[OUMX117]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

Funny stories, Longshot. I have a "thing" about bicyclists here in Tucson who like to pedal up the Mt Lemmon highway (about 22 miles and a climb of around 6,000 feet from the base of the range). It's a 2-lane road, and most of it has a bike lane now, but some of our "fitness freaks" think it's cool to ride about four abreast in the uphill lane. Those guys I have no patience at all for.

In answer to your question though about turning off the engine with the back end rotating, I simply don't know. I honestly can't see how a disaster is going to happen, simply because there's a torque converter. But, there could easily be transmission damage, possibly like you'd get from towing an auto trans with all four feet on the ground and the driveline connected.

My feeling is though, the biggest need is to stop the vehicle. To hell with what happens to it in the process. And, to go back to the last post by OUMX117, my understanding is the driver in that 911 call was a veteran police officer. If anyone should have known how to control the vehicle, it should have been him. And, I think the acceleration may have been a lot more rapid than any of us can imagine.

Until you've been in a "panic" situation, you really can't imagine what it's like. I too went off the road once, when I was young, it was raining and the road was wet and I was driving too fast for a curve. Somehow, I managed to steer between an electrical pole and the steel cable that supported it. I started shaking AFTER I managed to get the car back on the road. I never told my parents about this - it was their car!

- Jack

Ah I didn't know it was a police officer. Still though I believe that there is a large percentage of people in this country that have no idea how to control their vehicle in a non-typical situation. And trust me I've had my fair share of close calls in vehicles as well countless thousands of times racing MX. Talk about having little to no time to react, MX makes driving a car look like childs play. Trying to correct on the face of a jump for a 6" rut that wasn't there the laps before at about 45mph before you fly about 100ft to the landing ramp. Not saying that I'd be able to get myself out of every situation that I am put in, but it sure helps to have experience in those areas of pushing the limits. Not trying to be argumentative at all. I Just like discussing theories

I think if all 16y/o drivers were required to take a course involving how to control a vehicle the is in a slide/out of control I think it would be beneficial to all of us.