10 vehicle + 1 240Z freeway pileup

[jrecee]

All it takes is one moron to cause all that damage (or worse). That's why I get so pissed off when people are following me too closely on the highway. I usually drive in the left lane (so I have that shoulder to escape to like you did) and it pisses me off so much when someone is right on my bumper as if the left lane is the autobahn. If I'm in the left lane I make sure I'm going at least as fast or faster than the other lanes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do 110. These tailgaters don't care if you're going the exact speed as the guy ahead of you, they just want you 5 feet from his bumper. So they whip into the middle lane (without signaling of course) then rocket past you, whip back into the left (no signal again) and are now maintaining the exact same speed as before, except now nobody has a safe stopping distances between them.

Sorry, just using the topic of stupidity to vent.

[Mikes Z car]

Thanks for sharing. Glad you and your z are okay. As I was reading I kept hoping everything finally turned out all right. Your car reminds me of my first 240 as the color is the same.

Mike

[Oiluj]

Wow! Glad to hear it all turned out OK.

[=Enigma=]

Glad you and the Z are ok. I'm constantly amazed at how stupidly people drive and have never been in an accident that was my fault or sustained any bodily injury. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain that record until me and the Z retire of natural causes to the big house in the sky.

[70 Cam Guy]

Having my motorcycle license since 2001 I am very familiar with driving defensively. It keeps you aware and you sometimes learn the hard way when you become complacent.

I am glad you made it through physically unscathed. Close calls are good reminders to appreciate what we have and to be mindful of the daily routine.

btw, clean car!

[DougN]

All it takes is one moron to cause all that damage (or worse). That's why I get so pissed off when people are following me too closely on the highway. I usually drive in the left lane (so I have that shoulder to escape to like you did) and it pisses me off so much when someone is right on my bumper as if the left lane is the autobahn. If I'm in the left lane I make sure I'm going at least as fast or faster than the other lanes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do 110. These tailgaters don't care if you're going the exact speed as the guy ahead of you, they just want you 5 feet from his bumper. So they whip into the middle lane (without signaling of course) then rocket past you, whip back into the left (no signal again) and are now maintaining the exact same speed as before, except now nobody has a safe stopping distances between them.

Sorry, just using the topic of stupidity to vent.

And this explains the Atlanta traffic problems in a nutshell! - so many people have never heard of the "slower traffic keep right law" ("Upon all roadways any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic...") and feel entitled to sit in whatever lane they feel like going whatever speed they want to. (please see section 40-6-40(, 40-6-184(a)(2) of the GA uniform traffic code if you don't think this is a law).

Interestingly, here in Altanta, I usually drive in the far right lane and end up going faster than the far left lanes...

Here is a website for you left-lane campers: http://www.slowertraffickeepright.com/

Sorry for the hijack, but left-lane campers are one of my strongest peeves and had to respond!

[ggarrard]

Andrew- Congrats on your situation awareness (not being complacent) - that's what got you out of line, and onto the side. Driving as though everybody else around you is blind and unaware of your existance is the best defensive driving tactic I know of. Well done...it saved you and your Z.

And DougN - I am with you on LLCs (left lane campers) ...

GWGarrard

[jrecee]

I don't understand how tailgating is improving the situation.

If I'm in the left lane I'm keeping with whatever the flow of traffic ahead of me is. There's not much more I can do than that. If I am at the head of the pack doing 85 and someone comes up behind me doing 95 I get over and let them pass if I am able to do so, like in the little animation on that site.

The tailgating issue wasn't specific to the left lane, no matter what lane you're in you'll have people speed right up to your bumper, expecting you to speed up until you're on the bumper of the guy ahead of you, at which point you'll be going the exact same speed as before, except now without room to stop in an emergency.

[240znz]

Please go out and buy a lotto ticket you lucky man.

[JimmyZ]

Thank GOD Inf!!! Your Z has a will to survive which other cars lack. Your car has a purpose which has yet to be fulfilled.

I don't understand how tailgating is improving the situation.

The tailgating issue wasn't specific to the left lane, no matter what lane you're in you'll have people speed right up to your bumper, expecting you to speed up until you're on the bumper of the guy ahead of you, at which point you'll be going the exact same speed as before, except now without room to stop in an emergency.

I find myself coninually using the right pedal to manuver away from these idiots. Age has taught me to recognize which lane will be a winner at the end of the race. Long gone are the days of working hard and breaking many laws to get ahead.

I completely agree with the slower traffic keep right common courtesy. Problem is that there are sooo many careless/uncourteous people out there. It never ceases to amaze me how many people violate my "space" when I'm in the Z. My favorite is when waiting in a line such as a drive thru or light. These AO's have no forsight as to what may happen if they slip off the brake or get gently rear ended. My driving habits have changed over the years as parts become more scarce/expensive and the Z becomes more dear to me. I actually got out and said something to one idiot who has six inches off my rear bumper once.

Is it just me or do people seem to ignore Z's in the same fashion as one might ignore or misjudge a motorcylce?

If someone is going to tailgate and I have no choice I usually ride to one side of the lane so they can see the car in front. Since the Z's brake lights are fairly dim and low it makes sense to present a tailgater with a better idea of the severity of deceleration required. In some parts of the country people function this way and it's not uncommon to have twenty cars in a tight synchronized formation. For a few years in Orlando there was some discipline such as this. It's mostly gone now... Probably a result of economic pressures shining through driving behavior.

2c

Jim

You did good Inf... I think you already know that:)

[jrecee]

If someone is going to tailgate and I have no choice I usually ride to one side of the lane so they can see the car in front.

Ha! Smart move, but 99% of the time the tailgater is in some giant pickup truck or suv and can already see over a little z as well as the next 20 cars. I guess they just figure they have enough ground clearance to drive over you. . . :stupid: