The road where Tiger crashed is defective! (my opinion - you be the judge)...

[GH85Carrera]

No road that is not an interstate level of highway is safe at 87 MPH in a Korean SUV.

This is Tiger's third major crash. I have been driving since I was 16 and never yet drove off the road or totaled one single vehicle.

The good news is Tiger only ruined his own career, and not the family of 6 that could easily be dead from his driving. He is unlikely to recover enough to win at a major tournament, except some seniors tournament. He could have easily killed many people with that reckless driving. He still deserves some major traffic tickets, and to pay for the damage to the road signs. That is all insignificant to him. He will not be driving for a while. He will likely have yet another major crash in the future. Just like drunk drivers, he is not done yet.

[Zeke]

Glen, you might be right on that. And he may not be so lucky in the future.

[Baz]

Don't worry about the damages to the signs and roadway....we have a new infrastructure plan that will fix those right up!

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Shoot, how many curvy roads are negotiable at 85 MPH in an SUV? Add in some elevation and camber change and sure as hell, it's "defective" (for high speeds).

Tiger was asking for a disaster (or just being plain stupid) and he got one.

If what Lake says is true, I don't even feel sorry for TW. He was endangering anyone that might have been in his path. Like Mel Blanc.

I used to take exit 1 on 151 north out of Dubuque in our 2000 Durango at 75. At 80 the tires would start to make too much noise and there is a ripple that made it a bit unsettled. I am sure it could be done at 85 if you had to.

[LJ851]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

No road that is not an interstate level of highway is safe at 87 MPH in a Korean SUV.

I'm sorry, that is just a ridiculous statement.

[sugarwood]

Based off the Hippa privacy angle, I am thinking he had a seizure while driving.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

No road that is not an interstate level of highway is safe at 87 MPH in a Korean SUV.

Your manufacturer bias is showing. Genesis has actually done incredibly well to bring the brand beyond their "Hyundai" roots.

I would say that the road Tiger was on was not engineered for the speed at which he was driving - regardless of vehicle type. Add factors that affect a driver (distracted, disoriented, incapacitated) it's a recipe for disaster.

Edit: Here is the article I just read, the on-board data showed he was driving at excessive speed. IMHO, he's completely at-fault.

Tiger Woods Crash Was Caused by Speeding, Sheriff Says
The Los Angeles County Sheriff said on Wednesday that Tiger Woods was driving at about 85 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone when he crashed his sport-utility vehicle in February and that there were no signs of impairment.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff said on Wednesday that Tiger Woods was driving at about 85 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone when he crashed his sport-utility vehicle in February and that there were no signs of impairment.

April 7, 2021Updated 4:54 p.m. ET

Tiger Woods was speeding when he crashed his sport-utility vehicle in February, reaching speeds of more than 80 m.p.h. in a 45 m.p.h. zone on winding road near Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

Villanueva said Woods was traveling between 84 and 87 miles per hour when he lost control, crossing over a median and hitting the curb on the opposite of the road. The vehicle struck a tree at an estimated 75 m.p.h. and was sent airborne, eventually stopping in some brush.

“The primary causal factor for this traffic collision was driving at a speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway,” said Villanueva.

Woods was not cited for driving too fast and no criminal charges will be filed, Villanueva said. He added that there were no signs of impairment or intoxication, and that Woods was wearing his seatbelt.

The captain of the Lomita Sheriff’s Station, James Powers, said that data was obtained from the vehicle’s event data recorder, known colloquially as the black box. The data showed that Woods had hit the accelerator throughout the crash, and that the pressure applied to the pedal was 99 percent. Powers said he believed that Woods inadvertently hit the accelerator while trying to brake.

Woods has no recollection of the collision, and there were no witnesses to the crash.

Woods was not cited, Villanueva said, because under California law that typically requires either an independent witness or a law enforcement officer to witness the excessive speed. He said that Woods did not receive any special treatment, and nobody would be cited for speeding in a solo vehicle collision without any witnesses.

Woods had to be extracted from his S.U.V. after the crash on the morning of Feb. 23 and taken to the hospital, where he underwent several surgeries on his right leg. Doctors not involved in Woods’s care have predicted an extremely difficult recovery from his injuries.

