Big thanks to COM this morning. Credit to the classroom time

[agrabau]

This morning, on the way to work I spun my car in a less than opportune place on black ice. The road was a patchwork of salty-white and dark pavement on Route 16 in Newton. The car stepped out so fast and without warning that I thought it was curtains for my new-to-me E36.

I've spun plenty of cars, just not recently with my ongoing sting of AWD track cars so I'm a little rusty at the old catch and throttle business of trying to keep the RWD straight and under wraps.

Coming around a 45 degree right hander on a 4 lane section, about 35-40 mph the rear stepped bigtime to the point where the bumper was facing the inside curb at about 45 degrees and I was sliding at about the same rate that I was travelling.

I thought that I'd have one try at saving it, contrary to what we're taught so I stayed on the throttle, as in the curb facing direction the worst thing that I figured on was a smashed front end. I turned into it and got on the throttle, hoping that some miracle-drift would save me.

Well, it worked but soon after (very soon) it snapped back in the opposite direction as I was now on dry pavement. I countered, but I couldn't catch it and finally spun. (tricky bastard) The difference between this morning's outcome and what would have happened without my time with COM is I have a car still and no one was hurt.

There was no accident this morning simply because I remembered to "2 feet in" and even while my car was sliding facing oncoming traffic, angled in a way that would have created a head-on collision, the tires never regained forward traction because my feet were firmly planted on the clutch and brake. I never left my side of the road and no credit to me for having it that way.

Thanks instructors, I still have a car this morning because of you.


Alex

[jrottn]

nice work
I heard on the radio this morning there were over 20 crashes inside of 1.5 hours
glad you were not part of that stat
john

[rajito]

On a related note, the apexes seem a little icy this morning. Two nights ago, the track out point of the Storrow -> 93N tunnel was icy too.

Can someone move the apex cones appropriately? Thanks.

Raj

[chaos4NH]

In and around Beantown I try to keep my "track outs" very tight because the outside of the turns seems to collect all sorts of nasty jetsam and flotsam, you know crack pipes, nasty needles and such.

[StephanAlfa]

Nice control work and glad to hear classroom info got properly retained and put into work outside of race environment (right?).

I am now scared of driving in Beantown ... heard the news on platewire.com??? any bozo can post comment ... even if you are "speeding safely" someone who is on the left lane at lesser speed, with one hand on the cell phone and another one clutching the coffee mug is going to write you up because you: flashed the lights (in Europe and Canada and Latin America means get the hell out of my way ... please! but here entitled you to get a finger...), turn the signal to the left (Indicating you'd like to pass .. please .. and then you get another finger or they slam on the brakes - now how stupid and Darwininan can one be eh?), or eventually pass (safely I hope) on the right = there is where you get written up.
Oh well, nice save anyway, good outcome albeit trickery situation.
Happy and safe motoring! Glad our COMSCC instructions paid off!

[eastcoastbumps]

Nice control work and glad to hear classroom info got properly retained and put into work outside of race environment (right?).

I am now scared of driving in Beantown ... heard the news on platewire.com??? any bozo can post comment ... even if you are "speeding safely" someone who is on the left lane at lesser speed, with one hand on the cell phone and another one clutching the coffee mug is going to write you up because you: flashed the lights (in Europe and Canada and Latin America means get the hell out of my way ... please! but here entitled you to get a finger...), turn the signal to the left (Indicating you'd like to pass .. please .. and then you get another finger or they slam on the brakes - now how stupid and Darwininan can one be eh?), or eventually pass (safely I hope) on the right = there is where you get written up.
Oh well, nice save anyway, good outcome albeit trickery situation.
Happy and safe motoring! Glad our COMSCC instructions paid off!

I just checked out platewire.com Thats the biggest bunch of babies I've ever read about. I think I might register just to mock them.

"I was in the left lane going well under the speed limit when this guy in his flashy Italian sports car starts flashing his lights at me. What a jerk! Then he swerved into the right lane and went flying past me. I'm so pissed off that I put down my Starbucks and posted this right away from my Blackberry."

[cuda6666]

There is no way you're going to get a ticket based on the word of some bonehead - unless the cop actually sees you do it. I know this because the other day I was following a pickup that deliberately ran an old lady off the road. At the next light, I pulled over next to a cop and related the incident. He said he couldn't do a thing beacause he didn't see it himself. I said "I'll remember that the next time someone complains about my driving" and drove away.

-----------------------------
Subaru Legacy GT #716
Plymouth Baracude #67

"Track time is my enemy"

[ryanthieme]

I was also under the impression that it was legal to pass on the right in Massachusetts? Or is this a national site?

~ryan

[HerbD]

I was also under the impression that it was legal to pass on the right in Massachusetts? Or is this a national site?

~ryan

The only times it is truly legal to pass on the right in MA:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-2.htm

[ryanthieme]

I was also under the impression that it was legal to pass on the right in Massachusetts? Or is this a national site?

~ryan

The only times it is truly legal to pass on the right in MA:

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/89-2.htm

Section C seems to be what I was talking about, but never explicitly said.

(c) upon any roadway on which traffic is restricted to one direction of movement.

So driving home on 128 at night, it appears that passing on the right is ok.

~ryan

[Mark Swinehart]

And in NH -

265:19 When Overtaking on the Right is Permitted. – The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass on the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions:
I. When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn;
II. Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being traveled by the overtaking vehicle;
III. The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. Such movement shall not be made by driving off the roadway.

[rnoonan]

It's that first paragraph of 89-2 that the boneheaded majority is ignorant of:

... the driver of the leading one shall not unnecessarily obstruct the other... the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle on visible signal and shall not increase the speed of his vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.

Man, if the cops would simply enforce that one paragraph, congestion and road rage would virtually disappear! Works very well on the autobahn...

[StephanAlfa]

Passing on the right is safe only in conditions where the steering is on the right side: UK, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong.
Natural tendency (under "normal" driving condition) is to serve the vehicle to the right if it needs to avoid something. SO when you pass on the right and happen to startle the driver being passed you could run into a serious issue.
Aslo in MA the notion of riding on the shoulders during rush hour is very Darwinian too. You would not want to have a breakdown during there hours ...
Any of the movements tries elsewhere (Europe, Quebec, Mexico, Brazil) and you'll wind up in a lot of trouble.
Similarly if a driver does not yiled to the right after being "flashed" you will be in trouble.
Anyone who has ever driven in the highways in Europe knows that. A car coming (very fast) will be flashing lights (even in endurance races they do that) and you had better be in the right lane unless you are overtaking another car.
Happy Friday!

[chaos4NH]

AND, on some French roads it is even more fun!! (At least back in the 60's when I was in Europe) There are 3 lane roads, 1 lane each way with a center SHARED passing lane! You damned well be flashing your lights when passing in that center lane! It became a fast moving game of chicken at times.

[StephanAlfa]

Right you are Sam! My work sometimes brought me to France just North of Bordeaux and they had the "suicide lane" in the middle. Recently they added roundabouts and you come from a full fledged 2 lane highway into a traffic circle without ANY warning. I've seen some cars doing that Nordic Mountain climb trial by going stright into the middle of the circle.
Vivre la France!