Regarding swerving to avoid animals, I'll never forget a local newspaper story I read back when newspapers were still a thing. A woman swerved to avoid a squirrel, ran into a tree, and wound up killing her infant child who was in the car. I imagine she wishes every day she had just hit the brakes and taken her chances running over the squirrel.
Totally, Dan. This is why it's so important at least to rehearse these scenarios mentally before being in one, and preferably get advanced driver training.
Dan Sanger 1 Attempt to brake. Animal with the exception of a moose or elk, hit the animal take it out of the equation cars are replaceable. 2 Attempt to swerve. 3 If its not safe or possible as the last resort make every effort to stop and be ready to take the cause out of the equation. Hit the other vehicle or pedestrian.
That woman probably could of avoided the squirrel without crashing if she actually payed attention and calmly reacted. I do it all the time with cats, dogs etc. Only thing I've ever actually had to maneuver and get around was a cow who came running through a field onto the road at the end of a blind corner.
I am always thinking about "What do I do if?" when I ride motorcycle. People get freaked out when I can say when someone is going to cut me off seconds before they turn into my lane while they are driving in a car with me. You get a 6th sense. At the end long ride I am mentally exhausted but it kept me alive for 20+ years of riding.
To be honest, I think that riding a motorcycle made me a much better car driver. If you want to stay alive, it just forces you to learn how to think ahead and how to find escape ways from dangerous situations.
This is my first RUclips comment because for the first time it seems worth it, for me. I just want to thank you for your safe driving tips. I have no doubt that you will save lives or prevent injuries because of your commitment to driver education. Maybe you already have? I subscribed when you just started and love your channel. I also share your videos with young drivers who lack experience and encourage other subscribers to do the same. Our driver training seems so inadequate in Australia. I've also been thanked for passing on your videos to several friends who changed their choice of a new car because of your honest reporting. Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
I love you, for years, ive wondered, why we are never tought how to stop, evade, or be defensive, while we so called learn how to drive from instructors.
When you see a possible problem ahead and take your foot off the accelerator and put it over the brake, you might want to give the brake a little tap to flash your brake lights to alert any drivers behind you.
Somewhere a long time ago I read an article by Stirling Moss, re the Mille Miglia. He wrote that he coped with the ridiculous speeds of that event on unclosed roads by mentally using a safety window. The wider the safe V in front of him the faster he drove, so for example if the road was lined with people or trees he was much more circumspect than if he was for example say driving north from Hay to say Booligal, I live in country Victoria and still use this idea to this day. Keep up the good work.
Thanks again +AutoExpertTV, John. Many years ago I was told (IIRC) by a Dangerous Goods Transport instructor that a 747 pilot monitors around 40 things a second in their immediate environment. I think he said the stats based on a measured eye movement type test or some-such (it was 26 years ago, my memory could be a little off). An experienced vehicle driver in a 'normal' driving scenario apparently monitored 60 'things' per second. A vehicle driver has, besides their instruments and interior distractions, a plethora of external potential hazards to watch for. He also taught the 'escape route' method of driving; as in when on a highway and a vehicle or vehicles are approaching, look at possible avoidance paths in case the oncoming vehicle heads into your lane. I still drive with that mindset. I'm really enjoying this series John, and I've been sharing the videos as they come through. Cheers.
Excellent work John getting this out to public. So much more important than the Government spending millions on advertising their “Every K over is a killer”
I know many people (men & women) who's brains are engaged in everything else except driving. As a professional driver for many years (courier, truckie, biker and race driver/rider) I am constantly frustrated when sitting in the passenger seat. Seriously, you are meant to indicate your 'intention'. Indicating once you have already started changing lanes is not 'indicating'. Licence testing and approval WeetBix style.
Thumbs up, Mr. Cadogan. In my State (USA), motorcyclists can take the MSF Safety course to get fully licensed after passing the written test. One of the basic concepts is the traction pie. It applies to cars as well because physics. Fortunately, the newer cars are helpful in using all the pie. Modern motorcycles are also catching up with ABS and traction control. From the driver/rider POV, most things are the same. Slow down early and quickly. If you're going to crash, slower is better. If you have to swerve, things have gotten complicated. Most people don't have the skill to divide the pie up properly and end in a skid that leads to a crash. Again, the new technologies available help because they are of great assistance to avoiding that skid. It's the stuff that happens either without warning, due to fatigue, or brain overload that really worries me. Systems like EyeSight™ are nice to have. I also really can't go back to standard cruise after using adaptive cruise. Lane Keep Assist needs a bit of work, but things are going in the right direction there. P.S. After the MSF course, the instructor said, "congratulations! You are now qualified to ride in a parking lot!"
Thank you John, I've just returned from my 3000km road trip. Your tips has been very useful as I've managed to get back safely! =) please keep up the good work! You're saving lives! =)
John, this is an excellent series that you are producing & providing to your viewers. I especially liked this episode and your parable of this Blackhawk trainer/pilot and your get acquainted ride. Thank you so much for paying forward to our youth who can benefit greatly your informative presentations and doing a great service to make motoring safer. I regret that I'm in the USA and unable to support your buying service. Thank you for being here on RUclips! REGARDS, Tim Fields
When training advanced rider techniques for motorcyclists, we use drills to help train riders to understand how fast a bike will steer, and how hard you can actually stop. We need these skills to ride faster around a track and also, to stop some fucktard in a car from killing us. Always plan an escape route - cover the brake - don't have your head up your arse, and watch everyone. In the car it's exactly the same thing, but with something so large that you don't have as many escape options. Most drivers never get anywhere near the limits of their cars braking or turning limits, but often run out of talent and luck when they need it most.
Quite - all vehicles send you messages when approaching the limits. Unfortunately, most people never learn to decode them. Motorcyclists typically do because they are a) enthusiasts and b) vulnerable.
Before I was allowed to take my driving test, my grandpa made me prove I can stop fast and calmly, straighten the car out if I go sideways in the winter and on asphalt and stuff like that. I think everyone should learn these things in driving school.
That's a very limited response from a fucktard who obviously didn't get taught logic at school. Skills learned on a track are transferable and useful in the real world. Better skills increase the likelihood of a better outcome in a high pressure situation. Training and drills promote better emergency responses. Practised riders make demonstrably better decisions in emergency situations. The people who attend training always show up with bad habits and poor skills and leave with improved road skills. Just to be clear, I'm not interested in trying to change your ignorance, I'm posting this response in case anyone reading your comment might be swayed by your stupidity. That wasn't sarcasm in case you missed it.
Thanks John. Great advice. I rode a motorbike a long time ago and as is said in the comments below, it does give you a kind of sixth sense to look well ahead and anticipate any dangers. I've had some near misses and done some stupid things that I got away with due to luck when I was young but riding a motorbike taught me a lot of lessons. As you say, looking way ahead and seeing something odd and thinking what that may turn in to has saved my life a few times. Great advice from you John. Thanks.
As a comm pilot, I liked the aviation references. You are spot on about the forward thinking. I was taught to be always thinking about possible landing sites or actions if things went bad. Your explanation of V1 is also on the $$$, but the main reason the hand is taken off the throttles is more a psychological cue than anything else. It reminds you that should anything go bang, you're going, no questions asked, plus if your hand is poised on the throttles, you might be tempted to close them past V1.....really liked this vid. Nice change of pace with the interesting stories....
In a country (UK) where it's more important to demonstrate you can use a car's sat nav and steer using an archaic technique dating back to before power steering than it is to practice for emergencies or to demonstrate that you can still control the car in low traction conditions - crap drivers is all we'll ever have. Thank you for the service Sir, you deserve my tax money more than all these idiots we have in charge around here!
