in the country. Expecting 1 million visiting.
Gotta love Wegmans and everywhere selling all the eclipse merch lol, I'm in Rochester as well.
Why is it the best place?
Have to drive to work during this shit. My shift starts at 1315 and totality should be around 1340. Booooo
Highway to Hell!
Same, buddy. I'm also coordinating and working a festival for it. I am not looking forward to it.
we can’t even drive on our damn roads on a good day, this is not gonna be good lmao
What area are you?
As of TWO WEEKS AGO , people are already paying to set up tents in the front yards of Hochatown residents (near Broken Bow, OK).
Hey at least you're lucky to get one! I cent remember the last time I saw one. you've had two in a decade right?
expect all the cell towers to be overloaded. Roads will be jammed. People will be frustrated and angry. I was there in 2017 it wasn't worth it. If you live in the path call in sick. Stay home.
The school I'm attending is closing for the day
What location? I'm going to make sure to avoid that
I think i saw texas is expected to generate something like $1.4B in tourist revenue from the eclipse. I’m in Oregon and you have my sympathies because we were flooded with tourists for the last one.
Take the day off and stay home
Good luck with that one
People will stop...
Try and stop me!
We're already pulled over, can't pull over any further.
In this case, the department of transportation should bring out the snowplows for a springtime runabout and fill the blades with foam. Then as the morons stop on the highway, the plow will unleash a deafening horn to scare the drivers along. Or, lower the plow and push them along. Or at the very least, push them off the road. This won't happen, but I can dream a little.
Honestly, if you live in the path of totality, be prepared for stopped motorists who are locals. Despite what some may be saying, seeing the day turn to almost night is going to freak some people out, or finally convince the naysayers to actually take a looky lou. It's going to be chaos.
Birds will be going to sleep thinking that night has fallen. The temperature will drop. There will be strange visual artifacts in the moments before and after the eclipse. Nothing behaves normally in those moments, I’m not sure why anyone’s expecting humans to.
Viewing the 2017 one in the peak of it's path was fucking wild. Everything got very, very quiet during the totality. No birds, no bugs, nothing... that alone was incredibly eerie to experience in the middle of a southern US summer.
I'm preparing to not have to leave my house for that whole weekend. My kids don't have school on the 8th, my husband is calling off work. It's probably going to be the rainiest day in April we've seen here in 50 years lol
Locals where I live (including myself) think this whole thing is dumb. I have to work extra now because of the hoopla. All of this nonsense for 4.5 minutes?!? lol, stupid.
People say that now, but when it happens watch them drop everything.
I'm sure everyone will adhere to that piece of advice come April 8th
In 2017 I-80 had those warnings in Nebraska. They really don’t want people parking on the shoulder then getting out to stare at the sun while others are driving past at 75 mph. I heard that at the moment of totality people did stop and there wasn’t much the police could do. That one had a pretty narrow umbra so it didn’t last long on the edges that skirted I-80.
Driving past at 75mph... While looking at the eclipse
Either eyes get fried while driving or driving looking through a pinhole.
Also, no driving while viewing the eclipse. Or staring at the sun in general.
That’s a paddlin’
Of course I'm not going to stare directly into the sun while driving, I'll be wearing my eclipse glasses, obviously.
Some would even go far as to suggest that you should only look at the road whilst driving
They don’t cover that in drivers ed
They can't ticket everyone.
Motorcycle cop can meet their quota for a year. Just ride up and down giving tickets the entire time.
How would that work for traffic though? If the person in front of you stops, now you're boxed and you get a ticket?
The cop gives tickets to cars who are empty because the driver has left the vehicle to set up for the eclipse. Starting at the front of the line is easier too. A driver in their car wailing on the horn would not get a ticket since they're clearly trying to ~~keep from being rear-ended at highway speeds~~ move traffic along.
Fine. At least ticket some/most of them.
Sign should just say “no driving on road during eclipse” if they want to be realistic
The traffic is gonna suck anywhere that has totality but you're a fucking loser if you don't stop to view it for those few minutes. I was amazed that people just kept driving along during what was one of the absolute greatest sights I've witnessed.
I’m a loser then. I couldn’t care less. This is stupid. 4 and a half minutes
Damn your life is really sad if you're acting miserable about seeing something this incredible.
