# VW saved my life again.



## passat06boi (Feb 1, 2006)

As some of you may know, I had a 2006 Passat that flew off of a bridge with me inside. I came out of the car (pulled out really) with a bump and a scratch. The car saved my life.
Today...as I was driving to a work location I was speeding :-(...about 75 mph..
And looking for something in the center console of my EOS.
The left lane was closed ahead with bright orange DOT trucks, and everyone including myself had assimilated to the right lanes and everyone was going 65mph+...
All of a sudden I looked up.. low and behold a mack truck had slammed on his brakes. I swerved into the left lane at around 70MPH, missing the mack truck by about 15-20 feet, and about 5 feet from a DOT truck. The EOS bucked and tilted side to side angrily, and the tires screeched on the pavement. It took all of about 2 seconds. My car slowed from that 70mph down to about 30mph in that short time... I then was able to get back in the right lane. 
Now...I KNOW I will get comments like... PAY ATTENTION assH0LE...DRIVE SAFER!...THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD!..ETC...
Please don't leave those. I'm well aware. And I wasn't paying attention...I admit that fully. 








The point of THIS post is: VW's engineering yet again paid off. (safety engineering that is)
Earlier in the trip I had turned off the ESP. Somehow, the emergency braking and I assume the gyro sensor in the car that alerts the safety systems, turned the ESP back on. I'm sure that's what kept the car level, more stable than a car without it, and kept me from spinning out. 
I'm so thankful that the safety systems did as they were supposed to, and that VW included those in the EOS. 
That's all....


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## EosEnthusiastNB (Aug 9, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

Wow, if that had happened to me I would be needing some leather cleaner for the drivers seat afterwards. Glad you made it out in one piece and still be able to keep driving.


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## chrisj428 (Feb 26, 2005)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

Yikes Jonathan!








Glad to hear you're okay. 
People really don't realize how much benefit they receive from a well-balanced good-handling car like a VW. 
You may well remember the Automatic activation of hazards under emergency braking thread. Had it not been for the fantastic brakes on the car, my life would certainly be much different than it is today!


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## OEMplus.com (May 27, 2003)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (EosEnthusiastNB)*

Wow, again!?! We need to get you into a racing school or something...


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## [email protected] (Feb 14, 2005)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (OEMpl.us)*

I'm glad everything turned out ok for you! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## ehdg eos (Sep 9, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. ([email protected])*

Jonathan don't take this wrong but geez man you need to tone it down. Sure sounds like you've used up two of your lives now. Not sure how many more us humans have and this isn't worth dieing over. Please pay more attention and take it easy.


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## Canadian Lurker (Nov 11, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (ehdg eos)*

It sounds like the active steering system may have kicked in to help you realize that you needed to correct the steering angle to avoid spinning out. Did you notice this effect in the steering wheel at all?
JJ


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

Glad to hear you made it through this one OK.
Ironically this was the first post I opened after getting back this evening from a two day training course on Behavior Based Safety.
Even in the oil and gas industry driving is considered one of the most dangerous things we do, and over the past two days we spent a fair amount of time discussing the hazards of driving while distracted.
This isn't a dig at you for having a close call, just an observation that your post served as an instant reminder of how real the danger can be.
Kevin


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## Freund (Jul 3, 2002)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

What the Heck.....
...makes you Americans turn OFF the ESP?
Do you feel limited or censored by this functionality?
Have a drivers day @ a racetrack close to you - and give the EOS, a MK5 GTI/ GLI or a Passat 3.6 a try.
Try it ESP on´n off.
After that you will keep it ON.
Not that the cars will be uncontrolable with the "litte Lifesaver" OFF - but more important with the "armed" ESP these cars still behave very sporty with lots of room for sportive driving!
And - more important - you don´t have to get angry (while knocking @ the paradises door) that you did not manage to engage the ESP again while sliding across a freeway in your final splitsecond!
We like to see you guys (´n girls) around a little more - so keep away from the "Button"!
Freund










_Modified by Freund at 4:30 AM 1-26-2007_


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## passat06boi (Feb 1, 2006)

LOL - you're all very amusing and encouraging.
I don't know about the hazards flashing on the car...don't recall them turning on at all...I'm sure they must've though. If they're supposed to under emergency braking, and if that wasn't emergency braking... I DONT KNOW WHAT IS.
As for the active steering, It seemed to tighten up a lot! I actually hurt my wrist b/c my reaction was so fast I think I actually hit it against the wheel. But I do remember the steering being much tighter but still manageable.
:-D


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## _Rick_V_ (Jan 21, 2007)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

Hey, glad to hear everything ended ok! But, I have to agree with Freund, and ask why the heck provoked you to turn off the ESP?!?!
The Electronic Stability Program is designed to help keep your car going in the direction it's supposed to be going (think: hydroplaning). It otherwise doesn't interfere one iota with the car. It doesn't slow you down, it doesn't interfere with your steering. As a matter of fact, the ONLY reason there's a switch to turn it off at all is in case you get stuck in mud or snow, and you need to rock the car out. As a matter of fact, it's such an important safety feature that it will soon be *required* by every car sold in America.
To me, it's sorta like turning off the airbag-- why the heck would you do it?! It makes no sense!
-Rick


