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Geek King's thread reminded me of this incident which happened earlier this year. Different situation. Same end result...
Picture a two lane divided highway with traffic lights that have dedicated left turn lanes. I was a passenger in a car in the crossroad to this highway waiting for our light to turn green. It was nighttime.
The westbound traffic on the divided highway consisted a car in the right lane going straight, a car in the left lane going straight and a car in the deditated left turn going straight at a very high speed in an attempt to get ahead of the other two cars.
That third driver didn't notice the concrete island until his undercarriage hit it in a shower of noise and sparks. Friction valiantly tried to win the battle but momentum carried him forward a couple of car lengths until he reached the end of the other turning lane and the island became wider than the distance between his tires. At that point momentum had no choice but to yield to friction and he came to a rather sudden stop.
He was OK. I saw him get out of his car, talking on his phone, to assess the situation.
He then got back in his car and tried to back off the island. Alas for him, friction was going to hang onto its hard-won victory and wasn't going to yield. Even gravity couldn't be convinced to intervene because his drive wheels remained juuuuust out of contact with the ground.
And oh, do I wish I had a movie or a picture. I don't think I'll ever again see something like that.
Picture a two lane divided highway with traffic lights that have dedicated left turn lanes. I was a passenger in a car in the crossroad to this highway waiting for our light to turn green. It was nighttime.
The westbound traffic on the divided highway consisted a car in the right lane going straight, a car in the left lane going straight and a car in the deditated left turn going straight at a very high speed in an attempt to get ahead of the other two cars.
That third driver didn't notice the concrete island until his undercarriage hit it in a shower of noise and sparks. Friction valiantly tried to win the battle but momentum carried him forward a couple of car lengths until he reached the end of the other turning lane and the island became wider than the distance between his tires. At that point momentum had no choice but to yield to friction and he came to a rather sudden stop.
He was OK. I saw him get out of his car, talking on his phone, to assess the situation.
He then got back in his car and tried to back off the island. Alas for him, friction was going to hang onto its hard-won victory and wasn't going to yield. Even gravity couldn't be convinced to intervene because his drive wheels remained juuuuust out of contact with the ground.
And oh, do I wish I had a movie or a picture. I don't think I'll ever again see something like that.