How many car accidents have you been in? [Archive]

Dave Beauvais

12-13-2003, 01:02 AM

I hope your father wasn't injured. Is he okay? Was anyone else hurt?

I've been driving for about twelve years and have had no accidents, speeding tickets, or citations of any kind. (Okay, there were occasional tickets for an expired parking meter a few years back during college.) Of course now that I say that, I'll get a speeding ticket and then get in an accident while getting back on the freeway afterward. :) Judging from the experiences of my family and friends, however, I'd say I'm the exception rather than the rule. My brother totaled two trucks within three years, friends have gotten speeding tickets or been in accidents, etc.

sublime

12-13-2003, 01:26 AM

Yeah, my father's fine, but a little shook up. Another car hit his and wound up ripping off the bumper. Had he driven one more meter forward he would have been t-boned.

JackTheTripper

12-13-2003, 01:26 AM

Been driving 13 years. Had 1 accident.

Have had a motorcycle license for 5 years. Had 2 drops while standing still and one crash when I went off the road into a ditch.

Pat Logsdon

12-13-2003, 01:42 AM

12-13-2003, 02:00 AM

I had two very minor accidents about 10 years ago, and that's it. Other than the 8 speeding tickets. :oops:

I like to drive fast, you see. Wouldn't you? (http://www.vwvortex.com/gallery/gallery3.php?mode=view&album=/Volkswagen/Golf%20-%20GTI%20-%20Rabbit/Golf%20IV/Golf%20R32%20-%20Europe&pic=004.jpg&start=&dispsize=600) :mrgreen:
I didn't think any R32's would be here for another six weeks or so? I'd like to drive one, I had the 2.8L 24v VR6 in a Jetta GLI and was a bit disappointed with it. I have a 1.8T in my A4 now and it seems to be just as quick for some reason. When I get it chipped I'll be able to give you a run for your money. :lol: Does the R32 have proper rear suspension to go with the AWD? (To answer my own question I checked on VW Vortex and yes it does! That will be a great step forward compared to the other Mk4s)

Oh yes, several speeding tickets, especially when I first moved to the US and had to deal with the slow speeds. Couple of good wrecks too, but the only time I've gotten hurt was on my mountain bike.

Pat Logsdon

12-13-2003, 03:51 AM

I didn't think any R32's would be here for another six weeks or so?
Unfortunately, my GTI 1.8t just THINKS it's an R32. It's about the same color, and looks about the same, except for the lowering bit and the ground effects. Otherwise it's a dead ringer! Rest assured that when my local VW dealer has one in stock, I'm going to head over and drive one. 8)

What chip are you getting? APR? Garrett? I've thought about doing it, but my car feels plenty fast enough already. Maybe I'll get one when I can afford a VAG-COM. :mrgreen:

And to stay on topic, I've only gotten ONE ticket in this car, in the year and half that I've had it - and that was for running a yellow light. :roll:

I was pretty shocked when I got the bill - $382 for running a yellow light! The last ticket I got was a fixit for a broken tail light, and it cost $32 to fix. Quite a difference. :evil:

12-14-2003, 01:45 AM

What chip are you getting? APR? Garrett? I've thought about doing it, but my car feels plenty fast enough already. Maybe I'll get one when I can afford a VAG-COM. :mrgreen
If I was getting a chip today it would be APR. Maybe not the most powerful, but I've read good reviews and driven a few APR chipped GTIs. I've also seen a company that offers a deal where they flash the stock processor rather than swap it out. This seems to me to be the way to go. The bad news is that the code they use seems to be the APR code so there is a bit of a legal battle going on.
I would rate the VW 1.8T as one of the best engines ever. It's just great and sounds great too! In the GTI, the 1.8T feels much better balanced than the VR6. Of course, the VR6 is one of the great engines of all time as well. :D
If the AWD in the R32 is the same as the Quattro in the A4, it's going to be a fantastic car.

David Prahl

12-14-2003, 02:11 AM

I drive a 1993 Dodge Caravan that has a manual transmission. That's right.

With that kind of sheer power I've yet to get in any kind of car accident. But then again I've only been driving for two years. :D

Kati Compton

12-14-2003, 02:24 AM

I've been in 3 accidents where I would be considered "at fault", none serious, and I've been driving for nearly 12 years.

One was ice-based (the ONLY remaining patch of ice on the road I might add). Their car was not damaged, but their trailer hitch poked though my bumper cover.

One was because my foot slipped off the brake and I gently tapped the car in front of me. It was only a small dent in their car (no damage to mine).

