donp

It's been raining here for quite some time. Today on my way home the skies had just cleared but the roads were wet enough that traffic was throwing up enough spray to require delay wipers.

I'm stopped at an intersection maybe 1/2 car length behind a big 6 (10?) wheel drive, 3-axle power company truck. I glance in my rear view mirror only to see a truck towing a gooseneck trailer closing on me fast. He's obviously heavy on the brakes and rear end has begun to drift out sideways and he's still closing waaaay to fast. My brain went in to alert mode... this guy was going to totally cream me. Buried the throttle, nearly side-stepped the clutch and launched into the next lane. I have no idea what rpm this occured at... far too much excitement for me to even care (launch was hard enough to disable the CD changer until I got home though). All I could see was grill in the mirrors as the car lept away. I don't know how close he got to the power truck but he certainly would have slammed into me and pushed me into the power truck. Trucks - 2, S4 - 0 would have been the score.

quattro saved my a$$ for sure. Had I been in a FWD or RWD car I would have been TOAST... no way I could have gotten out of the way in time on a wet road.

Ming 2.7T

Oh and by the way, you can pick up the diamond you **** right onto the seat!!! LOL

TXurS6

It was your own attention to what is going on around you. Not being patronizing here but how many times have we all saved ourselves because we saw something happening before it was too late? Then there are the ones with no clue who are always "unlucky". Nice save.

Stätus Josh

Now you need to find some way to reward your S4! What's the next mod on your wish list?

Ming 2.7T

Called S.A. Situational Awareness, or as pilots says, "Having a Clue"

VICI~S4

nice save!

JRS4

It's saved me more than once.

Good move!

jyoteen

I was on Santa Monica blvd at a red light waiting, a Jaguar convertible ahead of me, and no one behind me....yet.

Then I happen to look in my rear view mirror and what do I see? An 80's vintage Celica with smoke pouring out of its tires as he had them all locked up, trying to stop.

Unfortunately, I couldn't speed away. I braced for the impact. I thought "oh ****" and BAM! He hit me quite hard (I would have to guess 30 or so mph.

But luckily, I always keep my tranny in neutral and had about 6 feet in front of me between my car and the Jaguar.

He hit me hard, and my car lunged forward, and I hit the brakes. My VW was moving apparently enough that my ABS kicked in and I stopped just short of running into the Jag.

My ashtray, which has a locking mechanism, so you can't take it out without pressing a release button, wound up on the rear parcel shelf. My bumper had rectangular imprints from the headlights exploding from the Celica and glass was impregnated into the bumper.

Cost of damage was about $3500. Moral of story is to keep plenty of distance between you and anything that's in the front. However, this situation wouldn't have been that helpful as there was traffic waiting in the right lane with a grass median and curb to the left.

Good show Don!

jyoteen

BTW, did you get the DV camera?

Tostao

This was on 279 N., something happened ahead, as traffic was slowing down, I put mi brakes semi hard as traffic ahead suddenly stopped, looked in my mirror and saw this big Suburban...half a second, he got on the brakes, nose dives hard, another second, won't make it, guy changed lanes at the last second...whoaaa.

Something weird happened ahead as there were about 12 or 15 cars on both sides of the road with at least one tire flat.