Nobody likes a tailgater riding right up behind them. When the weather is bad, it seems even more dangerous. The pickup truck driver might have four-wheel drive, but that’s not going to help him stop. It’s also not going to help him stop spinning when he gets a little sideways. Traction control, all-wheel drive and good tires all help with acceleration. The problem is that they allow us to accelerate to unsafe speeds in slippery conditions. There is a sense that pickup trucks can go through anything and in many cases they can handle more than passenger cars. The problem is that just because it’s big and heavy with four-wheel drive, some drivers think that they will have no problem maintaining control in all conditions.
Driving past an accident with a car in the ditch does little to convince this guy to slow it down. He tailgates for a while, and then just passes as if it was a dry roadway. Do you kind of hope to see guys like this in the ditch a mile or two up the road? Of course you do! We didn’t stick around long enough to find out – our exit was just around the next bend. Our all-wheel drive Subaru Outback outfitted with new tires kept us safe and confident but we also wanted to be smart about our speed. Nobody goes in the ditch on purpose!
The rear-facing Apeman dash cam did its job and kept an eye on the road behind us. It has been a steady performer since we installed it last year. For under $50, this is one of our favorites. It doesn’t have GPS to record speed, so it might not make the cut for parents installing a dashcam in a teenager’s car. It’s nice to have all of the data when it’s time for one of those educational discussions!
