Don’t Drift and Drive

drift drive

I met with a rather untimely accident on Friday night while driving back from Suanie’s house. We were at Mist on Friday night and got home at around 4 am Saturday morning. If you recall, it was raining Friday night and the roads were wet.

There is a stretch of road from Suanie’s place that I always have the urge to drift. Yes, it is possible to drift on automatic transmission; you just pull the emergency brake. I’ve always made it a point to drift at this particular stretch of road coz the curve is beautiful. I usually keep my speed at a safe 60 kmph while doing that though.

Always one to tempt fate, I was driving home on a wet road when I hit that stretch. Instinct kicked in and I pulled the emergency brake. Alas, I did not realize that I was driving in excess of 140 kmph at that time and the road conditions were not favorable to stupid stunts like this.

drift right

I felt the car drift and spin out of control. I went a full 360 degrees before my rear hit the sidewalk, went up and landed in a ditch. I didn’t actually feel much inside the car so I thought I just hit the sidewalk and thanked Aries (inside joke) that nothing untoward happened to me.

drift left

I tried to drive out but it seems that my rear wheels were not gripping anything at all so I went down to investigate this peculiarity.

It turns out the entire rear of my car was in the longkang. Sheesh!

I shall draw the sequence of events as it happened:

drift-paint

Well, there’s nothing left to do so I called Suan and asked if she knew a tow truck. She said she’ll find out but before that a roving car assistance squad (WTF?) came to my rescue. I didn’t even know such things existed.

drift attach

Apparently, some enterprising soul thought it would be good for business to send out roving squads of cars in search of traffic accidents. They provide all sorts of assistance with a hard sell to get you to send the car to their workshop. I declined and asked for a tow truck instead to get me out of the damn ditch.

drift pull out

The tow truck couldn’t attach the cable to the back of my car since doing so would cause unimaginable damage to the car while pulling it out. Thus, he came out with this ingenious idea of attaching the cable to my front right tire rim (!).

It worked. Check out the video.

Damage: RM 160

drift no damage

I’m officially broke this month. I mean, seriously. My car is surprisingly sans visible damage but I haven’t crawled under to see what can of whoop ass I’ve opened up to the suspension and other stuff underneath the car. πŸ™

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77 thoughts on “Don’t Drift and Drive”

  1. YilingL: Accident…the road was way to slippery to be doing stupid stunts like this. It was raining heavily on Friday night.
    Oh well. πŸ™‚
    Mellissa: Amazing eh? Enteprising souls. Getting to people when they’re most in need. πŸ™‚
    drewnity: This car has been in more accidents than I can count with one hand. My previous car even more teruk. I actually ran over someone in Kuching with it.
    Darren: Yeah, I will be more careful. Thanks buddy. πŸ™‚
    Bad judgement call, this one.
    WayeYoung: It’s not inclusive of repairs. I don’t have the money to fix my car this month.
    The RM 160 was the towing fees. It’s surprisingly cheap, in Sibu, you can’t get a tow truck to do jack shit unless you fork out RM 200 minimum.
    ahmike: Thanks buddy! πŸ™‚
    I will.
    Tan Yee Hou: Yeah, and it didn’t really help that my judgement was impaired at that time. I just saw the curve I liked and instinctively (and impulsively) pulled the e-brake. :S

    Reply
  2. sylvia: I’m very lucky. Someone up there loves me. If I had even braked slower, I would have ran into the tree – there’s a tree beside where I landed, just 1 second more and it would have been buddies with my left side and probably showered a lot of glass one me. πŸ™‚
    chriso: What’s the fun in life if there’s no drama? πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  3. O_O
    Errrr… we all didn’t plunge into the lake when u did the drift thingy on the road before we all got stuck in the trench while finding our way to serendah, so that’s considered lucky? ;P
    Phewww…. LOL!

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  4. Lol ohh god that you even do stunts like that…
    but the small boy inside of me says that he definitly would like to drive with you πŸ˜€
    I had to laugh so hard… OH god you saved my day
    I seriously laughed for soooooo long
    than again it is pretty unresponsible to do something like that
    and a little stupid as well… well sry come on doing it will raining…
    Lol anyway i think you pretty much got out of it pretty well
    your car still looks good and 160 shouldnt be too much… after all it could have been way worse

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  5. 140km/h on wet road? you insane?
    someone up there musta love you.. heaps!
    my max speed limit here is.. 103km/h.. this explains how lay-back we are over here. =)

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  6. HB, I so sorry to readed of your accident cause by other driver. Hope he have insurance. Not sure of Malaysia laws but no one allowed to drive without insurances in States. Your entries help people learned more of Malaysia life and many other things around.
    Thank you for sharing and again sorry for what happen to your car.

