Yeah, I tried unnecessary stopping court appeal after wrecking in my ranchero, came down a curvy slope on CA coastal Hwy, slammed on the brakes, unlicensed driver son of a Dr from Louisianna, came to a complete stop after a hairpin turn because he thought the oncoming driver was too close to his lane. Was looking good, only hit them hard enough to straighten the point of the bumper in the ranchero to shred the radiator on the fan and have to get towed 40 miles to Carmel, while gf and I were in the ranchero, Had to pee in a soda pop bottle as no contact with tow truck driver, Wholesale to car towing, $125 for toasted ranchero, had a cool bus pass home, up to 18 stops over 4 weeks, spent time at many a national park backpacking and camping, even stayed a couple of weeks at an antique dealer trading time for glass plate negatives and driving an apache truck for finds.
They sued for whiplash, insurance company paid and dropped me.
Without actually being there I can’t say if your response was the best one or not. I’ve had that happen to me, and sometimes I come to a stop and wait for the lane to clear before moving into it, and sometimes I think it is too dangerous to stop b/c there’s a car right behind me that might run into me. That situation is an accident waiting to happen, the fault of the guy who stopped in the middle of the road, still the odds of an accident happening to you were quite likely b/c of it. As you gain experience you’ll improve the odds in your favor by looking ahead for anything unusual and anticipating what’s possible to happen. Then when you notice someone is doing something stupid in the lane ahead of you, you’ll be looking to move to another lane earlier in the sequence, and properly signaling your intension to move.
I had something like that actually happen to me a couple weeks ago. 3 lanes in each direction, about 40 mph, I was behind another car full of teenagers in the middle lane. That driver for some reason decided at the last minute he wanted to pull off the road to the right (probably b/c there’s a pizza place there in the parking lot), so believe it or not he comes to a complete stop in the middle lane while waiting for a car to pass on his right, no turn signals, then he turns a sharp 90 degree turn from the middle lane to the parking lot entrance.
I was watching this group of kids from behind, knowing school just let out, they are probably from the local high school and not paying att’n to what they’re doing. When I saw the stoplights come on, I immediately pulled into the left lane, signaling my intensions, and slowed down and waited until I knew for sure (b/c of the direction of their front wheels) they were turning right, at which point I safely passed them on the left.
You should be four seconds behind the car in front of you, enough time to react safely.
In most urban settings this is simply impossible.
The driver performed well as far as I’m concerned. He was able to avoid a collision with an ignorant driver who stopped illegally and created a road hazard. The fact that he may have cut off another driver is just an example that all drivers need to be alert to possible incursions into their lane.
“the importance of providing free space on all sides of you was emphasized. That means not following too close so you have time to react to changing conditions. Not driving in the left lane so you have nowhere else to go. Trying to keep free space on the sides of you so you are not blocked in.”
That is exactly what they say in the commercial driver handbook(s)
If there isn’t enough time to stop then you are following too closely (as the police officer writing it up will remind you). Don’t EVER worry about the ding dong tailgating you. If you have to stop short then he will hit you and it will be his/her fault. That’s the way things work. Swerving to avoid an accident is one of the biggest causes of motor vehicle crashes, especially for inexperienced drivers.
If there isn't enough time to stop then you are following too closely (as the police officer writing it up will remind you). Don't EVER worry about the ding dong tailgating you.
@bloody_knuckles is 100% correct. It’s your responsibility to be in control of your vehicle at ALL TIMES. One other point…changing lanes - just because there was enough room for your vehicle to fit in the next lane doesn’t mean it’s SAFE to do so. If traffic is 50mph and the gap between the two cars in the next lane is 50’…YES your vehicle will fit…but NO it’s NOT SAFE. By moving into that lane you drastically reduced the safe distance between those two cars. For argument sake…let’s say at 50mph the safe distance car should be traveling is 50’. So in order for you to move in between two cars the distance between them should be ((50’ * 2) + LengthOfYourVehicle). If your vehicle is 18’ long…then to SAFELY move into the next lane the vehicles you’re moving in between must be 118’. Now when you move in…you all are at a safe distance.
I think the original poster did exactly the right thing. Avoided the stopped car, left more room for the guy behind him to stop, correctly kept and then filled the hole in traffic to the right and most importantly did not hit the dim-bulb who stopped in the left lane. AND the OP was obviously looking ahead and was aware of the space to the right. Good job!
Just a point of advice for future driving.
Go test your brakes in an empty lot both wet and dry. If you have ABS, pound the brake pedal as hard as you can so you can feel the pedal pumping back (completely normal). If you don’t have ABS, skid the car a bit and then brake a tiny bit less. Get a feel for just how quickly your car can stop. It stops in a shorter distance than most people think.
Look for an exit strategy whenever you are driving. The empty space beside, a clear median, whatever. You can always put your car there in an emergency. Avoid solid abject like lampposts and bridge abutments, they hurt. At worst case, if impact seems unavoidable, hit the brakes hard and aim for a square hit into the rear of the other car. It is the safest for you and the other driver.
When driving…you have to be able to stop for any obstruction in the road. This includes dangerous drivers, equipment falling off trucks and any other obstruction that impedes your progress in that lane. That’s as simple as I can express it.
If you have to change lanes because the vehicle in front of you suddenly stopped…then you were driving too close…PERIOD.
Too Close.
"Early In This Discussion I Stated, "If Your Lane Is Obstructed, And The Right Lane Traffic Doesn’t Allow For A Safe Lane Change, Then It Is Your Obligation To Stop Short Of The Obstruction. If There Isn’t Time To Stop Normally…
…Then You Must Realize It’s Mother Nature’s Way Of Telling You That You Are Tailgating Or Following Too Closely."
