Narrowly escaped from a vehicle crash
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I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkOh man, that takes me back to a few years to when I was getting on one of those circular freeway ramps and the road was also damp. I had an old Honda Civic and I was driving it a little too "aggressive". Sure enough, when I hit the breaks, the car's tail spun around and I came to a sudden stop. Luckily, the side of the ramp had dirt and grass so I didn't hit anything. But I learned to never take damp curves so carelessly again.
Man is a marvelous curiosity ... he thinks he is the Creator's pet ... he even believes the Creator loves him; has a passion for him; sits up nights to admire him; yes and watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He prays to him and thinks He listens. Isn't it a quaint idea. - Mark Twain
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I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkNish - don't you live in the atlanta area? Where were you when this happened?
Charlie Gilley Will program for food... Whoever said children were cheaper by the dozen... lied. Overheard in a cubicle: "A project is just a bug under development." Seeking to rise above the intelligence of a one eared rabbit... Caught in a vortex of weirdness...
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I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkI was always taught (by my dad, so it may well be wrong) that changing speed or direction sharply to avoid a crash, especially in the wet, is the quickest way of ensuring you have an accident. Don't panic, gradually slow down (or even speed up if you're losing it going in to a corner) and steer slowly, and you can avoid most things that come along. If slowing try and change down a gear unless it is snowing. I have some experience of that on motorways when I've hit standing water without warning and started aquaplaning and when you don't have traction the last thing you want is to put the car off course or you lose all control. You may want to take some wet weather skid training (it is good fun too, not all academic). You can usually find courses offered at small airfields or sometimes truck driver schools will run them. Actually that story makes me very thankful that my new car has DSC/ESP and traction control. I've tried to skid it a few times in the wet when leaving roundabouts (traffic circles) but it hasn't let me yet. It also has some magical brake assist thingamabob that I don't know the name of -- I've done some pretty sharp braking before and haven't managed to get the ABS to kick in yet either. You don't realise how lucky you are to have things like that taking care of you until they either fail, or you forget to turn them on, but it is important to remember they are there to help prevent accidents not to let you abuse them. Everybody that drives has made mistakes like that, and you just need to learn and move on. The trick is not to make the same one twice. Glad to hear you are ok, (and btw your son has a really cool name). :rose:
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music should programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milk -
I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
I was traveling home from a friend's house last evening (was alone). This was a first time route for me - since I wanted to stop at a Kerala grocery store on my way back home. I was taking a ramp from one freeway to another. It was raining lightly and all of a sudden I realized that the ramp curved a lot more sharply than I had expected it to. I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal. It was unbelievable, but the car stopped about an inch or two near the side of the ramp where there was some kind of wooden (perhaps steel) fencing. Before I could relax, I knew I had to start the car straight away to avoid being rear ended by the dozens of cars behind me. So I stepped on the gas and accelerated the car as fast as I could and got back to the ramp and into the other highway. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to panic. And I also remember feeling thankful that Smitha and Rohan were not with me. Though perhaps if she was there I wouldn't have been lost in my thoughts. Anyway this was a nastily scary experience for me and I think I'll drive far more carefully in the rain in future, especially if it's light rain, when the road tends to be more slippery.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com linkI'm glad you are okay but can I say one more time that Rohan is the best name I've ever seen! AWESOME NAME! AWESOME NAME! AWESOME NAME! That kid is destined for greatness++!
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I'm glad you are okay but can I say one more time that Rohan is the best name I've ever seen! AWESOME NAME! AWESOME NAME! AWESOME NAME! That kid is destined for greatness++!
code-frog wrote:
That kid is destined for greatness++!
Are you sure the destiny isn't greatness# or greatness##? greatness++ is potentially going to be nothing more than codethulu maintenance by the time the kid's old enough to touch a compiler. :laugh:
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
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Chris Meech wrote:
There are still automatics on the road where the only gear selection you have is 'D'.
Fair enough, although wasn't 'L' an option too? I've only been driving for 23 years, and all of my cars that had automatic trannys had at least three forward gears to choose from, one of which was D.
"A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow
"To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne
DavidCrow wrote:
Fair enough, although wasn't 'L' an option too? I've only been driving for 23 years, and all of my cars that had automatic trannys had at least three forward gears to choose from, one of which was D.
As Dan notes below, while I have the D, D1, and D2 settings, my car appears to only use them as a suggestion. I have a 2-year old Camry, so most everything of interest is computerized. Like the gas pedal. God that one annoys me.. a test drive really doesn't reveal that behavior.
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Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal.
Bloody Indian drivers! They shouldn't be able to get a license. Dangerous, that's what they are. Bloody hoons I tell ya.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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Michael Martin wrote:
Bloody Indian drivers! They shouldn't be able to get a license. Dangerous, that's what they are. Bloody hoons I tell ya.
Been listening to John Laws again?
Josh Gray wrote:
Been listening to John Laws again?
Nah, never listen to that twat. Just shit stirring Nish, he is a hoon with a history of speeding and nefarious driving.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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Josh Gray wrote:
Been listening to John Laws again?
