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This is the second time I found myself head on with oncoming car driving on the wrong lane. The first time was no big deal. Car came from the corner on a wrong side of the road. High closure rate and coughs by surprise I managed to pull off the road. This was a tourist in the Jeep rental.
Today was a different story. The oncoming car was going downhill in a wrong lane. The car looked like 30 years old piece of junk trying to pass gridlocked traffic in his own lane. I had one pick up truck in front of me and I was positioned 25 feet behind. I was watching the action unfold as oncoming car carinned between the pickup and the car he was passing. He clocked both cars. It was so surreal as I could see the drivers eyes wide open like a dear in the deadlights closing up on me. I immediately pulled off the road completely to give him room. He passed me without damage and pulled hard left into the driveway. WTF? Was he in a hurry to get back home?
I figured he must have lost his breaks going downhill and took his chances with oncoming traffic as opposed to rear ending the car in his own lane. Hmmm, interesting choice and little desperate.
Keep your eyes open folks.
Posted : August 31, 2016 3:06 pm
Wow that's a scary story.
Good reason for everyone to keep their eyes open and off other distractions for sure!
Posted : August 31, 2016 4:15 pm
Let me guess - he forgot how to use his parking/EMERGENCY brakes.
Posted : August 31, 2016 4:30 pm
Did you get his plate number and report it?
Posted : August 31, 2016 4:33 pm
Topic starter
No I did not. The victims caught up with the culprit guy. I offered to be a witnes but all this involved very local crowd and they decided to sort it out internally.
Posted : August 31, 2016 4:49 pm
Topic starter
There were no injuries. The material damage was minimal as all cars involved were of 1980 vintage. Essentially bumper cars.
Posted : August 31, 2016 4:57 pm
That's scary, indeed.
I've had many close calls with idiot drivers over the years. Driving in the middle of the road almost forcing me into a guard rail, taking a corner on my side without stopping for a stop sign, having an idiot speeding on a narrow road and leaving a blue line on the side my truck because he's in the middle and I've pulled over as far as I can get, to name a few.
Pays to pay attention when driving and have good reflexes.
Unfortunately, stuff like this happens and luckily, we're still in one piece.
Posted : August 31, 2016 5:25 pm
Depending on the make, year and model of the car the "emergency" brake will not slow a car from a high rate of speed never mind stop it. Since around 1995 when the government realized cars had tandem master cylinders the emergency brake became a thing of the past. Now it's just a parking brake and it can't even hold a car on an incline should the tranny some how jump out of park.
Posted : August 31, 2016 5:50 pm
yep. happened to me in June. no time to react and it was a head-on right at the entrance to Point Pleasant. it was a local, raumbling along in the wrong lane. They didn't breathalize him, which pissed me off a little, but whatever. I broke my sternum and my car was totaled.
Posted : August 31, 2016 5:57 pm
In STX many divers here seem to think the line on the road is where you put the middle of your car. The Govs. entourage ran me off the road out east. The 3 cars were flying around a blind corner by the Bucaneer down the center of the road.
Posted : August 31, 2016 6:09 pm