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Tip Driving Lesson

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FL-JOE

RVF Supporter
Joined
Nov 15, 2019
Messages
1,211
Location
Frostproof, Florida
RV Year
2022
RV Make
Forest River
RV Model
Salem FSX 270RTK-X
RV Length
32
TOW/TOAD
2022 Ford Expedition Timberline
Fulltimer
Yes
Really didn't know where to post this, but I thought it was worth sharing. Maybe it will make someone stop and reconsider their driving habits a little. Bear with me.....

A couple days ago we left a campsite up in Santa Rosa NM heading down to Las Cruces, via US-54. For anyone not familiar with this route it is hilly and scenic with some curves. Just north of Carrizozo I had picked up a semi behind me. I had the cruise set on 68 (speed limit was 65) and he was tailgating me about as bad as I had ever been tailgated. I would estimate he was no more than 30 to 40 feet from the rear of my 44' TH.

We passed a sign announcing there was an upcoming passing lane in a mile. As we came up a slight grade and around a curve (marked no passing zone) I looked in my mirror and there was a midsize pickup attempting to pass the semi and me! Looking forward there was a large SUV approaching in the oncoming lane, and the pickup probably couldn't even see it yet! This stretch of US-54 does not have large paved shoulders. I knew I needed to slam on my brakes but I also knew if I did the 80,000 pounds of idiot driven semi tailgating me would crash violently into the back of us.

I got on the brakes as hard as I thought I could get away with and honestly thought the head-on collision would now take place even with my F350 instead of next to the back of my fiver. The oncoming SUV reacted quickly without locking up his/her brakes and like some slow motion miracle the passing midsize pickup squeezed over in front of me, missing my front bumper by maybe a foot.

The pickup continued down the road at a speed way above the limit and I was able to let the idiot in the semi to pass me when we got to the passing lane. Believe it or not but this was one of the closest calls I have ever had. Any number of things could have been slightly different and at least four of us could have lost our lives. The approaching SUV could have been running 75 to 80mph instead of closer to the speed limit (34 years a LEO you can estimate speed pretty good), the idiot semi driver could have missed getting on his brake and actually hit me, or instead of closely monitoring my mirrors as I always do I could have just been staring straight ahead and not had an advance notice of the pickup attempting a pass in the first place.

For the next several miles the DW and I talked about how lucky we had been and admitted that a higher power may have just possibly helped us out.

When we pulled into Carrizozo I stopped at a station with commercial diesel pumps for a planned fuel top off. I was hoping the tailgater would be there but no such luck. As the DW walked across the lot to use the facilities a young female approached her from the vehicle gas pumps. They only said a couple words to each other and the DW pointed toward me.

Obviously this young gal was walking over to talk to me so I met her half way. She was the driver and lone occupant of the midsize pickup and started the conversation by saying she was sorry. That of course took some of the "wind" out of my sails, so I honestly told her how I felt. I started by saying she almost killed all of us. She said something about "the stupid semi driver" and I told her not to even go there. I let her know that he contributed but she was the one who decided to pass in a no passing zone and put us all in harms way. I told her that by all rights none of us should be standing in the gas station and someone was looking out for all of us. I told her wherever she was traveling she should take this as a sign to slow down. She admitted her fault and said she was shaking when she got to the gas station.

Anyway, I hope this taught her a life lesson. It certainly scared the crap out of me and the DW. I doubt it bothered the semi driver.
 
Do you have a dashcam? We ALL need dashcam's these days. Crazy not to have one in motorhomes and toads/toweds.

 
It started a conversation about getting one. We are thinking one of the GoPro setups so we can do some video while on the motorcycle also.
 
My commute to and from work includes a hilly, curvy two lane highway. If I leave work right around 5 PM, I will undoubtedly be passed on uphill stretches with double solid lines at least half a dozen times because I only drive the speed limit.
 
Really didn't know where to post this, but I thought it was worth sharing. Maybe it will make someone stop and reconsider their driving habits a little. Bear with me.....

A couple days ago we left a campsite up in Santa Rosa NM heading down to Las Cruces, via US-54. For anyone not familiar with this route it is hilly and scenic with some curves. Just north of Carrizozo I had picked up a semi behind me. I had the cruise set on 68 (speed limit was 65) and he was tailgating me about as bad as I had ever been tailgated. I would estimate he was no more than 30 to 40 feet from the rear of my 44' TH.

We passed a sign announcing there was an upcoming passing lane in a mile. As we came up a slight grade and around a curve (marked no passing zone) I looked in my mirror and there was a midsize pickup attempting to pass the semi and me! Looking forward there was a large SUV approaching in the oncoming lane, and the pickup probably couldn't even see it yet! This stretch of US-54 does not have large paved shoulders. I knew I needed to slam on my brakes but I also knew if I did the 80,000 pounds of idiot driven semi tailgating me would crash violently into the back of us.

I got on the brakes as hard as I thought I could get away with and honestly thought the head-on collision would now take place even with my F350 instead of next to the back of my fiver. The oncoming SUV reacted quickly without locking up his/her brakes and like some slow motion miracle the passing midsize pickup squeezed over in front of me, missing my front bumper by maybe a foot.

The pickup continued down the road at a speed way above the limit and I was able to let the idiot in the semi to pass me when we got to the passing lane. Believe it or not but this was one of the closest calls I have ever had. Any number of things could have been slightly different and at least four of us could have lost our lives. The approaching SUV could have been running 75 to 80mph instead of closer to the speed limit (34 years a LEO you can estimate speed pretty good), the idiot semi driver could have missed getting on his brake and actually hit me, or instead of closely monitoring my mirrors as I always do I could have just been staring straight ahead and not had an advance notice of the pickup attempting a pass in the first place.

For the next several miles the DW and I talked about how lucky we had been and admitted that a higher power may have just possibly helped us out.

When we pulled into Carrizozo I stopped at a station with commercial diesel pumps for a planned fuel top off. I was hoping the tailgater would be there but no such luck. As the DW walked across the lot to use the facilities a young female approached her from the vehicle gas pumps. They only said a couple words to each other and the DW pointed toward me.

Obviously this young gal was walking over to talk to me so I met her half way. She was the driver and lone occupant of the midsize pickup and started the conversation by saying she was sorry. That of course took some of the "wind" out of my sails, so I honestly told her how I felt. I started by saying she almost killed all of us. She said something about "the stupid semi driver" and I told her not to even go there. I let her know that he contributed but she was the one who decided to pass in a no passing zone and put us all in harms way. I told her that by all rights none of us should be standing in the gas station and someone was looking out for all of us. I told her wherever she was traveling she should take this as a sign to slow down. She admitted her fault and said she was shaking when she got to the gas station.

Anyway, I hope this taught her a life lesson. It certainly scared the crap out of me and the DW. I doubt it bothered the semi driver.
Hopefully she learned a lesson she will never forget. We travel a lot nationwide and see very little law enforcement on our roads. Just their presence on our roads would make a huge difference but it's like the wild west out there now. Survival of the fittest and luckiest.
 
Hopefully ....
Little tip. You can quote someone's post and delete the main portion of it if you like and still get across who you are replying to. I know, the vast majority of people don't bother doing so and it's no big deal. Makes threads a little more readable for others though.
 
Nice tip - here is a post about it too:

 
Hey, leave Sanda alone, it is like I'm being officially published! (lol)
 
Do you have a dashcam? We ALL need dashcam's these days. Crazy not to have one in motorhomes and toads/toweds.

Neal,
Do you personally own this dash cam from Amazon? Do you recommend it? I've been thinking about getting one.
 

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