A gentle reminder of 'what' you're driving when you take your FFR out.

[289FIA_Cobra]

Last weekend, I was enjoying the sun and driving FFR 4883 aka SNKVNNM, like I have in the past but perhaps my muscle memory got just a bit too comfortable.

I was at a light on our local expressway (4 lanes wide) and I'm in lane 2. As I get going , the car in front of me moves out of my way to the right lane... I see nothing in front of me now but cars on either side. No body is signaling so I start to accelerate to our posted 50mph and suddenly the Toyota signals AND simultaneously moves into the lane about 2 -3 car lengths in front of me and by this time I'm well into 50mph. I slam the brakes and she just continues to go into lane 3 and lane 3 people need to stop quickly as well. I'm smelling my tires and I have no time to do anything but hope nobody rear ends me (thank god my brakes are good.)

When she finally clears my lane, I take off, mad as hell and cussing under my breath.

I got home and replayed the scenario in my mind and realized that my 0-60 is so much quicker than the average car that getting to the point where she moved into, would not have been nearly as close with any regular vehicle. One must remember our 0-60's are in the 3-4 second range... took me likely, 2-3 seconds to hit 50 and that's not nearly enough time for the average Sunday driver (yes, it was a Sunday near Costco) to react.

It's still burns me up that people either never signal, or they signal but move exactly at the same time which doesn't help anyone (and they're never ever turning their heads for the blind spot.) That's another issue but I digress.

It's just a reminder to respect the power under the hood and be damn sure your brakes are working properly. OK, done venting. I'll take the blame on this one. Just be careful out there.

[Natzacemm]

I have only been driving my FFR for a few months now and am still getting accustomed to how different it is. I appreciate what you are saying and I have the feeling I will need to be reminded fairly routinely. So, thanks for the reminder.

[skullandbones]

I'm getting to the point where I think like I did when I was riding a motor cycle. My mind set is that no one sees me and always be looking for an escape route in case something like you described happens. You can't always have a way out but good brakes are the next best thing. I installed third brake lights at the apex of the roll bar hoops to help large vehicles see me better. Now I'm thinking marker lights on the side as I love to drive at night. The instant signal light thing drives me crazy. In the other cars defense though, they may have looked in the rear view and you were not there yet but coming fast still in her blind spot. That has happened to me when someone passes on the freeway and I'm going 65 and their going 80. So I try to turn the head for a last second check. I'm glad we have experiences like this to remind us that it is a completely different animal. Glad you had good reflexes and good brakes so you can live to tell the story!!! Good luck, WEK.

[MPTech]

I've always driven and taught my kids to drive like the other drivers are idiots and be prepared for them do stupid things at any moment. (unfortunately, this is closer to the truth than I would like).
My daily driver is a Mazda CX-9, mid-sized SUV, and I don't experience NEAR the problem of people cutting me off, so I can only assume we are so small and low that people aren't seeing us very well. So I drive like they can't see me (because I KNOW they can hear me when I get close :cool:).

The 2 other things that drive me up a wall:
1. I like to leave a more than reasonable / safe gap between the car in front of me, especially on the highway. For safety and to reduce rock-chips! (my rule-of-thumb has always been at least 1 car-length per 10mph). BUT many drivers just think I'm leaving them the gap so they can cut in between me and the car in front of me! This moron move, results in my safety space being reduced to less than half of what I want. No excuse for these A-Holes, just be alert that they will cut you off and act appropriately.

2. My other pet peeve is Cell Phones! Multiple times in the last couple months (and it seems to be on the increase), I've been flat cut-off, my lane has been compromised, or I've been stuck behind these IDIOTS doing 10 - 15 mph below the posted limit! As I pull-around them or pass them, I can see them talking away on the phone or even more alarming, not looking at the road as they are TXTing! I really wish our state would outlaw this use (although I'm SURE my best friend and my wife would be receiving a ticket! I've told them MULTIPLE times, but they just don't hear me!). I have passed these drivers, given a little wake-up honk and just shake my head at them in shame. Maybe they will get the hint, but I DOUBT IT!

Any suggestions?
(I've always dreamed of carrying a paintball gun and just "marking" these cars! Unfortunately, I can only dream of this :D)

[NICK C]

I have driven motorcycles for years and have been the looser in a few accidents that has made me a different driver in anything I drive. I have a 4x4 F250 diesel that I still drive like I'm two wheeling it. I am dumb founded at the people that do stupid things against my truck that outweighs them by double and they are oblivious to the potential. Imagine a person eating a burrito, reading a text with a cigarette in the hand holding the phone. Saw it yesterday! Help! We are being invaded by morons. Drive safe Nick C.

[Blue MK3]

I've always driven and taught my kids to drive like the other drivers are idiots and be prepared for them do stupid things at any moment. (unfortunately, this is closer to the truth than I would like).
My daily driver is a Mazda CX-9, mid-sized SUV, and I don't experience NEAR the problem of people cutting me off, so I can only assume we are so small and low that people aren't seeing us very well. So I drive like they can't see me (because I KNOW they can hear me when I get close :cool:).

The 2 other things that drive me up a wall:
1. I like to leave a more than reasonable / safe gap between the car in front of me, especially on the highway. For safety and to reduce rock-chips! (my rule-of-thumb has always been at least 1 car-length per 10mph). BUT many drivers just think I'm leaving them the gap so they can cut in between me and the car in front of me! This moron move, results in my safety space being reduced to less than half of what I want. No excuse for these A-Holes, just be alert that they will cut you off and act appropriately.

2. My other pet peeve is Cell Phones! Multiple times in the last couple months (and it seems to be on the increase), I've been flat cut-off, my lane has been compromised, or I've been stuck behind these IDIOTS doing 10 - 15 mph below the posted limit! As I pull-around them or pass them, I can see them talking away on the phone or even more alarming, not looking at the road as they are TXTing! I really wish our state would outlaw this use (although I'm SURE my best friend and my wife would be receiving a ticket! I've told them MULTIPLE times, but they just don't hear me!). I have passed these drivers, given a little wake-up honk and just shake my head at them in shame. Maybe they will get the hint, but I DOUBT IT!

Any suggestions?
(I've always dreamed of carrying a paintball gun and just "marking" these cars! Unfortunately, I can only dream of this :D)


1. A large company I once worked for had a very aggressive safety program, including driver safety. Year after year, we were required to attend a workshop. I hated it at the time, but looking back, it worked. One of the principles taught about following distance was to allow two seconds between you and the vehicle ahead. That is, note when the car ahead goes over a marker (shadow, road patch, tar strip, whatever) and be two seconds behind. Much better than trying to estimate car lengths per 10 mph. I still use the method.

2. Don't talk to me about cell phone users. My blood pressure is already too high. I learned that there are cell phone jammers that will disrupt a phone, but they are illegal for the public to use. Only situations like when the president's or the pope's motorcade is nearby are government security personnel allowed to use them shut down phones for security reasons. As in triggering a bomb or something, I guess. There are many times I would love to have a jammer and fry the phone ahead or beside me.

[Garry Bopp]

Great discussion! Another cellphone issue is the guy that wants to take your picture. He is wandering all over the road, trying to get close enough for a good photo. Scares the heck out of me.

Our small size and low profile definitely contribute to other drivers not seeing us. Defensive driving is a must!

Stay safe,
Garry

[Mark Reynolds]

They use turnsignals in CA?