Car Accidents and Us

[84porsche]

Automotive safety is definitely one thing that has improved over the past 2 decades but it is enough. I personally lost a relative this past week to an auto accident, 18 years old and its not easy to absorb and realize she will never achieve her goals and dreams in life.
I wonder if their is something that we can do to prevent accidents or to reduce the factors involved. From my own driving experience, I myself have been involved in 3 accidents (2 small and 1 major) but lived because my car did what it was designed to do. I have heard that the DMV has made it easier to get a license and allows licenses to be given to people that should not be on the road. I personally think that the on-road tests should be somewhat difficult. We have so many factors involved from cell phones to make-up to just plain stupidity. Now sure accidents happen but I would like to see the number of fatalities go to zero. I was looking at some numbers and in 10 years, the amount of fatalities has not changed even with all the safety (http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Oneway.asp?Display_Flag=0&Percent_Flag=0). What do you think?

[TimT]

I think that we should give big slap downs to posters bragging about street racing ie "I kicked an NSX butt".

I love driving my car(s) fast.. but I do it on a race track.

Sorry you lost a loved one ...

when I drive on the street.. I leave plenty of space between the me and the car in front of me, and I keep a clear eye 360 of what is happening around me...

Now lets spread that...

[red-beard]

Really need a catagory for us daredevils that have been in more than one...

Fenderbender - my fault - black ice

Major accident - Other guys fault - destroyed 2 cars.

Several near misses including a car crossing the grass on an interstate and nearly hitting me head on. It what happens when you commute 110 miles a day and average 45K per year...

[bryanthompson]

All of my accidents were minor fender-benders... the first one wasn't my fault, as the dog ran into the side of my car, and i'm not going to total my car trying to dodge an animal; the second wasn't my fault because some stoner was driving with a carload of people, oh yeah, he was under-age and didn't have a driver's license; the third was my fault... I backed into my best friend's car on homecoming night. *doh*

No accidents in the Porsche, though. (*knocks on wood*)

The best thing we can do, is to discourage ricers and street racing types, imho. I think (hope) most of them are just guys who want to be able to work on their cars... They want to feel that pride when they've fixed something and it works... I think if any of them were introduced to AutoX, they'd be changed for life.

[86 911]

I hope I'm never in a car accident. I don't have my liscence yet, but when people do take their tests, there should be a test on maturity. Someone from the DMV should interview the "about to be liscenced" driver, and see if they are mature enough to handle an operating motor vehicle. I would really like to see that happen. Not only will that cut down on traffic, but it will also save a lot of people . The same should apply to truck drivers. Some of them drive like crazy on the freeway.

Matt

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

1983 BMW 320is - My fault, water in road, side of Mullholland, car totalled

1980 VW Rabbit Diesel - My fault, bent in in half after cutting the roof off and taking it off road, car totalled

1985 Chevy Blazer - Cal Trans's fault, traffic light box fell off the back of a flatbed in front of me, got a decent check from the state... front end crushed, my dad and I bent it back out with a 4x4 and a chain..

1983 Honda Accord - Not my Fault, friend's car, got hit by van not paying attention, car totalled

[campbellcj]

Sorry to hear of your loss!

I've been involved in several crashes (I prefer to not call them accidents cuz all of them were due to driver negligence!) None of them were my fault and in fact in two of them I was stationary and was tagged from the rear by drivers who did not stop for stop signs/lights. The most costly incident involved a guy who was most likely drunk (although not charged) and ran a stop sign out into 40mph oncoming traffic on a busy 4 lane urban street.

Unfortunately, in driving conditions such as we experience here in LA, one's own driving capabilities and all the vehicle safety gizmos in the world will not prevent some schmuck from eventually trying to take you out...

[oldE]

31 years ago, as a newly licensed driver, I found out that even new snow tires have no grip on pavement covered with freezing rain. Sigh. Since then, I've been lucky a few times and careful a lot. Funny, the older I get, the more I go for careful rather than lucky.
Les

[djmcmath]

There's definitely something to be said for lucky. However, I've noticed that I count on luck a lot less often these days. I've forgotten if it was Carroll Smith or Skip Barber ... "You shouldn't send your bucket down into the Well of Good Fortune too often; you only have to come up empty once." Good point.

