Panic Stop 🛑

[Laura & Charles]

In our 7th year full timing and had our first panic stop a couple days ago. I’ve had to stop suddenly before, but nothing like this. Driving along doing my usual 62-ish mph on a four lane US hwy. An 18 wheeler tanker had passed me and was back over in my lane when I saw his brake lights. I got on my brakes right away but, until I saw his tires smoking, I was just going for a ‘regular’ stop until then. There were cars in both lanes so I couldn’t go around. I was standing on my brake pedal and watching the flammable liquid placard on the trailer get bigger and bigger in my windshield. I would guess we stopped about an inch from contact. We were towing the car and were oh-so-glad for the auxiliary brakes on it.

The reason? There was a car who was turning right, then decided they really wanted to go left… so they just stopped in the right lane to wait until the cars in the left lane passed. The truck thought the car would be turning right and would clear his path until he realized they were dead stopped and locked his brakes. I was a little closer to him than my ‘usual’ clear distance because he’d just passed me.

You just never know what’s gonna be thrown your way. We were fortunate how it turned out: any number of things could’ve made the outcome so very much worse.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Your experience is a sobor reminder it could happen to any one of us at any time.

I had an uncle. He was NOT religious. But he had a favorite saying that I never forgot, especially in the times of panic trouble. "It's always important to be paid-up, prayed-up, and ready to go-up at any moment!"

 

[Mountain high]

A typical day driving in Los Angeles.

 

[Laura & Charles]

I didn’t think of at the time…. But, could I have just pulled on the parking brake? I know locking up the wheels is a bad idea in some conditions, but this day was dry any sunny and quite warm,

 

[JudyJB]

I had a similar hard braking situation in the middle lane of a three-lane freeway when the tread from a huge rear tire on a cement truck ahead of me started rolling towards me. (I braked hard, but did not push the brake pedal all the way down because I was afraid of losing control and sliding.) Cars on both sides, so could not move into another lane to avoid the tread. It ended up going underneath my motorhome, but luckily only damaged my electric stairs.

After that experience, I try to stick to the right "truck" lane in heavy traffic so I can move onto the shoulder if something causes me to have to brake really hard. Don't always stick to right lane, but I do when I can because at least in that lane, you have an out if you need it.

 

[Martian]

The parking brake would only apply the rear bakes which would risk locking them up and skidding tires do not do much for handling.

 

[John From Detroit]

Have seen that happen.... It also explains why you should not TAILGATE... Now days I like to keep 4 SECONDS of travel between my front and the rear in front of me on dry roads.. Longer on bad roads and glad of it several times last winter (Did not even need to change underwear).
At a truck stop once I met the owner of a 5th wheel who had converted his 5=er into a gooseneck.

He panic stopped. the trailer did too but not as fast.. pretzled his converter.

 

[Deb&RickTX]

Yikes! Bet you discovered some items weren't stored as securely as you thought.

 

[Kirk]

Having owned RVs since the mid 70's, I have experienced a few near panic stops, but only 2 that I can think of which I'd consider to be full panic stops. One was while we were fulltime, driving a 36' motorhome towing a Honda CR-v in traffic while passing through St. Louis, MO. A sportscar suddenly darted in front of us and then slammed on the brakes for some reason. I thought sure that we would hit them but we didn't, although we were so close that I could not see the small trunk of his car but was looking into his convertible top storage. I did have an auxiliary brake on the CR-v and believe that it made the difference. The second incident was just a couple of years ago on I-15 going down what they call the grapevine as you approach San Bernardino, CA. I was in my Dodge truck, towing our little travel trailer when a truck in the lane to my right lost a big chunk of iron that bounced into our lane with heavy traffic all around. We have lots of truck for the size of travel trailer so we did get stopped but what was an even bigger relief was that the truck & trailer stayed in a straight configuration.

 

[Laura & Charles]

Yikes! Bet you discovered some items weren't stored as securely as you thought.

