Freeway Hazards

Shooby_IHB

Shooby_IHB

New member
This article is upsetting. Especially since I was on the 57 freeway this Saturday PM, and my car was struck by a 3 foot piece of tire tread kicked up by the car in front. Smashed my bumper and headlight, breaking the light. Now I'm out $1,000 with insurance.



There are all sorts of hazards on the freeways. One time I was driving and a mattress was laying in the middle. Can drivers really be that irresponsible??



Minivan flips while trying to avoid recliner in freeway

BY SANDY ROSE

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Comments 12| Recommend 0



ORANGE -- A minivan has flipped on the northbound 5 freeway while reportedly trying to avoid a recliner chair that was dropped on the roadway.



The accident, which happened near the 57 freeway interchange, is blocking lanes three and four.



A witness reported seeing a white truck drop the recliner which is believed to have been what caused the minivan to swerve and overturn, the California Highway Patrol reported.



A SigAlert has been issued and is expected to last 45 minutes.



An ambulance is responding.



Also on the 5 freeway in Irvine just south of Culver Drive, a SigAlert has been declared with lanes one through three blocked due to several traffic collisions.



The lanes expected to remain blocked for about 30 minutes.
 
this is why i normally leave a rather large gap between me and the car ahead of me, its hard to keep the gap though as someone inevitably merges into the space i leave in front. so then i have to slow down again create the gap.
 
People don't realize... if you car car withstand a head on crash into an immovable object, a seat, car, dog, cat is not going to prove any hinderance.

It might damage it.. but it will be very minor.

Keep it safe.

-bix
 
Try driving an expensive Mercedes with a very low clearance on the front end.

You nail every little piece of debris. And I just had the whole front end repainted last month.



Last week somebody dropped an Oxygen Canister on the 5 around Jeffery. Almost nailed me.

It bounced around sounding like an big aluminum bat as people hit it and it bounced on the pavement.



Last Fall it was the Truck Sized Tumbleweed blowing across the 5 just before Culver in the morning rush.

That was real fun once it got hit a few times. That one made the newspaper.



The one I worry about is a ladder in the dark. OUCH.



Just dont over correct or you will flip. Especially in a SUV.
 
[quote author="bltserv" date=1254808505]Try driving an expensive Mercedes with a very low clearance on the front end.

You nail every little piece of debris. And I just had the whole front end repainted last month.



Last week somebody dropped an Oxygen Canister on the 5 around Jeffery. Almost nailed me.

It bounced around sounding like an big aluminum bat as people hit it and it bounced on the pavement.



Last Fall it was the Truck Sized Tumbleweed blowing across the 5 just before Culver in the morning rush.

That was real fun once it got hit a few times. That one made the newspaper.



The one I worry about is a ladder in the dark. OUCH.



Just dont over correct or you will flip. Especially in a SUV.</blockquote>


That's why I don't drive those cars. I do worry about the race cars though. When we were testing the Streamliner on Houston Highways we did get one or two rabbits that crossed out path. We worried because we didn't know what would happen at that speed (25% throttle ~ 226mph short burst).

That Oxygen canister might pinch a bit... :lol: I did almost hit a crate of nails and a trailer of hot boiling tar... thankfully I can read traffic a little better than most.



-bix
 
6 years ago at midnight driving south on the 5 by the Childrens Discovery Museum I almost hit a man waving in front of his van. The van was facing me and I swerved to avoid it. It was dark driving beneath freeway interchanges on the 5. The last 40 yards was about the distance when I saw the man waving on the on 70+ mph on coming traffic not to hit his van.



A split second later we heard a soft stump followed by a loud bang. We got off on 17th street and called 911. We drove back several exits and by the time we passed the same spot the body was removed. The next day we were contacted by the sheriff for leaving the scene of the accident. The man died.



Stay inside the vehicle and just let the car absorb the crash when you can't get to the safety zone.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1254812761]6 years ago at midnight driving south on the 5 by the Childrens Discovery Museum I almost hit a man waving in front of his van. The van was facing me and I swerved to avoid it. It was dark driving beneath freeway interchanges on the 5. The last 40 yards was about the distance when I saw the man waving on the on 70+ mph on coming traffic not to hit his van.



A split second later we heard a soft stump followed by a loud bang. We got off on 17th street and called 911. We drove back several exits and by the time we passed the same spot the body was removed. The next day we were contacted by the sheriff for leaving the scene of the accident. The man died.



