Extremely lucky to be alive...

[Omahaug]

Quote:
Nothing much you or anyone else can do in that situation from a defensive driving standpoint.
From the description it sounds like he was using the passing lane as a regular lane (80-100kph at least in the U.S. is below to just at the speed limit). I wouldn't use the passing lane to begin with unless I was passing and if I was passing I'd do it quick at high speed. I also don't ever drive directly to the side of another driver, also don't assume people check their blindspots or even their mirrors when changing lanes.

Minimize the amount of time your vehicle is to the side of another, pass them quick, else if they decide to change lanes right into you, you now have no choice but to swerve into the other lane and take someone else out or be hit and have them hit you and push you into someone else.

When cruising along be behind or ahead of the people to your sides. This also gives both you and them room to go into each others lanes quickly in an emergency.

 

[HorseThief]

Rental insurance? What a scam! Oh, wait...

Glad you made it out safe, and surprised you were back on the road so soon. Hope you have a good time!

 

[SonofJoe]

We come out to South Africa twice a year for five weeks at a time (once in whale season, once just before Easter) so I tend to add the full insurance package to the rental. Going through a broker, the rental car works out at £12.60/day (about 16 USD) which I reckon is reasonable.

I've never pranged a rental before (let alone written one off!) but I think I'm reasonably well protected. I suspect I have nothing to pay but in the event they said I had to cough for a new car, I'd happy pay. Sometimes you need to realise just how lucky you are and that money is just money.

BTW, Walker Bay is full of Southern Whites right now. The mother & calf pairs swim very close to the shore and we have a perfect view of them cavorting around from our deck. So the journey, albeit a bit more eventful than usual, was well worth it!

 

[zeng]

Glad that you are safe and well ...

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
It was likely a combination of a third-world-country car's engineering, not very good tires, and wet conditions.

Originally Posted By: SonofJoe

So BITOGers! I'm been driving for 40 years and nothing remotely like this has ever happened before. It felt there was this massive, heavy, swinging pendulum attached to the front of my car. What happened and what should I have done differently??? I should add that all this happened in a matter of seconds and all rational thought stopped functioning almost immediately but even so, any thoughts???



What I'd do differently is move over if possible, but don't swerve out of the way. Let them hit you, it's their fault. I have a dash cam running at all times, and take it with me when traveling. If someone wants to scrape the side of my car while driving, go for it. I️ have a video showing me in my Lane.

But all of this is easy to say when I wasn't in the situation

Glad to hear you guys are ok.


Erm.

3rd World vehicle engineering?

Poor tyres?

You do realise there is a difference between South Africa and say Namibia?

Here is an article showing the Top 10 Exports from SA.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/these-are-sas-top-10-vehicle-exports-9338768

General Motors are apparently closing operations this year.

 

[wemay]

Just thankful you two are OK.

 

[d00df00d]

So glad you're both alright!

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: SonofJoe
So BITOGers! I'm been driving for 40 years and nothing remotely like this has ever happened before. It felt there was this massive, heavy, swinging pendulum attached to the front of my car. What happened and what should I have done differently??? I should add that all this happened in a matter of seconds and all rational thought stopped functioning almost immediately but even so, any thoughts???

Hard to say. But FWIW I suspect the car was just poorly sorted, handling-wise. Emergency swerving on a slick road is a hugely challenging dynamic scenario. A LOT goes into making a car react predictably, intuitively, and safely in such a scenario; this is one reason why high-end brands seem so expensive for their on-paper features. It's entirely possible that this particular car was just too compromised by cost.

Same goes for the tires. They might have been in good shape, but they were probably cheap models focused as much on fuel economy and NVH as on grip and limit behavior.

Still possible that things might have turned out differently had you had better car control skills, situational awareness, etc. That stuff is always worth trying to improve. Detecting signs of the other driver's intentions might have alerted you sooner. Sensing traffic conditions more comprehensively might have given you a clue that the other driver might have wanted to make a break for it, and that you might do well to stay out of their blind spot. Smoother steering input with little or no throttle (while in gear) or even a brush of the brakes might have made things more stable. Smoother, better-timed, and more confidently controlled countersteering, perhaps with some throttle under opposite lock, might have helped get you going straight again. So by all means try to keep that in mind in the future, if you see fit.

But really, I wouldn't draw too many conclusions given the kind of car you were driving. You say it's for emerging markets; it's probably made primarily for very low speeds. I wouldn't count on it to exhibit good dynamics at motorway speeds, let alone in the rain, let alone in emergency maneuvers.

 

[Pablo]

Glad you are all OK!!

WOW that woke me up this AM

 

[cjcride]

Glad everyone will be fine.
The pendulum effect can be brought on by over correcting on the steering at speed. Especially on slippery roads.

