Survive A Deadly Pileup Crash

On Friday, October 5, 53 cars were involved in a pileup crash on a Florida highway that injured more than 50 people.  And that, apparently, was just the beginning.  On Thanksgiving day, a 150-car pileup near Beaumont, Texas killed two people and injured nearly 80 others.  Within the past week, an additional six pileup crashes have been reported:

  • Dec. 17: 27 car pileup in Quebec City
  • Dec. 19: 60 car pileup in California
  • Dec. 19: 7 car pileup in Vancouver
  • Dec. 19: 35 car pileup in New York
  • Dec. 20: 23 car pileup in Texas
  • Dec. 20: 25 car pileup in Iowa

That’s nearly 400 cars wrecked in just 8 crashes in a 12-week period – five of those pileups have happened in the past 24 hours.  There are some common factors to these incidents.

All of them happened on highways.  In most of them, weather conditions were considered a “contributing factor”.  In all of them, driver error was a primary factor.

While highways offer convenience and efficiency, allowing us to quickly move between distant cities, simple errors can quickly turn them deadly.  Here are four tips to keep yourself out of a deadly pileup.

1. ADJUST YOUR SPEED.

In most states, the maximum speed limit posted on a road applies only during “optimal conditions” – that is, dry roads in daylight with good visibility.  If weather conditions deteriorate and the roads become compromised with rain, ice or snow, or visibility is compromised with fog or darkness, the law requires drivers to reduce their speed accordingly.

The distance it takes your car to come to a complete stop depends on a few things, including your reactions, your speed, the mass of your vehicle and your traction (here’s a tip: good tires on dry roads stop waaaaay shorter than bald tires on wet roads).

Your total stopping distance is a combination of your reaction and the braking distance of your car.
Your total stopping distance is a combination of your reaction and the braking distance of your car. Image source: UK Highway Code.

Driving too fast shortens your stopping distance while slippery roads increases it.  This leaves you open to hydroplaning or skidding – either way, you’re out of control.

2. MAINTAIN A SAFE FOLLOW DISTANCE.

But speeding isn’t the only mistake here.  On the highway you should maintain a 4-6 second follow distance from the car in front of you, and add an extra second for every inclement weather condition (add a second for rain, another for fog, et cetera).

Keep a safe follow distance to give yourself room to react.
Keep a safe follow distance to give yourself room to react. Image Source: NJ DOT Driver’s Manual.

 

This gives you time to react safely if something awful goes down ahead of you.

3. KEEP YOUR SPACE CUSHION CLEAR.

In addition to your follow distance, make sure you keep a space cushion around your vehicle for safety.  Here’s how this works:

Keep a safe space cushion around your car in traffic.  Image source: Michael Mercadante.
Keep a safe space cushion around your car in traffic. Image source: Michael Mercadante.

See the little blue car with the red arrows all around it in the image above?  This driver has the right idea.  There are no cars directly in front of or behind him, and nothing off to either side.  If bad things happen, this car has room to react and room to escape.

See the yellow car two behind our blue car?  He’s in big trouble if things go awry.  He’s boxed in between the large trucks with traffic close in front of him.  Stay aware of the traffic around you, and don’t let yourself get boxed up like this – boxed-in cars become squished cars in a traffic pileup.

4. CHANGE YOUR PLANS.

Here’s the simplest advice to stay alive:  if the weather is forecast to turn bad, clear your schedule and stay home.  If you absolutely have to drive, stay off the highway.  Take local roads where traffic is more likely to be moving slowly anyway.  Arriving late is better than never arriving at all.

If you learned something from this article, great!  You’re now a little bit smarter than the average driver.  Share this with as many people as you can and maybe we can put an end to these horrible pileup crashes.

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