I don't write this for a pat on the back or good job comments. I write this as food for though to all the new riders on this forum.
Yesterday I was riding home in heavy traffic. This is nothing out of the ordinary for the Little Rock area and many of you ride in congested areas too. I was in a column of cars in the left lane and we were traveling at about 75mph. I always try to maintain a three car distance but that is easier said than done. Someone always feels the need to fill that gap. I also make it a habit to occasional look ahead. Not just at the car directly in front of me but maybe three to five cars in front of me. I’m primarily looking for break lights.
All was well until about 20 miles into the ride. We were moving along when all of a sudden a tire flew up in the air about 15-20 feet. This was in lane directly in front of me. I immediately hit my brakes (quickly check behind to make sure I wasn’t going to get rear ended) and began to slow down although there where no signs of any other car stopping. Two seconds later that changed. The ten cars to my front all began to brake hard and swerve back and forth. They obviously had not seen the tire flying through the air and were now reacting to the car which had been struck by the tire. What I did not know until about 10 seconds into the accident was a large motor home was also swerving out of control in the right lane because it had lost a tire from the car hauler it was towing.
Several cars pulled off to the side and I was able to pass through the mess without a scratch. There wasn’t any major damage to any cars although two cars were hit pretty hard by a flying tire. There may have been a couple cars touch front and rear bumpers but nothing that would have cause injuries which was an amazing feat in itself.
The whole point of the story is to stay alert. Try you best to maintain a safe distance and scan ahead. I saw this entire accident unfold in my head before it even happened. You’ve almost got to adapt that type of mentality.
Like I said I’m not looking for praise. Writing this so it can be used as a tool.
Yesterday I was riding home in heavy traffic. This is nothing out of the ordinary for the Little Rock area and many of you ride in congested areas too. I was in a column of cars in the left lane and we were traveling at about 75mph. I always try to maintain a three car distance but that is easier said than done. Someone always feels the need to fill that gap. I also make it a habit to occasional look ahead. Not just at the car directly in front of me but maybe three to five cars in front of me. I’m primarily looking for break lights.
All was well until about 20 miles into the ride. We were moving along when all of a sudden a tire flew up in the air about 15-20 feet. This was in lane directly in front of me. I immediately hit my brakes (quickly check behind to make sure I wasn’t going to get rear ended) and began to slow down although there where no signs of any other car stopping. Two seconds later that changed. The ten cars to my front all began to brake hard and swerve back and forth. They obviously had not seen the tire flying through the air and were now reacting to the car which had been struck by the tire. What I did not know until about 10 seconds into the accident was a large motor home was also swerving out of control in the right lane because it had lost a tire from the car hauler it was towing.
Several cars pulled off to the side and I was able to pass through the mess without a scratch. There wasn’t any major damage to any cars although two cars were hit pretty hard by a flying tire. There may have been a couple cars touch front and rear bumpers but nothing that would have cause injuries which was an amazing feat in itself.
The whole point of the story is to stay alert. Try you best to maintain a safe distance and scan ahead. I saw this entire accident unfold in my head before it even happened. You’ve almost got to adapt that type of mentality.
Like I said I’m not looking for praise. Writing this so it can be used as a tool.
