My first traffic accident in 28 years of driving. Fuck

The BBQ Pit
1

Until today my only experience as a driver involved in an accident was sitting at a dead stop in a parking lot when someone hit me at about 2 miles an hour. We settled with each other – he wrote me a $19 check for the lamp cover he broke.

Today I hit a jerk who came from my left and tried to make a left turn right in frony of me. There wasn’t nearly enough time or space and I hit him in his passenger door. Fortunately, no one was hurt and there was little damage – which, I might add, was entirely due to me. I almost got stopped in time, and if the lane to my right had been clear I would have dodged it. The airbag didn’t go off, and a brief look showed both cars still drivable. .

I had some real satisfaction at the end. We had pulled into the nearest strip mall lot, which turn out to also house the police station, and after the officer took our statements and looked at the cars, she said, “Youjimboguy, you’re free to go.” To the other guy she said, "Paul, why don’t we just step into the station for a few minutes while I write you a citation.

It’s almost like the emotional satisfaction you might feel if somebody was sent off to jail for doing you wrong.

Still, at least the guy had the guts to tell the basic truth. I thought it interesting he said he was trying to “merge” with the traffic. There was no merge or acceleration lane, or emergency strip to merge from. He was just making a 90 degee left turn at an intersection with a street with one way traffic to his left. I don’t think of that as merging, but maybe my definition was too narrow, Anyway he got the ticket, nyah, nyah, nyah.

2

Ummmm…if he hit you, and he was at fault, and he got the ticket, then I don’t think you have any cause to castigate yourself for your “first accident in 28 years”, nor do I believe the “fuck” is merited, nor should this be in the Pit. :smiley:

Pit threads about accidents with lots of “fuck” are for when you fucked up. And you dint. If people are absolutely bound and determined to drive like idjits, there’s not a lot the rest of us normal people can do about it except close our eyes and wait for it to be over.

Even if you can’t forgive yourself for being in precisely the wrong spot on the space-time continuum at the same time as an idjit seeing phantom merge lanes was, I at least forgive you. Go in peace. :smiley:

P.S. Good on you for not instinctively swerving over to the right and thus wrecking the day of a third person. That 28 years of driving experience shows.

3

Or perhaps I should have said, “For when the Other Guy fucked up bad enough to merit some creative flaming.” Which I don’t see here. Either spice it up, or ask Giraffe to move it to MPSIMS, eh? :smiley:

4

Well, first one in 30 years two and a half weeks ago…we are going straight through intersection on a green light, lady coming opposite way,turning left, kept turning left, “hubby: what the hell, she’s not stopping”, kept turning left, right in to the front of my six month old Pontiac Wave. We tried to avoid her but without driving up on to the median. Took all lights and fender, bent hood, just picked it up yesterday from the body shop. She was charged. Police officer told us “despite my many cautions, she insisted on telling me her story…she is going to fight the charge of “unsafe left turn” but damage and evidence proves she is in the wrong”. Expect a request to appear in court." Great.

If she had of been a little nicer: *me rushing to her car * “are you ok, can I help you?” her in a very haughty tone: “There is absolutely nothing YOU can do for me”.

Fine…so when I had to phone her insurance company for the policy number no one could read on the police report, I also happened to casually mention that she was charged…“what do you mean, she hasn’t reported it yet? Well, in case she doesn’t, here’s the info”. :stuck_out_tongue:

5

from the description, and since the other driver was cited and you were not, why do you say it was entirely due to you?

6

I am pretty sure what the OP means is that due to him, there was little damage- *as opposed to * large or serious damage.

I do have to say this is more of a MPSIMS thread, it’s so mild. :smiley:

7

Just try to remember that they would not call them “accidents” if you planned them…

8

That’s so nice. I’m still not sure who was in the wrong from the accident I had; would that someone had stopped and been a witness, even if it meant I was wrong. I hate the uncertainty. (OK, I had more than one accident but this was the only non-single-car one.)

9

Youch. Could have been worse, so you did just fine.

