Simracing may have saved me

[jerrymcc]

Seen these threads before, but now I've had an experience.

Driving about 65 mph in the left lane on a crowded interstate with my son, when an SUV about 3 car lengths in front of me, slammed on its brakes and swerved into the center of the lanes, losing control and fishtailing. I hit my brakes hard, but not locked, and watched the SUV, now about 2 car lengths in front. After a few seconds, it swerved into the grass on the right and flipped on its side.

I think my sim racing in "similar" situations, let me not panic, watch for an escape route and avoid what could have been a much more serious accident. My son is 15, and we were just talking about how far to stay behind someone at different speeds, etc.

Scary, but I felt like I had some control in the situation. Happy to have missed this. Back to "simulated" crashing.

Jerry

[davidan]

Wow Jerry and glad everything is ok. I agree completely. I had a similar situation a couple of years ago where an accident began to unfold in front of me on the Interstate and we were able to avoid it, partly by getting lucky and also that I didnt panic as much ... I think the sim racing certainly helps you to react in that situation. I know for sure it certainly can't hurt. Glad you guys were ok and hope nobody else was hurt.

[Joe Owens]

By the way that you have described it Jerry,you definately were in control there,a lot of guys would have lost the plot as soon as that darn SUV started to slide.
Watch it out there buddy,that was TOO close for comfort.
Joe.

[TimCollier]

I'm with you 100% Jerry on that all this sim-racing gives us experience in how to handle situations that other drivers would freeze up in. I'm glad you and your son were both ok of course, and it goes to serve as a great learning moment for you son when he starts to drive I'm sure. My son is 15 and while he has great reactions and common sense, he lacks experience just like the rest of us did at that time in our lives. But, he's gaining some of that by using tools like rFactor and Live for Speed to assess and determine the best way to handle a situation now, instead of learning it later...at least that's how I see it.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jerry...and hope that everyone in the other vehicle was ok as well.

[johnfatboy]

Glad all is ok, and yea i agree how sim racing makes us just a little better on the road....i even find myself with two hands on the steering wheel when i drive, feel more in control and safe. I don't even speed...could be my age...but i think its mostly cause of all the racing i do with the ILMS cars.

[John_NL]

I'm with you 100% Jerry on that all this sim-racing gives us experience in how to handle situations that other drivers would freeze up in. I'm glad you and your son were both ok of course, and it goes to serve as a great learning moment for you son when he starts to drive I'm sure. My son is 15 and while he has great reactions and common sense, he lacks experience just like the rest of us did at that time in our lives. But, he's gaining some of that by using tools like rFactor and Live for Speed to assess and determine the best way to handle a situation now, instead of learning it later...at least that's how I see it.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jerry...and hope that everyone in the other vehicle was ok as well.

Yeah, you where very lucky. It is always important too keep your head cool. The need for speeding on the interstate has dissapeared since I have been in to simracing. Perhaps simracing helps you too understand the way a car reacts when braking hard or when you start sliding.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

[Rick Adams]

I'm with you Jerry. Funny because I had a similar situation last week and thought the same thing about sim racing as you did.

I was on my way to work in Austin,TX headed South on I-35. I was in the fast lane running about 70 in bumper to bumper traffic. There was an 18 wheeler about 3 cars ahead of me in the middle lane. His left rear outside tire blew throwing hunks of rubber everywhere with the entire section of the tread flipping through the air. I am really thankful that the car next to the truck and the car directly behind the truck didn't lose control.

So we're all braking so hard that cars and trucks are weaving all over the place, including me. I'm watching the pick-up truck in my rear view, at the same time watching the "tread" flipping through the air in front of me. Just as I began to wonder where this hunk of tread was going to land it dawned on me that it would land right about on my hood or in my windshield. I whipped my SUV onto the shoulder of the road up against the concrete barrier, didn't hit it, just as it came down right where my SUV would have been.

First thoughts through my mind was "holy shit!". After I calmed down some I started thinking about how glad I was for sim racing. I believe that sim racing helps in situations like this.

[aichseamido]

First of all, glad to know you and your son are okay Jerry. I agree with you completely on sim racing preparing you for a situation like that. A few weeks ago something similar happened to me as well. Like some other people said it's more about reacting and not panicking than anything else.

[Ron_Schuermann]

I agree also, but I have never had the Blue Screen of Death pop up on my car's windshield

[JJ Addison]

Sure Glad you ended up safe mate. And all the comments are true it does help with the reaction time in the real deal. My only issue is ever since i started sim racing........when I get in the car with the wife she goes nuts for the 1st 30 min. because she keeps saying I'm too close to the curbs. And I do find my self attacking the curbs ....LOL

It's a bitch on these street tires....LOL