Nah, never listen to that twat. Just shit stirring Nish, he is a hoon with a history of speeding and nefarious driving.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Michael Martin wrote:
Nah, never listen to that twat.
He was crapping on about Asian drivers a couple of weeks ago. I met him once when I was about 12 and he let me climb around on his collection of old fire engines. It was about 10 in the morning and he was pissed as a fart.
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Believe it or not you learn a lot from near crashes. I hope alcohol wasn't involved.
File Not Found
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
I hope alcohol wasn't involved.
Nope - I was sober.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
...but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction.
Next time try downshifting (if possible). Once you lock the wheels, you no longer have control of the vehicle. Hydroplaning is nasty.
"A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow
"To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne
DavidCrow wrote:
Hydroplaning is nasty.
Yes, it really is.
DavidCrow wrote:
Next time try downshifting (if possible).
I doubt if I'd have had time to do it even if I tried this time, but yes, that's what I should ideally have done.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
(sorry in advance if this sounds harsh) It seems it's not the first time you write about driving too fast; it was bound to happen. Luckily for you and others on the road, there was no accident.
Maximilien Lincourt Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad
Maximilien wrote:
It seems it's not the first time you write about driving too fast; it was bound to happen. Luckily for you and others on the road, there was no accident.
Maximilien, I was getting from one freeway to another via a connecting ramp. I was doing about 60 mph and slowed down to about 35-40 mph for the ramp (which is a good speed for ramps usually). It just happened that this particular ramp was a really sharp U and that caught me off-guard, and that combined with the light rain was what caused this. I am not a habitual speeder, really.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
I also found that my speed was too high and that I was losing control of the car. I don't know if it was smart of stupid, but I stepped on my brakes hard - it was an instinctive reaction. The result was that I had completely lost control of the car and it was skidding towards the side of the ramp. I braced myself for a crash and was hoping I wouldn't break any bones, and that car damage would be minimal.
Bloody Indian drivers! They shouldn't be able to get a license. Dangerous, that's what they are. Bloody hoons I tell ya.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Michael Martin wrote:
Bloody Indian drivers! They shouldn't be able to get a license. Dangerous, that's what they are. Bloody hoons I tell ya.
License? You mean, you need one of those to drive a car abroad? Holy mother of god! Now he tells me this!
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Josh Gray wrote:
Been listening to John Laws again?
Nah, never listen to that twat. Just shit stirring Nish, he is a hoon with a history of speeding and nefarious driving.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Michael Martin wrote:
Just sh*t stirring Nish, he is a hoon with a history of speeding and nefarious driving.
:laugh: Totally untrue and unfair :-) My car (a poor Elantra) wouldn't be able to speed if I wanted to.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Nish - don't you live in the atlanta area? Where were you when this happened?
Charlie Gilley Will program for food... Whoever said children were cheaper by the dozen... lied. Overheard in a cubicle: "A project is just a bug under development." Seeking to rise above the intelligence of a one eared rabbit... Caught in a vortex of weirdness...
charlieg wrote:
Nish - don't you live in the atlanta area? Where were you when this happened?
I was taking the ramp that connects the GA 400S with the I 285E. It's a dangerously sharp U. You are in the area too?
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
Well, there is an example where we males don't add a couple of inches to our yarns! ;-)
Regards, Ray
Ray Hayes wrote:
Well, there is an example where we males don't add a couple of inches to our yarns!
Well, to add 2 inches and still have people believe it, I'd have to have been dead by now! :rolleyes:
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link -
I was always taught (by my dad, so it may well be wrong) that changing speed or direction sharply to avoid a crash, especially in the wet, is the quickest way of ensuring you have an accident. Don't panic, gradually slow down (or even speed up if you're losing it going in to a corner) and steer slowly, and you can avoid most things that come along. If slowing try and change down a gear unless it is snowing. I have some experience of that on motorways when I've hit standing water without warning and started aquaplaning and when you don't have traction the last thing you want is to put the car off course or you lose all control. You may want to take some wet weather skid training (it is good fun too, not all academic). You can usually find courses offered at small airfields or sometimes truck driver schools will run them. Actually that story makes me very thankful that my new car has DSC/ESP and traction control. I've tried to skid it a few times in the wet when leaving roundabouts (traffic circles) but it hasn't let me yet. It also has some magical brake assist thingamabob that I don't know the name of -- I've done some pretty sharp braking before and haven't managed to get the ABS to kick in yet either. You don't realise how lucky you are to have things like that taking care of you until they either fail, or you forget to turn them on, but it is important to remember they are there to help prevent accidents not to let you abuse them. Everybody that drives has made mistakes like that, and you just need to learn and move on. The trick is not to make the same one twice. Glad to hear you are ok, (and btw your son has a really cool name). :rose:
Ðavid Wulff What kind of music should programmers listen to?
Join the Code Project Last.fm group | dwulff
I'm so gangsta I eat cereal without the milkDavid Wulff wrote:
and btw your son has a really cool name
Thank you :-)
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link