Basic instinct is to swerve. Based on this my advanced driving instructor taught us to brake-swerve-break to stop. Thanks John for the Traffic vs. Transit opinion. I'll hit you up closer to purchase time.
Thanks John, the point here is practice, on the limit situations, and emergency procedures. None of those are advisable on a public road. But they are all possible on a public road. I think that drivers should join a car club that has club level motor sport events. And a participant they should be in their own street car. I have always been a participant for over 50 years in circuit, hillclimb, rallies and autokarna events. Not too much autokana now as it is hell on R spec tyres. But we need more young people to engage in these events as it does give them experience in high speed situations that teach car control. They get to practice car control off the public roads skills that they will need on the public road one day. I was trained in anti terrorist driving techniques, and one of the driving tests we had to do was a commentary drive through a city, through a suburb, and on a country road, sealed and dirt. For those that have not heard of this technique go to RUclips and look for UK police commentary videos. Not an easy skill to master, but once achieved, your driving/skill levels changes positively. My hardest skill to master has been using ABS as I was taught cadence braking. Now when I hammer into the hairpin at Mt Cotton I almost bend the brake peddle.
I would add that if I see something that might be an issue, I actually press the brake pedal a little bit, so my brake lights light up. This warns people behind me that something might be up, and they might be faster to brake. I have also on purpose not slammed my brakes immediately (because I judged there to be enough stopping distance), just to give the person behind me enough chance to get on their brakes as well, and not hit me from behind. Apart from that, if this isn't an issue, then I fully support to slam the brakes if you have an ABS car. Also, if there is a choice, buy car with ESC or equivalent stability control system. This typically stops the car from getting out of control even if you as a driver makes too big of a swerve and there is a risk to lose control of the car.
I always thought that a swerve was a controlled dance between breaking and accelerating while turning the wheels.... Because swerving only once is the best case scenario (which we all hope for, but it might not happen) Great advice on looking where you want to land if the shit hits the fan..... Long story short, in my youth, my dad after swerving to avoid incoming traffic, instead of breaking and entering in a concrete ditch at 120km/h and a full stop, he accelerated and went over it and rolled in the wheat field..... Where we came of the road there was already a small totem with a candle for a person that died..... Guess his thinking made it possible for me to write now :))... Just yesterday had to swerve because a moron crossed the middle of the road and the double continuous line......managed to stay on the road with no ill effect, but some swearing...
Hi John, I'm absolutely loving these they really are making me think about my driving. Thank you for taking the time to do these videos I also enjoy nut fest. Cheers mate all the best from the UK.
i was in my early days of driving (3 months experience at that point) and i was driving to work at night around 10:30. car full of people (jaguar x-type 2l diesel) with steel boots and lunchboxes. i was outside the city in a 60 mph area with traffic both ways but still moving when this 5 series wagon pulls a left (uk) in front of me, realises i was a lot closer than he/she thought i was and locks up the brakes. i started braking but it wasn't going to stop it in time at wich i had to take a decision. if i swerve into incoming traffic the car was gonna protect me and we all would have survived (according to testing i should get no broken bones at 50 or under and i was already braking hard) or crash into it and risk killing the occupants. i decided i was going to swerve right and if there was oncoming traffic to go for the boot of the bmw to lower the risk of killing anybody and also be in the clear legally. fortunately i could avoid it and i did, but i was still going 35 mph when i went past it. t-boning at that speed would have been a disaster.
Mr Cadogan, thank you for all your videos, they are awesome, Im addicted to them. Can you please enlighten us with this 2 videos. Thank you ! 1. what you think about Toyotas in general? can you please make a whole video about what is the best toyota to buy...... 2. what is the best car to buy under $5 - $10 - $20k? Best Regards.
Great point about practicing in adverse conditions. Growing up in snow country I use to take advantage of icy parking lots to force my car into an uncontrollable spin. Eventually I learned how to regain control of the vehicle quickly. My friend could even kick his car into a parking spot without hitting vehicles. Of course, one day we were ticketed by the police for unsafe driving during one of these practice sessions in a 10 acre empty lot. Ticket was worth it, later in life I avoided an 80 car pile-up on a major highway. Cars ahead of me and behind were wrecked and 2 people died. I sat in the median covered in snow, without a scratch.
A small amount of braking while turning puts weight on the front steering wheels for more traction. You can prepare for these situations by playing the racing symulator games.
The best way to minimize an accident is to be aware of your surroundings as often as possible. It's easier said than done. Urban or suburban areas are tough bc there can a lot going on around you at any given moment (distractions)....Forcing you to react without sufficient time....Swerving can be scary esp if it's an instinctual move in the spur of the moment (not necessarily premeditated).
When I got lessons for my licence, the instructor was an ex airforce pilot. He drummed into me, being observant and what if scenarios. There where also random , without warning, emergency stop practice. He seamed like a cranky old pick at the time, but his lessons have served me well.
Emergency lane change swerve - not trying to stop under ABS braking - some acceleration is beneficial to plant the back tires and suspension to avoid the tail coming around.
crash avoidance: "Have the Terminator's eyes scanning ahead and planning ahead." Brian Lopez Skid Control: Look and steer in the direction you want to go. Crash Avoidance: Traffic or fog gets thick roads get slick slow down.
It is Brake and swerve or swerve but not brake and keep the same throttle position until you are going straight again unless you car has electronic stability control. Many cars will spin out of control if you let off the gas and or brake in the middle of a swerve . And sometimes you need to get off the brake and hit the gas to keep from spinning out. It's getting harder to do these days but you should find a dirt road and practice losing control so you know what it feels like and what to do when it happens.
Always be prepared for the unexpected. The theme of planning ahead should go beyond driving. In this modern society we have become so vulnerable and dangerous at the same time, that it's amazing we do not die at every other street cross.
Before you even get to the "we are not going to stop quick enough" you should look for the place to go as a second option. On a wet road, you can go from quite grippy to quite slippy is just a few feet. Having the 2nd option cued up in your brain can save 1/2 of a second.
A turning vehicle is less stable than one going straight ahead. On a savage swerve it is so easy to send the car over, slightest ripple in the road can see a roll over. (Even more so in a 4WD) So it may well be better to hit skippy.
I agree john. I think it's mental we drive without practicing emergencies. However, I know a few countries that teach how to correct sliding in slippery conditions(believe norway does this). But no emergency stopping.
Great video, in Scandinavia, all cars are tested for their ability to swerve and they call it the moose test. There are many videos on this if you are interested. You dont want to hit a moose.
Serge Vivier I always thought we should have that here in the USA. We don't have moose but we have ass loads of deer and in rural areas cows sometimes like to go in the road.
Great vid, a little bit though about pilots removing the hand off the throttle, depending if the throttle is automated or not, you should still keep a hand on it, or at least first officer should, there were crashes where the autothrottle failed during takeoff and commanded thrust reduction for one of the engines causing assymetric thrust just above the runway and the pilot didn't realise it until hitting the ground. Even in general aviation you keep the hand on the throttle in critical phases like takeoff, becouse for example high vibrations can move the levers on their own, reducing thrust in the process. Vspeeds are more of a mental attitude towards continuing the affair, than a physical removing of the hand, you want to know what the automation is doing and be able to correct it fast. Its not as critical further down the line during climb, cruise and descend, you have enough time to recognize any such problems there. But during approach and landing you should keep the hand close.
Thanks John. Re simulators: Wouldn't it be great if road organizations such as RACV, NRMA, etc. had basic simulators in some of their main 'shopfronts' so that the members who had half an hour to spare while 'shopping' could use them to hone their skills. This would eventually show up in accident stats I think. Keep up the good work. Robmac
Actually it may actually make things worse - John's suggestion of mashing the brake and steering is all we want people to do - any more than that and they may over think the situation. This is a link to the RACV information on the subject it is long but well researched: www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/health/effectdriver.pdf
OK, maybe not such a great idea. Very expensive to set up and keep maintain. Results maybe not as good as same time on a road situation. Maybe the autonomous robot cars need to come in now rather than in 10 years time...
John Ernst The RACV document specifically concludes that rote education is no substitute for experience behind the wheel. It seems to me that simulator time would be one way to help on this front. As to expense, it really depends on how far you want to carry the realism.
Hi John, watch all your videos and totally enjoy them, one question....do you own a car? And if so which one? And why. I know you may not be able to answer this, but as a man who likes to speak his mind I think it would be interesting.
about emergency training : completely agree. whatever country you are, there is no regular training for car motorbike or trucks drivers best shirt of the world :-)
When I hit Skippy at 110kmh on the highway (at night) I had a split second to decide where to put the vehicle. I knew there were no cars either side of me but several following closely behind. To swerve at that speed and the amount of input needed on the steering wheel to miss the poor bugger would've likely resulted in losing control and tipping the car (Jeep GC). So I lined him up to the centre of the hood, trying to avoid rolling over it with my tyres and took him out without hitting the break pedal but lifting off the accelerator. Skippy went under and I kept on rolling. Busted radiator, engine light on, I still made it home. In hindsight I still think I made the right decision. RIP Skippy.
With that vehicle I think it was the best decision. With a small car I think you could of made it around old skippy without tipping over. Unless theres some nice ditches on the sides of the road.
I made a stop with just enough room, but heard sliding tires after i stopped. i look my mirror and see a large work truck sliding toward me so i glanced quickly to check my lane and shot out as fast as i could. the truck ended up slamming into the car that was in front of me.
Do they have freeways (or motorways) in Australia? Most long distance driving in America is done on freeways not twisting roads as I saw above in John's video.
No mention of locked wheels or candence braking but the second part of the equation (manage risk) is difficult to learn in a reverse park and 3 point turn. Only through experience, accidents and a good arse reaming from insurance companies will one learn to manage risk in this day and age of licencing.
Cadence braking is rubbish anyway. If you drive a non-ABS equipped vehicle, LEARN TO THRESHOLD BRAKE under a range of tractive conditions. It is not beyond the capability of most people.
Wow, such objection to a basic skill. I get your notion about modern cars @AutoExpertTV not needing to regulate the pedal. But it's a handy skill to have just in case you end up in an old car or ABS fails to work. After all, you won't be swerving anywhere if the front wheels have stopped turning.
as john said, modern car, (which really, ABS is something on the bulk of car built in 1996, and to find a car built after that is road legal is becoming a challenge, and something you wouldn't be lucky to drive the same way anyway) locked wheels and candence braking are infact more dangerous when used in a car with abs also, it is a skill you need to practice (as a side, a trained, race drive, (or even me when I was doing motorsports) can out brake an ABS equipped car, anyday of the week, problem is, if you dont practice this in the car all the time, it is a skill that errodes really quickly, (like I would say after a good 6 years at being at a peak of my performance, and on par with most average professional drivers, i even did a few teaching lessons!) it was a skill that waxxed within two year (going from being practised 5-16 times a week) i was I would say, going to be outbraked by the same car with abs) the average driver on the road doesn't have the time, money, or will to abuse the car on a weekly basis to keep up such a skill
I do both in competition, depending on conditions: surface, tyres, speed. On one advanced racecraft course we had to brake pass threshold then release pressure in a cadence manner. With race rubber once you have locked the brakes they will lock at that point on the tyre every time. The original idea behind cadence was to rotate the brake point on the tyre to get passed the flat spot. Now with ABS I can trail brake to the apex until I can feel the peddle start the ABS cadence. But the brake performance has improved so much that one of my pre ABS cars with modern shocks, tyres and suspension components is up to 30% faster than nearly 40 years ago.
The problem with swerving is that the innocent chap in the lane next to you now becomes involved in the accident. It's an instinctive gesture to yank the wheel to avoid hitting what's in front, but is it better to hit whoever is in the lane next to you instead of just locking the brakes and letting the crumple zone take the brunt of the impact? I've learned to do it out of habit, but I frequently check my mirrors even when not changing lanes or turning. Just knowing what's beside and behind your vehicle can save you if you need to make an abrupt stop or direction change. And yes, keep a safe following distance even if it means giving enough room for another car to cut you off - trusting your brakes to stop you on a dime when an idiot ahead decides to brake check the cars behind him on a freeway is how the tow truck drivers get their business. And finally, driving in the wet may be an oddity in a city like LA where rain is rare occurrence, but people always forget to simply slow down and drive according to the weather/visibility conditions. Maneuvering in the dry is no way near as predictable as doing the same in a downpour. No tire, ABS or stability control electronics is going to defy physics. I always take corners at a speed I know I can stop for example.
What if someone by chance drove a fat square 1992 swedish, which has ABS but nothing else of the modern technologies? Is treating the brake pedal as if it was a VW executive still the best approach, or some moderation should be applied? For the foreign objects safety of course, it is a pre-ford Volvo after all, and it fears no mortal object or person.
Looking and steering in the direction you want to go is the first thing not the final thing. Your hands are always on the steering wheel. In an emergency there is no time to think.
Peter B. Not necessarily. Every situation is different. If there's no time to think, then how do you know that swerving is the best option? You don't. Therefore you have to think and react as quickly as possible and apply the correct actions. Swerving should not be the default action. I would suggest that most people, out of habit, will automatically react by braking. Unfortunately, they often don't to do it hard enough, they often ease off the brakes when turning and finish by not looking where they want to go.
A Nother because your hands are already on the steering wheel. I'm not saying you can't brake. Also, if someone cuts you off for example, if you try to drive around them and you still hit the front or rear axle, instead of t-boning the crash forces will be greatly reduced in both vehicles. To stop from 60mph may take 170' allowing 1/2 second to change pedals. To avoid t-boning another vehicle may only require 20' to move over 4-6'
We all have that incident where we narrowly missed something-like the idiot who turns in front of you into a 'No Right Turn' junction' you are just not expecting, my heart took 5 minutes to return to normal beating after that one...and it was a wet road, god almighty man. '
i have seen everyone of your videos and this is 1 of the best! well done!!! can you do one on or more of target fixation as i believe this is a huge killer! as ex mx racer and VERY amateur track/rally driver which was taught this 2 late which resulted in bad spinal injuries (no more racing of any sort) all i remember is fuck don't hit that tree ..... while looking the whole time at said tree, instead of looking at gap between many trees and land in ditch (i had lost control and was going 2 crash no matter what!) have a wild guess what i hit........
rinuncular too Locked front wheels will simply plough straight on when turned. A locked wheel has less grip than a rotating one. The answer in a vehicle without ABS is to either threshold brake, which is hard and requires practice, or cadence braking, which is easier for most people. Both allow the wheels to rotate and steering to be applied.
when riding a motorbike and coming across small wildlife running out in front of me - my mantra was to aim for it as by the time I reached it - it would have moved on. Target fixation IS a problem - you can learn to ignore it a little - but sometimes instinct is a real BITCH!!!
