Rear Ended

[MG-242]

Let me preface this post by stating that it is extremely rare that I ever have a close call. The rarity ended last evening when I was on the way home. I was turning left off of a 2-lane highway with moderate traffic. Normally, as I approach my left turn I can adjust my speed to find a gap to turn left without the need to stop, sit and wait. Last evening as I approached my turn, traffic was heavy enough that I had to almost come to a complete stop. As I preach in my MSF classes, always check to the rear, which I did and was keeping an eye on the dipstick coming up behind me in a Cherokee. He was about a 1\4 mi behind me, maybe more, when I started to slow. I had my turn signal on about 1\4 mi before my turn and was using a hand signal as well AND wearing hi-viz yellow plus my brake light is an additional hi-viz LED. While watching for a gap AND keeping an eye on the dipstick I saw that he was not slowing..... not at all - coming full, freaking speed straight at me. When I realized this, I decided to bail on my turn and continue straight to get out of his way. At about the same time he slams on the brakes and skids to the right. I was able to accelerate ahead and avoid getting rear ended, but my rate of acceleration was not as brisk as what I wanted - I had not gone down to a low enough gear because I was not anticipating coming to a stop. Normally, if there is any kind of a gap, I take it rather than sitting on the highway and being vulnerable to being rear ended. I went about a quarter mile down the road and pulled off. The idiot in the Cherokee had come to almost a complete stop and was driving very slowly. I think it scared the bejeevees out of him as well since he apparently did not see me until the last second.

Very scary and I feel fortunate. So, my message here is to reiterate what we teach in all MSF courses, always check to the rear when you're stopping....ALWAYS! And, be sure to downshift to the lowest gear possible in order to be able to briskly pull out. With all of the distracted drivers out there today, I'm afraid this is going to continue to happen to all of us more and more.

Be careful out there :thumbup:

 

[trepetti]

Now that we have warning labels and software in cars, dopes are living longer. That means they can do far more damage than before.

Thanks for the reminder and glad you are OK.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Motogiro]

Thankful you were not hurt!


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Sent by my Fancy Ass X-9000D21 while chasing people up the sidewalk with my car

 

[Tailgate]

Well, driver may have been in the middle of a very important text or call. This type of accident reminds me of one of California's most stupid and dangerous recent laws: requirement that motorists come to a complete stop for a school bus picking up/dropping off students. This, even if there are multiple lanes in same direction. Most---more likely the majority----don't even know that this is law yet and don't stop or even slow down. It's near suicidal to those that do stop because it's counter-intuitive for a motorist to come to a complete stop just because somebody is boarding/exiting a school bus on the side of the road! Good thing that you were expecting trouble and were able to mitigate things!

 

[lawlberg]

Well, driver may have been in the middle of a very important text or call. This type of accident reminds me of one of California's most stupid and dangerous recent laws: requirement that motorists come to a complete stop for a school bus picking up/dropping off students. This, even if there are multiple lanes in same direction. Most---more likely the majority----don't even know that this is law yet and don't stop or even slow down. It's near suicidal to those that do stop because it's counter-intuitive for a motorist to come to a complete stop just because somebody is boarding/exiting a school bus on the side of the road! Good thing that you were expecting trouble and were able to mitigate things!

This wasn't a law yet in Cali? I've never driven anywhere in the US where that isn't law!

 

[Brackson]

This wasn't a law yet in Cali? I've never driven anywhere in the US where that isn't law!

Agreed, I thought that was the law in all 50 states. The idea being that the children may need to cross the street, so technically you are supposed to stop on both sides of the street regardless of how many lanes are present.

Personally I just think the law it good, but I also think school buses should not be allowed to stop on 4 lanes each direction type of roads, they should turn off those roads and into the nearby neighborhoods where the children live first. Safer for the kids and the motorists, plus it would help traffic alot.

 

[Wildcat_drvr]

This wasn't a law yet in Cali? I've never driven anywhere in the US where that isn't law!

You don't have to stop for a school bus in Indiana unless it has it's flashing lights on.
In Michigan(I live 1-1/2 miles from State line)you have to stop for all school buses
Rich.

 

[FZ09Bandit]

It's a law here, school buses don't even let kids off on the opposing lane, those have to wait until they come back around.

Glad you made it out ok. It's a guy like that, that is going to off me at a red light.

 

[2nd childhood]

I could be wrong, but I believe here in Washington, if it's a two-lane road, everyone stops for the school bus when its lights are flashing, but if it's a four-lane (or more) road, only the vehicles in the lane next to the bus are required to stop.

 

[shamrocker]

I could be wrong, but I believe here in Washington, if it's a two-lane road, everyone stops for the school bus when its lights are flashing, but if it's a four-lane (or more) road, only the vehicles in the lane next to the bus are required to stop.

