I think I caused an accident this morning

Getting off work at early this morning.. I decided to take the Atlantic City Expressway home rather than the back roads I usually take.. it's a toll road so I usually avoid it.. but it also dumps me off less than 2 miles from home..

Coming from the Brigantine connector, it is a TIGHT decreasing radius turn from the connector to the expressway itself. Most people go around it around 20mph.. My Ti can do it at about 60mph without the tyres complaining.. but I know I am close to the limit.

This morning.. I had a kid in a subaru hounding me. He wanted to play with the BMW.. passing me, slowing down, riding my rear bumper.. so I stayed on the throttle deep into the final corner into the connector.. I think I took it close to 65mph and it was pucker time.. the rear suspension on the ti is not that forgiving of mistakes and that is a lot of solid concrete.

Well, the kid was on my bumper through most of the corner and then when I looked up into the rear view as I got onto the expressway itself.. noticed he was gone. He never did catch up and there was no room for me to stop and check (4 lanes across a bridge with no shoulder) so I can only guess he either panicked and put it into the jersey barrier.. or he just lost control and scraped it...

you can see from the map.. I can from the north heading south.. and that last corner where it says "exit 1" heading to the west (left) is sharper than it even looks on that map. This ie what happens when you build a highway around existing infastructure. Speed limit is 35 and I usually do 40ish around most of it.. I just do not like to slow down

No - you were just driving within your limits. The other car caused an accident if they exceeded their limits.

If he didn't get hurt, it may have been a valuable learning experience. NJMP isn't too far away - he could go there and learn more.

That would merely be an "assist", no way you "caused" anything.

Also, awesome.

Dude "following" you drove outside of his comfort zone, panicked, made the rookie mistake of lifting mid-corner and likely snap-oversteered into kingdom come.

He got what he deserved. Good that he didn't wreck your car or someone else's--and that he didn't hurt anyone.

Hope no one is hurt but much like VW drivers you cant expect much from most subaru drivers

You were driving along minding your own business when the person behind you lost control and crashed. Unless you activated the "oil slick" function, Mr Bond, it's not your fault and has nothing to do with you whatsover.

lol if you didn't hit him it was his own damn fault for trying to keep up

JtspellS wrote: Hope no one is hurt but much like VW drivers you cant expect much from most subaru drivers

Hey, hey, hey, hey now.

I love doing that with people in my Camry when they follow me closely. Keep creeping along until a fun turn comes. Then track guy comes out. I just get to where the tires squeal, the average Joe on public roads can usually only get some tire squeal when going in a straight line.

Now you guys know why i don't look back when towing with Mongo

aussiesmg wrote: Now you guys know why i don't look back when towing with Mongo

I'd imagine if that engine fell out it could crush an excursion!

Fit_Is_Slo wrote: lol if you didn't hit him it was his own damn fault for trying to keep up

^^this. It is not your fault.

In reply to mad_machine:

You didn't cause anything. Somebody stupid thought the car does all the work, and all he has to do is sit and steer like a Soccer Dad. He found out different.

What really scared me earlier... and what prompted this post several hours after the fact.. I went to the store to get some paper.. and got followed by a local cop for about 2 miles. Thankfully, I think he was only going to the same shopping centre, as soon as we both entered the parking lot, he turned off.

Sadly though, Tourist season is soon to be upon us here at Atlantic City.. just means more and more kids in faster cars than mine will be taunting me. For some reason they always seem to be Subys. The last one paused coming out of a toolbooth.. forcing me to go around.. as soon as I got next to him, he floored his STi and left me in the dust.. duh.. he only had twice the HP stock out of the factory.

If it's tourist season... why can;t we hunt them?

Was on my way home from an autocross a few years back in the mustang (ESP car).

Being that it was only 10 miles or so to my house and it was hot out I was driving home on my V710's.

Ricekateer in some import/fartcan something was tailgating the hell out of me leading into a cloverleaf exit. Suffice to say that I used what the 710's had to offer. Kid skidded and came inches from the guardrail.