My only accident was several years ago. Rush hour traffic at the most dangerous intersection in town. I was making the left into traffic, and some uninsured hobo driving an American-built tank sped through the intersection from behind an SUV. I took the situation apart afterwards, and the math showed that he was likely doing close to 50 in a 30 -- and didn't even apply the brakes! Totalled the car, but no injuries. (sigh)

Dan

[asphaltgambler]

They only way to absolutely avoid a car accident is to not ever get into the car. Not to trivialize it but that's the way it is. I could be run over by a bus on the street waiting at the bus stop because I decided not to drive. Sitting on my couch I could die of an anurism.

I'm 45 yrs old and have been legaly and illegaly driving and riding motorcycles since I was 10yrs old. Have been in more than a few accidents. I just look at it this way. I get up, do what I do and hope nothing major happens.

If you become so scared of dying, you'll miss out on living. JMO
.

[mattdavis11]

1984 Olds Custom Cruiser Station Wagon vs. brick mail box-- my fault. Totaled, but drove it home. I didn't even have a license yet.

1990 Acura Legend vs. 1992 Camaro-- her fault, both cars repaired.

1983 Porsche vs. rock in the road-- mother natures fault x2. Wash in the road, the sun setting, and we never saw it. Repaired, and still my daily driver.

[Moses]

Years ago in Seattle I was turning left onto an empty 45 mph street. I looked both ways then entered the intersection. I T-boned a girl in a Toyota. Direct broadside. Completely my fault. Thank God she was not hurt and I had insurance to fix her car. I still have no idea where she came from or how I didn't see her. I don't think she was speeding or anything. All I remember is how fast it happened.

[MFAFF]

Until society regards driving as a priviledge and not a right we'll continue to lower the standards so that every one can drive a car legally.

That they may not be mentally able to, as in awake enough, attentive enough or skilled enough to actually drive in a traffic congested situation taking all the factors into consideration is not tested...

It means that incidents which could have been avoided (drink driving, cell phone, make up etc etc) still happen, when they really should not.

I have lost school and college frienda thro 'accidents' which were totally avoidable had somebody realised that driving a car is not compatible with drinking alcohol or talking on the phone...as well as self inflicted demoises in 'racing'.

I'd love to be lucky, but being careful seems to extend the luck much mucxh further.

[bluebullet]

Ive only been in 2 accidents. One was my old truck (87 Isuzu Trooper that was spotless). I came home late from a friends one night, and some young teen girl decided to follow her bf's advice and try to make a left turn where you couldnt make one, and beat me across the intersection before I passed them. This happened WHILE I WAS IN THE INTERSECTION ALREADY!!. I had already passed the white lines and she just pulled out. I blinked, heard a really loud crashing noise, and opened my eyes, and my truck was sitting 3 lanes over, the front all crumpled. The truck took less damage than her 88 maxima (her whole front was pushed over 3 inches, while mine suffered a broken rad support, a crumped hood and fender. I got $1500 for a truck that was prolly worth 500 bucks.

The only other accident I had was in a brand new work van that had prolly about 6000 miles on it. Last winter in what was left of the snow, I was about 10 cars back at a light...by the time i get to the light im doing about 25-30 mph. There is a ford dealer on my side right on the far corner, and there is a no parking sign where, as always, someone in a minivan had parked it right in that spot. Well as I came through the intersection, the guy waiting behind the person making a left turn decides he doesnt want to wait, and pulls out literally when im 15 feet away. I slam on the brakes, blow the horn at him, and he pulls back into the left lane and accelerates. I move back over (I was on a collision course with that minivan that was parked) and suddenly find that the blazer that cut me off hit the brakes and cut me off AGAIN, trying to move into the right lane for no apparent reason (there were no cars ahead of us). Instinctively I hit the brakes and swerved away from him, resulting in me clipping the back corner of the minivan. It blew the front tire on the van, and I made it about 600 feet before i just pulled over. The blazer was hightailing it out of there, but I got his plate number and walked back to the ford dealership, were luckily it turned out to be someone inside buying a new car....he even admitted he had a bad feeling about parking his minivan there, that something was gonna happen..well it did.

The insurance company was at first still going to label it completely my fault because i hit someone from behind, but after they got witness reports and the guy with the blazer was apprehended for leaving the scene of an accident, they blamed 40% on me, 20% on the guy who had his minivan parked wrong, and 40% on the guy who caused it all...who I believe should have paid all of it. I do know however his insurance paid for a good amount of the damage to the work van and the minivan.

Just goes to show even in an accident that isnt your fault, there is still someway you get blamed for it.