Highway speeds - Keep your distance!

[BobsYourUncle]

It always amazes me how close people follow going highway speeds. They seem to think it's OK to follow 4 car lengths at 110K / 70MPH...

Yesterday afternoon, returning from a day trip to the Banff / Canmore area, traffic was fairly heavy. Nice day, a lot of people out.

I was at the wheel of our Nissan Rogue doing about 111K with the cruise on. Suddenly, I saw 2 deer, a doe and her fawn, at a fast trot coming right towards the highway from the right, on an angle directly towards the front of our car. DW and her 90 year old mother with me.

I jumped HARD on the brakes, a very dangerous thing to do in highway traffic but it was that or a collision. The doe passed about 40 feet in front of us and somehow made it between the back of the car beside us, and the front of the one behind him. I started to swerve into the left lane to avoid the fawn when it suddenly turned and ran back. I then stayed in my lane.
Quick mirror check, the guy behind me swerved off the road on the shoulder, hard on the brakes, to avoid hitting us, and had to stop fast to avoid the fawn. The Class A MH right behind him also took the shoulder. Not sure, but I think he hit the car behind us. He was following too close to slow down fast enough. Again, not sure.

As soon as I was clear of both deer I hit the throttle to get out of the way of traffic rapidly climbing towards my bumper. Success, I made it through without hitting anything or getting hit.

I watched the mirror as we left the scene. The MH and the car behind us were now both stopped on the shoulder, likely to exchange info and insurance. There were other cars now stopped on both shoulders, likely multiple collisions. Most vehicles were following too close. Maybe not, who knows?

Bottom line, keep your distance from the next car, pay attention to what's going on. Even though an open divided freeway tends to make people think it's all clear, a sudden emergency can show up in an instant like that.

I'm glad I was paying attention.

[toedtoes]

Howie3 wrote:
What really drives me crazy (literally) is following a slow vehicle on a curvy road where there is no opportunity to pass as I need a bit of a straightaway to get by with the trailer. Then when there is a passing lane the vehicle speeds up to 15 mph over the speed limit, preventing any attempt to pass. I guess they feel now that the road is straight they no longer need to be afraid to go the speed limit, or exceed it.

I like my cruise control. I cannot tell you how many times I'll be driving down the freeway using cruise control and pass a slower moving vehicle only to have them suddenly speed up as soon as I am past them.

Or, how many times I have had some driver race past me only to have them sit at the same traffic lights as me mile after mile.

If I am the reason for the slow moving traffic, I will keep to a slower speed when passing lanes come along to let folks pass.

I admit, when I'm driving my clipper, I do get annoyed with the guy behind me behaving all frustrated and tailgating because I am going too slow. When the passing lane comes along, I move to the left lane and pick up my speed passing the old toyota corolla going slow and end up driving faster than the guy who was behind me making a fuss. Don't assume I'm the roadblock just because I'm a big brick.

[Howie3]

What really drives me crazy (literally) is following a slow vehicle on a curvy road where there is no opportunity to pass as I need a bit of a straightaway to get by with the trailer. Then when there is a passing lane the vehicle speeds up to 15 mph over the speed limit, preventing any attempt to pass. I guess they feel now that the road is straight they no longer need to be afraid to go the speed limit, or exceed it.

[toedtoes]

Lantley wrote:
While I do get the pint of your post. For the most part our highways are too congested. A deer running out into the road will always pose a problem.
When I was a teenager my driving instucter asked the class if we would ever purposely run over a dog. Of course we all said "Never...no way".
He then pointed out if the dog came out of nowhere right in front of you hitting the dog maybe the safest thing to do.
Likewise, if a deer runs out into the highway ,hitting the deer maybe the safest thing to do, regardless of stopping distances.

My Dad always stressed that we were not to swerve, etc for an animal - it was safer to hit the animal than to try to avoid it.