Some time later I heard of a story of some ridiculous mustang that must be a tube chassis car that was going around that crowd. (because no domestic can corner like that y0!) Turned out to be me. Was funny to find that out.

^^^ now that's funny.

I can only hope the kid this morning will develop an appreciation for cars that are not Subarus.. Yes, those cars can generally claw their way out of any situation if you know what you are doing.. but AWD is not the be all and end all of performance

Thats funny about the tube frame car thing.

Just goes to show that your average yo mad tyte/parking lot burnout kid can't drive as well as they think they can.

Cool videos:

Street racers cars crushed. :)

What I remember car meets being like

If he was smart he slowed down and didn't follow you. Otherwise, yeah, he was misbehaving and might have paid for it. It's why I ignore people trying to provoke me. Usually they want me to go faster, however.

(PS: Lotta sad ricers in those two videos. )

BTDT in my work van of all things.

The on-ramp to the interstate from my office isn't particularly sharp if you drive it right. You have to use the entire road, curb to curb and since I drive it daily, I'm pretty good at carrying speed through it, even in a van. Center lane, it has a wicked kink leading onto the acceleration lane. Driving my work van I usually come through that kink at about 50, other wise the V6 won't get me up to speed for the merge at 65. I'm pretty good at shuffling a van around since I drive one close to 100K miles a year. There was a guy tailgating me down the ramp so I was in it kind of hard and went through the kink at just over 60, probably as fast as I can take it without risking clipping the curb on the outside on exit. He tried it center lane and didn't make it. I know he took out, at least, the drivers side wheels and tires on the curb. I don't feel sorry for him. Karma's a bitch ain't it.

Oh yes, the few times I drove the Mustang on the street with the 'R' compounds put a grin on my face. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. :-D

Toyman01 wrote: He tried it center lane and didn't make it. I know he took out, at least, the drivers side wheels and tires on the curb. I don't feel sorry for him. Karma's a bitch ain't it.

I honestly don't feel sorry for people that happens to. I drive pretty normal everyday, use turn signals, let people in front of me, all that jazz. But when some shiny happy person is all over the back of me when there is plenty of room to go around me or I am doing the speed limit(5 over) on a two lane road, I try to pick a turn that I can screw with them on and hopefully get them to do something stupid(without hurting anyone else).

Rt 15 northbound getting off at Motter Ave. Exit ramp is a decreasing radius uphill. I have been getting off at that exit since 1966 so I know the exit fairly well.

I've had quite a few people "not paying attention" and trying to follow me around the ramp. 5-6 of them have had to have their vehicle extracted from the bushes on the outside of the ramp.

A friend of mine did that once trying to tail me through some turns.

Similar situation happened to me when I was much younger, but with a pair of far less capable cars. I was in my old '84 Celica on pretty decent tires. Very odd, but a for Fairmont with a young lady driving decided she needed to be on my rear bumper around an exit ramp. That went okay, but I turned right on the next street and she tried to do the same. That didn't go so well. Amazingly, she spun and didn't hit anything. Made me feel kinda bad at the time though.

As for learning lessons, she may or may not have learned one, but I certainly did. I still drive in a "spirited" manner sometimes, but I'm very careful and never challenge anyone or get involved in any kind of challenge on the street. I'm 44 years old, have never been cited for an accident and haven't been involved in one since I was 17. Can't count the number I've actively avoided, including one just last week. Jack ass punk on a cell phone. Now that you mention it, he was driving a VW.

You didn't cause an accident, but it's an experience worth keeping in the back of your mind.

It is something I will be pondering for a while. It is nothing I would want to wish on anybody.. the sound of breaking plastic and bending metal is sickening.. especially of that subaru was the kid's pride and joy (hopefully it was not something he would have to explain to his parents)

That said... I guess it does prove that old age and treachery does overcome youth and (lack of) skill.