How to avoid getting rear-ended

[Frank Lee]

^Reminds me of a close call I had recently... I was at the head of a whole column of vehicles at a stop light... it goes green and we're off... go over a bridge and the single lane turns into double... I head for the right lane... and everyone else proceeds to put the hammer down and blast past me like I'm standing still. So the new guy in front signals for a left turn and has to wait for oncoming traffic. The next guy, I'm 99% sure, was on a cell phone and didn't realize what guy #1 was doing until the last second. #2 slams the binders on and might have been able to just miss rear-ending #1 were it not for the column of 4 or 5 others that were ALL tailgating + speeding behind him. It was just like a row of dominos, the way they all piled into each other. I was right there, all by myself, in the right lane watching all this unfold inches to my left.

Can't say I felt sorry for anyone... chalk one up for schaudenfreude!

[MetroMPG]

People have given good advice.

Here's what we taught:

1) First, recognize high-risk rear crash scenarios so you can either (a) stay away from them, (b) take steps to minimize the risk, things like: looking well ahead in traffic to spot & anticipate slowdowns & "unexpected" stops; leaving more space ahead of you when you've got a tailgaiter; leave more following distance behind vehicles that block your forward vision.

2) When coming into a stop, control following traffic by braking early and slowing gradually (good ecodriving technique too).

3) Extra communication with following drivers: when warranted, repeatedly flash your brake lights, or turn on your 4-ways - I always do this on the freeway when I spot a significant slowdown ahead. This applies when stopping or already stopped.

(Some Mercedes cars automatically activate a special high-intensity - possibly flashing, I'm not sure - brake lights when the driver brakes harder than usual.)

4) Plan your escape route in case the car behind isn't going to stop; always leave enough space ahead of you to be able to aggressively accelerate into your escape route

5) If you have no available escape route to the side, leave extra space ahead. The curriculum I taught suggested stopping with 4-5 car lengths ahead in city driving if nobody has yet stopped behind you, then creeping forward as cars arrive.

As for leaving multiple car lengths between cars when you're in a turn lane, think about what happens if everyone does that.

Yeah, but everybody's not going to do that. So you can.

---

I've never been rear-ended, and I've definitely avoided one rear crash so far:

Was on the freeway coming into a construction zone where 2 lanes were merged into one. I saw my (passing) lane ending ahead, so I accelerated to pass a tractor trailer before the merge.

Guess what traffic was doing not far past where the lanes merged. Yup, stopped.

I made the pass with room to spare, but then had to jump on the brakes because I mostly failed to do #1, #2 and #3.

Also, I'd concede (not to a lawyer! ) that my pass may have "caused" the situation (despite the law saying the following driver is at fault in a rear crash). My mistake was putting all my own attention on making the passing manoever, and probably drawing the transport driver's attention to me while doing it. Instead, we both needed to be looking well down the road, past the merge.

So in my mirror, I saw smoke billowing from some of the locked tires on the transport coming up behind me. Lucky for me, I had an escape route and I accelerated onto the gravel shoulder and started passing stopped cars. I remember at least one of them followed me along the shoulder and waved "thanks" after. The truck stopped in the vacated space without hitting anyone.

Nothing will save us from 100% of idiots. And I don't claim to do all these things even close to 100% of the time (which you'd need to, to be 100% defensive). But they definitely help.

[wagonman76]

I've been rearended many times. But at least in Michigan pretty much everybody tailgates, it's like it's a way of life. Even on a lightly traveled road in the middle of the night and there's worlds of room to pass, they get right up on you and ride you.

[IsaacCarlson]

I don't really worry too much about getting rear ended in the truck but I do try to pay attention to my rear view in the car. The truck has a big heavy steel bumper to dissipate energy but the car does not. I have had several tailgaters on cell phones almost hit me at lights. Sure is fun to watch the rear view as they see what is going on! The cell phone flies and they pull on the steering wheel as hard as they can to help with braking.

[Laurentiu]

Few months ago during a heavy rain I was sitting at the traffic lights and I was "front-ended" by a Mercedes C-Klasse, slight incline at the traffic light, I admit I was a bit close to him probably 1-1/2 ft (50cm) but still I would've thought the Merc would have some automatic system to stop it from rolling back Go figure !

Thankfully no damage whatsoever since it happened at such a slow speed, it was just a slight bump and I did take my foot of the brake which prevented more damage

[user removed]

This will be a long post.

59 years old and driving since I was 15 and 8 months.

I had a dark blue 63 Valiant Convertible that was rear ended 6 times in 6 months, twice in two days.