One (the worst) was back in early college. I was following the car in front of me at a safe distance... a safe distance for a moving car. Suddenly, that car swerved into the other lane, and lo-and-behold there was a car sitting in my lane stopped to turn left. The car in front of me was an SUV so I couldn't see past it until it changed lanes. Anyway, that's why I never do that to other people. It wouldn't have been expensive (no damage to the other car), but my bumper went UNDER their bumper, so the front hood and the engine compartment (the radiator in particular) took all of the impact.

I've been rear-ended 2x, once (recently) causing me whiplash and a concussion, and a number of years ago a car pulled out from a store driveway into the side of my car (I was on the road driving how I was supposed to - the other driver was distracted).

I think that's it while I've been the driver.

I can tell you the moment I started remembering to wear my seatbelt, though. I was in the front seat of my father's car, and we were stopped at a stop light. The brake lights of the car in front of us went off, and my dad started forward (slowly). Turns out the car in front of us was actually backing up, not moving forward... It wasn't a serious collision, but I happened to be reaching down for something and wasn't wearing my seatbelt. So my head spidered the windshield. I wasn't hurt other than a light bruise (hard head!). But I haven't forgotten my seat belt since.

masaki

12-14-2003, 03:09 AM

I've been driving for more than 10 years. From high school, college, and just recently entered the IT work force Not one accident, or speeding ticket. Got one parking ticket outside of Kyoto 17 during college and i was 30secs late!! That dude must have been sitting at the meters..... That day was also my friend's 19th birthday :) hahaha

I was in one accident about 4 years ago. My friend was driving and we were going to the paintball field at Cochrane, Alberta. Icy road and the car went out of control at a sharp turn, missed head-on with a tree by half a meter. Everybody was ok.....and...we went on to play paintball afterward. Hitched a ride at another friends' cars. The car was total.

delfuhd

12-14-2003, 05:03 AM

I've been driving for about a year.. No accidents, no tickets, nadda.
Ironically, though, I have a friend who has had her license for about 8-9 months, and has gotten in 3 accidents, and ran out of gas about 4 times.

I'm happy that I haven't gotten in one yet.. Knock on wood... tra la la

Jeff Rutledge

12-14-2003, 05:56 AM

I've been driving for 15 years and had two accidents. Neither were my fault. The first totalled my car when the other driver ran a stop sign and I t-boned her doing about 60kph. The second I was stopped waiting to turn left when I was rear-ended.

For the second one, I was working for the City driving one of their vehicles. If I had played my cards right I'd be retired by now. :lol: (j/k)

Pat Logsdon

12-14-2003, 06:20 AM

My wife got into a really bad accident about 15 years ago. She was hit head-on by a drunk driver going about 65 mph. Fortunately, she saw him coming, realized what was going to happen, and flung herself sideways into the passenger seat.

She was still pretty cut up, but very very lucky that she had the presence of mind to think ahead - the steering column punched through the seat she was sitting in. 8O

The really disgusting part is that she had to share the ambulance with the guy that hit her, and he was so wasted that he was trying to "feel her up" in the ambulance. :evil:

PetiteFlower

12-14-2003, 06:34 AM

I agree, that is really disgusting.

I've been in 2 major accidents, one was my fault the other wasn't. And 1 or 2 little scrapes. I've been driving about 7 years.

The first accident was right after I got my license, I'd owned the car for exactly 3 weeks, I was coming home from college for christmas break and I had dropped off my passenger and was trying to get home and got lost getting back to the turnpike. It was dark and raining and I wasn't looking where I was going and I rear-ended a line of cars sitting at a light. I hurt my back pretty bad and had a big bruise on my knee where it hit the dashboard. My car was TOTALED though, the frame was bent.

The second one was about 2 1/2 years ago, a taxi decided to turn left across a 2 lane road, after only checking for traffic in the first lane! So I hit him but it wasn't my fault because I had the right of way. Did $4000 worth of damage to my car and kept me out of work for 6 weeks with a concussion. Didn't hurt my back nearly as bad though, I think it's because my car is so big that the hood absorbed most of the impact. Still not a fun experience though, only made me hate New Jersey more.

dMores

12-14-2003, 03:18 PM

have my license for 8 years, driving regularly for 6 or so years.

at first i had a couple of little accidents: my grandfather backed up into the side of my dad's car, then i forgot to set the parking brake TWICE, once the car stopped against the side wall of our "driveway" (it's more of a passage to the backyard), the other time the car drove backwards out of the driveway, across a 2 lane street (main street in our town, plenty of people and cars) and actually parked itself neatly on the other side of the road. no people or cars were hurt.

then i met my girlfriend and have been driving her car for the last years.
once this old lady got confused with the lanes and hit me while crossing the lanes. it was her fault, but she told the police that i was trying to pass her (on the right ???).

i've been rear ended by a porsche. the impact actually sent my head flying into the headrest thingie, but luckily i have it set to the optimum height so i didn't suffer from whiplash.

other than that i've gotten like 20 speeding tickets and 500+ parking tickets.

sublime

12-14-2003, 05:56 PM

So, what I can glean from this thread, is that my father is a really bad driver. He doesn't just get into car accidents every 3-4 years (for he gets into very many minor ones), but destroys a car every 3-4 years.