I do the "what if, where can I go" thing every time I see a log truck approaching the right hand bend ahead of me, I've seen too many bent trucks surrounded by piles of logs to trust them.
John. John. John. Thanks buddy, for that excellent information on such an important topic. But what to do when you look up from the speedometer doing 100kph and realize you're about to hit Kim Jong-Un, holding hands with his lover, a high level Volkswagen Executive Manager?
With the lack of roundabouts in Oz in comparison to the UK, and the lack of traffic on our country roads you would enjoy, but or speed limits are lower on our Motorways.
No. I do not know if you have been to the UK but it is the density of roundabouts that stunned me. Considering the area of the UK in comparison to Oz the roundabouts were one after another. I will always remember the GPS instruction as we left Pool. At the roundabout take the 1st exit and then at the roundabout take the 3rd exit, in 100 metres take the 1st exit and continue on for 1K and then take the 2nd exit and enter the motorway. And then there was the traffic lights IN the roundabout!! And the 4 lane entry into roundabouts. On a few occasions we exited a roundabout that went into another roundabout. We don't have anything like that, even in the roundabout capital Cleveland, QLD.
Far too many driver's these days in their insulated cocoons are so preoccupied , they simply CAN'T drive and IMHO some couldn't drive a knitting needle through a sponge cake. it has been my experience when visiting built up shit holes like Sydney that way too many driver's confuse their aspirations with their abilities. Never allow enough room and simply are NOT as observant as they really should be.
Rental car night driving Australia collected two kangaroos Thousands of dollars in damages if not written off.my cost 361. Next time...I'll try harder.
If you have an unexpected obstacle in your way - ALWAYS brake and NOT swerve unless you are 300% sure that you see the entire road situation. It is unconditionally better to kill a stupid child/driver/animal than to exterminate the whole innocent family you failed to notice in the next lane. If a source of an obstacle is guilty you will be justified in court. If you swerved and collided with someone you are ALWAYS guilty. There are no excuses and/or exceptions.
So you would kill a " stupid " child , rather than try to evade them because YOU may get in trouble ? Wow . You're a really caring person , aren't you .
Chris M, yes, I am very caring person. If you live under a rock these channels will show you the price of swerving if your situation awareness fails: 1. ruclips.net/channel/UCm7gT1VPrQu0izpUNCumN5g; 2. ruclips.net/channel/UCsZWuQVF-w87wqkuEVstAlA; 3. ruclips.net/channel/UCo4qhP1aU-BM0oi3O7qnhmw; 4. ruclips.net/channel/UCD4_kL_S0aav6vH14aM38Lg. When you think you see everything in a stressful situation in 97% you don’t...
Chris M, there are people standing by that tree - mother, father and two little kids that you failed to notice while shitting your pants. Why have you failed to notice them? Because a moment before you have already failed to notice the first kid that was dangerously close to the road BEFORE he jumped into your way and failed to reduce your speed to the level when you could react in a timely manner and stop safely. So, being a [you know that word], you kill 4 instead of 1...
All the authorities are doing is making the road boring as fuck to drive on. Lower limits = more crashing due to just being boring as fuck. Anyway, it seems if you have that situation where some twat is pulling out across your path, swerve into where they are coming from. It's very clear on just about every crash video that is what you should do because what happens is the car coming out tries to avoid by coming out faster (not really, they're fuckwits who just keep coming out regardless), and the poor guy getting cut off tries to avoid by swerving away, all that happens is they crash perfectly into each other while leaving that huge gap where the twat used to be.
John please don't have over a minute of speeded up road as vision. Many people (me) get motion sickness and as much as I love your descriptive videos, I don't like cleaning the barf off my computer after I try to watch them. Thanks in advance. Groblet
It seems that one very important technological advancement in car safety systems was missed out in this video, ESP, my cars arecfitted with ESP and they work amazingly, with good brakes and good tyres ESP is like been steered out or away from a critical situation by the hand of god, it's that good, however if you attempt to take the piss i.e. take a 90 degree bend at 100+ mph then forget it, you're brown bread.
my '02 Camaro has excellent handling which came in useful when a lady pulled out in front of me from an off ramp on my left while I was driving at the limit of 50 mph. hammered brakes and realized a collision was imminent. I swerved right up over a curb and straightened out as not to hit the guard rail as this was at a highway overpass. IDIOTS who don't look and pull out 40 feet in front of you on a highway deserve their license pulled.
maybe I should have lied and said I was driving a mini van, then I wouldn't have gotten the flak? The same vehicle most likely that people replying negatively to my comments drive.
Finally the best possible news has arrived. I started to turn in to a nut waiting here and clicking to refresh RUclips to see whether it is 39 yet or not!
Regarding swerving to avoid animals, I'll never forget a local newspaper story I read back when newspapers were still a thing. A woman swerved to avoid a squirrel, ran into a tree, and wound up killing her infant child who was in the car. I imagine she wishes every day she had just hit the brakes and taken her chances running over the squirrel.
Totally, Dan. This is why it's so important at least to rehearse these scenarios mentally before being in one, and preferably get advanced driver training.
Dan Sanger
1 Attempt to brake.
Animal with the exception of a moose or elk, hit the animal take it out of the equation cars are replaceable.
2 Attempt to swerve.
3 If its not safe or possible as the last resort make every effort to stop and be ready to take the cause out of the equation. Hit the other vehicle or pedestrian.
That woman probably could of avoided the squirrel without crashing if she actually payed attention and calmly reacted. I do it all the time with cats, dogs etc. Only thing I've ever actually had to maneuver and get around was a cow who came running through a field onto the road at the end of a blind corner.
Aaaaaa the simple minds of a woman.
Dan Sanger ,
I am always thinking about "What do I do if?" when I ride motorcycle. People get freaked out when I can say when someone is going to cut me off seconds before they turn into my lane while they are driving in a car with me. You get a 6th sense. At the end long ride I am mentally exhausted but it kept me alive for 20+ years of riding.
Yep , and certain makes and models of cars scream "Warning Will Robinson"
To be honest, I think that riding a motorcycle made me a much better car driver. If you want to stay alive, it just forces you to learn how to think ahead and how to find escape ways from dangerous situations.
This is my first RUclips comment because for the first time it seems worth it, for me.
I just want to thank you for your safe driving tips.
I have no doubt that you will save lives or prevent injuries because of your commitment to driver education. Maybe you already have?
I subscribed when you just started and love your channel. I also share your videos with young drivers who lack experience and encourage other subscribers to do the same. Our driver training seems so inadequate in Australia.
I've also been thanked for passing on your videos to several friends who changed their choice of a new car because of your honest reporting.
Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
+Chris Scibisz Thank you very much Chris - very kind of you to take the time.
J
The rescue guys are real Supermen .... massive respect to all of the rescue people. Good Video Fatman!
Thanks, Mr Evil.
I heard nothing this wigger said, he's wearing a butterfly shirt... A SHIRT WITH BUTTERFLIES ON IT!!!
@@BillClinton228 Sorry you triggered yo sef', Mariposa !
I am driving 35 years and been playing in my mind "what-if" scenarios and thought I was nuts. Thank you!
I love you, for years, ive wondered, why we are never tought how to stop, evade, or be defensive, while we so called learn how to drive from instructors.
When you see a possible problem ahead and take your foot off the accelerator and put it over the brake, you might want to give the brake a little tap to flash your brake lights to alert any drivers behind you.
as a pilot you hit the nail on the head.
