Okay, so you’ve just stolen a priceless treasure from some mobsters and you’re driving down a deserted road at night trying to get away…but they’re chasing you in their car. They speed up and get beside you, and as their window rolls down you see one of them loading a gun. The road you’re on happens to be just wide enough for the two of you and it has steep dropoffs on both sides, into forests.
Could you jolt sideways and run them off the road safely? People in movies do it all the time, but they also hang from helicopters and jump off buildings too. I’m picturing something locking up, like maybe the bumper gets jammed on the underside of the front wheel part (fender? I don’t know car terminology well, heh) and locks your car to theirs, sending you over the edge with them. Or maybe the impact would send both cars going off to opposite sides. Or maybe the wheels would hit eachother (when they’re turned and sticking out slightly) and send the cars spinning oddly…
Anyway, would it be possible to run someone off the road and still manage to get away safely?
Firstly, I assume you’re in a large sedan or SUV, as that’s the only way to do it safely.
I’d hit the brakes, then rearend him. I wouldn’t hit him square on, but would ram his right rear fender with my left front fender. I’d try to be going at least 100mph. Once I hit him, I’d turn my car left, push him over and off the road, then hit the brakes and spin the wheel back.
Mobsters, you say? They wouldn’t get that close to you. They’d drive up within firing range, and send a hail of bullets into your car.
As you’ve already noted there are a lot of variables. But basically if your car is significantly more massive (i.e. heavier) or theirs is less so, you could.
Cops tend to run you off the road by approaching at a slight angle and pushing against your rear wheel with their bumper until your rear end spins out.
If they were smart mobsters they would pull up along side of you then shoot your tires flat. If you survived that then they would force you out of the car at gunpoint, slap you around a little and stuff you in the trunk. When they opened the trunk after a long drive(all the way from the forest) you find you are in the middle of the desert, surrounded by hundreds of tall, prickley cactuses. They would then tie you to the the front bumper and proceed to ram you into cactuses until they decide they are almost out of gas. You are dragged to a shallow grave, your headstone substituted by, fittingly, a cactus.
Gotta go with rat on this one, but yeah the thing to do would be to slow down so that your front fender is even with their back one and nudge them to the side. They will spin out and leave the road on their own REGARDLESS of the size of the cars.
Perform a search on evasive driving techniques. You’ll get a lot of hits.
The proper thing to do in the situation you describe is to slam on your brakes.
The easiest way to knock a vehicle off the road is to perform a “pit” manuever. This even works on vehicles heavier than one’s own. It’s very dangerous and there’s the potential that you could lose control of your vehicle as well. That’s why police officers have to train for it.
Thanks, heh…They never answer the good questions in driving school.
Tsugumo (I’m kidding of course…I have no intention of running someone off the road…well, until they notice I’ve stolen their unmarked briefcase full of money)
