[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich /img/forum/go_quote.gif After I wrote that, I thought about seeing accidents coming. Forgot about those. I had a similar experience to yours, where I was sitting stopped on a highway in a line of cars, waiting for some large trucks to move up ahead of us. I heard something behind me, and then *BOOM*. Truck not paying attention hit a Neon which hit me (Escort), and then I hit a Jeep. I had no time to react, but I suppose if I had happened to look behind me, accelerating quickly out of the way would have saved me. I am noticing something, though: all of these accident scenarios presume you're sitting still, whereas you are in motion during coasting. When I'm coasting, I feel safer than 99% of the drivers on the road. Why? I'm looking 2-3 stoplights ahead, am acutely aware of what everyone ahead, behind, and beside me is doing, and I'm anticipating their future actions. What is the average driver doing? Waiting for brake lights before reacting.

My wife's accident and one of the ones I witnessed, the car that was t-boned was moving though an intersection when someone ran a red light. Neither were coasting though because both roads were flat. It could happen if the light was on a hill.

Another possibility is a run away truck. The idea of defensive driving is you never know what type of crazy thing is going to happen so you need to be ready to react. Coasting in neutral or with the engine off is not ready to react.

I've seen some crazy accidents including a car getting air born on the Cross Bronx Expressway.

 

[LnxPrgr3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snicewicz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Basically, the road I was on is a very large, 4 lanes wide and traffic was moderate. I am on the far left lane and I need to get to the far right to get off on the free way. I floor it, get up to the speed limit 45 MPH and then I am looking to my right and I have to swerve right to avoid the guy suddenly slowing down.

If I'm reading this correctly, you're lucky. Were you really accelerating while watching your right to monitor your progress, at full throttle, in city traffic?

A second or two slower on the uptake, and you would've seen his brake lights, followed by white bags coming at your face as the ringing in your ears masks the sound of the crash. The cop who would've pulled you over is instead behind you, parked, with his lights on.

"I pulled it off and no one got hurt" is a pathetic standard for driving, especially when it sounds like you *barely* pulled it off. The idea of defensive driving is to be able to react to sudden, unpredictable change. Driving home from work one evening, in nearly gridlocked traffic, I got to see a panicked mother catch up with her daughter a split second before she would've crossed into my lane. Had she crossed into my lane and I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting her, I'd hate to think what would've happened next with you behind me.

I'm definitely not perfect, and I've been pulled over a couple times for doing something stupid. I didn't, however, feel the need to post the story and expect sympathy because the mean cop saw me do something bad and called me on it.

 

[ZepFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LnxPrgr3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I'm reading this correctly, you're lucky. Were you really accelerating while watching your right to monitor your progress, at full throttle, in city traffic? A second or two slower on the uptake, and you would've seen his brake lights, followed by white bags coming at your face as the ringing in your ears masks the sound of the crash. The cop who would've pulled you over is instead behind you, parked, with his lights on. "I pulled it off and no one got hurt" is a pathetic standard for driving, especially when it sounds like you *barely* pulled it off. The idea of defensive driving is to be able to react to sudden, unpredictable change. Driving home from work one evening, in nearly gridlocked traffic, I got to see a panicked mother catch up with her daughter a split second before she would've crossed into my lane. Had she crossed into my lane and I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting her, I'd hate to think what would've happened next with you behind me. I'm definitely not perfect, and I've been pulled over a couple times for doing something stupid. I didn't, however, feel the need to post the story and expect sympathy because the mean cop saw me do something bad and called me on it.

exactly...which is why i posted a little ways back it seems he doesnt fully recognize what he did. he mentioned numerous times he understands what everyone is saying..but you can still tell he feels its a BS ticket..which i'm afraid he'll continue to drive like he does. that and like someone else posted..parents prob pay the ticket..thus he wont even feel any effect from the ticket.

 

[shigzeo]

well as long as no one is dead yet, the warning and citation is good. as soon as you come close to killing someone, i hope it is impounded. no one should be allowed to drive at 17 years of age. that is far too young and i have met about 30% of 17 year olds who have any sort of feeling of contract with the rest of the living people on the road or path.

 

[archosman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich /img/forum/go_quote.gif Want an easy way to start driving more gently? Pay close attention to gas prices and your mileage. Start doing things like not flooring it all the time, short shifting, shutting the car off at long lights, and coasting.

Uh, no... that's not a good idea. You're actually putting more wear and tear shutting it off at long lights. You're also polluting more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephonovich /img/forum/go_quote.gif Coasting in particular, while illegal in some places, is quite fun and a challenge. Yesterday I coasted more than a mile to the grocery store. The light timing gods smiled upon me, and lo, traffic didst part before me.

Are you talking about hypermiling?

 

[aaron313]

Yea, don't turn the car off unless you have to.

 

[DanTheMiataMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by archosman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Uh, no... that's not a good idea. You're actually putting more wear and tear shutting it off at long lights. You're also polluting more.

Word you dump a ton of gas to get a car started and tons more NOX and shiz cus the Cats aint ready.

 

[cerbie]

While I don't have such a sporty car (old Volvo), flooring it when there isn't much room to get where you need to be I can understand. But, you changed multiple lanes in one move, and were not driving safely. If your brakes cannot do the job in the case of someone slowing down ahead of you, you were too close, and going too fast.

What will you do when you are on a simple two-lane road and pull such a maneuver, or don't notice the car ahead of you in time?

Seems to me that you deserve the ticket, and are why teenagers in such cars are targeted.

 

[craiglester]

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to speed up significantly to change lanes, at least not here in Colorado.
Speeding up, swerving etc constitutes an unsafe lane change, and is a ticketable offense... I don't see the problem here.. OP admits to sharply accelerating and swerving into the next lane..

 

[scompton]

In the defensive driving class they said to get in the lane you need to be in 1/4 mile before you need to be there. They were talking about highway driving and 1/4 mile may be overkill in the city, but the same principle applies. Get in your lane with enough time that you don't have to make an aggressive move.

BTW, I the 1/4 mile is when you should already get over, not when you start trying. It's too late to start looking in a lot of cases, especially in places like here in DC where traffic is so heavy that if you wait until 1/4 mile to start trying to get over, you may not make it without having to be aggressive.