PSA: Drive SAFELY

[Rob]

Hey guys, I just really feel the need to say this tonight, since a lot of shit's gone on in my life re: car accidents lately.

A lot of you were at dodmod.net over the holidays and know about my
dad's car accident. For those of you that weren't, I almost lost my dad
a week before Christmas....fucking asshole teenager coming from the other
direction turned left at a traffic light in front of my dad without looking,
zero reaction time, my dad hit him in the passenger quarter panel full tilt.
Final injury count...broken right wrist (which has had surgery done on it
to put a plate in), stitches/staples on his scalp, two cracks in his breastbone,
and eleven broken ribs.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9941/dad1xs9.jpghttp://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9849/dad2ao9.jpg


Several weeks after that, I was in an accident on the highway right here
in Burlington. It wasn't too terrible, nobody was hurt, but the car I was
driving (the rental that we got after my dad's accident ironically enough)
was written off.


This afternoon one of my best friends and his girlfriend (also a friend,
I knew her before he did) was in a pretty nasty accident on their way
home from up north. From what he tells me, there was a flash freeze,
they slid, spun, and then flipped onto the roof.
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6597/sean1ha8.jpghttp://img411.imageshack.us/img411/34/sean2ob4.jpg
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1301/sean3hw2.jpghttp://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4962/sean4roofom1.jpg
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6761/sean5tm4.jpghttp://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9982/seanbu8.jpg

Fortunately they're both okay. He looks a little rough, and they gave him
some morphine pills but sent him home. The worst of it for her is a chipped
tooth, which is going to be a bitch to get fixed but it could've been a lot worse.



Moral of the story: Drive safely out there guys. It only takes
the smallest of things to completely ruin everything, and I don't need
anything horrible happening to any of you either.

[Stellar]

oh crap, bad news man.

p.s. that guy looks like donner.

[RichyCunningham]

I live in Florida. No snow here.

But again, thanks for the advice.

[Rob]

Mine and my dad's had nothing to do with snow or cold weather.

[Captain John Miller]

I drive very carefully these days after going to more than a few of those accidents and towing/winching them over/out. This is why I drive a truck, not only do I not trust cars smaller than a midsize sedan. But I feel its much safer for me.. They can go ahead and hit my van or my towtruck. The van might be damaged, the towtruck I dont think so..

Some moron rearended my truck a year ago, he ws following to close and I slowed up and rode my brakes to make him back off but he wouldnt. He ran into my trailer hitch/ball at about 35mph. Gave me a nice jolt and I was ok, my hitchball went through his honda civics hood and right into the engine. Danged illegal alien to, he went got off scott free without a car.

[AFG]

Hey I remember your dad's accident on the old forum. Glad to see he's recovering. These past couple of months have been auto unfriendly to me too, but it's not comparable to yours, Rob. In August, a Uhaul rental truck backed into my driver/rear passenger side doors, damage wasn't that bad since he was backing up greater or less than 5mph. Left a nasty dent, though. Then first week in January 08 some fucking idiot teen backed into my rear side. She was coming out of a parking lot at In-n-Out and from her speed, it looked like she wasn't looking. Got a nasty dent there as well. Then last week on Friday I just finished getting off gas and this guy about 80 rear ended me when I was at a stop. He wasn't going that fast, there was no dent, and he was a vet so I let it slide. But yea, my car is a tank and/or I'm lucky.

[Rob]

p.s. that guy looks like donner.

Heh, known him since about fourth grade, been involved with these boards since I was in 10? 9th? (I forget exactly, and finished uni a year ago) and never made the connection till you pointed it out.

[Fenris Wolf]

I live in Florida. No snow here.

But again, thanks for the advice.

No, we get rain so hard that you can't see 5 feet ahead of the car and thick fog that people on I-4 think they can blow through at 70 mph.

Be as safe as you can, but keep in mind, other people either don't care, think they're too good, or just don't have the expierence in different weather. I know I'm not going to be the one to cause an accident, but I know there's just as likely a chance that I'm involved in one.

[Dr. Crawford]

ouch. people drive like idiots around here.

they put their brakes on while going through a green light and often cause me to miss the light

and they like to talk on their cell phones a lot while its snowing and icy out :/

[AFG]

there's going to be a ban in CA that makes it illegal to drive and talk at the same time. Takes place in July I think.

