Count of actual accidents caused by ecomodding, eco-driving or hypermiling

[extragoode]

This whole thread wouldn't even exist if people were actually taught how to drive in driver's ed. Definitely, things like EOCing should not be done without knowing the way the car responds and a driver is sufficiently experienced, but this knowledge and experience doesn't take long to aquire. Knowing how to react when a car looses power is vastly safer than not knowing whether you're killing the power on purpose or not. My drivers ed teacher went over with us what the proper reaction was and tested us on it. If no other drivers were around and everything was under control, he'd reach over and kill the ignition or bump it into neutral. Obviously he didn't test the twitchy kids that could barely keep it between the lines like this, some us farm kids had been driving since we were 12 and were getting bored.

[sdprius858]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I drive the speed limit, so if someone wrecks because of me obeying the law, then it's their problem, not mine.

amen to that!

[atomicradish]

There was a report on CNN about the pitfalls of hypermiling. The woman who was advising against it has probably 1.) never been financially strapped enough to care & b.) has never been in the car with a hypermiler at the wheel.

EOC can be dangerous if you don't know the limitations of your vehicle - which is why it is always advisable to test EOCing on a flat surface away from traffic before you do it on a main road. The most egregious part of the whole segment was not only did they advise against EOC, but they also advised against neutral coasting! They cited that you "lose control of the car". How so? Yes, you do gain speed quicker, but as the driver it is incumbent of you to slow down when you gain too much speed anyway! This fact is independent of whether or not you're coasting in N or D.

argh. getting off the soapbox now.

[dremd]

I did get rear ended driving 60 ish in a 70. Guy did claim that my driving to slow caused the accident. IMHO it was more of road rage on his part.

However it wasn't hypermiling, it was a side affect of 4:30 gears driving back from the track.

[wagonman76]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

but they also advised against neutral coasting! They cited that you "lose control of the car". How so? Yes, you do gain speed quicker, but as the driver it is incumbent of you to slow down when you gain too much speed anyway! This fact is independent of whether or not you're coasting in N or D.

argh. getting off the soapbox now.

Agreed. Another thing is that at least in this part of the great white north, a well known tip for driving on icy roads is to pop it in neutral when rolling up to a stop. That way you have more control since youve only got gravity and momentum to contend with, and youre not fighting the drivetrain as well.

Now I think about it (Im not exactly in winter mode here), there are many times I put it in neutral going downhill on icy roads for the exact same reason. Engine braking only slows 2 wheels and is more likely to send me skidding than using the brake pedal which slows 4 wheels. Many ways of hypermiling are similar to winter driving; slow down, use little throttle, use little brake, use neutral to avoid engine braking.

Its like if something is California emissions legal, it is good for anywhere else in the US. If a technique is good for the extremes of driving on ice, it certainly shouldnt be considered unsafe on dry road.

[SatanicMechanic]

I finally got to read the full story. This AAA story is making the rounds with news stations. Don't be surprised that this story sticks around for two weeks.

Because of Hypermiling, I am saving 25% more gas, 25% less I have to buy!

[RH77]

Originally Posted by gascort

Oh, of course, the rabbit is fine - I hammered the brakes and locked up all 4 tires (no abs). So much for the sensationalist "no power brakes = death!!!" I'm not sure if my grill block hit the bunny or not, but it ended up running forward in front of my car in the end.
Low grill block + nosedive due to braking = small pet cattleguard!!

Same here, but with a deer. Full ABS stop with EOC. Bambi and everyone was fine. The airbags were even ready just in case!

Originally Posted by garys_1k

If someone was hyperdriving and involved in a fatality accident, what was posted by that person here could be used against them. Could involve some big money, maybe jail if it could be shown that negligence was involved. It's just the cautionary person in me that wants to warn people not to get too specific, that's all.

I have an OBD-II datalogger that pretty much just sits collecting dust (Davis CarChip E/X) since I hooked up the SG. It has an accident data capture program (with fore/aft g-meter). It also shows engine RPM, speed, and other parameters. I'm half-temped to hook it up in case the above-mentioned ever becomes an issue. I only EOC around 5% of the time or less, but I know what you mean.

The problem is splitting the OBD signal for both devices so they don't compete with one another. I'm sure there's a solution.

RH77

[wesman1299]

Originally Posted by garys_1k

Hmm, I wonder if a post here could be subpoenaed in the case of a criminal or civil trial. Someone admitting driving "unusually" could leave themselves very wide open to much doo-doo.

Anything you post on a public forum can be used as evidence in a trial, provided a judge allows it in as evidence.

[pete c]

In my opinion the most dangerous thing about driving is driver fatigue. I am not talking about driving 20 hrs straight. I am talking about middle of the day driving where a lack of sensory input causes one to nod off. I am particularly prone to this and think it is a worse problem than drinking and driving.

The nice thing about aggressive hypermiling is that it requires you to think and continually do things. This causes you to stay awake.

Therefore, IMO, hypermiling is not a safety hazard. Infact it has a positive safety benefit.

[ecomodded]

I do not think anybody has a right to drive below the posted speed limit(weather permitting) if they are holding back other drivers. Pull over let everyone pass you,show some road manners,its not all about your gas mileage, its about getting good mpg not being a turd on the road to get it. It just shows incompetency and causes undue stress to other commuters.