Dingy braking - do, did, or won't
How many tow a vehicle without supplemental brakes? Please, don't turn me into DOT and I know the State "requirements". Car weighs less than 4,000 lbs. I'm just asking how many do it or have done i...
Forum Discussion
I am 75 years old. I have been driving since I was 15. In that time, I have had three experiences with deer jumping or running in front of me while I was traveling 55 MPH or more. In all three cases, I had no time to do anything about it. Once I was driving a 1966 Barracuda. The deer totally destroyed the front of the car. I didn't even have time to get my foot on the brake pedal.
another time I was driving a Datsun 610 station wagon. I was able to get slowed down enough that the car barely bumped the rear end of the deer, and she ran off. Damage to the car was minimal. But, again, I was unable to stop and avoid the accident entirely.
Another time I was in a Dodge W100 truck. The deer went under the truck and off to the side of the road. There was no damage to the truck. Again, I did not even get my foot on the brake before I hit it.
The deer hit by the Barracuda and the Dodge both died.
The point is, in the emergency scenarios commonly presented to justify the use of towed vehicle braking systems, there is a good chance that the vehicle will hit whatever suddenly appears regardless of the existence on non-existence of a braking system. At 60 MPH the average stopping distance, including reaction time, will be 150 to 200 feet under the best of conditions.
Again, good luck.
Edit: Oh, yeah, I forgot about the time down in Wyoming that a big black dog ran out in front of my Ford E150 Club Wagon. Once again, I had no time to do anything. I ran over it. It ran off, so perhaps it survived. Same point: The best brakes Ford could build meant nothing, because there simply wasn't time to use them.
another time I was driving a Datsun 610 station wagon. I was able to get slowed down enough that the car barely bumped the rear end of the deer, and she ran off. Damage to the car was minimal. But, again, I was unable to stop and avoid the accident entirely.
Another time I was in a Dodge W100 truck. The deer went under the truck and off to the side of the road. There was no damage to the truck. Again, I did not even get my foot on the brake before I hit it.
The deer hit by the Barracuda and the Dodge both died.
The point is, in the emergency scenarios commonly presented to justify the use of towed vehicle braking systems, there is a good chance that the vehicle will hit whatever suddenly appears regardless of the existence on non-existence of a braking system. At 60 MPH the average stopping distance, including reaction time, will be 150 to 200 feet under the best of conditions.
Again, good luck.
Edit: Oh, yeah, I forgot about the time down in Wyoming that a big black dog ran out in front of my Ford E150 Club Wagon. Once again, I had no time to do anything. I ran over it. It ran off, so perhaps it survived. Same point: The best brakes Ford could build meant nothing, because there simply wasn't time to use them.