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  7. Dude, the good dies young, the bad boy lives for ever.Remember I once said you can’t die till you get the Double Barrel JD? Now you’ll have to wait for the New Orleans.

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  8. Dude, it makes me happy to hear that you are O.K. but: I’m definetly concerned about you pulling shit like that when you are not sober.
    I’m an adrenaline junkie myself and I like drinking beer whilst driving the most because I find that very chilling, especially after work.
    But personally I think it’s a good idea to avoid any unnecessary trouble then. πŸ˜‰
    That’s my mantra to avoid impulsive reactions, recalling it permanently helps a lot. πŸ™‚
    Take care!

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  9. LOL.
    Its a vios. and its simple to drift with it.
    I got owned by hitting a tree when i drifted.
    Supposed to go U but it went L.
    Straight for the tree. Dammn. xD

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  10. You’re an idiot to do that when you’re drunk and on a wet road. You seem to get into a lot of trouble with 4 wheeled gasoline powered machines. I suggest you re-evaluate your driving manner.

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  11. God, Hb. When I clicked on your website, and saw that pic, I said a prayer that you and your friends were OK. it reminded me of some nightmare wrecks I have been in. Only one, have I had any warning- me and my brother in law were driving in his trans am, on wet roads, and KNEW we were gonna punt this pinto, cause the brakes were bad. We braced and hit it. All the other three, (one where I was blindsided ( actually hit head on by an uninsured drunk driver and really hurt – split sternum, broke wrist-yes the same damn one, hospital time, etc…) happened in a split second) and I might have been somewhat of cause. I have pulled young persons from overturned vans, and told them to leave ( actually my words were GTFO) in a hurry, before the cops arrived. That is why I am not a cop now. When I was a little kid, I used to see my Mother wash my Dad’s undershorts, all stained with blood. It came from his pulling people out of wrecks every day. He did it 28 years, before saying he had had enough of it. ( He was a state cop). Sooo Glad you are OK Dude. Please buckle up. and stay off the goddamn cell while driving. The world needs you.
    Tom

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  12. Joyce: Haha! Well, it would have been quite impossible to plunge into the lake – there is a crash barrier and we weren’t going that fast. πŸ™‚
    Jade Zheng: I want! Jom we go temple together. I need to break this curse, I didn’t even break a mirror and I’m like having years of bad luck. :S
    cookiedonut: Yeah, I could have hit a tree or another car, but I didn’t. Someone up there loves me. πŸ˜‰
    Pixeldoll: Haha! It’s okay, I don’t need people to be sorry for me. πŸ™‚
    I ran into a lamp post, that was in Sibu. I kinda blacked out. The second time I ran into a stationary object was coming out of a parking lot. :S
    Jeff: Thanks buddy, I’ll keep that in mind. πŸ™‚
    shadowking: I’m glad I made your day, my friend. πŸ™‚
    It’s always good, I’ve read posts that made my day too. =D
    Come, let us do a one way road trip. πŸ˜‰
    We definately be departing but with two guys like us, we’re not coming back. Haha!
    Tian Chad: …but I lost in Genting, why would the things follow me back.
    Nevertheless, I am interested in going to a temple. I’m quite open about religion. πŸ™‚
    darling: Thanks for visiting! πŸ™‚
    Yes, I can speak both quite fluently but can only read and write English.
    cynthia: Yes, I am a little bit “different” in my mental faculties compared to most. πŸ˜‰
    140 kmph on a wet road seems fine since I just changed my tires so the grip is there. Not for drifting though…
    Chris Thoo: Thanks buddy! Yeah, I’m unscathed from the incident. Just hurt me financially. πŸ™‚
    fish fish: I went out drinking Friday night. I tend to drive faster and be more reckless behind the wheel with a couple of drinks with me. Sensory attenuation – it’s like how you speak louder when you drink coz you can’t really hear yourself. πŸ™‚
    Thanks for the concern fish fish! πŸ™‚
    vin: I’m not, I wouldn’t have died in the accident. I believe that when we’re meant to go, we’re meant to go. πŸ™‚
    shaoweii: What’s the fun of life without drama? πŸ˜‰
    Tan Yee Hou: I lack the soberiety to pull that off that night. :S
    Vickie: It wasn’t caused my anyone else, it was a self-accident. Purely my fault due to my recklessness and general disregard for my personal safety. πŸ™‚
    Yatz: Yeah, thank god for that! Malaysia Boleh! πŸ™‚
    YH: Alive and kicking. πŸ˜‰
    Cheers mate! πŸ™‚
    suanie: Yeah, I was surprised to see a squad and was a little apprehensive at first coz I though they were cops but soon realized they were workshop people so I called you to tell you I was fine. πŸ™‚
    Thanks Suanie! πŸ™‚
    e: Cheers bro! I shall wait for the Absolut New Orleans before I kick the bucket. You can count on it! πŸ™‚
    raoul duke: That’s very solid advice my friend. Yeah, before any impulsivity sets in, thinking about (truth and) consequences should stop the impulsive action.
    Cheers for that mate, I shall keep that in mind. For real. πŸ™‚
    Pwetty: For some it’s stupid, for others fun. I’m sorry to be you. πŸ™‚
    Living life on the safe side, never fully experiencing it.
    WEEN: Haha! Yes, I did not die and suffered no loss of limbs or even a scratch. πŸ™‚
    AaronLee: OMG! I’m glad I didn’t hit a tree. I nearly did, it was just beside where I stopped. I can’t imagine the workshop bill if I had hit that tree. :S
    EuJin: Hmm…perhaps. I like the way I drive though.
    Cheers! πŸ™‚
    eiling: I don’t know. πŸ™
    Perhaps the license plate too soi already. Too many fours. Die Die. πŸ˜‰
    tom Robison: I’m sorry to hear about your experiences my friend.
    I guess it makes us who we are today. I find your experiences interesting and I’m glad you told the kids to leave instead of getting them a DUI/DWI record.
    You’re a good hearted person.
    Cheers mate!
    I shall be more careful, I have already started buckling up. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  13. Still feel the need for speed, though:) I got cought in my dad personel little ride at 16, ( a 1968 Dodge Charger, with a 383. I raced against a friend in a camero, with a 351. We were 17 at the time. ( both caught, and punished severly) by our respective dads. The worst, but true thing I can say to ladies reading this is, It dont get better with age, nor do you grow out of it. Guys always like to compete, be it racing, driving, various ball games, video games, chess, even thumb wrestling or on a grander scale, politics. It is inbreed in us. We can be tamed , somewhat, but feel the need to compete. Sorry. Mayhap the world would be better of run by ladies, but we would be bored.
    Tom