Our mondo accident was similar to Canadiangirl’s- we were going straight through the intersection and a guy coming the other way turned left in front of us without looking. My husband made an insane turning maneuver to keep from driving right through the guy (and probably killing his wife in the passenger seat) but we still ended up in the front end of a parked car.

Luckily, the guy admitted guilt to us, every witness and the police. I think he almost died when he saw that I was very pregnant.

A great witness story? A guy saw the above accident and hung around, waiting for the cops. But when they failed to show right away (it ended up taking 3 hours and 4 calls to 911), he said he had to take his passengers home, but he promised me he would come back and give a statement. Sure, I thought, he’s never coming back.

But he did. Awesome! He said he did it because he got screwed once by a witness who wouldn’t stay and he didn’t want that happening to us! Nice guy.

10

A few things. When in a fender-bender accident- get off the highway. Signal to the other dude that you’re going off and note his licence plate and vehicle type. Then, once safely off the road- exchange info, such as insurance cards, DL numbers and what not. Don’t talk about guilt. There is no need to call the PD. If you do call the PD, don’t call 911, it’s not an “emergency”. I only suggest calling the PD in areas where it’s required to do so or the PD has special “civilian” officers for just this sort of thing. Now, many will say “but what if I need the police to determine fault?” Well, a few things on that- most PD won’t. They didn’t witness the accident, and without a full blown “vehicular manslaughter” type invesigation, they can’t. Next- it’s a civil tort issue- fault in a fender bender isn’t a criminal matter. Finally, the time spent by a Uniformed gun-toting police officer helping you collect your $200 deductable is time that the officer isn’t out there serving the public for real emergencies. Again, in certain juristictions, you are required to call the police- if so, *do so * of course!

You do need to call the police- and often by dialing 911- if there are any of the following: serious injuries, death, a vehicle is unable to be moved out of the road, drugs or alcohol are involved, or the other guy doesn’t have insurance. That last is depending. Obviously, if there are injuries, you need to consider moving them as compared to the very real risk of more cars plowing into the accident.

Now, this cite only one attorneys opinion, and is only valid in CA:
http://www.samgabriel.com/PersonalInjury.shtml
“Call the police or CHP, too, if the accident caused a death or injury. An officer who comes to the scene of the accident will make a report. If an officer does not show up at the scene, you must make a written report within 24 hours.” Note that your insurance company will file that report for you, assuming you tell them, of course.

The argument about whether or not to call police is a heated one. Some Insurance companies want you to- but it’s their money. Many PD’s ask you not to for minor fender benders. But there’s no argument at all about getting out of traffic- do it (well, unless you are in a rare juristiction where you by law, aren;t suppoed to. I can’t think of any , but IANAL)
http://www.wppd.org/faq.htm
"If you are involved in a traffic crash you should first stop and check if there are any injuries and then remain at the scene. If possible you should then move the vehicles off the roadway to allow traffic to flow; there is NO law in Florida that prohibits you from moving your vehicle out of the roadway after a crash. If the crash involves injury, a drunk driver, a hit and run with suspect information, or if your vehicle is disabled requiring a tow, you need to notify the police immediately.

If you are involved in a crash with total damage to any vehicle or other property in an apparent amount of at least $500, there are no injuries, and vehicles are drivable, you are still required to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency. If the total damage is less than $500, it is not necessary to report the accident, however, you should exchange driver information among the parties involved in the accident. This information should include; your driver’s license, current vehicle registration and current proof of insurance. "

“When you are involved in a traffic crash you should stop and remain at the scene. If possible you should move you vehicle off the roadway. There is NO law in Florida that prohibits you from moving your vehicle out of the roadway after a crash; in fact the law REQUIRES you to do so, if possible”.