I truly believe a majority of accidents collisions are caused because drivers are tailgating (whether they realize it or not).
Do yourself a favor. Start at the beginning of your driving career, back-off, allow some distance. You’ll be able make better assessments of the situation around you and will have time to react, even if other jerks are on the road with you.
CSA
“I truly believe a majority of collisions are caused because drivers are tailgating (whether they realize it or not).”
+1
…and as time goes on, it seems that more and more people are unaware that they are tailgating.
On a frequent basis, no matter how far above the speed limit I am driving, there will be some a-hole who believes that it is appropriate to drive just a few feet behind my rear bumper.
In my neck of the woods, most of the deer-infested roads are one lane in each direction, with either no shoulder, or a so-called shoulder that is ~4 ft wide . Ergo, even if I want to pull over to let impatient jerks pass me, it just isn’t possible to do so with safety. If the speed limit is 40 mph, and I am already driving 45-46 mph, I am not about to speed-up in order to accommodate those tailgaters. And, if I hit a deer and the tailgater winds up hitting me, his hitting of my car will be his problem, not mine.
However, in the defense of these people I honestly believe that most of them don’t even realize that they are tailgating. A friend of mine is a consistent tailgater, and I have had many white-knuckle rides in her car. Gentle statements such as, “Don’t you think that you should back off a bit, Carol?” are always met with a sharp response of, “I’m NOT tailgating!”–despite the fact that I can frequently read the speedometer of the car in front of her because we are so close.
It is just so much easier to say, “Let’s take my car, Carol”, instead of subjecting myself to one of her frequent collisions. No she hasn’t learned from her experiences, and…no…she doesn’t think that she is tailgating.
accidents collisions
I purposely cancelled the word (accidents) because it implies that these property damage/injury incidents somehow happen by chance.
An accident would be a meteorite striking one’s vehicle. Driving and tailgating and then colliding with anther vehicle, is not an accident, it is preventable (unlike the falling-star strike).
How can one tell if they are tailgating (when they don’t seem to realize it)? They can tell if they have to brake hard or make an evasive driving maneuver to avoid an accident a collision while driving down the road.
CSA
“They can tell if they have to brake hard or make an evasive driving maneuver to avoid an accident a collision while driving down the road.”
I agree, but it seems that all-too-many people nowadays don’t seem to learn anything from their experiences.
I also agree. 80% of the drivers on the road tailgate, in my opinion.
Look at the frequent 100 car chain collisions as proof.
See, I'd view "safe following distance" as "pass/fail": either you can get stopped in time, or you can't. OP earned a passing grade.
Did I misread, the OP did NOT stop in time = failing grade.
Realizing you’re not prepared for an obstruction in your own lane and then making split second decisions to zip in front of someone in the adjacent lane is not what I would call a passing grade. Especially for a new driver.
Split second reactions and decisions are usually when you’re either very lucky, or not…
The OP dodged a bullet this time. I certainly wouldn’t be encouraging a newbie to regard this as anything less…
The driver didn't honk me or seem angry when I checked in the rear view mirror afterwards when we were both stopped at a red light
Because he saw what happened too, and he knew you saved it. I bet he had some choice words for the doofus in front of you, though.
I’m fine with someone “cutting me off” if they’re avoiding someone else’s stupidity as long as they do it in a way that doesn’t add to the danger.
I know it’s been echoed in this thread already, but it sounds like your situational awareness was pretty good, seeing as you knew what was going on behind you and where your escape route was.
It’s hard to call whether you were following too close. I know the driver manuals say to follow far enough behind the guy in front of you that you can stop in time if he makes a sudden, immediate stop (as in, he hit a parked truck or something). And while it’d be great if we could do that, it’s simply not practical, because if you leave that big of a gap between you and the car in front, about 50 morons will merge in front of you and close the gap for you. I’m not advocating that you tailgate -don’t, but I am saying that I understand that from a practical standpoint, “proper following distance” is not always possible thanks to the actions of other impatient drivers.
I also agree. 80% of the drivers on the road tailgate, in my opinion.
80%…from my observations…probably closer to 99%
Hate to do it Friends,but I must concede most so called traffic accidents,are in reality preventable crashes,kind of like when Peter Rabbits Father had an accident in Mr.MacGregors vegtable garden,then the Mrs put Him in a pie,if the unfortunate rabbit had not been in the wrong place He would not have got killed,most of the time if we really pay attention and drive defensively,we wont have “accidents”.I will be the first to admit,I am not the worlds best or safest driver,my reaction times are too slow,I bet I take 1.5 times as long to respond to a situation as the average person,so I drive accordingly and am extra careful,I will almost invaribly let someone else drive.A good friend of mine asked me I didnt ride a motorcycle,I replied"Its simple,I would be killed within 15 minutes"
All jokes aside,driving is serious business and should be treated as such.
I have an intersection where left turns are really dangerous. I turn right, go 3 blocks and have a good place to turn around and now can go through the bad intersection more safely. It is little things like that if more people did it there would be less accidents. But the fact remains that we are all able to go brain dead for a few seconds at anytime and we just hope we don’t cause serious injury when we do.
Speaking of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Read a story last night about a couple kids doing a little burglary in the Tampa area. Police were called and chased the guys. Caught one but the other hid out by a lake and was missing for a couple weeks. Found part of his body floating in the lake with an 11’ alligator near by. Killed the gator and found the guys hand and foot inside. So young, so foolish.
Now back to cars. I burned a headlight out so decided to upgrade from Silverstar to the Silverstar Ultra top of the line. $50 but boy are they bright. Highly recommend for seeing deer in the dark.