If you thought it gets better, it does.... Mk II

[Wood Butcher]

What a day. It all started of at 5:00am this morning when the little boy came into my bedroom. Something smelt a bit off so I got up to investigate. Turned out the he had one of those nappies where the contents managed to escape. So, after I had changed his nappy and clothes I decided that I may as well stay up and get a coffee. Walking through the lounge room I could still smell something. Had a look around and found out that junior had been sitting on the couch after he filled his duds. So I had to clean up all the escaped contents that had landed on the couch. After that was done I got a coffee and went out to the laundy to soak and wash his dirty clothes.

After all that I thought the day could only get better. SWMBO and I had planned to go the carbalah markets ( one of the regions biggest monthly outdoor markets) and after that drop in to se Andy Mac for morning tea. We took off at 9:20, bought some fruit loaf for morning tea and started off on our way out of town. I must admit that the traffic was fairly heavy as the weather is really good today and a lot of people are heading out of town for the day.

The carlabah markets are held at the showground and as you approach the markets, they are just over a small crest in the road. As I came over the crest I noticed that the traffic had severely backed up outside the entrance to the markets. I managed to pull up in time to avoid hitting the car in front of me and instinctively I looked into the rear view mirror. All I could see was another car bearing down on me way too quick. Sure enough he hit and hard. I immediately pulled off the road and got the kids out of the backseat. SWMVO and I checked the kids and thankfully there were physically fine, screaming their heads off but fine.

Not more than two minutes after I got out of my car, not more than 50 metres down the road the same thing happened agian, this time there were four cars involved. People were coming over the crest in the hill way too fast and not expecting to the traffic to be stopping so suddenly. Any way, I called the police straight away and got the details off the other driver. Turns out that he has no insurance and admitted that he did not know how he was going to pay for the damamge to my car. (He did admit straight away to me that he was at fault.) SWMBO took off, walking to Andy Mac who lives close to were it all happened. Firstly the towies turned up (within 15 minutes) then the firies and the ambos. The police only turned up 30 minutes later. No offence to any coppers but considering that there was 6 damaged cars on the side of the road and debrie all over the road I thought it was pretty poor ( and yes I told 000 that there was multiple cars involved).

All in all, things didn't turned out to bad, my insurance is going to cover all of my costs including towing and my family are safe although a bit sore from the impact and very shaky.

Lastly, I want to thank Andy Mac for his help and for giving me and the family a lift back home (30 minute drive from his place).

Just have to wait and see what happens this afternoon now?!?!?!

[ernknot]

I like your attitude, should be more of it. Did you knee the other guy in the groin?? he he.

[Wood Butcher]

Nah, the police did him over. He copped 4 major fines had his licence taken off him and not only has to fix his car but also cop the cost of fixing mine. At a guess I can't see him getting any change out of $2500. That and his girlfriend is apparently really off with him for stuffing his car.

Been thinking about it since it we got home and the one image that is stuck in my head is when I looked in the rear view mirror after I pulled up and saw the other car coming up thinking to myself "Oh shyt this is not going to be good". I have a feeling that that image will be in my head for quite some time yet.

On another positive note, at least I have a really good excuse why I can't submit my last uni assignment tomorrow. Should be good for an extension now.

[doug the slug]

hi rowan

as a former resident of the army barracks at cabarlah i can visualise the whole scenario, sounds like an accident waiting to happen, with the markets entrance not far over the crest of the hill on one of the state's major highways . very messy, and i hope you all come out ok

[RufflyRustic]

Yeah, hate it when this happens. I still have flashbacks to my first rear-ender in my brand new car which I'd had for just 4 months. I can clearly remember seeing the lights coming and not stopping..... Then he decided to p*&^%$ off back to where he came from, the race course bar :mad: I just keep saying to myself, that what goes around comes around and fate will deliver justice at some point in time.

Anyway - glad to hear you are all ok. Good luck with the assignment extensions and exams.

cheers
Wendy

[SS Ute]

Not what you expect when you head out for the day is it! I just hope that after a morning like that, you refused to go anywhere near powertools in the afternoon.

[Kev Y.]

I know what you mean about not getting an image out of your head..I still have flash backs to the time when I wittnessed MY families people mover doing a barrel roll down the Calder Highway just west of Bendigo.

I was in our other car in front, managed to see the whole thing in slow motion...
NOT a nice feeling

[Driver]

I know what you mean about not getting an image out of your head..I still have flash backs to the time when I wittnessed MY families people mover doing a barrel roll down the Calder Highway just west of Bendigo.

I was in our other car in front, managed to see the whole thing in slow motion...
NOT a nice feeling

Many years ago, I was travelling home to my parents' place on a double-decker bus when I saw their car - very badly smashed - at the side of the road.

This was in the days when mobile phones only appeared in Dick Tracy cartoons. It took another 45 minutes (the longest of my life!) to get to my parents' house. I rang my sister and got no answer. I tried various other rellies without a result. Finally I received a call from a cousin who knew which hospital Mum and Dad were in.

The end result was better than I would have thought possible when I first saw the car. They both had suffered only minor injuries and made complete recoveries.

