Whaler27
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Alex
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2020
- Threads
- 48
- Messages
- 1,903
- Reaction score
- 3,758
- Location
- Oregon
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 JL, 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude Ecodiesel, 2005 Mustang GT, 2018 Ford Raptor, 2018 BMW R1200GSA, 2020 Honda Monkeybikes (2), 1972 Honda CT-70, 1980 Honda CT-70,
- Occupation
- Saving the world :-)
- Thread starter
- #46
You guys are a hoot. just the right mix of humor and wisdom. Thanks for participating in this.
When I was first learning to drive my dad told me to remember to “turn into a skid”. I committed that direction to memory without really understanding how to apply it.
As a kid I’d bust my CJ loose in the dirt, fishtail around a bit, and act like I knew what I was doing, but I was really just horsing around and experimenting. I didn’t know how to find or feel the limits, or how to properly recover a skid. Then one winter afternoon in 1977 I was driving my dad’s K5 Blazer on four inches of new snow. I was in a rural area, horsing around, and bumping the gas while turning the wheel to break the rear end loose. Then I lost it. The rear end broke sideways and I couldn’t get it back. I just rode a skid at a 45 degree angle off the road, through a patch of dirt and weeds, and into a big maple tree — with my wheels turned all the way into the skid for the whole ride.... I didn’t learn about controlling vehicle weighting, moderating control input, or ensuring that the wheels continue to rotate until years later.
I wish they offered real driver training in high school... I never had another crash after that first tree, but it wasn’t because of great driving skill. I screwed around a bit less and, mostly, I think God must have been riding on my shoulders.
When I was first learning to drive my dad told me to remember to “turn into a skid”. I committed that direction to memory without really understanding how to apply it.
As a kid I’d bust my CJ loose in the dirt, fishtail around a bit, and act like I knew what I was doing, but I was really just horsing around and experimenting. I didn’t know how to find or feel the limits, or how to properly recover a skid. Then one winter afternoon in 1977 I was driving my dad’s K5 Blazer on four inches of new snow. I was in a rural area, horsing around, and bumping the gas while turning the wheel to break the rear end loose. Then I lost it. The rear end broke sideways and I couldn’t get it back. I just rode a skid at a 45 degree angle off the road, through a patch of dirt and weeds, and into a big maple tree — with my wheels turned all the way into the skid for the whole ride.... I didn’t learn about controlling vehicle weighting, moderating control input, or ensuring that the wheels continue to rotate until years later.
I wish they offered real driver training in high school... I never had another crash after that first tree, but it wasn’t because of great driving skill. I screwed around a bit less and, mostly, I think God must have been riding on my shoulders.
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