Woods crashed his car on a windy and tricky stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard that is known for car crashes near Rancho Palos Verdes, a coastal city in Los Angeles County. According to data collected by the sheriff’s department, there were 13 crashes, four with injuries, from Jan. 3, 2020, to Feb. 23 of this year within a 1.35-mile stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard that includes the site where Woods crashed.

That stretch of road is also known for speeding. Deputy Carlos Gonzalez, the first emergency responder to arrive at the scene, said at a news conference in February that he had sometimes seen vehicles going more than 80 miles per hour on Hawthorne Boulevard.

According to a diagram of the collision shown by the sheriffs department, there were four areas of impact. The first two were the sides of the median, the third was the curb and the fourth was the tree. Woods’s vehicle rolled several times before coming to a stop. After he hit the tree, his S.U.V. went “airborne” where it did “somewhat of a pirouette,” according to Powers.

Woods was quickly taken to Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery, and then was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for follow-up procedures. He spent several days in the hospital receiving treatment, though there is still some confusion about the exact nature of his injuries.

Dr. Anish Mahajan, the acting chief executive of Harbor-U.C.L.A., said in a statement the night after the crash that both bones in Woods’s lower right leg, the tibia and the fibula, had been broken in multiple places and were “open fractures,” meaning the bones had pierced his skin.

The statement did not describe any injuries to Woods’s left leg, though Daryl L. Osby, the Los Angeles County fire chief, had said earlier that Woods had “serious injuries” to both legs.

Woods underwent back surgery, his fifth, in Dec. 2020, just the latest injury to slow his golf career. He has won just one major golf championship since 2008.

February’s crash is not the first time Woods’s life, and career, has been derailed by a car crash. In 2009 he crashed his S.U.V. into a fire hydrant outside his Florida home in the middle of the night. He was knocked unconscious and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, where he was treated for minor facial injuries.

But the incident is remembered mostly for what happened next and the fallout for his career. There were numerous reports of Woods’s infidelities and an apology in which he admitted cheating on his wife. He lost numerous sponsors and stepped away from golf for months. Woods and Elin Nordegren eventually divorced.

Woods was also arrested in 2017 in Florida, after police found him asleep in his car on the side of a road at 3 a.m. with the engine running. Woods blamed the incident on the interaction of several prescription medicines, including Vicodin, and did not have any alcohol in his system. He eventually entered a diversion program for first-time D.U.I. offenders, and pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Captain Powers said there was no odor of alcohol, open containers or any narcotics in the vehicle or on Woods after the February crash. Woods told law enforcement investigators that he had not been drinking and had not taken any prescription pills. Investigators did not obtain or test Woods’s blood.

Woods, who lives in Florida, was in Southern California to host the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles the weekend before the crash. Genesis Motor is a luxury vehicle division of Hyundai. Woods was driving a 2021 Genesis GV80 S.U.V., which was provided to him during the tournament; he is known for always driving himself in a courtesy car at tournaments.

Sheriff Villanueva said at a news conference last week that the cause of the crash had been determined, but citing California privacy laws, said it could not be released without Woods’s consent. Woods eventually waived his right to privacy and authorized the release of the report.

[greglepore]

occams razor strikes again

[Joe Bob]

Tiger Woods was traveling 83 mph in a 45 mph zone before a car crash that resulted in him suffering severe leg injuries, police said Wednesday. His driving speed was considered the primary factor in the crash.

The Los Angeles County Sherriff's Office released its findings after previously stating it would not reveal details surrounding the crash, citing Woods' privacy. Police already determined Woods would not face any criminal charges.

The 15-time major champion was involved in a one-vehicle crash Feb. 23 in Los Angeles and underwent emergency surgery for "comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower tibia and fibula." The surgery was considered a success, and Woods is back home in Florida recovering.

"Thank you to all the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center," Woods said in a statement. "You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough.

"I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day."

TMZ Sports reported the black box in Woods' SUV showed he gained speed as he was losing control of the vehicle. There is no evidence Woods was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the crash, and TMZ reported police did not subpoena his phone records to determine if he was using a cell phone.

[rusnak]

Not a good endorsement pitch for Hyundai.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Results are in: Speeds of 84 to 87. No braking...........Very poor road design for those speeds.

Very poor judgment by the driver of the vehicle. He gets the blame, not those who designed the road.