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## Freund (Jul 3, 2002)

General question:
Have you Guys (´n Girls) ever really tried your cars?
*Do you really know how to quickly apply the maximum Brake Power in an emergency situation.
The industry (VW at least) helps with systems like: BrakeAssist, DualRate, CorneringControl etc....
But all of this Comfort-Safety Features still will be some kind of compromise - the knowledgeble driver will still stop faster.
(Do you know that braking in a curve will take longer to a full stop than braking straight - for example?)
*Do you really know how ESP works & that you still need to "dictate" the direction you want to go/continue?
*Have you ever felt ESP working?
*Ever really tried the maximum grip?
This all has nothing to do with sport events, showing off or reckless driving.....
... it should just attract all of you to join a drivers training where you will have the opportunity to try all this and to get some kind of experience to not be suprised when it really comes to decisions.
(Also great to see other cars behaving like drunken elephants.)
Trust me - after being in such a training you will feel much safer and you will be way more responsive.
A German saying goes: "Probieren geht ueber Studieren" - which easiliy resembels as "Stop guessing - Try/Do it!".
Little Example of a training in 2006 - look @ the front wheels








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-x3x6m1T8 
Freund










_Modified by Freund at 7:30 AM 1-26-2007_


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## chrisj428 (Feb 26, 2005)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (Freund)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Freund* »_... it should just attract all of you to join a drivers training where you will have the opportunity to try all this and to get some kind of experience to not be suprised when it really comes to decisions.

When I bought my Passat GLX 4Motion back in 2000, VW treated me to a 1/2 day driving school. It was very enlightening -- especially the braking part.
Using their cars, we accelerated a full-throttle across a parking lot. When the front of the vehicle passed two cones, we were to brake as hard & fast as possible.
Time after time, you would see the cars cross the "line", the front ends would dip down, come back up and dip down again. This demonstrated quite simply people braking improperly. They would slam on the brakes, the ABS would kick in, they would let up (being surprised by the noise/sensation), realize what they'd done, and brake hard again. Doing this would inevitably cost 1-2 car lengths' worth of stopping distance.
I tell my customers who are driving an ABS or ESP equipped car for the first time to take it to an empty parking lot, devoid of things to hit, during the first snow and practice. Get going & slam on the brakes. Get going & crank the wheel one way or the other. This way, you're comfortable with the way the car is going to handle and what sensations you're going to experience, so if you're ever in an emergency, the car's responses won't provide an additional distraction.


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## irbrenda (Oct 9, 2000)

Glad all turned out well for the poster.
Another great example of the safety of a VW is it's cabin. My daughter survived a horrendous headon collision in her '01 VW Cabrio a few years ago. The airbags deployed burning her legs and an arm but she here to tell the story!
The inside of the Cabrio was perfect; however there was NOTHING left of the passenger side, the roof, or the front end! She walked out dazed but alive. And there's nothing worse than parents getting that awful phone call from the police: "Please come to the corner. There's been a car accident." Ice storm in October '02.
I guess it's the reason I'm such a VW addict for so many years. Looking forward to an Eos by spring.


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## ashbinder (Nov 27, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (just4fun)*

Glad to hear you're okay!
Slightly off topic, but for those in Edmonton who are interested in an advanced driving course, I recommend CTEC - Canadian Traffic Education Centre. We don't have BMW courses here (at least that I could find), but I took the CTEC course while working in the oilpatch and it really helped.


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## DANBURY VW-PASSAT (Jun 17, 2003)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

All I can say is WOW. You area very lucky person.... Thank god you are driving a VW.


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## Freund (Jul 3, 2002)

*Re: VW saved my life again. *

But nothing helps at all if you are really talented





























http://www.clipfish.de/player....&cat= 
No Persons injured/ harmed...
Freund









....must have been somewhere in Poland, Hungaria, Czecheslowakia or so by seeing a LADA in the background, the Borat Fashion and a (VW) Skoda as the Herovehicle.....


_Modified by Freund at 4:08 AM 1-27-2007_


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## wndctyboy (Mar 27, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again. (passat06boi)*

I'm glad nothing bad happen to you this time. I think we both suffer from the same syndrome: NEED for SPEED. I love an emphty straight line highway to push the needle over 100 even for 2 seconds to feed my sickness. 
May I recommend you to work a little on your perception and anticipation behind the wheel, one day may save the paint on that beautiful EOS.








I hope I did not offend you.


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## darien (Oct 28, 2006)

*Re: VW saved my life again.  (Freund)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Freund* »_But nothing helps at all if you are really talented





























http://www.clipfish.de/player....&cat= 
No Persons injured/ harmed...
Freund









....must have been somewhere in Poland, Hungaria, Czecheslowakia or so by seeing a LADA in the background, the Borat Fashion and a (VW) Skoda as the Herovehicle.....

_Modified by Freund at 4:08 AM 1-27-2007_

LOL, great funny video! Really shows how anyone can really be messed up when they least expected! Perhaps she needs to go back to driving school again.


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