Close call in Westchester Co, NY - Benzworld.org

rwg1138 · 05-08-2008, 07:08 AM

Hey -

So yesterday (5/7/08) I was driving along what I call the "American Autobahn" - Taconic Parkway in Westchester Co NY heading south through Briarcliff or something. Traffic was light, but as is typical of the Tac in that area, there were about 4-5 of us bunched together in the fast lane at standard speed for that road.

Somebody must have pissed somebody else off because all of a sudden I hear tires squeal and white smoke, and the car in front of me is getting bigger - FAST.

I stand on the pedal of my 06 C280 4Matic, and the car simply responds "Jawohl!" and practically drops anchor. The guy behind me in a red Japanese thing can't match my deceleration so he starts to ditch into the left shoulder. I (still braking hard - no lockup, no ABS even) move to the right side of my lane to avoid being rear-ended - even then no shimmy or anything.

Red thing finally comes to a stop about my rear left door on the shoulder - he missed me. In fact, nobody hit each other. The guy who started this whole mess takes off, and the rest of us resume highway speed - quite a bit more spaced out and a bit slower.

I never did find out what started that. I think the lead car got ticked about being tailgated and decided to yank the e-brake. Gotta love New Yorkers.

It's funny even with some of my brakes needing to be replaced (front or rear, I forget), the car still stopped safely and I was able to maintain control to avoid an accident.

While I've always been a German car fan, I've pretty much determined Benz is the way to go from here on out.

Thanks for letting me share.

asianml · 05-08-2008, 01:03 PM

At least you know to maintain your distance now. Glad nothing happened beyond what you described.

karugs · 05-09-2008, 12:48 AM

That's why I try to avoid traveling in packs. Likewise, glad nothing happened.

**MB-SV** · 05-09-2008, 09:57 AM

Blow by the packs, they are cluttering up the highway.

alexnatt · 05-09-2008, 10:25 AM

Ah the Taconic State Parkway, my old stomping grounds. 2 lanes, nowhere to bail. I love the blind entrances that require you to merge from a standing stop to 70 mph in 250 feet at the risk of your hide. Good times.

mr.dirt · 05-09-2008, 04:17 PM

Same type of road with lots of room to wind it out.

Want some fun? Try RT9 around "Anthony's Nose"...now that's a nice way to check the suspension!