I would’ve thought so too. But I was surprised (and glad) to find the only thing on the floor was a TV remote. The bottles in the liquor cabinet were moved around, but the cabinet stayed closed. (It’s the only cabinet that faces forward. All the other cabinets face sideways and stayed closed.) The TPS display and the GPS that sit on the dash found their way to the windshield. Even my shorts remained clean.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I didn’t think of at the time…. But, could I have just pulled on the parking brake? I know locking up the wheels is a bad idea in some conditions, but this day was dry any sunny and quite warm,

You could have, but it's actually less effective than using the pedal. The park/emergency brake only brakes the rear wheels and most likely locks them into a skid. Using the brake pedal, you use both front & rear axles/wheels and thus get more braking. And you benefit from the ABS as well, so a skid is avoided.

I actually had to use the emergency air brake once when I experienced a brake pedal failure. It's scary but it works, but nowhere near as well as jamming down the service brake pedal. And I hit the vehicle in front of me.

 

[Ex-Calif]

You could have, but it's actually less effective than using the pedal. The park/emergency brake only brakes the rear wheels and most likely locks them into a skid. Using the brake pedal, you use both front & rear axles/wheels and thus get more braking. And you benefit from the ABS as well, so a skid is avoided.

I investigated 2 runway overrun accidents during my career. One was a long landing. The pilot deactivated the anti-skid late in the event but before the end of the runway. You could see exactly where the skidding started.

Using black box data we calculated the rate of deceleration before and after anti-skid deactivation. Of course the deceleration was way less when the wheels were skidding.

I only had one in the RV. Light traffic with cones merging us to one lane. A semi decided he had enough room to pass on the left and of course he didn't. I panic braked but also had to swerve right, run over a bunch of cones and pretty much take the ditch.

The reminder in all cases is how much energy is in a vehicle even at relatively low speed like 50mph. This is why I get pissed when I see an average freeway speed slowing to like 50 and some clown comes zooming by at 75 swinging from lane to lane.

 

[Lou Schneider]

The second incident was just a couple of years ago on I-15 going down what they call the grapevine as you approach San Bernardino, CA.

The Grapevine is on I-5 at the northern edge of the mountains south of Bakersfield. I-15 goes through Cajon Pass separating the desert highlands from the Los Angeles basin.

 

[Ray-IN]

I didn’t think of at the time…. But, could I have just pulled on the parking brake? I know locking up the wheels is a bad idea in some conditions, but this day was dry any sunny and quite warm,

NO! The parking brake is only the rear axle. Service brakes have ABS so you can't lock up both axles tires, but still get maximum braking effect.

This visual compares a car and a semi braking, another factor is air brakes require longer stopping distance:

Stopping Distances - Truck Smart

Trucks Need more time to stop Trucks need more time to stop A typical tractor-trailer or other large truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds by law. Most passenger vehicles are about 3,000 – 4,000 pounds. A passenger vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds, traveling under ideal conditions at a speed of...

trucksmart.udot.utah.gov

 

[billwild]

Travlling through Salt Lake City a few years back, when an old van towing a trailer with all their belongings in the next lane to our diesel pusher, decided to change lanes without looking. I slammed on the brakes and pulled the steering wheel to the left. I missed him by inchs. For the next half mile he hears the sound of our dual air horns

 

[ziplock]

but I do when I can because at least in that lane, you have an out if you need it.

Around here, that lane has a ton of tire and other debri. It's frightening.

 

[Ex-Calif]

For the next half mile he hears the sound of our dual air horns

But for the grace of God go I. You are welcome to blow your horns but it does not good and I doubt it was done purposefully. Not many of us hasn't made a mistake driving.

 

[JudyJB]

Around here, that lane has a ton of tire and other debri. It's frightening.

But tire and other debris is a LOT less frightening than a huge (maybe 4' in diameter) tire tread rolling towards you with no place to go!!

 

[ziplock]

But tire and other debris is a LOT less frightening than a huge (maybe 4' in diameter) tire tread rolling towards you with no place to go!!

Yeah, I guess it's better to hit a non moving 4 foot tire chunk, than a moving one.

 

[SeilerBird]

People laugh at me for driving 55 in the right lane, but this scenario has not happened to me yet,