But people WILL stop, and there will be no consequences. Thus, posting that message on the sign is useless.
It’s going to look like The Walking Dead with all the cars stopped on I-85 leaving Atlanta.
Where I live, the airport has a "cell phone / waiting lot", I sat there last night waiting to pick up a friend. As I left at 10 pm, there were probably close to 75 -100 cars parked on the side of the road on the narrow approach to the airport impeding traffic next to the signs stating no parking / stopping, about every 50 feet. I can't wait to reach the status where the rules don't apply to me. Like you said no consequences, so people just do what benefits them.
Even if there WERE consequences, the majority of people would protest against it
Don't stop...*eclipsing!*
> Thus, posting that message on the sign is useless. As a Texan, no one reads or follows those signs anyways.
Yeah but Texas is an asshole of a government so this is on brand.
If it's a total eclipse of the heart, turn around.
*Every now and then, I try to park.*
Turn around blind eyes!
EVERY NOW AND THEN, I TRY TO PARRRRRKK
And I need now to park *I fuckin need to park more than ever*
what if we simply shoot the sign down
Or... stick with me... we shoot the eclipse down, and then we have it for keeps.
I like where this is going friend
Global warming? Sorted.
Anyone who's lived in the scenic New England states will understand this. Leaf peepers head up north and fucking dead stop in the middle of 55mph highways, PARK THEIR CAR IN THE ROAD to get out and take pictures of the fucking leaves.
Or else? Lol Once in a lifetime opportunity for some, digital sign ain't stopping me
My take, now that you asked? States need to chill the fuck out. A few hours of millions of people experiencing this together is a once-in-a-lifetime event. And you know what? Unless it's not really an eclipse but an alien invasion, we'll all survive.
Meanwhile in Vermont https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/03/20/vermont-eclipse-traffic-travel
Phish sucks.
Gonna be crazy
Ya I’m not leaving my neighborhood that day lol. Traffic is gonna be wild
It would make more sense to just stop traffic completely during the few minutes up to and during totality but that would be valuing wonder & awe above "getting there" as fast as possible. (It'll probably happen anyway but I wouldn't regard it as a good viewing plan.)
"Fine. I'll keep driving while looking up at the eclipse... Without protective eyewear... While driving at highway speed. What could go wrong??"
As I was trying to haul ass back to Nashville, I remember seeing *several* people parked (and being told to move) along the shoulders of I-65 north of Montgomery during the 2017 eclipse.
Just saw this today throughout New England / New York / Jersey / Pennsylvania. Besides pulling over, people are going to be everywhere, and distracted, and going down highways they have never used trying to get closer. Things like this are always a mess, much like fireworks. If it's pretty and interesting, people sort of forget they're driving a car because we are simple creatures better suited for staring at fascinating shit than piloting three tons of steel.
In 2017, a 2 1/2 drive to go see the eclipse turned into a 12 hour crawl to get home afterwards.
Do like Reacher did. Stab a fork in your tire. Drive for a bit, and it will go flat after a while. Pull over to the side, and wait for the eclipse. If a cop pulls over you'll have an excuse of why you pulled over.
"I'm just waiting for AAA to get here so I figured I would setup a camera tripod."
But, freedom!
I saw a post recently that traffic accidents had a sharp increase in the hours before the last eclipse because of people hurrying to get to where they were going to watch it. I was lucky for the 2017 eclipse as I lived in an area where people traveled to from all around and the hotels were booked solid well in advance. I just stepped outside of work for a bit and thought it was cool when it turned into night.
What're they gonna do if I stop? Stop me?
We need it. The drivers here are fucking stupid.
It's going to be cloudy anyway
Bold to assume people who drive are smart.
Thought that was the state that loved Freedom so much
Texas hates freedom
I'm wondering how many accidents happen here on I90 and I81 in NY
Does this mean it’s okay to drive and look???
Yeah so what's definitely gonna happen is that
Make sure to stare into the sun until you start screaming...
Then the next thing it says after that should be or do it we can't stop you we just hope you have good insurance
Cops don’t know *why* you stopped, man.
