Just got in Car accident

steved110 wrote in post #2375378
Wow Anthony, that's a terrible story. People tend to forget that bad things can happen to any one - you tend to think it will never be me.

Knowing the UK propensity for turning a blind eye to criminality, I suppose the other driver got some derisory slap on the wrist.

Right on the nail with this comment Steve.
He came out of the accident with one broken arm and left hospital after 4 days mainly for check-up's. He denied all knowledge of being on the wrong side and the police didn't prosecute him because there was no hard evidence of being on the wrong side has he's vehicle careered off span round in the air to the other side ending up on it's side. Though there was much debris etc on my side of the road.
However after 6 years I was completely exonerated through the courts but the police did not touch this lad and gave him a stiff warning about no insurance.

Anthony J Howe wrote in post #2375953
Right on the nail with this comment Steve.
He came out of the accident with one broken arm and left hospital after 4 days mainly for check-up's. He denied all knowledge of being on the wrong side and the police didn't prosecute him because there was no hard evidence of being on the wrong side has he's vehicle careered off span round in the air to the other side ending up on it's side. Though there was much debris etc on my side of the road.
However after 6 years I was completely exonerated through the courts but the police did not touch this lad and gave him a stiff warning about no insurance.

That sounds typical of the UK police. Always on the side of the criminal.

I was crossing the street as a child and was knocked down by a motorist who was both speeding and on the wrong side of the road. Prosecution should have been automatic. They did nothing. Fortunately I came out of it with only severe concussion and 3 weeks in hospital then 3 months at home with home schooling.

I was involved in a couple of car accidents also in which the police should have prosecuted the other driver but did nothing. Fortunately they were not serious accidents.

The problem is that the motoring organisations make wails of complaint when the police actually catch bad drivers and fine them via speed traps etc. The police get no breaks from the motoring organisations and the motoring organisations make no attempt to get their members to slow down.

I like to think of myself as a tolerably good driver. Having said that I never feel that I'm the best even though I always endeavour to be tolerant, observant and obeyant of speed limits/traffic signs and road conditions. I have noticed that about 80% of drivers are reasonably good. 10% are extremely good and 10% are extremely bad. I saw no end of fatalities on the main road outside my house in Britain. People - always youngsters - would speed and go off on bends with the car sailing through the air to the field so 20 feet below. Either that or they'd overtake madly and collide head on with some innocent soul. One woman did just that and was not wearing her seatbelt. She was dead as soon as she shot through the windscreen. The taxi she collided with was badly damaged and the driver unconscious but at least he had his seatbelt on and survived.

It worries me to see people imitating the stupid driving from TV and films.

chr15b wrote in post #2372446
isnt that advice a bit hypocritical?

Yes... extremely hypocritical....
I prob should have left out the minor detail that i do it myself, and just stuck with the "dont do it" point.

Anywhoo, dont noone do 80 on a country road with potholes. It may not always end in happiness.

Internet forums, the best place to give your 2 cents and run. Everybody has an assho-I mean opinion.

Remember, we all make mistakes. I'm sure you've learned.

Happy to hear you are in good shape.

Thanks nick. I am in great shape, and wil be able to continue shooting in about a week.

You should also be thankful that the airbags didn't deploy late and kill/injure you. From what I've been told, this has become a large problem and has taken lives of first responders climbing into a wreck (or sticking their noggin in the window) to offer assitance. In fact, sometimes the first thing fire crews do when responding to a wreck is to pop the hood and chop any battery connections.

In your case, perhaps the battery connection was compromised as well as your judgement. You are lucky to be alive, for whatever the reason... as you've described it.

We all do stupid things at one time or another... I'm glad you've learned from your experience. Sharing stories like this (for whatever intent) always leaves something in our memory. Hopefully the next time somebody is going down a back road they'll remember what can happen before they stomp.

michaelbehlen wrote in post #2370201
I was going 80mph down a country road, lost control because I over corrected a lane adjustment and then over over corrected that, which sent my car sideways into a pole, which I broke in half, and flipped 4 times across 80-100 yards.

You didn't crash because you over-corrected, you crashed because you're not a proficient enough driver to drive like a bat outta' Hell...

Legal aspects?

For what?

I would love to see the basis for that lawsuit...

I'm not a Christian, but I'm not ordinarily offended by such things.

Frankly, I think God just wants you to slow the Hell down...

lucky it was only a post and not another car with a family in it...personally *******s who drive like that should be banned for life and locked up..no sympathy here mate

Thank goodness you are well after that. You are insanely lucky to walk away from that.

I have to agree with everyone else. You were driving way too fast for a country road. I don't know about there but here I barely feel safe going 30mph down the windly country lanes, let alone 80pmh!!!