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:IwZNQnS6DW0J:virginiadot.org/comtravel/faq-moveit.asp+accident+moving+your+vehicle+out+of+the+roadway+after+a+crash"&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11
"If you’re in a crash: Move it… It’s the law
Have you ever been involved in a “fender bender” and left your car in a traffic lane rather than moving it? This is a pretty common habit in Virginia. If you have a non-injury crash it’s not necessary to wait for law enforcement before moving the vehicles involved. If the vehicles can be driven, move them to a safe location and then exchange the necessary information or contact law enforcement. It’s not just a good thing to do, it’s Virginia law!
When you leave your car on the road, you contribute to traffic back-ups which can cause other crashes. So the next time you’re involved in a non-injury crash and your vehicle can be moved - MOVE IT!!!

What to do after a crash:

Check for injuries. Make sure your passengers and those in the other vehicle(s) are okay. If anyone is injured or killed, contact the law enforcement immediately. If no one is injured and you’re blocking traffic, move your car out of the way first.
Notify law enforcement. You should notify the law enforcement if there are injuries involved, when the cars cannot be moved, when one of the drivers appears to be intoxicated, when damage exceeds $1,000, when one of the drivers has no insurance and/or when one of the drivers leaves the scene of the crash. " Note here, in VA, if the damage is high you do need to call the PD.

http://www.fostercity.org/Services/safety/police/accidentinfo.cfm
"Don’t assume other drivers on the roadway see you - If there are no injuries and there is any way possible to safely move the vehicles out of the roadway, please do so immediately. If the vehicles are not moveable activate the emergency flashers if possible, and move yourself and other occupants of the vehicles to a place of safety. It is extremely important to move vehicle and passengers out of the roadway as soon as possible. Numerous accidents could be prevented each year if these simple steps were followed. Other motorists either collide with the vehicle already involved in the collision or they are distracted by the collision and cause another separate “rubber-necker” collision.

OK, so now you are safely out of the roadway…Now what? At this point you have a few options:

In California, a police report is not required unless the collision results in injury or death. Remember, if you choose to file a police report, the information is reported to the State Department of Motor Vehicles. This accident will be reflected on each driver?s DMV history regardless of fault. This information may affect your insurance premium rates. Also, if a report is taken and the officer is able to determine fault, the driver at fault may receive a traffic citation for the moving violation that caused the collision. The citation will either be issued at the scene or mailed to the driver upon completion of the investigation.
However, if the damage is over $500.00 and/or there are injuries, an SR-1 form must be completed and filed with the Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days. These forms are usually available at insurance officesAutomobile Club offices, DMV and local law enforcement agencies.
If a Police Report is not desired, the involved parties may need to contact their respective insurance companies with information about the accident.
If however the damage is extremely minor, the drivers may agree to some type of payment arrangements; thereby taking care of repairs “out of pocket” without involving a claim to either insurance company.
You’re thinking a police report is the right way to go…Here’s some more information:

A police report documents facts, physical evidence, and injuries. Based on these factors, law enforcement personnel are often able to determine who is at fault for causing the collision. It is very helpful to have an independent witness to the collision.
It is important to ask if anyone saw what happened immediately following a collision. Don?t forget to pass the information along to law enforcement personnel.
Remember to be as accurate and detailed as possible when providing your statement to the responding officer.
It is advisable to get a police report if one of the involved parties is uninsured and/or unlicensed, or if the other party refuses to exchange information.
If the other party leaves the scene without providing the necessary information or after advising them that the police are coming, the collision becomes a hit and run, which is a crime. If this happens, try to get the license plate number of the other vehicle, as well as a description of the vehicle and driver. Turn this information over to the responding officer. Do not attempt to follow or detain the other driver. Your safety is more important.
So, maybe a police report isn’t what you want…

Regardless if a report is to be taken, drivers are encouraged to and are required by law to exchange the following information after being involved in a collision.

