Haven't experienced such a close call in quite awhile. Nearly rolled the sled and myself up into a ball last night.
I was headed South, up a rather long, steep hill to the grocery, about 8 mi. away. Driving conditions were excellent (fortunately). My speed was around 60mph. I was in the left lane of two. With another two heading in the opposite direction, with a wide grassy median between. There was a crossing between the two sides. There are no street lights, no businesses on the side, almost rural. A dark road with little traffic.
So up ahead, I see two vehicles attempting to cross over the South bound road I'm traveling down. They were both stopped. I thought they might both go across, so I was prepared. However, they didn't move.
There was a vehicle to the right of me, traveling about the same speed. As we both approached this crossover, one of the cars went straight across. However, the other one waited and waited, then decided to s l o w l y pull out in front of me, to do a U-turn and didn't accelerate at all. I immediately hit the horn and began flashing the brights. I was on their tail in nothing flat.
It was too late to hit the brakes. The lane to my right was blocked by the other vehicle. So I swerved left, onto the shoulder, then the grass, then quickly back right, back to the shoulder and back onto the road. The shoulder's not that wide and it was off-camber, the grass even more so.
It was over in two seconds. After all, at 60mph, I'm traveling about 80 ft/sec. In two seconds, I've traveled more than 50 yrds, which is half a football field.
I remember when I was considering purchasing either a S70 or V70, I did a few S-turns and swerves at speed to see what would happen....but not at 60mph. I was very satisfied with both cars handling and realized I'd never have to worry about rolling over. This was back in 1998 when SUV roll-overs were making the news and tires were coming apart while driving. Before tire pressure indicators were mandated.
My avoidance maneuver last night would do Volvo proud!
I do not understand why in the world, some idiot, would wait, and wait and wait, watching a vehicle getting closer and closer, when the posted speed limit is 60mph and only THEN decide to pull out in front of someone, do a u-turn in their lane and never bother to accelerate.
I've repeatedly seen this in the daytime over the years as well. Had a guy pull out right in front of me, into the left lane, from a dead stop, on the same road, but another section, in BROAD DAYLIGHT. With the horn and brights on him, at least he immediately pulled left onto the shoulder to get out of the way, as I flew past him.
Avoiding a severe accident isn't worth a few seconds of their time????
I used to rarely see this. Now it's becoming all-too-common around here. This cluelessness, self-absorbtion, head in their @$$ obliviousness, Dangerous-Darwin-Drivers.
There was no life passing before my eyes...there wasn't time for that. And I was quite calm afterwards, despite having to execute an avoidance maneuver at such speed. The sled handled very well, solid, predictable and stable.
Good to be here, telling my story!
Barely Avoided Severe Accident Last Night!
- Thread starter sleddriver
- Start date
- Status
Lucky to be here today 
I don't understand how you had time to hit the brights and the horn but not to brake. I sometimes have inattentive people pull out in front of me - Tiredness, drugs, booze, space kadet? Who knows. I almost killed two girls in a VW bug last year on RT111 at the Sunoco station. They just pulled out without looking onto a 50MPH highway from a side RD. Actually their view was blocked by someone turning right. So they did the BIG mistake: Pull out onto a highway with an obstructed view ASSUMING INCORRECTLY that I would stop behind the car turning right instead of moving toward the double yellow and continuing onward. Good thing I slowed to 35MPH; I saw the possibility of driver error.
Take care.
I don't understand how you had time to hit the brights and the horn but not to brake. I sometimes have inattentive people pull out in front of me - Tiredness, drugs, booze, space kadet? Who knows. I almost killed two girls in a VW bug last year on RT111 at the Sunoco station. They just pulled out without looking onto a 50MPH highway from a side RD. Actually their view was blocked by someone turning right. So they did the BIG mistake: Pull out onto a highway with an obstructed view ASSUMING INCORRECTLY that I would stop behind the car turning right instead of moving toward the double yellow and continuing onward. Good thing I slowed to 35MPH; I saw the possibility of driver error.
Take care.
Last edited:
Glad to hear you are ok.. I'm sure your hear rate must have taken a while to come back down.
Insurance crash?
You could be at determined to be at fault for rear ending them.
"Hey officer, we were driving at the speed limit and this guy came up fast and hit us before we could do anything ! "
If they had 2 in the car and you were by yourself, your word vs theirs.
Your a$$ would be toast.
Few years back I was driving along at midnight. Luckily I was the only one on the highway and I was in the right lane.
I'm not sure what happened, but there was a car sitting in the left lane WITH NO LIGHTS (flashers, nothing) and people were standing behind it.
Would have been messy. People don't think.
If dashcams are legal in your state i would put one in asap.
Just as a safteything if someone else do the same thing and it ends up in a crash. Also to prove that the accident is not your fault if it is a crash just to collect insurance money.
Glad you are OK and not crashed.
If I see a car on the side of road I always honk my horn.
All I want to say is that my right foot pulls away from the gas pedal when I see screwy things.
I'm not saying it's a 100%-of-the-time thing.
I am saying it's saved me being involved in many a crash.
Around town I drive slow and people often give me the finger or honk.
Sorry people, I can't see through things and I KNOW how stupid and detached many of you are.