It's rather sad, because I'm 20 years old right now and still do not drive. I've been in the car with him in so many of those accidents that I'm too scared to drive, myself. But I figure it's a good thing, because I wind up saving thousands of dollars a year by taking public transit. Whooopdeedoo.

Dave Beauvais

12-14-2003, 08:21 PM

No offense, but I'm glad I don't pay his insurance premiums. ;)

ctmagnus

12-15-2003, 03:53 AM

The only accident I've been in was when a boulder rolled down a hill and hit the fender of the vehicle we were in.

Kati Compton

12-15-2003, 05:13 AM

So, what I can glean from this thread, is that my father is a really bad driver. He doesn't just get into car accidents every 3-4 years (for he gets into very many minor ones), but destroys a car every 3-4 years.

Make sure to only count the ones where he's at fault... I mean, don't blame him for being a bad driver if he's just unlucky....

Jeff Rutledge

12-15-2003, 05:44 AM

The only accident I've been in was when a boulder rolled down a hill and hit the fender of the vehicle we were in.

Only in BC eh? :mrgreen:

sublime

12-15-2003, 06:26 AM

Make sure to only count the ones where he's at fault... I mean, don't blame him for being a bad driver if he's just unlucky....

You're right. That wouldn't be fair. Keeping that in mind, I'd say he totals a car every 3-4 years.

dMores

12-15-2003, 12:34 PM

being a crash-car passenger should not deter you from driving yourself. remember it's a different situation if you are actually driving, you are in control. at least most of the time. when someone else hits you, there's not much you can do. but when you're driving yourself, you have the power to drive safely, keep a distance and drive at the speeds allowed. and very often it is in your power to avoid a crash, even if the other participant is out of control or driving recklessly.

also, the driver is usually the safest passenger in a crash. i see reports every day of fatal car accidents, and if there is a survivor, it's the driver 90% of the time.

sublime

12-15-2003, 05:37 PM

being a crash-car passenger should not deter you from driving yourself.

Two of those crashes were near death. I think that's reason enough to be scared of driving.

aroma

12-15-2003, 06:47 PM

also, the driver is usually the safest passenger in a crash. i see reports every day of fatal car accidents, and if there is a survivor, it's the driver 90% of the time.

Yes... that does seem to be the case. What I really hate though, is that in cases where a drunk driver is involded and there is survivor, it's seems to usually be the drunk.

PetiteFlower

12-15-2003, 06:55 PM

The fact that when you're drunk, your muscles are more limp and relaxed, seems to improve your chances for some reason. I was in a school bus that got in an accident once(on a field trip, 2 of the busses in the caravan hit each other) and I was asleep at the time, I got hurt a lot less then some of the other kids. I mean it was a minor accident anyway but some people had whiplash and bruises and hurt backs.

Sublime--just don't let your dad TEACH you how to drive! Learn from your mom and take professional classes if you can too. Then, once you know how to drive, you don't have to let him drive you anymore--insist HE be the passenger!

Kati Compton

12-15-2003, 07:04 PM

Sounds like good advice to me...

sublime

12-15-2003, 07:25 PM

Learn from your mom

My mother can't drive either.

It's a cruel, cruel world

PetiteFlower

12-16-2003, 12:22 AM

Hm....sounds like you really NEED to learn how to drive then, to keep your parents from killing themselves! Take classes from a driving school if your mom can't teach you, in fact that's the best way to learn under any circumstances :) Around here we even had driver's ed in high school, though that was really just an intro course, you still needed lots more practice and lessons from your parents after taking just that. But I'm sure there must be driving schools in Canada :) Even if it's expensive, (and it might not be), just tell your parents it's cheaper then letting your dad keep totalling cars every 3 years!

maximus

12-16-2003, 06:59 AM

Yes... that does seem to be the case. What I really hate though, is that in cases where a drunk driver is involded and there is survivor, it's seems to usually be the drunk.

hmm .... :idea: So, in order to be safe ...