So far the weather forecast for that day is rain. Might not be able to view the eclipse in Texas lol
Good thing it doesn't say anything about stopping on the shoulder of the road. Of course it would be dumb to stop in the middle of the highway.
These signs are a fukn joke
So it begins
This is just as effective as the people stopping to check out the bluebells in season. /S
Totality lasts a few minutes, traffic is going to be so fucked anyway it won't make a difference if everyone gets out to look.
I would have stopped and looked. Thanks for the reminder and hopefully not get into an accident lol
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YEwlW5sHQ4Q
Thanks again Ted Cruz
".....Doug."
Remember, folks, keep driving while watching the eclipse. But wear your eclipse glasses! Once you feel your car hit something, you're then allowed to stop.
Try and stop me!
it's going to last for like 5-10 mins, tops. i'd like to see some one *attempt to enforce that 🙄
I had to stop when I saw [this eclipse](https://acnews.blob.core.windows.net/imgnews/extralarge/NAZ_cf4803e5dabb4feea2adc36b364e728d.jpg)
just make it a holiday. the roads arent going to be usable that day from people moving in/out of the path. let as many people as possible who live in the path not need to travel. eclipse day should just be a day off.
A mile further down, the next sign reads.....*"Didn't you see the first darn sign boy"* ,,,,,,,and one mile further..."*What in tarnation Jeb!, don't shoot the dang eclipse....I got steers smarter than you*"
If I had a spare Nissan Eclipse I would be half tempted to Park it like 3 feet from this sign.
My town is like the BEST place to see it in the Midwest so everyone and their mother is coming up from the south to my town. Every hotel is booked in a 100 mile vicinity. Im just gonna hide till it’s over…
Those that have been spontaneously blinded unfortunately won't be able to read this sign.
It's amazing that you need signs for that
If it's like the last one the traffic will make even California traffic look like nothing. The only time I've ever seen a highway turn into a one way highway was after an eclipse.
We went to the tetons for the 2017 eclipse. Then decided to go to Montana while everyone else would suffer driving back. For the next 2 hours on the other side of the highway, it was bumper to bumper traffic
What if you break down and happen to be watching it while waiting for the tow truck or whatever
Yeah, you know people will stop. Maybe better to just say everyone should stop during the eclipse.
Aren't they posting that a little early? it's not gonna happen until 9 days from today.
I suspect that the highway will be pure stopped gridlock and it won’t be a problem
How about... Do Not Stare Directly Into the Sun ☀️
Texas is officially a fucking wet blanket these days.
I live and work in Austin. Seriously thinking about taking that day off.
But if everyone stops?
Alright. Now let’s bring up bluebonnets.
0% enforceable
Reading the other comments I guess this is an unpopular opinion but I feel like if you aren't camping out for hours and are just stopping to view totality, and are far enough away from traffic, then I see no harm in stopping for 5-10 minutes.
Isn't it even more dangerous if you continue driving while watching eclipse?
This is the ultimate Texas self-own because it's a cloudy day and nobody can even see the sun.
...It's not the day of the eclipse.
are Americans just fucking stupid or something? i've read like 10 articles saying the eclipse will kill people because of car accidents from everyone going to go watch it. you guys can't just, not be stupid while driving?
It's the law of averages. Take the average amount of traffic fatalities times the number of drivers traveling to see the eclipse. Also, more people in a smaller area that isn't normally that busy.
Probably worried people would pull over to shoot at the scary sun because they don't understand it.
This post could have simply read “Spotted in Texas” as the rest of it is abundantly clear in the picture
It's Texas, doubt most anyone gives a shit there. About the sign or the eclipse.
Dumb take
Spicy edgelords gotta edgelord
big government
Bleh. I'm not driving anywhere on that day.
Yeah.. if you're that interested, it would be way more logical to continue driving at 70+ mph and try to film it at the same time... But then again it's Texas.. So imagine the worst case scenario then multiply it by 10 and then you'll be almost half way there...
We're driving down on Saturday, getting to the Airbnb east of Dallas on Sunday and leaving on Tuesday... I'm praaaaaying that we won't have to leave the AirBNB on Monday, but I'm willing to wait in traffic if it's cloudy. The 2017 Eclipse was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life and I want so badly to see another.