I was on the freeway this afternoon coming from the in-laws with the wife and two kids in the back of the car. Traffic was thick but moving along at about 60 mph in the fast lane. Up ahead I saw brake lights and smoke. I had a nice safety cushion and started to apply on the brakes but in my rear view I see this giant pickup truck locking up his brakes and him approaching quicker than I would have liked. I eased off the brakes, swerved onto the left shoulder and stopped with the car in front of me now along my side. The truck almost rear ended them as it skidded up to our side. Had I just jammed on the brakes my kids might not be here tonight. Luckily I had the calmness to look in my rearview while applying the brakes and was able to access my stopping power with the guy's behind me. The bright side... the wife was stoked with how I handled things and I was able to tie it to DE events. Now I might be able to swing a few extra weekends in ;-)

This was the third such near accident this weekend. It's crazy out there...
Please be careful and assume the worst.

 

Well done. Stuff happens to the back and sides as well as the front. And not all vehicles are created equal. Your maneuver was one of avoidance. Sometimes leaving the shoulder open as an escape path for the vehicle behind you is best. Other times you just have to fend for yourself! Glad you made it out without damage. Again, we'll done.

 

We just drove back from Sonoma to our home in the San Mateo Highlands off 280 (Bunker Hill exit) and although we didn't have any drama like that, traff*ck was indeed thick, despite the Prez's Day holiday, but we made it home safe 'n' sound. Glad you avoided the collision.

 

I'm sure its mainly due to the increased volume of people living in the Bay Area, but traffic is horrendous these days. Many different cultures are meshed here, with their take on 'how to drive'. The weekday commutes are not too bad, but any weekend driving is pretty awful.

I've had several people try drive into me over the past few months. Not stopping at stop signs, or simply driving too close and not paying attention.

Stay safe peeps!

 

Good job! That's what it's all about, according to Dr. Porsche. To be able to AVOID incidents/accidents as opposed to surviving accidents.

 

Good job, Mark!

Driving has become a contact sport in the Bay Area.

Daughter #1 headed back to UC Santa Cruz (from Marin) yesterday.

It took her 3 hours to get there.

I'm glad that I didn't read about your adventure until she had safely arrived.

The first Porsche that I drove was a 1972.5 911S: besides the incredible torque and nimbleness, the ability to slow the twitchy sucker down was what hooked me!

Please do be safe out there...

 

Most definitely is due to your HPDE events. Situational awareness and good reflexes - these are key at the track and you carried them to the road.

Well done and keep driving better than the average moron that gets in the car with a cellphone glued to their face while they weild that 4,000 lb weapon they purchased to move their fat *** from point A to point B.

 

And clearly not just the brakes on the car, the agility to handle the swerving move you had to do, the skill and familiarity you had with car that let you know this was the right move to do, and as others stated, the situational awareness needed to know what your options were.

Well done!

I'd also argue that autocross is a good prep for quick thinking moves like this... it is hard to keep up with the reading of the gates and the onslaught of changes on a course, and it helps train you to think quickly and understand the limits of the car at its extremes since almost every move is either full throttle, full braking, and max turn rate. The autocross I attended this weekend was in light rain... it was certainly an education!

 

I also drive a Suburban. You really have to anticipate braking in that 66oo lbs beast. It's like there are no brakes sometime. The only thing longer than the stopping distance is the slowmow time it take.
I too, often pull onto the shoulder, as approaching masses are getting closer in the rear view.
Driving is really a 360° activity. Add in snow and ice, and too many people with no season tire. It can be a gong show. I called my ski buddy last week. Sent him a picture of some crazy car doing half the speed limit. Admittedly, the roads were not great. but when a tow truck, with a load past that car....
Anyway, turns out it was his wife with bald summer tires. You'd think the protruding steel wires would add traction. Anyway, new snow tires were put on , on friday. Perhaps my hounding, helped.

 

As someone who has almost only driven very quick braking, smaller cars over the past decade, I have an automatic habit of checking my rear visor when I anticipate or am braking hard. Knowing people are texting, dazed/zoned out, tailing, and/or driving monstrosities that can't stop, has definitely made me even more attuned to those behind / beside me. I keep my distance to allow a safe maneuver out of harms way (so far, so good, knock on wood...) I really wish cops, insurance companies and the rest would get those drivers off the road, rather than the open-road speeders who go 15 or 20 over on an open road...

 

I sometimes have to leave the 911 in the garage and drive the F250 instead. I always work the road to create my cushion zones, leap frogging between gaps as required. With the truck, the front cushion has to be more, much more.

But when the freeways congest and cars bob and weave that cushion zone comes and goes. I confess that I have had the truck sideways avoiding others. I do not use my phone unless I am on the shoulder, stopped. Crap happens.

It IS a jungle out there! I have been thankful that the car in front of me has left the shoulder available. When I take the shoulder in an avoidance maneuver it is after I gauge what the car behind me needs ... and from previous observations, what I think the driver behind me will do (big judgement call on a stranger from minimal data - how did he get behind me, is he using the lane to maximize his view, does he have passengers, has his head been moving with the beat, there are things to be learned).

These situations are always a gamble. You calculate your odds and you place your bet. And you are happy when you achieve your destination. It is always nice to have the best brakes and superb handling, but those features bring a different level of decision making to include those around us. And our cars simply are not built for of road!

 

All well spoken! HSDE gives one a whole new perspective on driving. Being constantly aware of all that is happening around you has prepared you to take immediate evasive action to avoid injury to yourself and family. As such, I don't even listen to any audio, other than the song of the engine and exhaust note, while driving in congested urban environments!

 

Line from an old Kinko's/FedEx ad: "Tim, you keep on thinking everyone's out to get you."

Tim: "They are."