If you’ve ever driven past a tow truck with the ramp down and had the sudden urge to go full send, you are not the only one. Heck, if you thought about trying to drive on two wheels like a Hollywood stunt driver, you are also not the only one. For the record, what you see in the video below was not a deliberate stunt attempt. But that doesn’t mean we don’t all think about it from time to time.
This clip from ViralHog is actually a warning to pay attention behind the wheel. This appears to be a distracted driver who slides their Ford Econoline a surprisingly long way down the road after ramping the tow truck, all because they weren’t paying close enough attention. Suddenly, that stunt jump idea doesn’t seem so glamorous, does it?
Just A Few Inches Makes All The Difference
The driver of a tow company was getting ready to winch a customer from a ditch in Millstadt, Illinois, when a post-2008 Ford Econoline van hit the tow truck. Ordinarily, that would be a massive collision but in this case, the tow truck was a flatbed and the bed was fully deployed. Just the two wheels hit the downed ramp, flipping the van on its side. It’s hard to judge the speed here, but we would suggest it’s doing maybe 50-60 mph on impact… with no sign of braking.
Cameras on the tow truck capture the van launching off the bed, catching a few feet of air, then landing on its side. The lack of any braking attempt by the driver is the most obvious sign this person was almost certainly distracted as hell.
Amid the distraction, let’s shout out the reaction of the driver in the oncoming lane. That person was not distracted; diving out of the way without dipping all the way into a ditch may have saved someone from serious injury or even death in this situation. The reaction of the truck’s operator is also commendable, and frankly, it comes across as someone who has seen it all before. Working alongside busy roads with reckless rubberneckers careening through is a fact of life for these recovery drivers, although we suspect it took this particular person a moment to register what just happened. By the time he turned, the van was in the air.
The tow truck is certainly in a dangerous position, but sometimes that can’t be avoided. Its lights are flashing clearly and it’s a bright day. There is no excuse for the van driver not to see it. Just a few inches to the left, and it would have been a near miss. As it stands, the driver hit the truck in just the right way to show that, yes, this can happen in real life. So pay attention, people.
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The Reality Of Distracted Driving
We’ve all glanced around while driving, but when a glance becomes something to concentrate on – even for just a single second – this sort of thing can happen easily. At 60 mph, a vehicle travels 88 feet per second. That’s slightly longer than a typical semi-truck pulling a standard trailer. At 70 mph, the distance goes up to 102.67 feet. That’s a Boeing 737 for every single second your eyes aren’t on the road. Take a couple of seconds to read a message at highway speeds, and you’ll damn near cover a football field.
Fortunately, the driver of this van escaped the unplanned jump without injury. But keep all this in mind the next time your phone goes off and it’s not paired to the vehicle. And if you are tempted enough to try a stunt jump, at least do it in a Raptor or TRX or something with actual suspension. Actually, don’t do that either. Stay safe, everyone.
Source: ViralHog / YouTube
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