429CJ-3X2
Elite Explorer
- Joined
- November 6, 2009
- Messages
- 1,642
- Reaction score
- 396
- City, State
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- '01,'02, '04 Sport Tracs,
Wife and I made another 4 day trip from Des Moines to Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday thru Saturday in the '02 Sport Trac. Beautiful weather on the way out, not so much on the way home Friday. Had a stiff tailwind all day Thursday and managed a fraction short of 20 mpg. All was going well until the east side of Indy where we got an unplanned and unwanted handling and acceleration test.
Near the east side of Indy the interstate splits into 4 lanes with the 2 right lanes veering off to become I-70 and the 2 left lanes veering into I-465. We were in the inside right lane. As we neared the split, I saw a semi just ahead in the far right lane signalling to move into our lane, but there was a car beside him. The only reason to change lanes is to move to one of the left lanes to go to I-465. I eased up to let him move over, but he didn't take advantage, and turned off his signal, so I resumed my speed and pulled along side the truck. As we got beside the middle of the trailer, the truck started moving over. I moved to the left, just inches into the other lane, glanced out the window and in the mirror. A Charger was braking hard to avoid my left rear corner. We were both partly in each lane, so he had possibly been behind me and was getting away from the truck like I was. By this time, the lanes had separated and I was entering the area between the lanes with the lines that are essentially letting you know you're about to hit the end of a guardrail or concrete barrier head-on.
I was hoping the trucker would realize we were there and straighten out, but he had doubled down on moving over. His front wheels were turned sharper than a semi's wheels should ever be turned at 60-65 mph. We were fast running out of room, so I did the only thing I could - jerked to the left, hit the gas, and shot to the right across the front bumper of the truck. A quick correction, and we were on to Columbus. The Sport Trac could not have performed any better! Like I said, I did the only thing I could, but it should not have worked! We should have been smashed between the semi and the barrier. I don't know how, or if, the semi got into the left lane because he was out of room, too, plus there were cars in the lane he was going to. There should have been a huge pileup, probably with fatalities. God was protecting us for sure!
It scared my wife - and probably people behind us - but I was too mad at the trucker for making such a dangerous, boneheaded move to be scared or panic. The whole thing took just a few seconds, but my mind remained calm, and I thought through everything rationally. It took a good 40 minutes for me to calm down from being angry, though. Like I said, God was watching over us!
Near the east side of Indy the interstate splits into 4 lanes with the 2 right lanes veering off to become I-70 and the 2 left lanes veering into I-465. We were in the inside right lane. As we neared the split, I saw a semi just ahead in the far right lane signalling to move into our lane, but there was a car beside him. The only reason to change lanes is to move to one of the left lanes to go to I-465. I eased up to let him move over, but he didn't take advantage, and turned off his signal, so I resumed my speed and pulled along side the truck. As we got beside the middle of the trailer, the truck started moving over. I moved to the left, just inches into the other lane, glanced out the window and in the mirror. A Charger was braking hard to avoid my left rear corner. We were both partly in each lane, so he had possibly been behind me and was getting away from the truck like I was. By this time, the lanes had separated and I was entering the area between the lanes with the lines that are essentially letting you know you're about to hit the end of a guardrail or concrete barrier head-on.
I was hoping the trucker would realize we were there and straighten out, but he had doubled down on moving over. His front wheels were turned sharper than a semi's wheels should ever be turned at 60-65 mph. We were fast running out of room, so I did the only thing I could - jerked to the left, hit the gas, and shot to the right across the front bumper of the truck. A quick correction, and we were on to Columbus. The Sport Trac could not have performed any better! Like I said, I did the only thing I could, but it should not have worked! We should have been smashed between the semi and the barrier. I don't know how, or if, the semi got into the left lane because he was out of room, too, plus there were cars in the lane he was going to. There should have been a huge pileup, probably with fatalities. God was protecting us for sure!
It scared my wife - and probably people behind us - but I was too mad at the trucker for making such a dangerous, boneheaded move to be scared or panic. The whole thing took just a few seconds, but my mind remained calm, and I thought through everything rationally. It took a good 40 minutes for me to calm down from being angry, though. Like I said, God was watching over us!