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  14. Sorry, to eat up so much of your server time, HB, but I have not seen a diagram like that since my Dad retired and passed away. Except for the vibrant colors, it could have been one of his. (In NC at the time, the primary investigating officer had to make a sketch of the accident, on grid paper, then write all relavant details. And later appear in court if neccesary. (If the primary did not show up in court, the case was dismissed – my Dad pulled this a few times ( failing to show up in court) to get persons off the hook he thought were , well, if not innocent, deserved another chance, therefore he was NOT popular with the powers that be) Your diagram looks like some of his. Thanks for the memories. Tom
    God Bless HB.
    Tom

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  15. Two men have an accident on a narrow Irish lane Both are understandbly upset. Finaly, one pulls a bottle of Jamesions from the boot, and says to the other, ” Can we not put this behind us, and behave like friends. Here let’s have a drink” The first guy says ok, and takes a ddep pull at the bottle, then hands it back to the first guy. Ain’t you gonna drink? No, I will wait untill after the coppers arive, I think….
    Tom πŸ˜‰

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  16. Hey HB,
    Glad your okay. And I can’t judge you in the least because I’ve done the same thing kind of. One day a few years ago, after class at the vo-tech I used to attend, I pulled out of the parking lot really fast onto the street, (like I did all the time after class) this would have been fine if the pavement was dry, it wasn’t. The Ford Explorer I was driving fish tailed, and I almost went into oncoming traffic, but regained control for a movement and instead jumped a curb blowing out to tires and doing a conceivable amount to damage to my suspension. Live an learn… Glad your okay though, and I’m sure your car is going to be realigned at the very least, and the struts, shocks, and control arms should be checked for damage. But anyways glad your alright, and have a good day!

    Reply
  17. Lol, I remember this happened to me about 4 – 5 years ago. Was a student back then, didn’t have the money for a tow truck and wanted to avoid a tongue lashing by the parents. So, what I did was to call a few ‘heng tai’ to come over and lift the rear end up and out of the ditch.

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  18. Better than me, when I ended up in the drain the tow truck almost totalled my car pulling it out.
    Mine was in face first though, and the drain was wider.
    Took me 6 weeks to get the car back :/

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  19. Wah, this month seems bad to you. First lost money in Genting, now drifted your car to the drain. Hope next month things will be better. First time hear you speaking in Mandarin lol.

