Posted on 02/07/2018 6:21:14 AM PST by Pappy Smear
Here is the video--6 minutes long of a 50-70 car pileup on I-35 near Ames, Iowa. First minute is a little slow. At about 4:30 in, it starts getting "wow".
Really? Wow! I get to see people die? I’m heading right over!
/s
The person that died was a bus driver that had a heart attack. He is not on this video, he was behind the camera. He didn't cause any accident, but had a heart attack after the accident--or so it is reported.
This morning on I-65 I was cruising along at 75 where there were five lanes. Meanwhile, the far right lane was exiting to the Gene Snyder and a car in the lane next to it wanted in. There were no backups and there were lots of gaps between cars - and the exit was still at least a quarter mile away.
Well, this car came to a complete stop!
You know that scene in the first Cars movie where lightning McQueen navigates his way through the huge pileup on the track? That was me this morning. However, none of the cars actually touched this morning. But they were swerving all over the place, in and out of lanes. Fortunately traffic was light for rush hour.
But I wanted to go back to that car and ram them as far off the road as possible. They should not have a license.
The big rig at 3:46 does an AMAZING job of avoiding the mess. The one right behind him at 3:49 almost as good but I think he clipped a couple of cars.
I can’t believe how fast some of them were going in those conditions. Wowsa.
I thought the smart ones headed for the tall grass beyond the emergency lane but then came the semis barreling right through. Some of the vehicles didn’t even appear to brake at all.
I’m old enough to remember when we used SALT on the roads to prevent this crap. But then that was before the Left took over.
They starting using brine to salt the main roads here in the Baltimore metro area several years ago. It works pretty well. Guess I’m not sorry I don’t have old Porsches as daily drivers anymore.
OK, quick question for anyone that may know.
Do truckers not use the CB radio anymore?
I can’t understand how the first truck involved wouldn’t be broadcasting loud & clear telling others to slow down. Or what about the trucks passing the opposite direction? Can they not get on the CB & warn the other truckers?
Seems like if a couple trucks a mile or so back, slowed down, put on their hazards & impeded the flow of traffic, the amount of vehicles involved would be greatly reduced.
Watch and learn.
We watch to learn what not to do.
I saw a lot of good drivers stop and leave a space cushion in front of them. This provided gaps to break up the collision chain and prevent further injuries.
I saw drivers who moved well off the road.
I saw big rig drivers slow and stop safely.
And I saw fast moving jerks plow into the scrum barely slowing.
Don’t be a fast moving jerk.
Be one of the ones getting away from the stopped cars and way off to the side.
Had a kid get his degree at an Iowa school. I-35 and I-80 have this stuff all the time and had it back in the 80s and 90s as well. When it really starts coming down in Iowa, give it up, you should not be driving.
It's a testament to the structural integrity of today's vehicles that nobody was killed with the exception of the individual who had the heart attack.....
I know...and I know that I’m making some assumptions. But last year I was on an icy road like this one in Eastern Washington. Crossed into Idaho, not one bit of ice - difference, salt.
This video is amazing and should be studied by anyone who drives in those conditions - tons can be learned from it.
... and unless you’re absolutely certain there’s no vehicle bearing down on you or your vehicle is in a very dire situation such as being on fire, do not get out, stay buckled in. Cars and trucks careening out of control down a hill are not going to be able to avoid running you down. If you do get out, get well clear of the roadway, as far away as you can get.
Did you notice the first AWD going right down the reven? He motored further along slowly. BTW, many of those driver’s need their licences revoked, as they were clueless and Rammed On.
I likewise was held up in the panhandle of Texas west of Amarillo and once in New Mexico, boom the road was cleared. Now, NM is not noted for being the best about I-40, but it is all dependent where trucks are staged at the start of a bad storm.
It was hilly in Texas as well which made the poor clearing much more problematic for the drivers at speed.
Once one lane is covered, all avoidance options are gone.
"...multi-vehicle pile-up..."
Really can’t bust the chops of the Iowa DOT. This storm hit quick and hard. This was approximately 1 hour after it started snowing, and over an inch of snow in that time.
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