Sitting in the left lane on a 4 lane, non divided highway. Saw a Buick sliding sideways coming into my rear end. Couldn't get it into first gear (non synchronized) so I tried to get it moving in second. Collision drove me across both lanes of oncoming traffic and into a used car lot.

None of the 6 collisions were really bad. That old Valiant was one tough cookie. I once drove it over a 2 foot rise over railroad tracks at 55 MPH, after the tracks there was a 6 foot drop. Flew about 50 feet in the air and landed hard. I could see sparks flying out from under that car. Next day I had the front end man check it out at the dealership where I worked.

No damage other than the polished portion of the K member.

They don't make them like that any more.

I learned to always check my rear view whenever I slowed down, and I regularly check it at all times when I am driving. If someone tailgates me I just put it in neutral and coast, as long as they have an escape route. If not I will speed up and slow down, swerve a little, turn on a signal, or the flashers. It seems like tailgaters today are especially stupid and it also seems like more of them today are Women, not the way it used to be.

Once I was sitting at a red light in my 59 Corvette. Two weeks earlier at the exact same spot where my Valiant had be knocked across the road, a Corvette, driven by a Woman was rear ended and the gas tank ruptured. Flames went 50 feet in the air and she was incinerated right in front of a Shoney's drive in, that was a local hangout.

That was 36 years ago.

This time (back to the 59 Vette) I had left enough room in front of me to pull off the road. The car behind me missed the car in front of me by 2 feet, and the driver thanked me for my attentiveness.

After about the age of 25 I mellowed somewhat and got in the habit of trying to anticipate the danger points in every situation while driving. I have mental percentages of the odds of getting hit and where the danger lies.

The last time I was rear ended, was in a 99 Ford truck. I was sitting at a stop light (beginning to sound like a routine scenario yet!) and a Woman in a Toyota Corolla was coming up behind me and slammed on her brakes. I heard the tires screeching and looked around. By the time I realized she was going to hit me, it was too late, and there was a Police car making a left hand turn lane in front of me. The Ford was a manual.

She hit me hard enough to bend the frame horns in the rear of that Ford, and here Corolla just fell apart. Her mouth was busted up and they carried here away in an ambulance.

One more. I was driving down a divided four lane highway. I had enough distance between me and the car in front to be safe. The idiot slammed on his brakes, without getting out of the fast lane of the highway. There was a School Bus behind me and in the right lane, and I had enough room to move over to the right.

A Woman who was tailgating me hit the car with the rear end sticking out in the road. The collision was so severe it looked like the rear end of the stopped car exploded. It spun around 3 or 4 times. The car that hit it was a 66 Chevelle (yellow). The car that stopped in the Road was a 68 GTO Convertible (Silver). To this day I can close my eyes and see that collision. I went to the next turn lane and turned left and went in the Enterprise Ford tractor dealership and told them to call and ambulance.

When the police and ambulance got there they found a baby up under the dash of the Chevelle!

This was before cell phones.

Never assume anything on a highway, NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recently things have changed somewhat. Now I worry more about a head on collision from a distracted driver on a cell phone. At least 4 times in the last year, I have had a driver swerve into may lane from the oncoming lane, and they came across far enough for me to have to drive off the pavement to keep from getting nailed, usually by a car that weighs twice what mine does, which means most of the impact will be absorbed by me and my car will go from 50 MPH forward to 20 + backwards.

A good friend of mine was hit head on in a 58 Volkswagen, by a 1967 Pontiac Catalina.
In the instant of the collision he grabbed the steering wheel and shoved it through the windshield to keep from being impaled (non collapsible column). He picked me up and took me to see the car.

The steering wheel was sticking up a foot in front of the windshield opening. You could run a string from the right headlight to the left door handle, and it would not touch metal.

The brake, clutch and gas pedals were folded over the console.

I have seen this same person dead lift close to 600 pounds. He walked away from the wreck with a lot of cuts and bruises. His girlfriend broke her leg when she hit him as he rolled over in front of her while pushing the steering wheel through the windshield.

I figure when I am driving that every other driver around me is a complete idiot that can and will eventually do almost everything you can imagine to cause an wreck.

Situational awareness like a fighter pilot in the old days. Use your mirrors, but just a glance if there is potential danger ahead.

Ever had a falling 80 foot pine tree almost nail you?

The nice thing about driving for mileage is you are usually not to close to the cars in front of you, which gives you more ability to watch the cars behind you.

In the last 10 years and almost 180,000 miles, I have managed to avoid any collision of any type.

I hope this advice can help one of you avoid an accident.

At least 10 times, I have pulled into the intersection when the light was red to avoid getting hit in the rear end. A Cop told me that was illegal. I told him it was survival, and if he wanted to ticket me for avoiding a collision, I would have no problem explaning that to the Judge.

regards
Mech