[sammyg2]

They need to redesign the road so it's safe to drive at nearly twice the posted speed limit, and so it's safe for a driver to push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor instead of hitting the brakes in a corner or when heading directly toward a tree.

The article I read did not mention if a crazed blonde woman was chasing him with a 4 iron or not.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

They need to redesign the road so it's safe to drive at nearly twice the posted speed limit, and so it's safe for a driver to push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor instead of hitting the brakes in a corner or when heading directly toward a tree.

The article I read did not mention if a crazed blonde woman was chasing him with a 4 iron or not.

THIS.

The throttle was at 99%, just not quite "matted" but close enough. And he was just 3 MPH from double the speed limit. Very few if any SUVs of any make can drive that road at double the limit at WOT throttle.

100% the Tiger's fault, not the vehicle. And he is paying the price. That is the instant Karma. He did not put anyone else in the hospital or the grave.

[Steve Carlton]

So it sure sounds like he mistook the gas pedal for the brake. I think that's an honest and common mistake, so I wouldn't necessarily blame him for the accident. It was a car unfamiliar to him. I wonder how fast he was going when he mashed the gas pedal, though. His fault, but unintentional from what I can tell.

I'm astonished the police aren't entitled to do a drug test. I thought that was mandatory and within the police's rights.

With 13 crashes in 13 months, it seems that road needs to be re-engineered.

Originally Posted by Zeke

He was endangering anyone that might have been in his path. Like Mel Blanc.

I hadn't heard about that, so I looked it up out of curiosity. It appears another dangerous stretch of road that got fixed as a result of Mel Blanc's accident. It appears that the other driver, who hit Mel head on in his Aston Martin, was at fault there. Interesting that he was coaxed out of the coma by being addressed as Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird!

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

With 13 crashes in 13 months, it seems that road needs to be re-engineered.

Wrong.

You're ignoring the fact that thousands of drivers negotiated that stretch of road successfully and safely during that time.

Tiger was at fault, they know his speed. That's the cause of the wreck... it was not an accident... it was a wreck caused by him thinking he was entitled to go 84-87 MPH.

Personal responsibility... he has never demonstrated that he has much. Nor good judgment.

He caused the crash, not the road.

Try to keep up.

[Geronimo '74]

I agree.
He was speeding, and not just by a little.
He only has himself to blame and I do not feel sorry for him.
Not
One
Bit.

Aszwipe could have taken others with him.

[GH85Carrera]

I would assume most everyone on Pelican is a bit of a car guy like I am. I have never once mistaken the gas for the brakes. NOT ONCE.

When I hit the brakes, I expect an immediate braking action, not acceleration. Especially when driving twice the speed limit.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I would assume most everyone on Pelican is a bit of a car guy like I am. I have never once mistaken the gas for the brakes. NOT ONCE.

When I hit the brakes, I expect an immediate braking action, not acceleration.

Not counting your wife's car, you have driven the same two cars for what, 35 years? I'd expect you'd be familiar with them by now. Tiger might drive 50 different cars in a single year. I remember when Audi had their unintended acceleration problem, which was solely due to the pedal placement, which was different from what fat Americans were used to. In fact, quite a few manufacturers have had that same problem, it just didn't make much of a splash in the news.

I've never mistaken the gas pedal for the brake but I've had my foot slip off of the right side of the brake pedal before. That could be what happened here. If he'd panicked in the curve and jumped on the brake pedal to scrub off some speed and his foot slipped and he hit the gas, he might not have had the time or presence of mind to figure out what went wrong before he hit something.

That's particularly true if Wayne's theory is correct and he was thinking that the road went straight, until he saw that it didn't and panicked. Maybe he was looking at his phone and not paying enough attention, until his "oh ****" moment.

Lots of possibilities and it seems we'll never know. He paid the price, it may have ended his career.

And, I know I've exceeded the speed limit more times than I can count and what he did isn't something I haven't done at some point in my life, with respect to the speeding. I don't do that any more but then, I'm a generation older than Tiger. Anybody that claims they've never done that is probably a liar.

[ckcarr]

He needed the new flying car!

[MBAtarga]

Regardless of what the spokesperson(s) for law enforcement agencies said - if this was ANYONE else, there would have been BAC and other drug screening done at the hospital.