Defensive driving 101

Didn't know that, scary thought

 

Generally there is a active reflex built inside your eyes when something smashes and comes at your eyes. The brain sees it before you do and slams the eyelids shut for a moment.

You don't want little or big glass spraying all over you.

I once come up against a rock almost as big as my head on 78 near Frystown bouncing along off a end dump in front of my cabover. I saw that I had room to horse her to the right on it's next bounce. As soon as it bounced, I horsed the whole thing into the right lane very savagely hearing this gigantic BOOM as it slammed into my drivers door steel. Took the paint off and dented it.

The problem became bigger when two lanes worth of cars crowding each other understood there is a big rock coming for them. All sorts of crazy movements in that mirrior. Trying to get away from that and each other. Totally destroyed the herd as it were.

Next day safety man asked me What in hell did you do to my door? I told him. Better the door than my head. I got a repainted and reworked door that worked better out of the deal.

In the past cement blocks get dropped from bridges above around Baltimore and other places and crash through the windshield taking off the lower jaw of the driver and killing them right there dead at 60 mph. KLUNK. when thrown off by trouble makers and murderers as far as im concerned.

 

When I was logging I had a length of 5/8s grade 80 chain separate from a binder. It went through a mobile office wall after flying past my head close enough to get sap on my face. I closed my eyes, dunno if it would have helped

 

All I have to say is you were VERY fortunate you wore your safety vest!

 

It's better than taking live rounds danger close in training. I'll leave it at that. Those are some BIG humming BEES... wheew...

 

His biggest regret, not mistake, was to drive a truck with a driver facing camera

 

Hauling glass you get used to it pretty quick being all over you and the truck. Pulling out of Pilkington and PPG it's amazing how much of the stuff is all over the floor/road/ground that you walk and drive over. At first I got real worried about the dust and such getting in my eyes and lungs, but no one said anything and both places, specially PPG, were very safety conscious, so I dunno how bad it was for you. Of course, you didn't want to run your hand along the edges of the sheets.... that stuff would cut right through leather and Kevlar like it was nothing with just a bit of pressure.

 

Six, thanks for the post and taking the time to make things better. I get a lot out of these, they give me things to think about. It's really important to know when is a good time to do other things, pick the safest times and situations with the least safety overhead. I use the same technique of narrowing my attention down when climbing and every hold counts. There's times and then there's times.

One thing to hopefully remember, is close your mouth when something is going to hit your windshield. The jaw tends to drop right about then, but clampit shut Jed. Those little bits are devilish hard to get out of your throat and windpipe. Could be weeks and they'll still be coming up. They don't feel smooth at all when they do that. I won't talk about the other end because all those words would be blanked out.

Also, it's funny about the Darwin comments, but when I ran trains I felt that way about drivers who crowded crossings when they had no escape path. When a train comes unglued, it can sprawl across a wide path and wipe out anything that can be wiped out by a several 100-ton objects hurtling through space at speed.

My vehicle is the one parked way back from the white lines who has people honking at him and pulling around him while a train goes by. I've been trapped in a traffic grid at a crossing and heard a flat wheel coming or heard the brakes come on hard and debated running away on foot. It is an excellent place to "give space" and let someone else be on the front lines.

 

I'm probably not doing this right but I'm trying to get a hold of ya @TripleSix