BITOGers excepted. We never make mistakes. Kira
Thanks!
Re: "Honk & flash, but not brake." The horn was under my right thumb. Brights under my left two fingers. There were cars behind me and to the side. I doubt I'd of been able to stop as delta-V was ~ 50mph and I was way too close by then. Perhaps the guy behind me slammed on his brakes? I took a left exit to avoid the car in front...and the one behind. Otherwise, I'd been in the middle, hit fore and aft!
My guess:
1. Insurance staged crash including the guy next to you.
2. Totally stoned out or drunk drivers
3. Huge fight between a couple and they were not watching the road.
No good deed goes unpunished.
About 30 minutes ago, I had a real pucker moment when a van 3 cars in front of me ran over a ladder, trapping the ladder under itself.
Naturally, this being South Florida, the 3 cars in front of me all neglected to hit their brakes until they were on this guy's bumper, despite witnessing the distress, and despite lanes being clear on both sides.
I was unable to see this fiasco going on because I was behind a van blocking my view of this rolling abortion.
Van in front of me slams on its brakes, I went for mine, and swerved out of the way. The giant wheelbase of my Ram refused to allow the truck to lose control, and I recovered and pulled away.
Whoever lost the ladder and didn't stop for it should be shot. Guy driving the minivan who actually ran over a dayglo orange ladder in broad daylight should be smacked.
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Thanks!
Re: "Honk & flash, but not brake." The horn was under my right thumb. Brights under my left two fingers. There were cars behind me and to the side. I doubt I'd of been able to stop as delta-V was ~ 50mph and I was way too close by then. Perhaps the guy behind me slammed on his brakes? I took a left exit to avoid the car in front...and the one behind. Otherwise, I'd been in the middle, hit fore and aft!
Good driving, good thinking, seeing a potential situation developing. Glad you are ok.
Thing I find more & more of around here are people who hug the center line on 2 lane roads, or even slightly over.
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Thing I find more & more of around here are people who hug the center line on 2 lane roads, or even slightly over.
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Haven't experienced such a close call in quite awhile. Nearly rolled the sled and myself up into a ball last night.
I was headed South, up a rather long, steep hill to the grocery, about 8 mi. away. Driving conditions were excellent (fortunately). My speed was around 60mph. I was in the left lane of two. With another two heading in the opposite direction, with a wide grassy median between. There was a crossing between the two sides. There are no street lights, no businesses on the side, almost rural. A dark road with little traffic.
So up ahead, I see two vehicles attempting to cross over the South bound road I'm traveling down. They were both stopped. I thought they might both go across, so I was prepared. However, they didn't move.
There was a vehicle to the right of me, traveling about the same speed. As we both approached this crossover, one of the cars went straight across. However, the other one waited and waited, then decided to s l o w l y pull out in front of me, to do a U-turn and didn't accelerate at all. I immediately hit the horn and began flashing the brights. I was on their tail in nothing flat.
It was too late to hit the brakes. The lane to my right was blocked by the other vehicle. So I swerved left, onto the shoulder, then the grass, then quickly back right, back to the shoulder and back onto the road. The shoulder's not that wide and it was off-camber, the grass even more so.
It was over in two seconds. After all, at 60mph, I'm traveling about 80 ft/sec. In two seconds, I've traveled more than 50 yrds, which is half a football field.
I remember when I was considering purchasing either a S70 or V70, I did a few S-turns and swerves at speed to see what would happen....but not at 60mph. I was very satisfied with both cars handling and realized I'd never have to worry about rolling over. This was back in 1998 when SUV roll-overs were making the news and tires were coming apart while driving. Before tire pressure indicators were mandated.
My avoidance maneuver last night would do Volvo proud!
I do not understand why in the world, some idiot, would wait, and wait and wait, watching a vehicle getting closer and closer, when the posted speed limit is 60mph and only THEN decide to pull out in front of someone, do a u-turn in their lane and never bother to accelerate.
I've repeatedly seen this in the daytime over the years as well. Had a guy pull out right in front of me, into the left lane, from a dead stop, on the same road, but another section, in BROAD DAYLIGHT. With the horn and brights on him, at least he immediately pulled left onto the shoulder to get out of the way, as I flew past him.
Avoiding a severe accident isn't worth a few seconds of their time????
I used to rarely see this. Now it's becoming all-too-common around here. This cluelessness, self-absorbtion, head in their @$$ obliviousness, Dangerous-Darwin-Drivers.
There was no life passing before my eyes...there wasn't time for that. And I was quite calm afterwards, despite having to execute an avoidance maneuver at such speed. The sled handled very well, solid, predictable and stable.
Good to be here, telling my story!
Glad you are all right too.
Best avoidance maneuver I've seen was a truck travelling northbound who in the snow, pulled dead left down a hill up a hill in the median and onto my lanes of southbound traffic to avoid an idiot who pulled right out in front of him. It was pretty awesome to watch that cat manhandle that truck, never touched the brakes and make that work. I had the time and distance to just roll out of the gas and watch this bad donkey driver pull off an incredible move. He had to have been going 35 mph. Everything was covered in snow and it was snowing hard. That guy should've gotten a car to drive in NASCAR in my strong opinion.
I would put your maneuver right up there with his. Great job there !
- Status
