Why are so many Mavericks getting rear ended?

[Montana]

This is why the internet is great. People see one or two, or even 100 posts online and all the sudden it's a majority.

Numbers or it didn't happen.

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[CTYankee]

This Honda apparently identifies as a Maverick. (No humans were hurt in the making of these photos; the woman driving the Honda saw the truck coming and got free of the car):

 

[Montana]

This Honda apparently identifies as a Maverick. (No humans were hurt in the making of these photos; the woman driving the Honda saw the truck coming and got free of the car):

She should have installed a hitch step to prevent so much damage...

 

[icegradner]

This is why the internet is great. People see one or two, or even 100 posts online and all the sudden it's a majority.

Numbers or it didn't happen.

It's easy to look up accident data from the NHTS. Feel free to look. Rear end accidents are one of the most common types. According to this NHTS study rear end collisions make up 29% of crashes. 35% side impact. partial side impact is also up there. 10% Head on. This data varies from year to year, but it gives us a good idea.

 

[Palms]

I’m getting a 2-channel dash cam installed Wednesday. I’ve had two close calls this month with aggressive/reckless drivers.

I installed one. Peace of mind.

 

[Senior Master Ford Guy]

Along with your questioning whether these folks who have been rear ended had installed brighter brake bulbs or not, I wonder how many had installed contrasting lettering in the Maverick letters on the tailgate?? MY theory is people are wondering if it is a Ranger, or an F-150 or just wth it is, and have to get so close to see the "Maverick" on the tailgate they rear end the truck...

 

[Grabber Rick]

I had to think about this one a little more. I can not think of any instance when I am downshifting with an manual transmission and not applying the brake at the same time or at least covering the brake pedal enough that the brake lights would in fact come on. The one exception is downshifting to pass, and you are actually accelerating so no brake light needed. But in most cases when you are downshifting to decelerate aren’t you using your brakes too? But the way I learned to drive a stick was always cover the brake when downshifting. And I am not talking about tractor trailers. I am talking about passenger vehicles. So it really is not a good comparison. Unless I am missing something.

W
I have always driven a manual transmission. When slowing down I let off the gas pedal push in clutch pedal and shift to lower gear. I only brake if stopping or if someone in front of me slows enough or puts his brake on suddenly. I downshift going up a steep hill so I don't loose momentum. No braking needed there either unless I am trapped behind a slow vehicle and can't make a pass.

 

[GPSMan]

I hope you all undertand:

This topic is only about hybrids
And
This topic is only about decelerating quickly in LOW SETTING, which is slowing down the truck equally fast as most braking. (Unless you are on a hill so steep you are just maintaining speed.)

The obvious cure is, don't use L setting around town. There's really no advantage, and there may be grave consequences of doing so.

That said, the Bolt EV decelerates briskly in Low setting as well and very similarly to the Maverick. The Bolt EV uses G sensors and illuminates the brake lamps when deceleration exceeds 0.3 G. It does not illuminate the brake lamps when in L to maintain speed on a downhill.

G force sensor is cheap, probably already there in one way or another, connected to air bags probably, and since everything is drive by wire already, this would be pretty easy for the OEM to implement.

 

[Jaackil]

But the regen braking argument only applies to hybrids so one would need to determine if hybrid Mavs are getting rear ended at greater rates than non hybrid relative to the ratio of hybrids to non hybrids on the road for this to be a valid discussion. Without that breakdown this is just unsupported conjecture. If the frequency is not statistically significantly different even IF Mavs get rear ended more frequently than other vehicles then it would not be a hybrid regen issue but some other Mav design or driver issue. Maybe Mavs are just less visible to other drivers? And quite possibly because unibodies get totaled more and repaired less often in rear end accidents that could explain why we hear more about them being in rear end accidents in which other vehicles would get repaired instead of totaled.

Good points.

 

[Jaackil]

I hope you all undertand:

This topic is only about hybrids
And
This topic is only about decelerating quickly in LOW SETTING, which is slowing down the truck equally fast as most braking. (Unless you are on a hill so steep you are just maintaining speed.)

