[HD-5000]

Crap, just got in my first car accident, nobody is hurt, but there is some minor car damage. Plus, its my fault, so I got a ticket. Help me, I'm so scared.

 

[Tuberoller]

I'll help you......

I've been to the aftermath of exactly 2744 accidents and seen 1391 fatalities. You should be more than happy you and everyone else is OK.

 

[JMT]

Hearing the crunch of metal on metal is indeed scary. Like Tubey said, be thankful that no one was hurt. When all is said and done, that is what is important. You will get over the experience and drive again. Learn from whatever it was the caused the accident, and avoid doing it again. If it was speed, stay within the speed limits. If it was aggressive driving, drive defensively. If it was because of non-attention, pay attention.

Driving is the singlemost privilege that is taken for granted in my opinion.

Hang in there.

 

[braillediver]

Live and learn. Be thankful no one was hurt. And they’re called accidents for a reason. The car can be fixed, the ticket will get paid and life goes on.

The worst thing for me about accidents is replaying the episode over and over in my mind. If I just did this, or didn’t do that, or if I was 5 seconds earlier or later- on and on.

Sh!t happens man sorry to hear about it but thankful no one was hurt.

I once clipped a Cadillac Escalade in a parking lot. You know those big “New” Expensive Caddies. I could of hit a more expensive car, but not many. The woman apologized for the way she was driving but I was still responsible. Thank Goodness for auto insurance. It’s expensive and a pain until you need it.


Mitch

 

[Music Fanatic]

What were the details of your accident? I'm glad nobody was hurt and the damage was minor.

 

[BlindTiger]

Glad you're ok. Now, get yourself a drink but don't get behind the wheel.
Never been in an auto accident but been in 2 motorcycle accidents. Both minor. And a few close calls.
My brother on the other hand was in a serious motorcycle accident where a driver force him onto the dividing median.
Was this on a snowy road? I've seen some of those this winter.

 

[squirt]

As already stated it's a live and learn experience...when i was ayoung high school student i got into TWO accidents in a matter of minutes, one with a COP...it all started when driving on the freeway and not paying attention. it was raining at the time and something caused the traffic ahead to slow which i wasn't expecting and i locked-up the brakes, lost control and slammed into the guardrail...it took me a while to bend the metal away from the tire so i could drive the car again...after going a short distance i saw a cop on the side of the freeway who had just arrested someone...well i parked my car behind the police car to report what had just happened to me ( i was really shakened) the cop did not know i was behind him and he reversed just as i arrived and we crashed together...cop gets out and starts yelling at me "what the hell i was doing" i explained the situation and he calmed down and apologized and made an accident report...the thing that gets me to this day is, i suspect the reason for the traffic slow down that caused my first accident was a result of that same cop pulling over the guy he arrested ahead of me which then caused me to get into the second accident with the cop...talk about S###T Happens...by the way my car was less than a month old and costed over a grand to repair... i lived and learned...

 

[Gariver]

Here's a winner: When I was a kid, I hit a Chevy head on with my bike! I landed on top of the hood, looking straight into guy's frightened face! Ha! I was unhurt because the Chevy was doing 10 MPH when we collided.

 

[terrymx]

i had my first accident recently too, except it was a littlebad. i was turning left like 20mph and someone drove straight from the opposite direction and hit me. the car had to be thrown away. my parents were pissed off. and it was my fault too.

i wasn't hurt, the passenger on the car i hit probably didnt wear a seat belt and hurt his neck, but no serious injury. so my lessons are: always wear a seat belt, dont drive aggressively, and slow down and pay attention at intersections. i know its going to be bull**** when i try to get insurance. i think i'll just rid bus to college. save money and contribute less to damaging the earth...well not really, but still better than owning a car.

 

[wallijonn]

If you rear ended him you will lose in court.

Next time get more insurance.

I refuse to drive if I have so as much as 1 beer. If you cannot do this, get a CDL. The alcohol levels are much more stringent as are the penalties.

Don't bother worrying about it. You'll only make yourself sick, mentally.

