Momentum

Left: Flares in the left lane ahead announce a massive fender bender. The location is Highway 99 northbound, in Elk Grove. They even announced this particular crash on the radio!


This rainy afternoon, I was driving north on Stockton Boulevard, where it is a Highway 99 frontage road south of Elk Grove, when a surprise stop sign hove into view. I stomped on the brake and - nothing happened! Wheels locked, I sailed right through the stop sign, barely slowing at all. Fortunately, there was no cross-traffic.

A small coefficient of kinetic friction, plus lots of forward momentum, means - WHEEE!