.: Lisa :. wrote in post #2381253
Thank goodness you are well after that. You are insanely lucky to walk away from that.

I have to agree with everyone else. You were driving way too fast for a country road. I don't know about there but here I barely feel safe going 30mph down the windly country lanes, let alone 80pmh!!!

YOu should see one country lane I drive occasionally. It has a national speed limit sign (60mph?) and it's single track as well as very windy with 90 degree bends and tall hedges. I feel I'm driving at breakneck speed on that lane at 15 mph!

I find driving in the US is challenging from a different perspective. The roads I normally encounter are pretty good. The problem is that American cars are so powerful. I'm used to 800cc and 1.3L engines. My wife's 3.5L v6 has me spinning the wheels quite often!

Steve Parr wrote in post #2381204
You didn't crash because you over-corrected, you crashed because you're not a proficient enough driver to drive like a bat outta' Hell...

I want to add something here that may help with the slowing the heck down bit.

Find an autocross in your area and participate in it. You'll learn several things:

1) Its a great way to get the aggressive driving bug "out of your system"

2) You'll learn how little you really know how to handle a car

3) You'll learn why it is VERY wise to slow down, and if you do it in the rain, you'll find out how much of a difference in road adhesion you really have in wet weather.

4) You'll learn how to handle your car better, and it could very well save your behind in an emergency situation.

Its a controlled environment. Accidents do still happen, though, but is much safer than pulling those sorts of stunts on public roads. Not a high speed event, but a low-medium speed event. The worst I've seen was a wheel flying across the road into a fast food restaurant's parking lot, because the driver forgot to tighten the lug nuts on their car.

It's a bit humbling when you start out at the bottom of the pack.

I think we can assume that most people here deplore speed and reckless driving. I think we can further assume that most people here drive within:
1. The speed limit.
2. A safe speed dependent upon the conditions and no greater than the speed limit.
3. Their capabilities.

It seems to me that the OP was driving:
1. Well beyond the speed limit.
2. Well beyond what was safe for the road conditions.
3. Well beyond his capabilities.

Just because your acellerator pedal will reach the floor, it does not mean that it should ever be pushed to the floor.

I am reminded of the nutters that would indulge in dangerous overtaking on my road from my house to the next village in Britain. They would scream past me, endangering their lives and everybody elses by overtaking on blind bends etc. Then when I reached the traffic lights in the next village, proceeding at no more than the speed limit, I would almost always find myself right behind them at the very same set of traffic lights. Aside from causing a hazard to all around, excessive speed magnifies the shock to the suspension of minor flaws in the road surface, uses a lot more fuel and doesn't get you there much faster than driving normally. The costs are in favour of moderate speed in terms of wear and tear on car and in petrol usage.

I had no problem driving a car with an 800cc engine and a top end of 85mph because I know with that car I was getting 47mpg. The bigger the engine and the faster you go, the more fuel is burned per mile.

I think we might as well end this thread here. I am glad nobody was injured or killed by the OP's reckless driving and hope fervantly that the OP will learn from the crash to drive safely and with due regard for the safety of others.

rhys wrote in post #2384375
I think we might as well end this thread here.

We have an uncrowned mod I see

michaelbehlen wrote in post #2370201
ps: If you are not a christain, please just skip over this part, I do not wish to offend anyone(non-christains)

So basicly, God said it wasn't my time to go, and I think he has some big plans for my life. And He put a shield around me last night, he didn't let anything happen to me. I wasn't doing to good in my walk of faith the last month or so, this has defantly brought me closer to the Lord.

why should anyone be offended by your belief? I am not a believer but am quite happy to hear other opinions.

I can never understand this religious idea that survivors have somehow been 'saved'. So when a plane crashes and one person miraculously survives are you to believe that this God wanted all the others to die? I dont think religion works if you take God to be involved in the minutae of everyone's life. It would be more understandable if you said He created the world and now its up to you to make it a pleasant place to live.

I'm much the same way as posted above... I'm not a Christian, and don't mind hearing other opinions.
I start getting offended when somebody isn't as open as me and tries to force their beliefs on me ignoring the fact that I might not agree. The OP clearly was not doing this... so I wouldn't understand if anyone was offended.

On the other hand, I also don't start questioning people's beliefs... I'm truely a "to each his own" kind of guy... so questioning belief isn't going to go too far. Personally, I'm offended more by that. Quite honestly, people DO involve their god in all aspects of their life.

I hope this doesn't turn into a religion debate... that won't get us very far.

If you believe or not... the OP is lucky to be alive and unharmed. Was it an act of god? Perhaps it was. Should you question that if you don't believe? I think not.