Back on topic: I have been driving cars for 13 years, and thank god I never been involved in any major accident. As with motorcycle, once I got hit by a car from behind, and found my face flat on the ground, but again, no major injury, just some bruised ego. The motorcycle, on the otherhand, was totally wrecked.

I agreed with Surgical. It seems that there is a inverse correlation between age and driving speed. Back in high school, I ride a 250cc Yamaha, and usually maxed out its speed ... 150 to 160 km/h is the 'normal' speed for me (on intercity roads, of course). In university I got a 1500cc Toyota Corolla, and again I usually at 150-160 km/h. Now I have a 2000cc Lancer Evo-8, running at 100-120 km/h. What a waste. I blame the singaporean government for not having an auto-bahn :mrgreen:

CTSLICK

12-16-2003, 04:49 PM

23 years driving, 4 accidents, all minor, I was at fault in 2.

Tickets are another thing...pesky speed limits. During the early days there was a time when the state of California wanted desperately to take my license...6 speeding tickets in 3 years will cause that kind of reaction. So the grand total is 9 speeding tickets but only 2 in the last 16 years. I'd like to think that I'm not slower, just smarter, but its probably a bit of both :wink:.

PetiteFlower

12-16-2003, 06:55 PM

I've gotten pulled over for speeding a whole bunch of times, but I've only gotten actual point-carrying speeding tickets maybe 3 times? The other times I got off with either a warning or a non-points bearing ticket.

For those not in the US, points are things that are put on your license for committing "moving violations" such as reckless driving, speeding more then 5 mph over the limit, running red lights, etc. Speeding 5mph or less, parking illegally, I think also driving without insurance, are no-point offenses that cost you money. If you get too many points on your license, it can be suspended; your insurance rates will also go up.

I got pulled over a couple of weeks ago about 2 miles from my house at 1am, going 85 in a 45 zone. I was lucky to get off with a $110 no-points ticket....if he had actually cited me for speeding, that could have gotten me an immediate suspension! And that would have sucked....I was just coming back from a trip to NYC, there was no one on the road, I just wanted to get home, I didn't even realize I was going that fast!

Course it's not going to make me drive any slower :) Just be more observant when I'm doing it!

Mike Temporale

12-16-2003, 07:21 PM

Accidents --> 3, I was "at fault" for 1, but I disagree. If she wasn't doing 3 times the limit....

Speeding tickets --> 2, and nothing in the last 6 years or so.

I almost got a speeding ticket a year ago, but my 3 month old saved the day!! We had just left a baby shower for our new little one, and she decided to cry the whole car ride home, which is about 45 minutes long. In the final stretch, the speed dropped to 50 km, but by now my wife and I were doing everything possible to calm the baby down. Needless to say, I was doing about 90 km. I saw the cop just seconds too late. In fact I was pulled over on the side of the road a few feet past his hidding spot.

Now remember, our daughter has been crying for the last 35 minutes. She's now screaming at the top of her lungs. I explained what was going on and that we are on our way home to feed her and put her to bed. He ran my drivers license, and let me off with a warning. As soon as he got back in his cruiser, and closed the door, she stopped crying, and didn't make another sound the whole way home.

My wife and I are certian that she was just trying to warn us. :mrgreen:

DrtyBlvd

12-17-2003, 12:24 PM

With respect to everyones posts so far - no one has mentioned how many miles they are driving... It's a little difficult to be objective without it, wouldn't you say?

Personally, I've covered roughly 700,000 miles over 15 years, on both bikes and cars; - I've totalled three cars & two bikes; 8 Speeding tickets, none by camera or laser.

I met a taxi driver the other day with a Merc E Class that had 540,000 miles on it! Didn't ask him about his record though;)

If "your Dad" is driving that much, maybe it's not such a bad record. If he's only done 50,000 in his life, it's atrocious. :lol:

Glad he's OK though - as I trust everyone will be over the festive period!

Remember Hill Street Blues -

"Let's be careful out there!"

PetiteFlower

12-17-2003, 07:06 PM

I drive about 20,000 miles a year consistently, since I got my second car(not the one I only owned for 3 weeks!) in 1998, so going on 6 years straight now.

carphead

12-17-2003, 09:57 PM

Let me think.....

Every 3rd October (20-25) I'd get a speeding ticket for 9 years. In the UK the points go on the license for 3 years. Had 1 parking ticket.

As for accidents....

1 - Rear ended a Jag (Brakes had failed)
2 - Hit a post (Powersteering failed)
3 - Lost a land rover in a fallen road

I've been driving 14 years and over the 14 years have done a average of 80,000 a year (but now I only do 40,000)