When I read this article this morning, I had never been concious of my facial expression when surfing the on-line news.
Directly upon reading the headline ("Double Fatal, mother/daughter") to this article, I noted that my eyebrows sagged, and my mouth fell to a deep frown.
Encountering one of the largest of the SUVs was bad enough; being "T-boned" reduced seatbelt use to "nearly inconsequential". "Side-impact" airbags could have made the difference. I've noted a
record number of NH highway fatalities this past year.
The black marks on the asphalt indicate that the driver had the brakes locked up returning to the paved surface. This is typical of an "overcorrection".
The driver drove onto the loose surface of the road's swale "at speed", steered back to the pavement (where the front tires grabbed the better surface), throwing the rear around. The first and third skidmarks are the front tires, the 2nd and 4th are the rear. The third skidmark is light because it is the most "heavily loaded" tire (engine location, braking forces), and grabs best. I'll not opine as to the speed, but those long skidmarks can't be made at slow speeds -- even sideways.
The car was pushed sideways from the location of the scene's white-and-red sawhorse (the end of the skidmarks) to where it is resting in the photo. Not
all that far, but enough.
While posting in the "Best Way to Alton" thread, I noted the two ..."getting stuck behind"... comments and thought to myself "it might be best to 'arrive alive'" but thought better of posting that.
When I get close to the Lakes Region, I get a sort of "racing home" mentality. It's a difficult urge to discipline.
I'm reminded of the
Bobby Likus Car Clinic radio program "Like us? You'll Love us!" He's a circle-track auto racer, and once remarked:
Quote:
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"The more I race cars, the slower I drive on the street."
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As an amateur racer myself, I had already reached that realization years ago.
Drive like Bobby Likus says. Wear your seatbelts.