Fortunately, I've only hit one squirrel and he took off right afterwards unhurt. But I watch carefully for deer, etc, so I've seen them at the roadside and tap my brakes in warning if someone is behind me.

[Mike134]

wa8yxm wrote:

Mike134 wrote:
You could bolt a 24" pipe wrench to your trailer bumper that should keep em back a bit, trouble is you're likely to get pulled over from time to time and need to explain to the officer it's firmly bolted in place.

Ah but it is illegal (At least in MI) to put any "Extension" designed to cause damage to another vehicle...
Or as they say D@mmed if you do, and if you don't.

Mount it parallel on top of the bumper so it looks like it was accidently left there ready to bounce off and up into their windshield
🙂

[wa8yxm]

Mike134 wrote:
You could bolt a 24" pipe wrench to your trailer bumper that should keep em back a bit, trouble is you're likely to get pulled over from time to time and need to explain to the officer it's firmly bolted in place.

Ah but it is illegal (At least in MI) to put any "Extension" designed to cause damage to another vehicle...
Or as they say D@mmed if you do, and if you don't.

[Lantley]

While I do get the pint of your post. For the most part our highways are too congested. A deer running out into the road will always pose a problem.
When I was a teenager my driving instucter asked the class if we would ever purposely run over a dog. Of course we all said "Never...no way".
He then pointed out if the dog came out of nowhere right in front of you hitting the dog maybe the safest thing to do.
Likewise, if a deer runs out into the highway ,hitting the deer maybe the safest thing to do, regardless of stopping distances.

[Blazing_Zippers]

I think California is teaching deer to read the "deer crossing" signs, so they know where to cross.
I'm here all week....

[noteven]

Ed_Gee wrote:

noteven wrote:
I wonder about another phemo...phenoma... situation that I experience on lonely western roads..

You are cruising along all by yourself at whatever speed... and in the mirrors another vehicle appears...

It catches you after a few km/miles...

And then settles in 1 point 5 seconds off your stern and drives there ...

Why?

My guess - as I sometimes do - he is following you at night because you provide a nice buffer in case some obstruction is in the road ahead...... of course when I do it I leave a large buffer of 5 seconds or more....

I forgot to mention we do daytime running lights in Canada Ed - the described situation happens in broad daylight.

[Mike134]

You could bolt a 24" pipe wrench to your trailer bumper that should keep em back a bit, trouble is you're likely to get pulled over from time to time and need to explain to the officer it's firmly bolted in place.

[CavemanCharlie]

Tyler0215 wrote:
The ones that tick me off are drivers that come up in the left lane, get even with your back bumper and stay there mile after mile.

Yes, that is bad too. But, that one is easy to fix. Stop the cruise control for a little while and let them pull out in front of you.

[CavemanCharlie]

noteven wrote:
I wonder about another phemo...phenoma... situation that I experience on lonely western roads..

You are cruising along all by yourself at whatever speed... and in the mirrors another vehicle appears...

It catches you after a few km/miles...

And then settles in 1 point 5 seconds off your stern and drives there ...

Why?

I HATE THAT. I try to slow up , move over as best as I can, and let them pass. There have been times where I've had to safely find a place to pull off and let them go by.

[Lynnmor]

noteven wrote:
I wonder about another phemo...phenoma... situation that I experience on lonely western roads..

You are cruising along all by yourself at whatever speed... and in the mirrors another vehicle appears...

It catches you after a few km/miles...

And then settles in 1 point 5 seconds off your stern and drives there ...

Why?

That happens most everywhere, the proctologists are on their phones and need only to glance up occasionally to see if your butt is right there. Doing it that way there is no decisions to be made about speed or lane.

[jaycocamprs]

time2roll wrote:


Give it a try for a few thousand miles before you decry all the bad issues your mind invents.

150 miles was all I needed, I don't care for it. In fact for me it's a I will not buy a vehicle with it.

[dodge_guy]

Why you should never follow to close!

Following to close danger!