Sportstick

We've had our share of snow/sleet/ice/freezing rain here recently. A couple of nights ago, near home, returning from dinner on a two lane blacktop, the limit was 45, but 35 felt better with the road conditions. All of a sudden a very large raccoon wandered directly across the road in front of me. Unlike with a deer, the slow speed of a raccoon means don't aim for him, figuring he will be somewhere else by the time you reach that spot. Avoid or hit. So, with no oncoming traffic, hard left swerve, and the C, riding on Blizzaks, tracked perfectly in the snowy, sloppy slush, rear snapped around with slight slide, and ESP clamped down, then, cut right and back into the lane and the car tracked as if on a dry surface. My wife heard a bump on her side, and thought we hit Rocky, but my view of the path suggested we either missed him or he bounced off the wheel face. I later found no fur, blood, smear mark, and think what she heard was the right rear brake clamping the rotor. The next day in the light, I saw no road kill, so I assume he made a quick escape back into the ditch. But, outstanding car/technology, great winter tires, and we avoided what could have been a sad day for the raccoon, our car, and us!

And, completely unlike the disengaged, distracted, and discombobulated senior citizens in the Mercedes "My Car Did" ads on tv, I was paying close and complete attention before, during, and after!!

hitokiri89

I think I may have taken out s rabbit about two months ago on the service road , it was dark so I'm not sure what happened but I had no blood or anything on my car . Either way I still feel bad about it .

C300Sport

Happy you didn't scoop him up in through your lower grill...and I am sure Rocky is even happier than both of us.

jctevere

Haha, I love how you wrote winter in italics. I am almost 100% sure that was for me. Lol. Great maneuvers, the car really does have an outstanding ESP system. It seems more preventative than most other ESP systems that seem strictly reactive (too little too late).

I had an encounter with a possum last night. No snow or rain, dry and 40 degrees. I gunned honked the horn and flashed the brights and slowed down, but luckily he turned away. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do as I could have startled him and cause him to freeze in the road. But I had ample time to come to a complete stop if need be. I LOVE the 55w DDM slim HID kit I have. Between the extra brightness over OEM halogens and my perfection of the lens cutoff height, I don't blind anyone, and get optimal lighting.

Sportstick

I guess ESP doesn't just apply to the car!

ZeroSeVen

To top that... Excellent driver reaction response

There's no technological replacement for a keen and alert driver... and sober

Sportstick

and I certainly agree with your following comment!

SCguy08

Glad everything worked out, and you/car are okay SportStick! I will add a +1 to Jctevere's comment. A possum recently decided to casually bonk himself into my front fender while doing 35ish on a small road at night. He came straight out of the woods and ran into my car. No harm whatsoever to my car, however, the possum's decision to ram his dome into a moving vehicle ended his life.

balticgreen

Yeah, most of MB's commercials are fine but those are terrible.

Carsy

Don't feel bad. The more rabbits you kill the better. You can always stop & pick it up . Very nice for supper. Salt & pepper , wrap in flour , brown in pan with olive oil....... cook in red wine for 2 hours .....delicious....