Just because I know threshold braking...

[wolfwings]

...does not mean the gal behind me does. That was the last thought I had, almost literally. "Oh shit... I had to max-brake there and barely made it... BRACE! *WHAM*crinzt*"

Eclipse is now about 3 inches more compact, and has a face like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Northbound on the 405, number 1 lane, sudden slowdown. And I mean to the point I realized, "I don't have time to blink my brakelights to warn the person behind me. I have to actually slam on the brakes and try not to spin out," sudden.

I stopped with around a foot to spare. And as my car was settling back on it's rear wheels again... it got lifted up and forward so the passenger-side headlight got shoved back about a foot into the car by the driver-side rear bumper of the car in front of me.

The gal behind me had a face covered in blood, as was her shirt, and full airbag deployment in the front of the car with the front of her car shortered by about... 2 feet, by comparison to the 3-4 inches my rear bumper got crunched. Now it's all up to the insurance companies, which'll be akward since both she and I are AAA members and have AAA insurance.

But this proves that I can tell if I can stop in time. And that that has no bearing on if the person behind me can.

Comments

[otana.livejournal.com]

Wolf, I love you, but you have GOT TO SLOW DOWN.

I understand you have a great deal of faith in your driving abilities, but you DO go too fast, take things too tight, and generally push the limits as far as you can. Regardless as to whether I think you are being reckless, or are incredibly capable, or just a bit careless, you are starting to worry me. Because from what I heard, by all rights that last crash should have killed you. Usually a huge, near-fatal accident is enough to scare most people into reviewing their driving habits and being more cautious. From what I have seen ... it's almost the opposite with you, that it bolstered your esteem and inflated your view on your skills because you survived. From what I heard, yes, it was the other guy who "broke" the rules. But didn't that show you just how unpredictable other people can be? The whole point is that you have to take things slow just to accomodate for other peoples' stupidity.

But this proves that I can tell if I can stop in time. And that that has no bearing on if the person behind me can.

This is totally, utterly scary for me to read. Because honest to gods, I was hoping you'd end this post with something about it having taught you that BECAUSE people don't have super-fast reaction times and BECAUSE you can't judge the skills of people in front of / behind you, that you HAVE to slow down and take more care, even if just to accomodate them. As manawolf said to me as she read this post over my shoulder, these accidents just don't happen to people with this much regularity. They CAN happen, but when I've seen how tightly you cut things and how little room you give people to react to your last minute moves and adjustments, I am more likely to think that this could have been preventable.

I'm sorry but ... I have wanted to say this pretty much since you first drove me somewhere. I just don't feel safe in a car with you, and this has kind of made me wonder if I should listen to those feelings. I'm really not the only one who thinks this, and I hope that others will back me up in being honest about this.

I just don't want the next car-related post in your journal to be your mother reporting your death in an accident. That's all.

Please ... listen to us. *hugs*

[talonsage.livejournal.com]

I second everything Mana and Otana have said. Please Wolf...*hugs tightly*

Problem with this complaint?

[wolfwings.livejournal.com]

I wasn't even driving fast, nor changing lanes. I had been in the same lane for over a half mile, with cruise control turned on at 65 for a planned leisurely cruise to pick up a computer to swap hard drives in, during what was light traffic before someone else cut off a car... about five or six in front of me. Everyone stopped in a big line that rippled backwards. I just happened to have someone completely not paying any attention at all plow into me.

And the point of the post actually was that not everyone has the same reactions I do. The very freakin' line you quoted says that, in fact. Just because I can stop (which can be expanded to cover anything else I can do) doesn't mean the person behind/in front/beside/around me can.

And by all rights, to be perfectly honest, Otana, I've been in no less than seven accidents that, by all standard textbook knowledge, I shouldn't have survived. I've been hit by vehicles when on a bicycle (twice), in an SUV-like vehicle that tumbled and drug along for over a ten seconds (Ford Bronco towing a trailer that jack-knifed and tumbled then drug the Bronco behind it from sheer inertia), been in cars that have been T-boned, rolled (not the Civic), and this makes the second vehicle I've been in that's been rear-ended. And I may have my worst injury ever from a traffic accident from this last one. A bruised tailbone.

No, I'm not trying to brag, but actually realizing that you're right, I think. Supposedly near-death situations don't seem to scare me, possibly because I've averaged about one every 18 months for my entire life, and routinely gotten worse injuries unloading a car trunk (slashed finger) or walking a balance beam at school (gashed my eye orbit nearly to the bone) or just plain roller-blading with full safety equipment on (shattered my right arm) so far in my life. It's not a good thing though, I agree with you in retrospect looking back over my life, but I'm starting to wonder if it's akin to how a Soldier can get used to death and it's lingering presence, when it happens around them enough. And might explain a lot of my 'detachment' from what most people consider very powerful situations.

I'm sorry if this sounds aggressive or argumentative, but my purpose for posting this initially was A) the Eclipse was wrecked, B) I'm okay, C) I learned something from it this time hopefully. I'm sorry if it didn't come across that way. But I am surprised you read that one line the way you did.

Re: Problem with this complaint?

[otana.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what you are saying in response to my comment. You seem to be agreeing that my point is correct, but that you are surprised that I wrote what I did. This is confusing.

Mainly ... I want to know if you are merely making an observation and yet not planning on amending anything, or whether you are prepared to look at this pattern and learn from it.

The fact that you have been in SEVEN of these accidents and not merely two like I thought, really worries me. I'm mad, yes. I'm mad because *I* should have said something before. Because *you* should have seen the patterns a long time ago. Because *someone else* should have been beating you upside the head with it way before I got here.

And if I have to be the bad guy and say these things because no one else will, I will. Because I've had and overheard far too many conversations with different people about your driving, and was simultaneously relived that (a) I wasn't the only one worried and (b) annoyed that no one else had the guts or time to tell you it.

I worry, and I don't want you to get hurt. I think it's great that you actually learned to drive, I think it's great that you enjoy it so much and spend so much time really learning to understand your vehicle. But there seem to be some basics that elude you, whether because it is not in your nature to pay attention to them, or because you picked up bad habits that you are now unwilling to shake.

Yes, I am mad. If you were here right now, you would have an Otana-sized handprint on your cheek, most likely. It's infuriating, but also very frightening and I hope that you will either listen to me, or someone else about this. Or that you ARE actually reviewing things, and I simply did not understand your reply.

Still, I am glad that we can at least open a dialog about this.