Thank you Jacob - I was a bit worried about the description because I know the theory but I am an engineer, not a pilot.
Ditto!
Somewhere a long time ago I read an article by Stirling Moss, re the Mille Miglia. He wrote that he coped with the ridiculous speeds of that event on unclosed roads by mentally using a safety window. The wider the safe V in front of him the faster he drove, so for example if the road was lined with people or trees he was much more circumspect than if he was for example say driving north from Hay to say Booligal, I live in country Victoria and still use this idea to this day. Keep up the good work.
Thanks again +AutoExpertTV, John. Many years ago I was told (IIRC) by a Dangerous Goods Transport instructor that a 747 pilot monitors around 40 things a second in their immediate environment. I think he said the stats based on a measured eye movement type test or some-such (it was 26 years ago, my memory could be a little off). An experienced vehicle driver in a 'normal' driving scenario apparently monitored 60 'things' per second. A vehicle driver has, besides their instruments and interior distractions, a plethora of external potential hazards to watch for. He also taught the 'escape route' method of driving; as in when on a highway and a vehicle or vehicles are approaching, look at possible avoidance paths in case the oncoming vehicle heads into your lane. I still drive with that mindset. I'm really enjoying this series John, and I've been sharing the videos as they come through. Cheers.
Excellent work John getting this out to public. So much more important than the Government spending millions on advertising their “Every K over is a killer”
+Garage Blitz TV Thank you very much - could not agree more.
I know many people (men & women) who's brains are engaged in everything else except driving. As a professional driver for many years (courier, truckie, biker and race driver/rider) I am constantly frustrated when sitting in the passenger seat. Seriously, you are meant to indicate your 'intention'. Indicating once you have already started changing lanes is not 'indicating'. Licence testing and approval WeetBix style.
I love your Tuesday videos. They have become my favourite segment. I have been a subscriber for a few years now. Keep doing what you do. I love it!!!
Thumbs up, Mr. Cadogan. In my State (USA), motorcyclists can take the MSF Safety course to get fully licensed after passing the written test. One of the basic concepts is the traction pie. It applies to cars as well because physics. Fortunately, the newer cars are helpful in using all the pie. Modern motorcycles are also catching up with ABS and traction control. From the driver/rider POV, most things are the same. Slow down early and quickly. If you're going to crash, slower is better. If you have to swerve, things have gotten complicated. Most people don't have the skill to divide the pie up properly and end in a skid that leads to a crash. Again, the new technologies available help because they are of great assistance to avoiding that skid.
It's the stuff that happens either without warning, due to fatigue, or brain overload that really worries me. Systems like EyeSight™ are nice to have. I also really can't go back to standard cruise after using adaptive cruise. Lane Keep Assist needs a bit of work, but things are going in the right direction there.
P.S. After the MSF course, the instructor said, "congratulations! You are now qualified to ride in a parking lot!"
Thank you John, I've just returned from my 3000km road trip. Your tips has been very useful as I've managed to get back safely! =) please keep up the good work! You're saving lives! =)
John, this is an excellent series that you are producing & providing to your viewers. I especially liked this episode and your parable of this Blackhawk trainer/pilot and your get acquainted ride. Thank you so much for paying forward to our youth who can benefit greatly your informative presentations and doing a great service to make motoring safer. I regret that I'm in the USA and unable to support your buying service.
Thank you for being here on RUclips!
REGARDS,
Tim Fields
+Timoteo3858 Thank you very much for the kind words.
When training advanced rider techniques for motorcyclists, we use drills to help train riders to understand how fast a bike will steer, and how hard you can actually stop. We need these skills to ride faster around a track and also, to stop some fucktard in a car from killing us. Always plan an escape route - cover the brake - don't have your head up your arse, and watch everyone. In the car it's exactly the same thing, but with something so large that you don't have as many escape options. Most drivers never get anywhere near the limits of their cars braking or turning limits, but often run out of talent and luck when they need it most.
Quite - all vehicles send you messages when approaching the limits. Unfortunately, most people never learn to decode them. Motorcyclists typically do because they are a) enthusiasts and b) vulnerable.
Before I was allowed to take my driving test, my grandpa made me prove I can stop fast and calmly, straighten the car out if I go sideways in the winter and on asphalt and stuff like that. I think everyone should learn these things in driving school.
That's a very limited response from a fucktard who obviously didn't get taught logic at school. Skills learned on a track are transferable and useful in the real world. Better skills increase the likelihood of a better outcome in a high pressure situation. Training and drills promote better emergency responses. Practised riders make demonstrably better decisions in emergency situations. The people who attend training always show up with bad habits and poor skills and leave with improved road skills. Just to be clear, I'm not interested in trying to change your ignorance, I'm posting this response in case anyone reading your comment might be swayed by your stupidity. That wasn't sarcasm in case you missed it.
Thanks John. Great advice. I rode a motorbike a long time ago and as is said in the comments below, it does give you a kind of sixth sense to look well ahead and anticipate any dangers. I've had some near misses and done some stupid things that I got away with due to luck when I was young but riding a motorbike taught me a lot of lessons. As you say, looking way ahead and seeing something odd and thinking what that may turn in to has saved my life a few times. Great advice from you John. Thanks.
As a comm pilot, I liked the aviation references. You are spot on about the forward thinking. I was taught to be always thinking about possible landing sites or actions if things went bad. Your explanation of V1 is also on the $$$, but the main reason the hand is taken off the throttles is more a psychological cue than anything else. It reminds you that should anything go bang, you're going, no questions asked, plus if your hand is poised on the throttles, you might be tempted to close them past V1.....really liked this vid. Nice change of pace with the interesting stories....
In a country (UK) where it's more important to demonstrate you can use a car's sat nav and steer using an archaic technique dating back to before power steering than it is to practice for emergencies or to demonstrate that you can still control the car in low traction conditions - crap drivers is all we'll ever have.
Thank you for the service Sir, you deserve my tax money more than all these idiots we have in charge around here!
Basic instinct is to swerve. Based on this my advanced driving instructor taught us to brake-swerve-break to stop. Thanks John for the Traffic vs. Transit opinion. I'll hit you up closer to purchase time.
Thanks John, the point here is practice, on the limit situations, and emergency procedures. None of those are advisable on a public road. But they are all possible on a public road. I think that drivers should join a car club that has club level motor sport events. And a participant they should be in their own street car. I have always been a participant for over 50 years in circuit, hillclimb, rallies and autokarna events. Not too much autokana now as it is hell on R spec tyres. But we need more young people to engage in these events as it does give them experience in high speed situations that teach car control. They get to practice car control off the public roads skills that they will need on the public road one day.
I was trained in anti terrorist driving techniques, and one of the driving tests we had to do was a commentary drive through a city, through a suburb, and on a country road, sealed and dirt. For those that have not heard of this technique go to RUclips and look for UK police commentary videos. Not an easy skill to master, but once achieved, your driving/skill levels changes positively.
My hardest skill to master has been using ABS as I was taught cadence braking. Now when I hammer into the hairpin at Mt Cotton I almost bend the brake peddle.
I agree - the more training, the better. Like, until the car on the limit feels like an extension of your body.
I would add that if I see something that might be an issue, I actually press the brake pedal a little bit, so my brake lights light up. This warns people behind me that something might be up, and they might be faster to brake. I have also on purpose not slammed my brakes immediately (because I judged there to be enough stopping distance), just to give the person behind me enough chance to get on their brakes as well, and not hit me from behind. Apart from that, if this isn't an issue, then I fully support to slam the brakes if you have an ABS car. Also, if there is a choice, buy car with ESC or equivalent stability control system. This typically stops the car from getting out of control even if you as a driver makes too big of a swerve and there is a risk to lose control of the car.
