I had to post this....Really Bad Accident...Wake up call to all of us.

[jymbee]

Wow. doesn't get much worse than that. Certainly make one think...

I don't know any of the circumstances in this case, but all too oftern I see people with new 4 or "all" wheel drive, driving much faster than they should for given conditions. As if their vehicle was somehow immue from skidding on snow or ice. Often they're "city people" who have ventured out into the country. Myself and various neighbors pull a dozen or so of these people out of ditches around here each winter. Locals and those used to winter driving know better.

 

[greenmachine86]

Wow! Crazy!

 

[J_J]

Just curious how many people drive around with a dash cam recording, sometimes, hours of boring/nothing.

Was this a police camera?

 

[turnkey4099]

Looks to me like everyone is going about the same speed, including the car taking video. Probably all going too fast for conditions, as the loss of control of all involved happens in a flash. I've seen those days, when most traffic is literally pushing the envelope on slushy snotty surfaces, and I either back way down in the right lane or get off the road (or at least the interstate) if at all possible. I've always been chicken and now I'm cautious too....and even at that I've come close to bad situations.

I rarely see the "flow" on highways anywhere near slow enough to be considered safe in bad conditions. My advice (always ignored) when ask "How fast is safe?" - slow down until you feel comfortable...now cut that speed in half and you will probably be close to a safe speed.

Harry K

 

[Scooby074]

Tragic accident.

But with that said, the questions begin.

Tires on the sport utility?

"Relying" on 4wd to keep you safe?

Ive seen it MANY times. People sitting up high in a sport utility, trucking along thinking their bulletproof. More than once ive seen them in the ditch a few miles down the road. 4wd is useless against black ice which this appears to be.

His speed appears to be in line with the rest of the traffic, so i wonder if his tires were less than optimal and he was in 4wd to compensate? High centre of gravity prevent him from correcting? Its all speculation of course.

Someone should post this in the Prius threads for those advocating large sport utes for their safety.

We have a few stretches of highway near here like that and every year it seems there is at least one of these types of accidents. Its on the list to be twinned. It cant happen soon enough.

 

[Reg]

My "impression" was that the dip was the start of where it all went irrecoverable, then a couple of over corrections and the big one against the 18 wheeler coming the other way.

I hydroplaned in a low spot like that once - key word "ONCE", I learned from that.

Yeah, who knows about AWD/4WD and overconfidence ?
All very sad, however "stupidly" caused.
The 18 wheeler didn't get out of it unscathed either )-;

 

[dmccarty]

In one of my jobs, I can work from home if needed. If there is even a hint of ice or snow, I work from home. I am a very cautious driver but the bozo's out there scare me.

We were in an accident three years ago. It happens fast. Thankfully for us I have had some decent drivers training and experience which allowed me to burn off speed and change the point of impact. Otherwise I don't think I would be on TBN anymore.

Bad things happen quickly. Then everything changes in a second.

Some people in AWD/4WD vehicles think they can drive fast in bad conditions. Well they are right. You can. It is the stopping that is a problem which is why they are often in a ditch.

One year after a bad snow storm I found a line of 20 or so cars stacked up behind me. They had at most 1 second separation between vehicles while the conditions warranted at least 5 seconds. After that morning, I drove a rural back road the was so covered in snow you had a tough time knowing if you were on the road. The truck could handle the conditions with no problem and I did not have to worry about crazy drivers riding my fanny.

Later,
Dan

 

[LMTC]

Agree with turnkey about half being safe....most people IMHO are way too comfortable at way too much speed. I personally like my discomfort on the highway, particularly in bad weather...I see it as a survival mechanism.

Agree with most posters that way too many folks with 4WD do NOT understand that GO is different from STOP. STOP is primarily a function of friction between the vehicle and the road surface, and is essentially no different in a skid situation for a 2wd or 4wd vehicle. I like to find a slippery parking lot when I get a new (new to me) vehicle, and when I change tires...as much as can be done in those confines I like to find out how it handles, how much (or little) it takes to break into a slide, etc.

And I still think, based on what I can see on the road surface (slush, etc.), that they are all going too fast. Real shame for all involved, especially the semi driver who did nothing wrong and had zero chance.

 

[MasseyWV]

Wow that was bad and it always happens so fast. RIP to them.

We were in an accident three years ago. It happens fast. Thankfully for us I have had some decent drivers training and experience which allowed me to burn off speed and change the point of impact. Otherwise I don't think I would be on TBN anymore.

I've been there too. Sometimes, burning off speed and changing the point of impact is the only option left, but it requires split second judgement and timing.

Even deciding to floor it can save your life, as once happened to me when I was stopped at a red light. I happened to look in the rearview mirror and saw a semi coming up behind me with smoke coming off his tires and his trailer starting to jackknife. I floored it and blew through the light, causing him to miss me by what seemed like a fraction of an inch as we both went through the light rather quickly.

 

[Western]

On the positive side, the driver didn't feel a thing or suffer one bit.

CD, I hope thats true, but the last few seconds when the driver KNEW what was going to happen, has to be a sad helpless feeling, know way to know how helpless you feel at that instance, especially when your kids are there or cross your mind.

I say live each day Like you'll be called tomorrow!