You are Lucky Duckies

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: SonofJoe
The tyres were in near perfect nick. I always check rentals before I accept them because in the past I've had a couple of issues. In fact, judging by the state of the interior, the car couldn't have been that old.

The Etios is however a car built specifically for emerging markets so wouldn't come with stuff like Electronic Stability Control which is now mandatory in the UK. Glad that the front did it's job and absorbed most of the energy of the impact.

Interestingly, none of the air bags deployed. Not sure if this was due to how the car got whacked.

PS - the wife is developing the most magnificent black eye I've ever seen. I'd post a photo but she'd kill me if I did!


That's exactly why I asked. I flew to St Louis a few years ago when it was icy and Enterprise tried to saddle me with a compact with nearly bald tires. Of course, they tried to talk me into a full-size (FWD still, mind you) for the snowy conditions. I made a stink and they somehow found another compact with better tires

Turns out, it was icier than I thought. The drive to where I was staying wasn't bad; however, once I got to where I was going I decided to walk the grounds. I ended up doing the Home Alone shuffle and fell hard on my side walking from the Inn to the office buildings. It hurt like [censored], but before assessing myself I quickly checked all around to ensure no one saw me eat it!

Very interesting point about the stability control. I had a chance to mess with this feature on a track (auto-cross) and it wouldn't let me rotate the car, even near the limit. It was defeatable in the car I was in, and turning it off let things get a little more wild. It does work.

Also, I'm really glad you're ok. Sucks now, but I've found that hiccups like this make for the best stories later. I don't remember many of the times I've traveled and everything was just nice. I remember the stank on a Greek ferry, wrecking a 4-wheeler and having to pay for it, etc. Things that sucked at the time are fun to talk about now. I would definitely say get a picture of the wife's black eye, while she makes a funny face. She may not want it now, but when she's 80 she can laugh about it as you show people.

 

[SonofJoe]

Thanks to everyone who commented on this thread. Also many thanks for the good wishes.

For those who offered advice, I can tell you that my situational awareness is wound up to max now (almost paranoid even!). I've also been given a VW Up! by the rental company and this feels a bit more first-world than the Etios.

The great irony for me is that one of the reasons I so look forward to coming out to South Africa is because driving there is infinitely more enjoyable and less stressful than doing daily battle on the M25!

 

[spk2000]

Glad it turned out that everyone was well. Also low end cars tend to not have sway bars in the same manner that higher end cars or sports cars do that prevent some of that pogo effect.

 

[PimTac]

Good news that both of you are okay. That was one big hit you took along with the van.

What about the other guy that started this? I hope he stopped.

 

[CT8]

The car did a pretty good job at protecting the passengers.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
It was likely a combination of a third-world-country car's engineering, not very good tires, and wet conditions.

Originally Posted By: SonofJoe

So BITOGers! I'm been driving for 40 years and nothing remotely like this has ever happened before. It felt there was this massive, heavy, swinging pendulum attached to the front of my car. What happened and what should I have done differently??? I should add that all this happened in a matter of seconds and all rational thought stopped functioning almost immediately but even so, any thoughts???



What I'd do differently is move over if possible, but don't swerve out of the way. Let them hit you, it's their fault. I have a dash cam running at all times, and take it with me when traveling. If someone wants to scrape the side of my car while driving, go for it. I️ have a video showing me in my Lane.

But all of this is easy to say when I wasn't in the situation

Glad to hear you guys are ok.


Erm.

3rd World vehicle engineering?

Poor tyres?

You do realise there is a difference between South Africa and say Namibia?

Here is an article showing the Top 10 Exports from SA.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry-news/these-are-sas-top-10-vehicle-exports-9338768

General Motors are apparently closing operations this year.
The Toyota Etios is primarily made for India, the engineering specs probably aren't up to par with the u.s. stuff, it's all for a budget.

 

[Kira]

That article was nifty enough but what are the numbers which precede the "per month" numbers?

I love the Nissan which resembles the Frontier. I once saw a list showing 8 engines for that vehicle.

 

[doitmyself]

Very glad that things turned out well for you. Be mindful of possible health effects from the accident in the upcoming months and years. My wife's health took a huge turn for the worse in the year following a head-on collision that was much less damaging than yours. I would recommend a complete physical exam with records of all aches, pains, or other injuries noted in case you have health insurance issues later on. Because you are in a foreign country, this might be more difficult to accomplish.

I wish you and your wife all the best.

 

[MCompact]

Glad you are all okay!

 

[Lolvoguy]

Yeah, I generally avoid S. Africa in general.

Glad to hear you are doing ok