I always thought that a swerve was a controlled dance between breaking and accelerating while turning the wheels.... Because swerving only once is the best case scenario (which we all hope for, but it might not happen)
Great advice on looking where you want to land if the shit hits the fan.....
Long story short, in my youth, my dad after swerving to avoid incoming traffic, instead of breaking and entering in a concrete ditch at 120km/h and a full stop, he accelerated and went over it and rolled in the wheat field..... Where we came of the road there was already a small totem with a candle for a person that died..... Guess his thinking made it possible for me to write now :))...
Just yesterday had to swerve because a moron crossed the middle of the road and the double continuous line......managed to stay on the road with no ill effect, but some swearing...
Hi John, I'm absolutely loving these they really are making me think about my driving. Thank you for taking the time to do these videos I also enjoy nut fest. Cheers mate all the best from the UK.
Thank you very much, Steven. Greetings from Oz mate.
i was in my early days of driving (3 months experience at that point) and i was driving to work at night around 10:30. car full of people (jaguar x-type 2l diesel) with steel boots and lunchboxes. i was outside the city in a 60 mph area with traffic both ways but still moving when this 5 series wagon pulls a left (uk) in front of me, realises i was a lot closer than he/she thought i was and locks up the brakes. i started braking but it wasn't going to stop it in time at wich i had to take a decision. if i swerve into incoming traffic the car was gonna protect me and we all would have survived (according to testing i should get no broken bones at 50 or under and i was already braking hard) or crash into it and risk killing the occupants. i decided i was going to swerve right and if there was oncoming traffic to go for the boot of the bmw to lower the risk of killing anybody and also be in the clear legally. fortunately i could avoid it and i did, but i was still going 35 mph when i went past it. t-boning at that speed would have been a disaster.
Mr Cadogan, thank you for all your videos, they are awesome, Im addicted to them.
Can you please enlighten us with this 2 videos. Thank you !
1. what you think about Toyotas in general?
can you please make a whole video about what is the best toyota to buy......
2. what is the best car to buy under $5 - $10 - $20k?
Best Regards.
Great point about practicing in adverse conditions. Growing up in snow country I use to take advantage of icy parking lots to force my car into an uncontrollable spin. Eventually I learned how to regain control of the vehicle quickly. My friend could even kick his car into a parking spot without hitting vehicles. Of course, one day we were ticketed by the police for unsafe driving during one of these practice sessions in a 10 acre empty lot. Ticket was worth it, later in life I avoided an 80 car pile-up on a major highway. Cars ahead of me and behind were wrecked and 2 people died. I sat in the median covered in snow, without a scratch.
A small amount of braking while turning puts weight on the front steering wheels for more traction. You can prepare for these situations by playing the racing symulator games.
The best way to minimize an accident is to be aware of your surroundings as often as possible. It's easier said than done. Urban or suburban areas are tough bc there can a lot going on around you at any given moment (distractions)....Forcing you to react without sufficient time....Swerving can be scary esp if it's an instinctual move in the spur of the moment (not necessarily premeditated).
When I got lessons for my licence, the instructor was an ex airforce pilot.
He drummed into me, being observant and what if scenarios.
There where also random , without warning, emergency stop practice.
He seamed like a cranky old pick at the time, but his lessons have served me well.
Nothing wrong with seeming like a cranky old prick. I think it's endearing.
Emergency lane change swerve - not trying to stop under ABS braking - some acceleration is beneficial to plant the back tires and suspension to avoid the tail coming around.
Thanks for the advice and your dedication doing this videos!
Very informative once again. Thanks.
crash avoidance: "Have the Terminator's eyes scanning ahead and planning ahead." Brian Lopez
Skid Control: Look and steer in the direction you want to go.
Crash Avoidance: Traffic or fog gets thick roads get slick slow down.
It is Brake and swerve or swerve but not brake and keep the same throttle position until you are going straight again unless you car has electronic stability control. Many cars will spin out of control if you let off the gas and or brake in the middle of a swerve . And sometimes you need to get off the brake and hit the gas to keep from spinning out.
It's getting harder to do these days but you should find a dirt road and practice losing control so you know what it feels like and what to do when it happens.
Always be prepared for the unexpected. The theme of planning ahead should go beyond driving. In this modern society we have become so vulnerable and dangerous at the same time, that it's amazing we do not die at every other street cross.
Before you even get to the "we are not going to stop quick enough" you should look for the place to go as a second option. On a wet road, you can go from quite grippy to quite slippy is just a few feet. Having the 2nd option cued up in your brain can save 1/2 of a second.
Thanks for these videos! Enjoyable and educational...
Another beauty John mate....Thank you from over in the UK
5:50 ... keep looking at where you want the car to go ... target fixation very bad indeed ...
A turning vehicle is less stable than one going straight ahead. On a savage swerve it is so easy to send the car over, slightest ripple in the road can see a roll over. (Even more so in a 4WD) So it may well be better to hit skippy.
I agree - this is why I made the case for swerving at the lowest possible speed.
I agree john. I think it's mental we drive without practicing emergencies. However, I know a few countries that teach how to correct sliding in slippery conditions(believe norway does this). But no emergency stopping.
Great video, in Scandinavia, all cars are tested for their ability to swerve and they call it the moose test. There are many videos on this if you are interested. You dont want to hit a moose.
Serge Vivier I always thought we should have that here in the USA. We don't have moose but we have ass loads of deer and in rural areas cows sometimes like to go in the road.
Thank's, John!
It's sad that this video is so unpopular as compared to the other videos.
Great vid, a little bit though about pilots removing the hand off the throttle, depending if the throttle is automated or not, you should still keep a hand on it, or at least first officer should, there were crashes where the autothrottle failed during takeoff and commanded thrust reduction for one of the engines causing assymetric thrust just above the runway and the pilot didn't realise it until hitting the ground. Even in general aviation you keep the hand on the throttle in critical phases like takeoff, becouse for example high vibrations can move the levers on their own, reducing thrust in the process. Vspeeds are more of a mental attitude towards continuing the affair, than a physical removing of the hand, you want to know what the automation is doing and be able to correct it fast. Its not as critical further down the line during climb, cruise and descend, you have enough time to recognize any such problems there. But during approach and landing you should keep the hand close.
Thanks John. Re simulators: Wouldn't it be great if road organizations such as RACV, NRMA, etc. had basic simulators in some of their main 'shopfronts' so that the members who had half an hour to spare while 'shopping' could use them to hone their skills. This would eventually show up in accident stats I think.
Keep up the good work. Robmac
Cool idea. Something like a basic rig with Project Cars running on it in some sort of "kiosk" mode would probably make a real difference.
Actually it may actually make things worse - John's suggestion of mashing the brake and steering is all we want people to do - any more than that and they may over think the situation. This is a link to the RACV information on the subject it is long but well researched: www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/health/effectdriver.pdf
OK, maybe not such a great idea. Very expensive to set up and keep maintain. Results maybe not as good as same time on a road situation. Maybe the autonomous robot cars need to come in now rather than in 10 years time...
John Ernst The RACV document specifically concludes that rote education is no substitute for experience behind the wheel. It seems to me that simulator time would be one way to help on this front. As to expense, it really depends on how far you want to carry the realism.
Fucking excellent tip John. Gonna take that on board. Sure as hell need it driving in Thailand!