I'll never get the image of their wrecked car out of my head. Imagine what a mini would look like after it had been rear-ended at traffic lights by a semi-trailer loaded with newsprint. The truck's brakes had failed coming down a hill. The driver sounded his horn - but too late for Dad to get out of the way. According to their doctor, Mum and Dad were saved from serious whiplash injuries by the fact that their seats collapsed backwards on impact!

[Wood Butcher]

It must have been a bad day for it. Apparently there was a third accident about 200m back up the road 10 minutes after ours and when Andy Mac was driving us home there was another accident 10k's back towards toowoomba. I had never been involved in an accident like this before and I am thankful that we got a big car not one of those small hatchback's.

Went to see the car this morning and it is a lot worse than I thought. The bloke at the impound lot at the panel shop said that there is substantial damage to the chassis so there is a chance that the car could be written off. Not a nice thought, but I will not know for certain for at least a couple of days. I think the waiting for the phone call to say what is going to happen to the car at the moment is the hardest to deal with. You never realise how much you need a car until you don't have one.

[Pat]

I take it the the coppers are going to charge the other driver with the applicable traffic offences? DanP any comments? Uninsured driver, 3rd party insurance in cane toad territory?

Thankfully you and the brood are safe and well!

[Justin]

I hope it turns out o.k for you. I had a humongous rear ender about four years ago. Some d***head was running away from the cops on foot across eight lanes of the Nepean Highway. He made it to lane number 7 and got skittled by the car in front of me. I threw out the anchor and managed to pull up without hitting the car in front (lets hear it for ABS), but my elation was short lived as I looked up in the rearview and saw some headlights barrelling towards me. I had this weird, out of body style experience where I remember thinking " I wonder if this is going to hurt..." in a very detached and non-scared way then BAM, hit and pushed into the car in front. Airbag didn't go off but the car had 11 grand's worth of damage, the panelbeaters had to cut and shut a complete back end onto the thing to fix it. Luckily for me it was a company car so the beaters stumped up a buzz box toyota starlet for me to get around in whilst repairs were carried out.

Best of luck with getting some wheels under you asap.


Cheers,


Justin.

[Wood Butcher]

Holy Crap!!

I just got the call from the panel shop estimator. His "conservative" quote is at $7000+. Apparently when they pried the boot open they saw that the floor of the boot was creased up as well as the chassis.

Oh Well. Have to wait and see what the insurance says now. Does anyone know how the insurance mobs work out whether or not it is worth repairing a vehicle or just writing it off??

[Iain]

Many moons ago I was travelling on Burwood Hwy towards the city and the lights changed at Bayswater Rd, I braked and there was nothing behind me but a F100 with a tandem trailer then changed lanes and shortened our HOnda Civic by about a metre.
Car was about a year old and a write off, the prick driving the F100 reckoned it was our fault for stopping :eek: :eek: :eek:
Insurance company and police didn't agree.
No damage to us but we got pushed right across the intersection.

[Driver]

(This is going to sound like one of those "When I were a lad..." diatribes but, bugger it, here goes anyway)

(Assumes grumpy old bugger demeanour)

40-odd years ago, when I was learning to drive, the bloke who taught me was a very wise old boy who had retired some years previously after a long career as a chauffeur. In his day, chauffeurs did more than just drive the car, they were responsible for its entire maintenance. So he was a fully qualified mechanic as well as being a professional driver of many years' experience.

One of the things he impressed upon me was that - in any shunt when one vehicle rear-ends another - it is always the driver of following vehicle that is to blame; no matter what the leading vehicle's driver has done.

His rationale (which still makes eminent sense) was that when you are following another vehicle, you should keep sufficient distance between you and the vehicle in front so that, if the leading vehicle stops suddenly, you have time to brake. The distance will vary according to road conditions and speed but, on a dry road, a distance equivalent to a full two seconds will be enough (double that for a wet road).

Using this logic, it will never matter what causes the leading vehicle to stop suddenly - even a completely illogical emergency stop for no good reason - if the following vehicle cannot stop in time to avoid a shunt, the driver of the following vehicle is to blame.

If you absorb this and accept the logic of the argument, you will drive defensively and will rarely be in a position to run up the @rse of the vehicle in front.

Now, that whole argument used to be taught to learner drivers back in days of yore and accepted as a matter of course. Why is it not still taught now? Because it isn't - apparently. I have heard of many a case where the following driver will argue energetically that he wouldn't have hit the car in front if its driver hadn't done something dumb. If everyone simply accepted the logic that the following driver is always at fault, then these disputes would never occur - and that might save some court time.

It's a good, logical argument and its relevance cannot have diminished. With more traffic on the roads it has become more relevant.

Or am I missing something?

Col

[Redback]

His rationale (which still makes eminent sense) was that when you are following another vehicle, you should keep sufficient distance between you and the vehicle in front so that, if the leading vehicle stops suddenly, you have time to brake. The distance will vary according to road conditions and speed but, on a dry road, a distance equivalent to a full two seconds will be enough (double that for a wet road).

I dunno about the days of yore, but was certainly what I was taught, and I dont think im of an age of yore yet

In fact I thought in any rear ender, the person at the back is automatically presumed to be at fault?

The other thing I would have thought everyone would do would be to start braking as soon as you see the car in front of you brake... (and I mean even if they are just barely touching the brake). I have been a passenger with a number of people who still seem to be accellerating when the car in front is braking!....