Forgive me for not being the best story teller, and mods please move to a more appropriate spot if necessary.

I had to share what happened today to myself and my little girl. It was truly a miracle, and if I'd been in my old car we would have crashed for sure...

I90 in IL, heading to O'Hare to pick up my girlfriend.

For those familiar with the area you know how congested it can get as you get close to the O'Hare exit. The last on-ramp before that a Nissan Versa was coming in to merge. Their rear window was completely blocked with what I assume was a combination of luggage and garbage.

I was already in the right lane getting ready for the exit, and slowed down to around 40mph or maybe even less to let them in. They continued to not merge. The woman driving finally realized that she was about out of road, applied her brakes and appeared to be stopping on the shoulder. Now, what happens next is in a matter of seconds, and I truly thank the engineers at Acura and my guardian angel.

All at once a bmw something or other flies in behind me with maybe a foot between our bumpers, and a Lincoln town car is coming up along side me in the next lane over. The Versa decides to fly out of the shoulder right on top of me. My little girl screamed (she's 15) and by the grace of God I had enough room to scoot a little over the line closer to the lincoln and gun it to get around the versa. In an instant we were over 80mph and missed getting hit on either side by inches. The BMW behind me slammed their brakes once they realized what was going on, and the Lincoln pulled over to the next lane. The Versa driver, well, lets just say her head was so far up her ass godzilla could have walked on to the highway and she wouldn't have noticed. Completely clueless as to what just happened. We watched her aimlessly cut over to the next lane forcing an SUV of some type to slam their brakes.

I was impressed with the car, and myself for apparently making the right decision in an instant. If I had slammed the brakes, I would have avoided the Versa but the bmw behind me would have had a new large hood ornament

So, we pulled into O'hare, ironically the BMW followed us to the parking lot, parked next to me, told me that was one of the most amazing things he'd ever seen and couldn't believe there wasn't a collision.

I'm sure stuff like this happens every day, especially on a busy interstate with more idiots than intellects, but in my 18 years of driving its the first time I've come that close to a wreck and avoided it, and I count myself truly blessed. If I'd been in a larger and/or slower car, something would have been hit. I should mention that driving in S mode most likely played no small role in today's event. Since I had been slowing down to let the Versa merge in the first place, I was down in 3rd gear, which enabled the instant burst of speed. Had I been in D, I really don't know if the outcome would have been the same. Truly a moment I wish someone had on film. Thanks for reading, hope I didn't bore you. I love my TL even more after today

 

Glad you and your daughter are safe - you really hit a confluence of idiots there.

One of my pet peeves is people who run way too fast in crowded, congested conditions and then tailgate to boot. I hope all the others learned a good lesson (but I doubt the Versa driver even realized they did anything improper).

 

Good to hear that everyone is ok. Your instant reaction and your capable car have saved the day.

We must always expect the unexpected, and stay alert at all times watching out for bad drivers.

 

Glad everyone is ok, You avoided a collision due to two things, Good driving and ample power on you TL to pull ahead like a rocket.

 

Another prove that Speed doesn't always kills (as the authorities would led you to believe). Great job in avoiding the crash by going faster.

 

I live in the area; were you coming from Chicago or the burbs? Based on your description, I'm guessing you were coming from Chicago and she got on at River or the toll just before Mannheim coming from I90E (NW Burbs). That whole area can be really bad. Glad you & your daughter are ok.

Was the woman on her cell phone?

Don't mean to hijack your thread but that's one thing that just irritates me. Last week, I was on the Kennedy right where it splits to I90 & 190 to go to I294 and there is a lady in front of me on her cell phone doing 35, it looked like she was going to pull over on the shoulder because she started veering towards it, I slowed down and as soon as half her car was on the shoulder, she jerked back in the lane. As I passed her up on the left, I gave her a dirty look; she looked at me while on the phone and put both her palms up like, oh well! I wish I could have slapped that grin off of her face!

Nick

 

Just like everyone who smokes cigarettes doesn't get a heart attack or lung cancer as the AMA would leave you to believe.

 

Glad you made it out fine... I've had a couple of those encounters in my 16 years of driving.

I can guarantee you would have lost a split second in D mode while the car decided you did actually mean to press on the gas. I cannot stand the really long 6th gear (except for the fact it pushes the car over 30mpg on the highway). However, S mode and the paddles make up for it.

 

That's what the paddle shifter is for. Double-tab the down paddle twice, and off you go with amble pulling power two gears lowered.

 

Yes, but I am not sure how often you'd think of the paddles being in a situation like this.
Afterwards you facepalm and think, ohh, I should have..could have...

Was that soccer-mom from Wisco or a FIB?

 

IL plates, didn't even think to get the number. I didn't even think about my paddles when it happened. I've been driving solely in S mode for months now (even got my in-town mpg to around 19 with it), and it was a gift that I was already in M3 when the shit hit the fan. Honestly, I didn't shift into M4 until we were redlined, as I completely forgot about the shifting portion and was in survival mode, just getting out of the way.

My baby girl gets her driver's license this week, and I know this experience scared the crap out of her, but hopefully helped her gain a little more respect and caution for what can happen. You can be the best driver in the world but you can't control the asshole in the next lane

 

I see: S for Survival, not Sport.
But she might indeed have learned her lesson. Drive with open eyes and common sense.

 

That's why we need to use the paddles more often. Practice using it more, and it'll become a basic instinct in emergency situations.

 

More often than not it's all about the asshole in the next lane . Great instincts, anticipation and a capable machine helped to save your day. Glad all are okay.

 

Wow - Yeah I think there is construction going on near that area right? I'm glad you and your daughter are ok. I got rear-ended on I-90 North bound near the des Plaines area by this dumb guy texting in a New BMW 645 or 650 (the freaking 100k coupe - lol). Some people around here drive like nuts. So in the market for a TL now and looking to get one this week.

 

I like "Survival" more, I'll call it survival mode as well from now on lol. I've yet to be in a situation like that but being accustomed to drive in S mode also saved me once.

 

That's where the use of the middle finger comes into play - I use it sparingly, but when I break it out, it's well deserved. I commute up and down 95, and the idiots are everywhere. My personal favorite is the out-of-staters doing 60-65 in the left lane (speed limit is 65), and slamming on their brakes every time they see a state trooper sitting in between N & S 95. They typically receive a "wave" as I pass them. Or the "moving roadblocks" - just get out of the way, please.

I'm by no means an aggressive driver, but I firmly believe there are too many people out there that don't know how to properly drive, and should not be on the highway/freeway. In MD we do not have to do high speed driving to get a license, and it truly shows in some of the shitty drivers we have in this state.