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  20. wow, you were really lucky, at this kind of speed and dunno how many turn have ur car spin, u still look fine.. you must take vegi for 1 month to thank god

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  21. tom Robison: Your dad is a great man in my eyes, tom. πŸ™‚
    LOL @ the joke, that’s a really good one. Haha! It made my day, thank you, my friend. πŸ™‚
    bigwillie: I’m glad you didn’t fishtail into incoming traffic, that would have been even worse. It’s great that you came out of that accident alright. πŸ™‚
    Myhorng: Yeah, somebody up there loves me. πŸ˜‰
    M: Great idea! A car is pretty heavy though…several hundred kgs to a ton. It would take a couple of strong men to pull it out.
    ShaolinTiger: Six weeks! That’s a long time, I’m glad I didn’t total my car that badly.
    Simon Seow: I do speak Manderin, I’ve conversed with several people with it. πŸ™‚
    iris: I shall take bread instead. I’m too broke to eat vegies this month. πŸ™‚
    Tsk tsk tsk: Nope, I’m 9. Great writing for a 9 year old eh? πŸ˜‰

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  22. “…business to send out roving squads of cars in search of traffic accidents.” – It’s very common these days. They will appear within minutes when an accident occurred.

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  23. Seriously HB, Ive been reading your posts since the veritas days and frankly, I think you need to grow up a little. Its ok when you’re like 20 and naive, but mannn, all this adrenaline, gambling, alcohol induced stunts when you’re almost 30 isnt gonna get you anywhere. I think you’re intelligent and all that, so please dont let it go down the drain. No offence meant.

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  24. Dude, u r a fuckwit to try that stunt on a wet road and drunk to boot (on any public road for that matter)!!! Lucky u didn’t kill anyone, it’s a suburban road… U gotta think of others, mate….

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  25. Just go get a check when its time to service your car. it should be alright. Im just worried about the front rim where they pulled. that’s very dangerous. besides that, it might just be scratched under carriage.

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  26. A little more countersteer and you would have had it…lol
    You can actually drift an automatic if the car has a lot of power, just pull the lever down into 2nd.
    They dont sell that model Toyota here in the US but I’m assuming its a front wheel drive because it looks kind of like a Corolla.
    I highly doubt theres any damage to your rear suspension, although your car could probably benefit from a front end alignment after using the rim as an attachment point for the tow cable.

    Reply
  27. Chong: It’s ingenious! Excellant marketing tactics…be where the people need you most. πŸ™‚
    pm: It’s my cell phone – all photos and videos in this post was taken with a cell phone. Dude, are you the police? πŸ˜‰
    chefmel: Oi, don’t encourage me. The thought has crossed my mind. :p
    Haha!
    noname: None taken. Thank you for your advice. I shall keep that in mind. Seriously. Cheers mate and thanks for reading! πŸ™‚
    Fumoffu: Thanks buddy! πŸ™‚
    DYMM Tuanku: Gotcha buddy. I shall be more careful in the future. πŸ™‚
    Barnz: I haven’t played games in ages…
    debra fong: Someone asked me if I broke a mirror coz I’ve been having a string of bad luck recently. I just hope it’s not 7 years. :S
    Kelvin: Yeah, I’m going to send it to the workshop next month. πŸ™‚
    I’m too broke this month.
    Wes: It’s a Vios. Entry level compact sedan. I think there’s an equivalent in the US but it’s marketed under a different name.
    Thanks for the advice, I shall get it checked when I send it to the workshop next month. πŸ™‚
    xnck: O rly?

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  28. Dude…
    Not to burst your buble, front wheel drive cars can’t drift, they slide… becareful on the road, u might endanger other users.. Drive sensibly… go to a track if you like driving and testing stuff…is safer this way…or better still..just go karting…

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  29. aLaN: Yeah, it’s FWD. I’m sad to report that everything I learnt about drifting I learnt on the net. πŸ˜‰
    It is possible to drift wth FWD, it’s just harder to do than RWD. You can’t do a circle with FWD, but drifting (controversial – oversteering would be a more technically correct term) can be achieved with a FWD.
    Yeah, I would be safe next time. Someone up there loves me and I should be thankful for that. πŸ™‚

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  30. lol no im not a cop i dont even live in Malaysia, but you did promise to give a tour of yer apartment, if you want to use just photos cause u dont have ur cam or whatever thats ok too

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  31. I dont understand the concept of ”
    drift”, HB. Do you “slide”? like when control wheels ( front back or rear wheel drive ) hit a wet patch, or leaves, or ice, and there is nothing you can do but wish you had stayed home that evening? Sometimes bad things happen to good people. You Did good, HB, in a bad situation. I am fifty, and sometimes, stuff just happens.
    Tom

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  32. pm: The usual one. πŸ™‚
    tom Robison: Yeah, it’s technically oversteering or “sliding”. You have to countersteer to maintain the arc according to the road and the rear wheels will automatically lock straight once it reaches a certain point and you just drive out of the oversteer in a straight line. πŸ™‚
    Thanks mate, yeah I was pretty lucky.

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  33. Bloody hello mate. Dare I say it, typical Malaysian behind the wheel type of behaviour (sorry if I offend).
    Take a risk and hell with the consequences.
    Thank God your OK and there were no pedestrians caught up in the action.

    Reply

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