George Knighton

Almost had a head on collision last night in the driving rain.

I don't know what the opposing driver was doing, and I don't know why he wouldn't have noticed a long row of LED headed straight at him.

It was in a curve and I couldn't find the horn with the wheel turned. :-(

As I was about to stand on the brakes, the windshield lit up orange and there was a loud * BOOM ! * and the car's nose dipped as the car's emergency braking and brake boost enhancements took over.

Behind me, I could see the other car swerving and fishtailing, but lost sight of him quickly around the corner.

The boom was so loud that I was sure that there had been some kind of impact, even though I didn't feel an impact. I pulled over and looked as carefully as I could, in the heavy rain with a torch.

But I don't see anything.

I guess that boom is just the noise the clappers make when the car takes over the braking and throws everything at you at once?

?

The person who pulled over behind me suggested the boom was the other car running off the road when the driver looked up, but I still don't know for sure what that was.

Limelight

Glad you're OK and sounds like the car did what it was supposed to do - as you're here posting of an otherwise uneventful experience!

Could just be your heightened senses, coupled with the noise of all the systems at play. If not, perhaps the boom was just you filling your shorts!

miner

The engineering worked as designed. Maybe the boom was the airbag in your a$$ about to ignite. Glad to hear of no damage or injuries.

Malibu Flyer

Glad you are OK George. Sounds like it could have been pretty messy.

We don't need the nannies very often but when we do they seem to be worth their weight in gold.

George Knighton

I couldn't see this in the dark and rain, but maybe this was the boom.

It sounded a lot louder than this could have been, but this is all I see anywhere.

This is the mirror in which I saw the other car fishtailing behind me, so it must have returned to normal position immediately.

pgeorg

I am glad you're ok George! I am also glad to see that the CMBS worked as it should.....
How do you suppose that happened to the mirror?

wstr75

Perhaps the mirror never retracted and the other car's mirror rode up and over your mirror in such a manner as to not retract. Admittedly, this is hard to comprehend happening as the mirror has an articulating action anytime it is pulled backwards. At any rate, glad your car reacted quickly.

George Knighton

The potential head on jerked his wheel to the right and passed by me at about 60.

I guess that's why he was fishtailing.

That was such a loud boom....I'm sure this had to be what made the noise but it's so hard to believe all that big a noise came from such a small patch.

neuronbob

I am so glad you are OK, George! That was so close......wow. Better the side mirror than you.

In addition, it's comforting to read that the car did its job.

pgeorg

Wow that means he was just inches away from sideswiping the left side of your car! I am also surprised that the mirror cover did not even crack.

hondamore

Glad you are ok George. Go home, hug your wife and be thankful that things didn't turn out much worse. It's certainly nice to know that the RLX did it's best to protect you.

fsmith

Geez, George. If the noise was the mirror getting swiped by the head-on car (which seems likely because two mirrors hitting at what would have been 60-70+ MPH would make a pretty loud noise), then you were about six inches from quite a nasty collision. Glad you are okay and that the car did its thing. Be careful, man. We can't afford to lose you from this board.

George Knighton

It's funny what comes to you. I remember thinking to loosen my grip on the wheel for the SRS to go off.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

George, I'm so glad you are ok. I think our cars have angels looking over them. You and I have had very close calls and slipped away with little to no damage. Maybe our driving skills in combination with amazing safety technology saved the day. Be well.

George Knighton

I wish I could take credit but I don't think I can.

:-)

Dark and raining, in a curve, I can't find the horn because I've shuffle steered, and I can't see where the ditch is because of the rain.

It all happened so fast I can't be 100% sure of my recollections.

miner

That is just too close George - you are very fortunate. Glad there were no other car parts touching.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Wow! That was CLOSE. Glad everyone was OK and that the damage was so minor. Could have been vastly worse by a matter of inches.

flagship

I am also very glad you are good and glad to hear an example where the technology possibly saved a life or significant injury. Do you feel it did? Do you feel it could increase any risks in other scenarios? of course avoiding head on is worth anything (not being able to swerve or anything else)? You can't put a price on the value if it did protect you. Any other thoughts on the safety side in the brave new world? Was the other car actually a truck? Perhaps you can go back and look at skid tracks. I do think the sound was likely the mirror.

George Knighton

If there had been a real head on collision, then the car's automatic systems would have significantly reduced the severity of the impact. I was almost at a standstill when the * boom! * happened.

And it happened so fast, right on a corner, that I don't think I could have necessarily done better myself. I knew a car was coming but I did not know it'd be on my side of the road when it came around.