Stay inside the vehicle and just let the car absorb the crash when you can't get to the safety zone.</blockquote>


Yes, stay in the vehicle if you can't get to a safe area of the road. A passing semi will surely suck you right into oncoming traffic.
 
Back in my college days, while driving home. One of my car tires blew on the 22 Fwy. I was fortunate enough to pull all the way to the right and near an exit. Then on a flat, I slowly crept along the right-side of the road until I exit the freeway. This was in the days when we'd no cell phones. So I'd to change the tire while in a parking lot.



For those who are not strong like myself. Have a towel in the back trunk cause you won't be able to use your bare hand to turn those darn jack handle. Again, if you're not strong enough. Position the jack handle in at an angle where you can use your feet to loosen the bolts =).
 
[quote author="bltserv" date=1254808505]Try driving an expensive Mercedes with a very low clearance on the front end.

You nail every little piece of debris. And I just had the whole front end repainted last month.



Last week somebody dropped an Oxygen Canister on the 5 around Jeffery. Almost nailed me.

It bounced around sounding like an big aluminum bat as people hit it and it bounced on the pavement.



Last Fall it was the Truck Sized Tumbleweed blowing across the 5 just before Culver in the morning rush.

That was real fun once it got hit a few times. That one made the newspaper.



The one I worry about is a ladder in the dark. OUCH.



Just dont over correct or you will flip. Especially in a SUV.</blockquote>


I got hit by a large tubleweed on the 241 last year, followed by nearly running into a large wooden crate left in the #1 lane of the 261. Luckily no injuries or damage. Qwerty is right, better to leave a large enough gap to see approaching freeway hazards and enough braking distance for traffic ahead.
 
Problem is, people like this exist on the road:



<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_child_in_box">Ala. woman lets daughter ride in box on top of van</a>.



edit: fixed link
 
about a year ago my wife and I were coming home around 10:00pm from laguna. Right as we got through the canyon and were merging onto the 133, the car in front of me was doing all of 60mph on a WIDE open freeway (70 year olds!). So I begin to speed up to my customary cruising 70mph and passed on the left... and out of nowhere there is a HUGE single-seater couch sitting there, taking up an entire lane (the kind stuffed thick with a solid wood frame, likely weighing <strong>a ton</strong>). I was able to swerve out of the way and miss it by an inch... at the most. At that speed, I do believe the car would have been totaled and parts of the chair would have come through the windshield. I'm certain serious injury would have resulted.



And lo and behold, some irresponsible jackass with a pickup parked about a half mile up looking confused at the back of his truckbed. The larger partner couch was similarly unsecured and he was driving with the tailgate down. He was shrugging and smiling with his friend. I felt murderous.



CHP/police need to do a better job of regulating people who transport items like this. I've seen very unsafe transport situations overlooked time and again by passing cops.
 
On my way to the LB airport in the wee hours of the (still dark) morning, I nearly missed an appliance (stove? washing machine?) in the middle of the offramp. It made flying a little less nerve-wracking.



ETA: I also try to leave a large gap between myself and the next car, but of course this gets filled by those who don't like seeing a space of more than 2 car lengths.
 
these stories bring back memories of my honda rice-rocket, ride so low that I hit every freeway debris... I have seen my fair share of furniture on the freeways... some things that have gotten stuck to the bottom of the prelude: a huge bundle of wire/cables; those heavy chain & hook used on a tractor trailer; a bunch of shredded tires and a part of a bumper with a license plate still stuck to it... drive safely...
 
[quote author="biscuitninja" date=1254807921]People don't realize... if you car car withstand a head on crash into an immovable object, a seat, car, dog, cat is not going to prove any hinderance.

It might damage it.. but it will be very minor.

Keep it safe.

-bix</blockquote>


bix is absolutely correct. people who grow up in areas where there's a lot of wildlife learn when they're driving to simply kill the deer. driving into a wall, tree, or ditch (and flipping the car) is far worse than hitting a bag of flesh.

i have a relative that was in a terrible accident after crashing to avoid a dead dog on the highway. the dog was already dead and she nearly died trying to avoid it. it's natural instinct to swerve but you should simply just stick it in your mind now to not do that.
 
Happened this morning. A little rabbit ran across the road in front of me with a feet to spare. I braked. Didn't swerve.=)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top