Hi John, watch all your videos and totally enjoy them, one question....do you own a car? And if so which one? And why. I know you may not be able to answer this, but as a man who likes to speak his mind I think it would be interesting.
about emergency training : completely agree. whatever country you are, there is no regular training for car motorbike or trucks drivers
best shirt of the world :-)
When I hit Skippy at 110kmh on the highway (at night) I had a split second to decide where to put the vehicle. I knew there were no cars either side of me but several following closely behind. To swerve at that speed and the amount of input needed on the steering wheel to miss the poor bugger would've likely resulted in losing control and tipping the car (Jeep GC). So I lined him up to the centre of the hood, trying to avoid rolling over it with my tyres and took him out without hitting the break pedal but lifting off the accelerator. Skippy went under and I kept on rolling. Busted radiator, engine light on, I still made it home. In hindsight I still think I made the right decision. RIP Skippy.
With that vehicle I think it was the best decision. With a small car I think you could of made it around old skippy without tipping over. Unless theres some nice ditches on the sides of the road.
Nailed it dude!
Thanks for this one John, I'd love to see some serious changes to driver training courses pre license test.
I made a stop with just enough room, but heard sliding tires after i stopped. i look my mirror and see a large work truck sliding toward me so i glanced quickly to check my lane and shot out as fast as i could. the truck ended up slamming into the car that was in front of me.
Thanks John
Do they have freeways (or motorways) in Australia? Most long distance driving in America is done on freeways not twisting roads as I saw above in John's video.
May I be so bold as to slightly modify your advice regarding thinking of the "what if's" to think adding the thought of "if only".
No mention of locked wheels or candence braking but the second part of the equation (manage risk) is difficult to learn in a reverse park and 3 point turn.
Only through experience, accidents and a good arse reaming from insurance companies will one learn to manage risk in this day and age of licencing.
I said 'modern car'. Wheels do not lock in a modern car, and cadence braking is completely unnecessary.
Cadence braking is rubbish anyway.
If you drive a non-ABS equipped vehicle, LEARN TO THRESHOLD BRAKE under a range of tractive conditions.
It is not beyond the capability of most people.
Wow, such objection to a basic skill.
I get your notion about modern cars @AutoExpertTV not needing to regulate the pedal.
But it's a handy skill to have just in case you end up in an old car or ABS fails to work. After all, you won't be swerving anywhere if the front wheels have stopped turning.
as john said, modern car, (which really, ABS is something on the bulk of car built in 1996, and to find a car built after that is road legal is becoming a challenge, and something you wouldn't be lucky to drive the same way anyway)
locked wheels and candence braking are infact more dangerous when used in a car with abs
also, it is a skill you need to practice
(as a side, a trained, race drive, (or even me when I was doing motorsports) can out brake an ABS equipped car, anyday of the week, problem is, if you dont practice this in the car all the time, it is a skill that errodes really quickly, (like I would say after a good 6 years at being at a peak of my performance, and on par with most average professional drivers, i even did a few teaching lessons!) it was a skill that waxxed within two year (going from being practised 5-16 times a week) i was I would say, going to be outbraked by the same car with abs)
the average driver on the road doesn't have the time, money, or will to abuse the car on a weekly basis to keep up such a skill
I do both in competition, depending on conditions: surface, tyres, speed. On one advanced racecraft course we had to brake pass threshold then release pressure in a cadence manner. With race rubber once you have locked the brakes they will lock at that point on the tyre every time. The original idea behind cadence was to rotate the brake point on the tyre to get passed the flat spot. Now with ABS I can trail brake to the apex until I can feel the peddle start the ABS cadence. But the brake performance has improved so much that one of my pre ABS cars with modern shocks, tyres and suspension components is up to 30% faster than nearly 40 years ago.
The problem with swerving is that the innocent chap in the lane next to you now becomes involved in the accident. It's an instinctive gesture to yank the wheel to avoid hitting what's in front, but is it better to hit whoever is in the lane next to you instead of just locking the brakes and letting the crumple zone take the brunt of the impact?
I've learned to do it out of habit, but I frequently check my mirrors even when not changing lanes or turning. Just knowing what's beside and behind your vehicle can save you if you need to make an abrupt stop or direction change. And yes, keep a safe following distance even if it means giving enough room for another car to cut you off - trusting your brakes to stop you on a dime when an idiot ahead decides to brake check the cars behind him on a freeway is how the tow truck drivers get their business.
And finally, driving in the wet may be an oddity in a city like LA where rain is rare occurrence, but people always forget to simply slow down and drive according to the weather/visibility conditions. Maneuvering in the dry is no way near as predictable as doing the same in a downpour. No tire, ABS or stability control electronics is going to defy physics. I always take corners at a speed I know I can stop for example.
Omg John, you've got green mudmaster too! Excellent! =)
What if someone by chance drove a fat square 1992 swedish, which has ABS but nothing else of the modern technologies? Is treating the brake pedal as if it was a VW executive still the best approach, or some moderation should be applied? For the foreign objects safety of course, it is a pre-ford Volvo after all, and it fears no mortal object or person.
good content, as always, but very insightful as well.
thanks.
Looking and steering in the direction you want to go is the first thing not the final thing. Your hands are always on the steering wheel. In an emergency there is no time to think.
Peter B. Not necessarily. Every situation is different. If there's no time to think, then how do you know that swerving is the best option? You don't. Therefore you have to think and react as quickly as possible and apply the correct actions. Swerving should not be the default action. I would suggest that most people, out of habit, will automatically react by braking. Unfortunately, they often don't to do it hard enough, they often ease off the brakes when turning and finish by not looking where they want to go.
A Nother because your hands are already on the steering wheel. I'm not saying you can't brake. Also, if someone cuts you off for example, if you try to drive around them and you still hit the front or rear axle, instead of t-boning the crash forces will be greatly reduced in both vehicles. To stop from 60mph may take 170' allowing 1/2 second to change pedals. To avoid t-boning another vehicle may only require 20' to move over 4-6'
YOU, dear old fart, have to record audio books with your angry voice. That would be awesome ( tomtom gps voices too... maybe)
How about personalised 'fuck off' messages? Would you like to go first?
We all have that incident where we narrowly missed something-like the idiot who turns in front of you into a 'No Right Turn' junction' you are just not expecting, my heart took 5 minutes to return to normal beating after that one...and it was a wet road, god almighty man.
'
Fuck me John. Was gonna send this vid to my son who rolled his car yesterday. He'd be asleep by the time he got to the real bits
Isnt this included in your drivers ed? Over here we have evasive driving and skidpad as cumpulsory courses.
10:47 - What was that flying off the road? Swerve required? :-)
i have seen everyone of your videos and this is 1 of the best! well done!!!
can you do one on or more of target fixation as i believe this is a huge killer! as ex mx racer and VERY amateur track/rally driver which was taught this 2 late which resulted in bad spinal injuries (no more racing of any sort) all i remember is fuck don't hit that tree ..... while looking the whole time at said tree, instead of looking at gap between many trees and land in ditch (i had lost control and was going 2 crash no matter what!)
have a wild guess what i hit........
Spot on..
Thank you.