I've met people who have been in accidents and they have not changed their driving habits. Attend a defensive driving school and a safe driving course (one has hands on).

Learn from your mistakes and move on.

 

[The_Mac]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn If you rear ended him you will lose in court. Next time get more insurance. I refuse to drive if I have so as much as 1 beer. If you cannot do this, get a CDL. The alcohol levels are much more stringent as are the penalties. Don't bother worrying about it. You'll only make yourself sick, mentally. I've met people who have been in accidents and they have not changed their driving habits. Attend a defensive driving school and a safe driving course (one has hands on). Learn from your mistakes and move on.

I've been in numerous accidents and traffic incidents, and all I can say is that in the year and a half since I'd taken a defensive driving course (theory and practice) I haven't had a single accident/ticket or anything.

Sometimes you're just a bad driver and you need some teaching (I know I was).

The only other advice I can give you is to not worry about it, but to learn from it.

 

[Elec]

I wouldn't let it worry you too much. Sooner or later, almost everybody is involved in an accident. I had mine almost 3 years ago. Was driving a light truck (basically a ford ranger rwd) down a gravel road at night, going about 30-35 (it was well packed and the posted limit was 35). Went around the last curve before the road became paved again and had one of my drive wheels blow. Now this truck was rather squirrelly to begin with - the steering was loose, the suspension was bouncy, and you'd lose traction all the time in the rain. Going 35 on gravel when a tire blows - forget about it. I managed to keep it under control for at least a hundred feet, fishtailing pretty good, then the rear end finally caught up with me. I did a 180, slid backwards and to the side a bit. Had the road been flatter, I would have been fine and slid to a stop but unfortunately, the road had a gravel berm a foot or so high on either side and when my truck slid into this, the berm stopped the bottom half from sliding any further and the whole damn thing tipped over onto the driver's side. I wasn't moving very fast anymore at that point but there was enough momentum that the truck just rocked, went past that point of no return, and crashed over.

I had a couple passengers at the time but nobody was hurt. One guy went to the hospital and got a sling for his bruised shoulder. He wore it only at parties for the next month...I guess it helped hold his drinking arm up, pluse he got sympathy from the ladies. I was lucky that somebody came by soon after. He was probably in his early 30s and really helped calm me down. He said he had a similar accident with a similar truck when he was about 19. It happens. I called the cops to report the accident. One came out and took some measurements which he apparently did not write down (the judge later informed me there were "no details" included in the accident report). He wrote me a ticket for careless driving with the explanation "I'm here. There's an accident. I have to do something." Ass. I got several of my friends to come out there and help me tip the truck back over (CREEEAAAK-THUD!). That whole side was a mess and it wouldn't start. The oil was a couple quarts low - turns out it was in two of the cylinders. Doh. Didn't bother calling a wrecker. Who needs to spend $250 on a tow when you have a friend with a Jeep and a $5 chain from Walmart?

I went to court for the ticket and pleaded "guilty with explanation". The judge prompted me with "Did a coyote run out in front of you or something?" I explained it and he gave me supervision (no other tickets for 90 days and this never happened). Had insurance fix the truck, it cost about 6 grand. My insurance has gone up as a result but it's still not TOO awful. I've been paying a little less than $150 a month for full (liability, collision, comprehensive) 300/500 coverage with a $500 deductible on what was a brand new $20k car, purchased about 4 months after the accident. It's high, but could be worse for a 23 year old single male with an accident (or a pimp car). Haven't had a ticket before or since. I actually adjusted my auto insurance today and one of the things they asked was whether I had any accidents in the last 3 years, so I imagine that your rates become fairly normal if you have 3 years with no accidents or tickets.

Aside from that, somebody hit my car (the new one I got after the truck) in a parking lot and didn't leave a note. It was a nice scratch along both driver's side doors. Turned out it would cost over a grand to fix so I just left it. I didn't feel like paying half the repair from my deductible, or having ANOTHER claim on my insurance. I also figured it wouldn't make the car worth a thousand bucks less when I traded it in. Accidents happen, all you can do is live and learn.