my first car accident

[pne]

just felt like sharing this little unfortunate story with you guys. On friday I was out with my gf going out for dinner. We were heading home from downtown in rush hour traffic, when the car in front of me suddenly stopped. I admit i wasnt paying very close attention so I lost a bit of braking time, but when i saw him I stomped the brake all the way to the floor. I was doing about 35mph, but could not stop. Rather than the slow-motion most people experience, i felt time moving pretty quickly, felt the front of the suv dive from the heavy braking, then that sinking feeling in my stomach knowing i could not stop in time. It happened so fast I didnt have enough time to swerve or engine brake. We hit the car in front at about 5-10mph, hard enough to feel the belts, but no injury or whiplash (thank god). We sat there for a good 2 minutes in shock until my girlfriend told me to put on my emergency lights. I stepped out of the truck to find that noone was hurt, but another young driver was tailgating me and her hood was now wedged under the rear bumper of my truck. The damage: the front car's rear bumper and trunk took some medium damage, the trunk could not close after. The driver in the rear's hood was finished, couldnt be opened, car would not start. My 91 4runner, front grille pushed in (cosmetic), rear bumper had a few scratches, which is hard to believe considering the damage done to the car in the rear. I was worried that my radiator would be taken out, especially having just replaced it last week, but those crafty japanese designed the truck pretty darn well. The frame extends past the radiator for a few inches, and a thick crossbar protects it. The bar didnt even flinch. And luckily noone invloved was hurt.

later today i was inspecting my truck, and wondering why I could not stop in time, it felt like even though i was standing on the brakes, the truck kept plowing forward. Turns out that I accidently left the parking brake on after parking the truck on a lift, so 30mins of driving with the e-brake on heated up the pads enough for some serious brake fade.

it was an expensive and unforgetable lesson, which i hope never has to happen again.

 

[Jahn]

SUVs are tanks and really do a number on smaller sedans and such. glad everyone is ok, and it's better to regret brake fade in this context than something worse.

 

[viator122]

Accidents happen, don't beat yourself up too much about it. No one was hurt and insurance will clean up the mess so it will all work out OK in the end.

 

[bundee1]

Damn dude, Im glad youre ok. I know that feeling. I slipped a half a city block after hitting ice and slamming into a parked car that had already been in an accident. Isnt it the wierdest feeling? Its like youre watching it all happen to you.

 

[mbriant]

Practically everybody has a first car accident. The good news is...you had the best kind. Nobody's hurt or dead, and you've now experienced for yourself, the gut-wrenching reality of what can happen in a vehicle if you lose focus ... even for a moment. If this experience helps make you even a slightly safer and more cautious driver, as cold and as strange as it seems, the accident was likely worth it.

But you can only get so much of a good thing, so no need to have any more.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pne later today i was inspecting my truck, and wondering why I could not stop in time, it felt like even though i was standing on the brakes, the truck kept plowing forward. Turns out that I accidently left the parking brake on after parking the truck on a lift, so 30mins of driving with the e-brake on heated up the pads enough for some serious brake fade.

Glad you're okay. That's the most important thing.

It probably wasn't the brakes though. A lot of people in this type of collision feel that the brakes didn't work right, because your perception of time is affected during the collision. When you do the math, things become a lot clearer.

Most people don't follow more than 2 seconds behind the car in front of them. (Actually, most people follow even closer than that.) At 60 km/h, that's 32 m of space between you and the car in front, or the equivalent of 6 car lengths. Was there really 6 car lengths or more of empty space between you and the other car? Let's assume there was. You said you lost a bit of time -- let's say half a second of hesitation. So you had <1.5 s to stop. At 60 km/h, that's 25 m of stopping space. Unfortunately, average stopping distance for a vehicle at that speed is about 35-45 m. So the odds were against you; even if your brakes were perfect, you would have had trouble stopping.

That's the trouble with this type of collision... it's really hard to avoid. Most people overestimate what their brakes can do, especially if there is even a split second of hesitation. Drivers ed courses used to suggest always maintaining a 2 second following distance for just this reason, but hardly anyone does any more, and if you do, people start cutting in front of you. It's frustrating, but fortunately just a rough lesson since no one was hurt.

Here's a thread on another forum with someone who had the same type of accident and felt that his brakes failed, but they probably didn't:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=147273

 

[PSmith08]

Glad to hear that all is well. Insurance companies are there for a reason.

The wrecks I have seen or been in are all of the same cloth, save one. It is hard to bring several thousand pounds to a dead stop in less than a second. However, such is life.

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 Insurance companies are there for a reason.

Yeah, to bend you over.

 

[PSmith08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imyourzero Yeah, to bend you over.

Now as rough as they can seem, they serve an important purpose. You wouldn't want to pay for damages by yourself, would you? Medical bills?

 

[ken36]

When I was drinking I had some accidents. When I stopped I had some accidents. Luckily no one was ever hurt. One of the problems I have is really paying attention to my driving. Listening to music, having conversation, talking on the phone, worrying about a situation all contribute to accidents. Sometimes I will reach a destination and realize my driving to get there was all on automatic. Have to do better.

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 Now as rough as they can seem, they serve an important purpose. You wouldn't want to pay for damages by yourself, would you? Medical bills?

Yeah, I know... I'm just bitter because I've maintained a clean driving record since I was 16, yet I've been paying ridiculous rates just because I was young and male. Insurance companies shouldn't just lump you into a high risk category with everyone else--I mean why should I have to pay more just because younger males tend to present more of a liability? I think they should charge reasonable rates, at least initially, and give you the benefit of the doubt until YOU prove that you are irresponsible.

So yes, I agree that they can be a lifesaver in the event that something happens, but I don't agree with them sticking it to me while I'm out trying to maintain a clean record.

 

[warubozu]

Sorry to hear about your accident and like it was mentioned by earlier poster thank goodness everyone is alright. If someone was hurt and actually needed medical attention or an ambulance ride to the hospital you could in a lot worse situation. I've had my fair share of accident, a few of them my fault due to me not paying attention to the road while I was driving and a few not my fault. Also got a DUI years back when I was younger and immature.

If there's one thing that I got out of these accidents is that it made me take driving a lot more seriously. It made me think that when I get behind a wheel of a car there is a heck of a lot of responsibility on your part to try and make your driving experience and that of others on the road a safe one. Hope you'll be able to get this accident resolved soon thru your insurance agent.