Just brake. Or you can be held liable for swerving and causing additional accidents that would normally never occur unless you swerve
Thanks M8
So..if the front brakes have locked up instead of pulsing, what happens if you try to swerve? I'm thinking that the vehicle won't be steerable.
rinuncular too Locked front wheels will simply plough straight on when turned. A locked wheel has less grip than a rotating one. The answer in a vehicle without ABS is to either threshold brake, which is hard and requires practice, or cadence braking, which is easier for most people. Both allow the wheels to rotate and steering to be applied.
when swerving little steering inputs goes a long way
Only just seen this video 6 years later but listening to you say pay attention/plan and then see a big white stick flying in the distance at 10:49.
when riding a motorbike and coming across small wildlife running out in front of me - my mantra was to aim for it as by the time I reached it - it would have moved on. Target fixation IS a problem - you can learn to ignore it a little - but sometimes instinct is a real BITCH!!!
I do the "what if, where can I go" thing every time I see a log truck approaching the right hand bend ahead of me, I've seen too many bent trucks surrounded by piles of logs to trust them.
Olbucko I always get an almost overwhelming urge to drive straight at them. Is there something wrong with me?
The bleeding shirt put me off everything....love your reviews.
Don't TEXT and Drive! That will certainly help avoid having an accident.
John. John. John.
Thanks buddy, for that excellent information on such an important topic. But what to do when you look up from the speedometer doing 100kph and realize you're about to hit Kim Jong-Un, holding hands with his lover, a high level Volkswagen Executive Manager?
Mike G N
GO FASTER!
Kick it back a gear and hammer it but first make sure you kill that enemy of humanity . Kim Jong Un can wait .
Pilots don't seem to get the recognition they deserve.
You most certainly don't want to roll anything where half of the roof is made out of glass.
Such beautiful roads in Oz, do you think my 530d will make it across from the UK ?
With the lack of roundabouts in Oz in comparison to the UK, and the lack of traffic on our country roads you would enjoy, but or speed limits are lower on our Motorways.
Lack of roundabouts in Oz you must be kidding!
No. I do not know if you have been to the UK but it is the density of roundabouts that stunned me. Considering the area of the UK in comparison to Oz the roundabouts were one after another. I will always remember the GPS instruction as we left Pool. At the roundabout take the 1st exit and then at the roundabout take the 3rd exit, in 100 metres take the 1st exit and continue on for 1K and then take the 2nd exit and enter the motorway. And then there was the traffic lights IN the roundabout!! And the 4 lane entry into roundabouts. On a few occasions we exited a roundabout that went into another roundabout. We don't have anything like that, even in the roundabout capital Cleveland, QLD.
Well we have plenty here where I live in Melbourne how about speed humps it the UK?
Always hit Skippy, or Bambi here in The Great White North.
None of these apply to a 76/79-series Landcruiser. :-P
That's true.
Cameron Alexander
Cadence braking!
Far too many driver's these days in their insulated cocoons are so preoccupied , they simply CAN'T drive and IMHO some couldn't drive a knitting needle through a sponge cake.
it has been my experience when visiting built up shit holes like Sydney that way too many driver's confuse their aspirations with their abilities.
Never allow enough room and simply are NOT as observant as they really should be.
Were you on Heathcote Rd at 6:00?
+soloxcan Nope. Cowan.
Rental car night driving Australia collected two kangaroos Thousands of dollars in damages if not written off.my cost 361.
Next time...I'll try harder.
If you have an unexpected obstacle in your way - ALWAYS brake and NOT swerve unless you are 300% sure that you see the entire road situation. It is unconditionally better to kill a stupid child/driver/animal than to exterminate the whole innocent family you failed to notice in the next lane. If a source of an obstacle is guilty you will be justified in court. If you swerved and collided with someone you are ALWAYS guilty. There are no excuses and/or exceptions.
So you would kill a " stupid " child , rather than try to evade them because YOU may get in trouble ? Wow . You're a really caring person , aren't you .
I'm constantly checking my mirrors so I know what is around me. If I can swerve, I swerve... if not... brake. NEVER take a car off the road.
Chris M, yes, I am very caring person. If you live under a rock these channels will show you the price of swerving if your situation awareness fails:
1. ruclips.net/channel/UCm7gT1VPrQu0izpUNCumN5g;
2. ruclips.net/channel/UCsZWuQVF-w87wqkuEVstAlA;
3. ruclips.net/channel/UCo4qhP1aU-BM0oi3O7qnhmw;
4. ruclips.net/channel/UCD4_kL_S0aav6vH14aM38Lg.
When you think you see everything in a stressful situation in 97% you don’t...
Chris M, there are people standing by that tree - mother, father and two little kids that you failed to notice while shitting your pants. Why have you failed to notice them? Because a moment before you have already failed to notice the first kid that was dangerously close to the road BEFORE he jumped into your way and failed to reduce your speed to the level when you could react in a timely manner and stop safely.
So, being a [you know that word], you kill 4 instead of 1...
1:16 If you're in a modern car (e.g. a Toyota), the car emergency-brakes for you.
Any guesses what Pastor Maldonado would do?
Molest a young altar boy???
If he is catholic.
All the authorities are doing is making the road boring as fuck to drive on. Lower limits = more crashing due to just being boring as fuck. Anyway, it seems if you have that situation where some twat is pulling out across your path, swerve into where they are coming from. It's very clear on just about every crash video that is what you should do because what happens is the car coming out tries to avoid by coming out faster (not really, they're fuckwits who just keep coming out regardless), and the poor guy getting cut off tries to avoid by swerving away, all that happens is they crash perfectly into each other while leaving that huge gap where the twat used to be.
John please don't have over a minute of speeded up road as vision. Many people (me) get motion sickness and as much as I love your descriptive videos, I don't like cleaning the barf off my computer after I try to watch them. Thanks in advance. Groblet
It seems that one very important technological advancement in car safety systems was missed out in this video, ESP, my cars arecfitted with ESP and they work amazingly, with good brakes and good tyres ESP is like been steered out or away from a critical situation by the hand of god, it's that good, however if you attempt to take the piss i.e. take a 90 degree bend at 100+ mph then forget it, you're brown bread.
The hand of a non-existent, imaginary psychopath in the sky?
AutoExpertTV maybe so john, but I'm sure you get what I am trying to convey? Well I hope you do unless you are severely discombobulated? ☺.
I get it. It was just a bad analogy - having nothing to do with imaginary Kim Jong Uns in the sky, and everything to do with advanced technology.
If it fits under the bumper...thump..except skunks, never run over those stink bags
NICE LEGS !!!!!!
my '02 Camaro has excellent handling which came in useful when a lady pulled out in front of me from an off ramp on my left while I was driving at the limit of 50 mph. hammered brakes and realized a collision was imminent. I swerved right up over a curb and straightened out as not to hit the guard rail as this was at a highway overpass. IDIOTS who don't look and pull out 40 feet in front of you on a highway deserve their license pulled.
Will Mathieson you should be seeing this ahead of time. You probably caused the accident. You drive a ego machine so hard to argue
I suggest you read what I wrote and stop being jealous since you don't own a sports car. People who see sports cars only as ego machines have issues
Will Mathieson lol if you call driving at 50mph "the limit", you really need to learn how to drive.
at least I learned not how to answer ignorant on utube unlike some people . I most likely have more experience driving than you have on your trike.
maybe I should have lied and said I was driving a mini van, then I wouldn't have gotten the flak? The same vehicle most likely that people replying negatively to my comments drive.
4wd drivers crash, as they see it a natural right to do so.
NUTFEST FRIDAY this week???
+John Sonny Not this week. Embargo lifts on Kona reviews on Friday 13th...
Thanks John, looking forward to the Hyundai Kona review...
+John Sonny Nutfest will return even nuttier. I appreciate your interest in the reports.
Finally the best possible news has arrived. I started to turn in to a nut waiting here and clicking to refresh RUclips to see whether it is 39 yet or not!