Day 5: Jump from a moving car
I consider myself to a fairly intelligent individual. Maybe not always the brightest, but hey, I went to college, I’m a journalist, I play Cranium, etc.
But no matter how hard I try, Newton’s first law has never sat quite right with me. I have been reciting it backwards, forwards and sideways since the age of eight, but to this day, some minute fraction of my brain, maybe even just a small family of obnoxious, contumacious neurons, still says, “Nope, I don’t buy it.”
Every body remains in a state of rest or uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external unbalanced force.
I accept it. I know it’s a fact. I also know that it’s the basis of the world’s understanding of motion. But some part of me to this day wants to say, “Newton, come on, dude - every body remains in motion? Really? Every single one? I smell just a dash of embellishment.”
All joking aside, my idea for today’s experience spawned from a idiotic hypothesis I’ve had since I was a kid. For years, I have thought that if I jumped from of a moving car that is going anywhere between 0-25mph, I would land on my feet unharmed and not be dramatically propelled forward in the direction of the vehicle.
I knew deep down this hypothesis was wrong – but those marbles rolling around in my head refused to listen.
REMEMBERED EVENTS
- I was sitting on the trunk of a black Honda Accord going south on 8th Street, NE in Washington DC while the car was moving at approximately 17mph.
- The car picked up speed quickly, and I nearly fell off after a second burst of speed around 40ft down the road. The car slowed slightly at 80ft, at which point I jumped off.
- I was hanging my left side slightly out over a small spoiler on the back of the vehicle. I believe my left foot hit the ground first, followed by my right. I tried quickly stepping backward with my right foot while angling my body away from the person filming the event. But I fell backwards after one step.
- I tucked my left shoulder downward and rolled backward diagonally on my left side, folding tightly in a ball. I recall my head, which was protected by a helmet, grazing the ground. The roll, which seemed rather dramatic and slow, left me on my knees facing Northeast.
- I believe I said “That really hurt,” before getting up from my knees, which I rested on for roughly 5 seconds.
- I then called for the person timing the jump to make sure they had stopped the clock.
- I’m pretty sure I said something along the lines of, “I’m not doing that again,” and then walked toward the person with the camera.
ACTUAL EVENTS
What actually happened on Day 5? Find out here.
REMEMBERED TIME
- I estimate that 12 seconds passed from the time the car started moving to the time I was on my knees.
ACTUAL TIME
How long did it take? Find out here.
Notes