  1. Full Name
  2. Address
  3. Residence and business phone numbers
  4. Drivers license number and State of Issue
  5. Insurance company and policy number
  6. Make, Model, and License plate number of your vehicle
  7. Witness or Passenger names, and phone numbers

It is also helpful to jot down the location and description of vehicle damage and to locate any possible witnesses to the incident" As you can see, that cite is neutral over whther or not to call the PD- except of course in the case of injury or death, and it’s advisable (as I said)"It is advisable to get a police report if one of the involved parties is uninsured and/or unlicensed, or if the other party refuses to exchange information.
If the other party leaves the scene without providing the necessary information or after advising them that the police are coming, the collision becomes a hit and run, which is a crime. " But note they say to move the vehicles if it can be done safely.

So get out of the highway. Call the police only if nessesary.

IANAL.

11

To clarify what happened:

It was a T intersection and I was going straight through west on the “crossbar” road. He was waiting at a stop sign facing north on the “upright bar”, waiting to turn west. I had the right of way to go straight through – no light or stop sign to impede me, and he was supposed to wait until traffic cleared.

He apparently thought he could make it into a small gap between the car ahead of me, and me, so he pulled out from my left. `I hit his passenger door as he was maybe half way through the arc of his turn.

But I did do pretty well in defensive driving, and really did minimize the damage to both us and our cars. I did have time to hit the brakes. I did have time to edge to the right and reduce the angle of the hit a little bit. And I had time to flash on the thought of jerking over to the next lane to the right, and rejected it because there was another car there

I almost stopped in time. I’m not quite sure how fast I was going, I was in a long of nearly nose to tail traffic and the speeds were kind of surging up in down due to a light on my street a few blocks ahead. I’m reasonably sure I was doing somewhere in 25-35 mph when I hit the brakes, amd I must have been down to 5 or less when we finally made contact. There was remarkably little damage.

But just as I wrote this I thought it might be that I didn’t slow so much, maybe he was flooring it so the differnce in speed between the two card was very little. I’m not really confident of my sense of time passage during what I’m sure was a total time of maybe? … 3 seconds? 5? Surely less than 10.

If someone wants to pit me for starting a inappropriate pit thread, well fuck you very much. I’m pissed that some asshole spoiled my perfect record, and wondering if I could have done everything just a little bit quicker, and gotten clear altogether…

12

Boyo Jim, maybe I’m not seeing it, or I’m just being whooshed, but I don’t think anyone’s got any real problem with your rant. Y’know how the pit is: if you haven’t sprinkled enough fucks, shits, damns, etc, like so much pixie dust, people start forgetting which forum they’re in! (I kid, I kid!)

Really, though. I understand exactly what you’re saying! You had a clean driving record, and thanks to some dipshit whose driving skills had obviously taken a vacation… your driving record is no longer spotless. And you can’t help thinking that if you’d done something just a little bit differently that maybe - just maybe - you might have been able to avoid the entire fucking mess.

I dig it. Venting is good.

But more than that… no one was hurt, and you weren’t at fault.

I’m thankful for that. And I know you are, too.

13

I wasn’t Pitting you for an inappropriate rant, sorry you thought that. I just felt sorry for yer lonely little thread languishing all by itself with no responses and thought you might get more posts if 'twas in MPSIMS.

Is all.

Not everybody is out to get you, ya know. :wink: :smiley:

14

My apologies for misinterpreting.

15

Right, more or less what I meant by mine. It’s a fine OP.

16

Driving in Calgary, I feel like they ARE. I can’t see the bull’s eyes painted on my Corolla, but apparently they are there. I’m seriously thinking about outlining my car in reflective tape and getting my horn changed from its incredibly wussy little beep to a horn that will make people flinch. Yeah, baby.

17

My witness story:

Back in March, I was waiting on a red light at a downtown intersection on my way to work, heading East. The light turned green. I went.

I got about 3/4 of the way through the intersection when the guy heading South basically failed to see his red light and creamed my driver’s side door and front fender.

We pull over and get out. The city bus that was traveling behind me also pulled over. The driver stuck her head out the window and said: “Hey y’all, I got that on tape. Call my dispatcher if you need me. Bus ###. Later!”

The other dude turned to me and said “So I guess that was my fault.”

You betcha.