The obvious cure is, don't use L setting around town. There's really no advantage, and there may be grave consequences of doing so.

That said, the Bolt EV decelerates briskly in Low setting as well and very similarly to the Maverick. The Bolt EV uses G sensors and illuminates the brake lamps when deceleration exceeds 0.3 G. It does not illuminate the brake lamps when in L to maintain speed on a downhill.

G force sensor is cheap, probably already there in one way or another, connected to air bags probably, and since everything is drive by wire already, this would be pretty easy for the OEM to implement.

Great point!!

 

[tom_tucker]

It seems like a very high percentage of Mavericks are getting rear ended. Most of the accident posts here are about getting rear ended.

Basicly, does anyone have any good ideas to prevent this?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

See 2 pics both with the vehicle off. In the second pic I used flash. So these are reflector stickers on magnets. Had them with my previous vehicle and they never fall off. As you mentioned, regen braking and a blank tailgate might make the Mav slightly more vulnerable.

 

[bgn]

This Honda apparently identifies as a Maverick. (No humans were hurt in the making of these photos; the woman driving the Honda saw the truck coming and got free of the car):

Lucky her. The auto transmission in the Odysseys is terrible from a reliability perspective.

My Maverick has a 1Up bike rack on the back now. They decided to throw some reflective strips on it, so maybe that'll keep me a bit safer.

 

[OrCoaster]

I had to think about this one a little more. I can not think of any instance when I am downshifting with an manual transmission and not applying the brake at the same time or at least covering the brake pedal enough that the brake lights would in fact come on. The one exception is downshifting to pass, and you are actually accelerating so no brake light needed. But in most cases when you are downshifting to decelerate aren’t you using your brakes too? But the way I learned to drive a stick was always cover the brake when downshifting. And I am not talking about tractor trailers. I am talking about passenger vehicles. So it really is not a good comparison. Unless I am missing something.

Your second sentence had me scratching my bald head wondering, where did he learn to drive a stick shift transmission? The idea my dad infused into my brother and me was to use the engine as the brake and save the brakes for the hard stop. If you are covering the brake or actually using it at the same time as the downshift you indeed are signaling the driver behind you that your speed is getting less and they need to do the same.

That is not the way some of us drive and I know it causes drivers behind me to get uncomfortably close to my bumper when I use the engine as the brake as I come up on a turn. Now mind you I am signalling at that turn so I am not sure why they insist on riding my bumper. Most drivers don't leave a good amount of the following distance these days.

So maybe you could put one of those old-time mercury switches in line with your brake switch. When you are slowing down at a decent rate it will be shining the brakes at the driver behind. If you are slowing down in moving traffic it might do the same.

I think all the rear-end collisions these days are a factor of many things. Distracted driving is #1.
But the lack of proper following distance and a need for speed regardless if traffic allows it or not seem to be the other factors I can think of right now.

 

[Hardening2753]

No not full one pedal like a ev but you can virtually one pedal with it. I do it all the time.

It behaves the same as EB in those term. It behaves like any other non EV when coasting

 

[lajlmt]

It seems like a very high percentage of Mavericks are getting rear ended. Most of the accident posts here are about getting rear ended. I read an article recently about a huge salvage company somewhere in the Midwest that is buying up all the totaled Mavs and the majority have rear end damage. Certainly Idiots on cell phones and texting are a contributing factor but you would expect the rate to be the same as all vehicles. Idiots don t discriminate. So that can’t be the only reason
One thing I suspect with Hybrids is one pedal driving. Ford did not put a simple $25 part in the hybrids that would engage the brake lights when the vehicle is regen braking like most other hybrids and EV’s do. Maybe the NHTSA will pick up on this and order a recall.
Couple of questions for the group.
Of those that have been rear ended did to you replace the stock brake bulbs with brighter led’s like Lasfits?
If you are running the replacement LED’s do you think they make a difference?
Basicly, does anyone have any good ideas to prevent this?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Rear end accidents are due to lack of attention on the other vehicles..simple. I watched a woman barrel towards me at a stop light, several people around, talking to her daughter and not looking straight ahead all the way to collision. I was even honking my horn!!

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