If I am driving on a road, and a flying saucer with a spotlight is hovering ahead waiting to land, do I have to stop in the roadway and yield to them? Or do they have to yield to cars in the road? I checked my states driving manual and they don’t mention alien air/spacecraft at all.

I would guess that the UFO would have the right of way, as traffic would have to eventually stop for them anyways. Should I just stop in the roadway and put my hazards on so the flying saucer pilot is aware I am yielding the right of way to them?

  • Deestan@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    A few general traffic laws apply:

    1: The UFO is not a legally registered road vehicle and they must yield to all traffic.

    2: If you see a hazardous situation, like the UFO not clearly following traffic laws giving you space, you must do your part to avoid injury by avoiding a collision.

    So after you do brake for the UFO, or swerve and honk, you may go to the police and inform them of the aliens’ traffic violation. They may then get a fine.

    If you say “fuck it Im in the right” and crash into them, you are both breaking the law, but you are in bigger trouble for willfully endangering life and property. You get prison, the aliens get a fine.

  • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
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    23 days ago

    I know it’s a joke question but here’s a serious answer:

    I would treat it same as any other aircraft landing on the roadway. Give them space to do their thing because objects of greater potential energy ALWAYS have right of way, regardless of what liability laws say. Can’t sue ‘em if you’re dead.

    As for laws, a quick search didn’t find anything in Federal or Alabama law about it except that the FAA here in the US says pilots consider it only as a last resort option due to safety concerns. If figure it’s probably not a common enough occurrence for laws to be made about it. Other states or counties may have something about it though.

    • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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      23 days ago

      I would imagine that legally, liability largely falls on the plane operator, though if you as a driver can avoid it, you would share in liability, perhaps moreso.

      1. Avoid things
      2. Then go by right-of-way

      Sort of how you approach 3/4-way stop signs (god I hate them).

      • StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org
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        22 days ago

        In my profession (trucking) the only thing that matters is preventable/nonpreventable. Liability is something for the insurance company to worry about (mostly).

        This might be an interesting topic to suggest to Mike Rafi or Legal Eagle though.

  • Vandals_handle@lemmy.world
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    22 days ago

    How can you distinguish between native and alien UFOs? Once you’ve identified where it is from, is it still a UFO?

  • 667@lemmy.radio
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    23 days ago

    Your last sentence is the answer. Your driving manual probably says “drivers must yield to other vehicles occupying a lane”, which in your example would be a UFO.

    • Emerald@lemmy.worldOP
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      23 days ago

      The UFO is in the air in this case, preparing to make a vertical landing on the roadway

      • 667@lemmy.radio
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        23 days ago

        There’s a whole other section on defensive driving, I’m certain of it.

        In this case, you’d be expected to exercise reasonable judgement on whether this UFO may be developing into a hazard. Four-ways on, and pull to the side of the road if it’s safe to do so.