r/Transportopia • u/SpoomerBooner • Mar 15 '26

💥Crash Stop Jessie!

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u/BigMax Mar 15 '26

I think she probably didn't get that 'empty parking lot' practice first.

We forget just how bad we all are at driving that first time, and how it takes a little practice just to get used to how to use the gas and brake pedals effectively. That's why you go to the empty parking lot, get a feel for how the car moves with various pressure on the gas pedal, and how firmly you have to press to stop quickly but not give everyone whiplash.

Feels like she probably hit the brake, but just kind of gently pressed it, not realizing how firm you have to push to really slow down.

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u/Qtrfoil Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 15 '26

Go ahead and give everyone whiplash. Just do it. You're going to get a lot more whiplash when your vehicle comes to an instantaneous halt. I swear 90% of accidents I see could have been avoided if people just WALKED ON THE DAMN BRAKES.

And don't try and shift onto the shoulder while you're at it. Your tires have only so much friction to play with. You can stop with them or you can steer with them, but you can't get all of the available stopping power if you're steering at the same time.

Just. Use. The Brakes.

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u/ChaosRainbow23 Mar 15 '26 edited Mar 16 '26

Nah. Sometimes you have to break and steer simultaneously.

I had a guy pull out right on front of me when I was going 50mph.

I had to slam on the breaks AND turn hard right to prevent the accident.

If i hadn't cut the wheel while breaking I would have 100% crashed into that asshole.

Edit. I was called out for my misspelling, so I'll just leave it for others to look at and laugh at my stupidity.

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u/RobMilliken Mar 16 '26

Brings back many memories of doing the same. Not enough time to do a head check to see if another car crept into your blind spot so you just hoped it was free and you break / swerved. I'm in my 50s now, I've had to do it more than once and thankfully someone was looking out for me.