It's the same here in SC. :thumbup:

 

[MG-242]

Thankful you were not hurt!


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Sent by my Fancy Ass X-9000D21 while chasing people up the sidewalk with my car

Thanks! Situations like this really get the old ticker pounding. Normally, it wouldn't bother me much but this dude was coming at me at 60+ mph and was not slowing at all until he was maybe 200' from me. Needless to say I rode "in my rearview mirror" coming to work today.

 

[FinalImpact]

MG glad you kept your wits and made an escape! That could have been bad.

Two Fridays ago I DROVE PAST 6 rear end collisions (cage to cage) in less than 21 miles on my hour drive home.
In addition one teen girl (making 7 accidents total) drove off the road up a bank and into a pole.
3 of the @ss enders were on rural country roads less than 4 miles from my place and one was so bad it placed the bumper of POS Saturn next to the drivers seat in the sedan. PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!!!! It scares the hell out of me these days!

SMART PHONES ARE KILLING PEOPLE MORE THAN DRUNKS!!!!

 

[kenh]

Thanks! Situations like this really get the old ticker pounding. Normally, it wouldn't bother me much but this dude was coming at me at 60+ mph and was not slowing at all until he was maybe 200' from me. Needless to say I rode "in my rearview mirror" coming to work today.

Your alertness, attention, and reactive ability just compensated you for all of your instructive investment over the years. Distracted driving is by far the most dangerous behavior, IMO. Too many times I don't watch the approaching car as long as I should. :spank:

 

[MG-242]

Your alertness, attention, and reactive ability just compensated you for all of your instructive investment over the years. Distracted driving is by far the most dangerous behavior, IMO. Too many times I don't watch the approaching car as long as I should. :spank:

I think we all need to be more aware now days. Just last week I was following a car who totally blew through a red light. I kept thinking - she should be braking....... she really should be braking........ oh, crap!!! Good thing no one was coming and thank god she made it to the Dollar General up the road!!!!

 

[jdoorn14]

You don't have to stop for a school bus in Indiana unless it has it's flashing lights on.

In Michigan(I live 1-1/2 miles from State line)you have to stop for all school buses

Rich.

Not quite true with regard to MI. In MI, you only need to stop for a school bus if the overhead red lights are flashing, unless you are on the opposite side of a divided highway/boulevard.

If the school bus only has its hazard lights or overhead yellow lights activated you do not need to stop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VEGASRIDER]

No disrespect to other riders but I would say over 90% would have been hit in that situation. The combination of your riding experience and being a Rider Coach executing what you preach in the classroom helped you avoid the collision by anticipating, using your mental abilities first. Always know how, where and what to look for. There are no guarantees that I would have come out of that unscathed but it's something that I always look for whenever I slow down. Part of the reasons why I hate u turns on a left green. That's how I tore my acl.

 

[FIZZER6]

Ohio eh?

A left turn off a highway without a left turning lane has to be about the worst DOT planning I've ever heard. I would avoid that kind of turn at all costs, fortunately Virginia does not allow left turns or U-turns if there is no left turning lane, thus 99.9% of our left turns have a lane.

Glad you escaped!

 

[MG-242]

Ohio eh?

A left turn off a highway without a left turning lane has to be about the worst DOT planning I've ever heard. I would avoid that kind of turn at all costs, fortunately Virginia does not allow left turns or U-turns if there is no left turning lane, thus 99.9% of our left turns have a lane.

Glad you escaped!

You're telling me!! I think about it every day I come up to that turn off. Maybe I'll consider an alternate route in the future. I do have the option of going straight for about another half mile where there is a traffic light, ie. more controlled intersection. But, unlike VA, there is no left turn lane at that intersection either. I guess living around here I don't think about it all that much. But, it would definitely help to prevent those kinds of crashes. I've always liked VA......... hmmmm! I did spend some time living on a big gray ship in Norfolk.

 

[Erci]

Yikes! Really glad you did everything right to avoid being hit. Thanks for reminding us all to never *relax* out there.
It's one thing to take the MSF course and pass it, it's quite another to use what you've learned every time you ride on the street.

 

[Tailgate]

This wasn't a law yet in Cali? I've never driven anywhere in the US where that isn't law!

It used to be that driving on a boulevard (say 2-4 lanes in same direction) there was no such law with a school bus flashing lights, say, dropping off/picking up a student who is not even crossing the road. Only on a two-way street (typically residential) were motorists expected to stop both directions when bus was flashing red lights. As I said, many motorists (probably over 70%?) ignore this new law or simply don't even understand it. It's really not that much different now from, say, a cyclist in a complete stop on a highway w/o a turning lane waiting to make a left turn and expecting to get rear-ended. It's so dangerous.