The car started braking right at the moment my foot was going on the brakes. I knew I'd be okay stomping on it, because in a full downpour like that I was not looking at a situation that I'd do better than multi-channel ABS was going to do.

The car was already braking hard as I pushed the pedal down...and it's not very clear to me if I helped the car brake more quickly or if it was doing it by itself...and maybe the "pedal booster" routine cut in, that routine where the car interprets your actions as needing more braking force than you've applied. There was pressure in the pedal, though, and the mildest moan...I think.

The rain was noisy, it was dark, and really coming down. We were all driving faster than we should have been, but I'd never had any problem doing that speed in this car in those conditions.

This was all in the blink of an eye, and it was not very much of a conscious effort on my part. I was right at the point that I remembered the instruction to not have your hands on the steering wheel if you are sure the SRS will deploy, and that's when the other car swerved to its right and there was the boom.

The mirror must've returned immediately, because that's the mirror in which I saw the car fishtailing. There were cars behind me and after I pulled over and didn't see anything on my car, I wondered if the boom had to do with another car behind me. But somebody who stopped said the sound must've been the other car going off the road. He didn't notice the marks on my mirror either.

I think manufacturers will get better and better as time goes on, up to and including the point it becomes AI.

I can very well imagine a car announcing loudly at some point, "I am braking now!!"

At some point it won't be a blind, one and off kind of stop. At some point the car will be able to decide if you're doing anything that might make it clear you're up to something in particular that should cause the car not to brake.

You're in Sport Mode and have been driving hard for a few minutes, and you have pulled high-G loads a number of times...so the car will be smart enough not to brake when it detects a low density barrel that somebody has put out just to mark an apex.

That kind of thing.

My hands were too full to be sure, but I think it was a big sedan.

It was pouring rain...no skid marks that I can see anywhere. I'm driving the same route today, so I'll keep my eyes open, but I don't believe there will be skid marks.

I don't want to overanalyze the events, because it all happened so quickly, and as time goes by you're no longer really sure you're remembering the true data or if you've dreamed a slightly different scenario.

Dark. Pouring rain. Lots of noise. Blinding light. Automatic systems interacting with your own analogue reactions and training.

It's a lot going on to try to remember in factual detail.

I am sorry.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

So I thought it might be an interesting discussion point for you all to get an update on the continued technical problems my business partner is still having with his 2015 MB 550 AWD optioned out to cost him $130,000. Now this is his second attempt as his first one had so many gremlins he had it replaced under the lemon law as volunteered by the dealer and backed by the manufacturer (impressive). After waiting a very long time to get the first car, and again for the second, the new one is having similar issues as the first. He is still driving a loaner as the new one has been in the shop. He is done with MB and will be trading his 2nd new car in very soon (at a tremendous depreciation loss). However he is very interested in the new Audi S8 and will likely be placing an order for one of them instead. That car looks like an executive beast and that fits his personality.

How this relates to Acura and the RLX Sport Hybrid is that as with most of us on the board, we have fairly good to exceptional relationships with our respective dealers and have been treated well when any TSBs or other little things have come up that needed attention. That is something to brag about I think. Also it appears that we all have not been left on the side of the road with the exception of a few tire issues which is no reflection on the build quality of the car. Those things happen and that is life. However, the close calls that George and I have endured where a total loss was almost a certainty if an impact occurred, I think that is a testament to the overall safety and build quality of our cars that helped us get by with little to no damage. I think that driving skill and years of experience helped us, but if the cars were not able to perform as they did, both of us would have had total losses. Safety measures don’t matter until you need them, and then you may have less than a second to appreciate them in use. These experiences give you a moment of pause and reflect on what really matters in life and that is your family and friends. You can have all of the money in the world and it does not make you a better person. Having survived a significant accident and injury myself (2014 MDX saved me and my family’s lives and repurchased a 2016 MDX to replace it) to which I am still recovering from today, it is important to consider how things could have happened and that our vehicles saved us from a horrific experience. I’m glad you are ok George. Take care.

JM2010 SH-AWD

^^Good points. We were drawn into the Acura orbit when my wife's brand new, '90 Integra saved her life when a large dump truck blew a red light and t-boned her. (After hitting our car, it struck a Volvo broad-side, breaking the leg of the woman driving the Volvo). Our cool little Integra was totaled, needless to say, but we were very impressed (and thankful for) how it held up to protect its passenger. Went right out an bought an identical 91 Integra after the trucking company settled with us.