[HS the Whap]

there's going to be a ban in CA that makes it illegal to drive and talk at the same time. Takes place in July I think.

CA is such a retarded place... what the hell ever happened to personal responsibility?

[Liebgott]

The other night I was on duty, and we got a call saying that some Marine was going 120 MPH, lost control, hit a tree and died on impact.

[straybullet]

there's going to be a ban in CA that makes it illegal to drive and talk at the same time. Takes place in July I think.

CA is such a retarded place... what the hell ever happened to personal responsibility?

This is a public safety issue. Same with making seatbelts mandatory for car manufacturers to install and drivers to wear. Not that I like this particular law at all, I try not to talk on the phone if I'm driving but if I have to I don't want to be pulled over and ticketed.

Also, for Pete's sake people, use your turn signals.

[Fenris Wolf]

Also, for Pete's sake people, use your turn signals.

I believe the best reason for using your turn signal is demonstrated remarkably well by Clive Owen in Shoot 'Em Up.

[Dr. Crawford]

that's one thing i don't understand also. the seatbelt laws.

i don't understand why it is mandatory to wear a seat belt.

motorcycle riders are allowed in PA to not wear a helmet if they've been driving a motorcylce for over two years. I don't see why the seatbelt is mandatory and that isn't. my grandfather was a firefighter and he told me he saw more people get hurt/trapped in a car by a seatbelt than without.

It should be personal preference.

[HS the Whap]

there's going to be a ban in CA that makes it illegal to drive and talk at the same time. Takes place in July I think.

CA is such a retarded place... what the hell ever happened to personal responsibility?

This is a public safety issue. Same with making seatbelts mandatory for car manufacturers to install and drivers to wear. Not that I like this particular law at all, I try not to talk on the phone if I'm driving but if I have to I don't want to be pulled over and ticketed.



I'm not one to argue with the science of being distracted while driving. I know it affects a large number of people, if not everyone to some degree... but the simple fact is weather or not you're talking on the phone or to people in the car with you (or hell, even singing in your car to music) you're going to be distracted. They can't expect to regulate every aspect of that law. Its just retarded... then again, the ease of which a driver's license can be obtained in this country is equally retarded.

[Fenris Wolf]

Oh California absolutely expects to regulate everything with laws.

I do agree the drivers license needs to be reworked. Unfortunately there's no really good way, since driving a car even half-decently is exceedingly simple.

[Guy Montag]

The California law is a ban on driving without a hands-free device, not talking at all. Already in effect for 18 and under, goes into effect for everyone in July.

Most terrible drivers I see around here are on the phone, so I whole heartedly support it.

[Captain John Miller]

Guld.. omg..

Yea, NJ has the law hands free device for phone or dont talk on it, yet I see people do it all the time anyways. For my job its our lifeline, we couldnt stop everytime we need to talk b/c it would make all the poor waiting people very mad.

As for set belts, the harder the impact the worse wearing it becomes. I dont like wearing them b/c I pulled more than a few people out where the belt caused it to be worse. But getting pulled over for it the other day I decided I gotta suck it up and obey the law.

[Rob]

As for set belts, the harder the impact the worse wearing it becomes. I dont like wearing them b/c I pulled more than a few people out where the belt caused it to be worse.
Disagree. My dad t-boned someone who was a near stop (turning left from the other direction in front of him) at ~70ish km/h (which would be about 43.5 mph for you yanks), and the seat belt is the only reason he's alive today.

A moot point though, since the sole reason for this thread existing was for me to harass people into paying attention and driving safely in the first place so that seat belts and air bags aren't necessary.

[Captain John Miller]

As for set belts, the harder the impact the worse wearing it becomes. I dont like wearing them b/c I pulled more than a few people out where the belt caused it to be worse.
Disagree. My dad t-boned someone who was a near stop (turning left from the other direction in front of him) at ~70ish km/h (which would be about 43.5 mph for you yanks), and the seat belt is the only reason he's alive today.

A moot point though, since the sole reason for this thread existing was for me to harass people into paying attention and driving safely in the first place so that seat belts and air bags aren't necessary.
It depends on the kinda impact, more often than not the people canget trapped by them and not be able to escape a car that will go up in smoke. Or the seatbelt held them in such a way it made the injuries sustained worse.