Alright nerds, today I’m going to tell you about how video games probably saved someone’s life this weekend.
Specs that matter: I have a full size SUV at 6000lbs+ loaded, with another 3500lbs of RV trailer behind me. I’m towing less than half my rated capacity and I have properly configured modern load balancers (load lifters), robust anti-sway, and a brake controller for the trailer brakes.
I’m on a Sonoma highway, 55 posted, doing an easy 55 and enjoying the fact the coast isn’t 100&death degrees. Coming down a hill making a long sweeping left turn I see a car at a cross street. I take my foot off the gas because there is always a chance they do something stupid and I want to be ready.
Sure enough, they do something stupid, they start to roll. At this point they are within my stopping distance but if they accelerate I’ll be fine. So I go on the brakes and start decel.
Then things go from stupid to “I have a death wish” because they weren’t joining traffic. They were making an unprotected left. Right in front of me. I now STAND on the brakes. If they get their foot in I should be able to buy enough time that I don’t hit them.
Mastodonians, it is at this point they decide “today is a good day to die” and they stop. Blocking my ENTIRE LANE. Because the driver finally saw me and went full deer in the headlights.
This, this is where video games save the day. I have logged hundreds of hours playing rally and racing games. I have a sim wheel and pedals. As soon as I saw them stop my brain just fucking autopiloted. To the right of their car I can see nothing but trees, to the left I can see road and no cars. I know I can’t stop in time.
So I lift off the brakes and tighten my existing left turn. Across the center line, onto the LEFT FUCKING SHOULDER to clear the deathwish driver. All 38’ of my car and trailer flash in front of their vehicle.
Thankfully it’s a nice long left of road so I have room to catch the trailer weight and prevent it from trying to wheelie. I can hear both the trailer wheels and my rear wheels screaming in complaint about this.
The two cars behind me had time to get on their brakes and I assume deathwish got out of the road because they didn’t hit them.
I hit my flashers and pull over to the side of the road processing the physical effects of all my adrenaline going off like a NOS shot into my blood. Then give my car and trailer a full safety check.
Fucking look both ways before turning into traffic, and if you have to do something stupid at least COMMIT TO IT.
Tl;Dr I pulled a moose test while towing my RV because someone wasn’t paying attention and if the road hadn’t been a turn I would have plowed almost 10,000lbs into them at near 50mph directly into their driver door because I had no other choice.
Stay safe out there, play more video games.
#tesla #baddriving
This is a skill/courtesy issue. 
