I was working, helping out a customer when I heard what sounded like someone slamming a hood or a trunk, or a car door. I looked out. What do I see? A Nissan Murano spinning like a top on it's roof through the intersection outside work.

I said "Oh my GOD!" and ran out to see if I could help. Side airbags were deployed, the occupants were an older couple, both hanging by their seat belts. We got the passenger side door open, and I peeled it as far back as I could. The woman in the passenger seat was alert, talking, as was her husband in the driver seat. Her foot was caught in a little section underneath the dash and I helped her get it free. She got her belt loose, and by that time, the paramedics got there (they're only a mile from there, tops) and they helped her out.

Both the woman and her husband were just fine. A little sore (that was to be expected), she had a very small cut on her head, and he had a small cut on his arm. Nothing else.

Long story short, a teenager driving a 2003 Dodge Neon blew a red light and hit them on the rear passenger side. The Neon was trashed. The Murano, while still destined for the boneyard, had very little collapse of the roof. The structure was intact, and like I said before, the man and woman inside were fine. My respect for Nissan just went up.

The really scary thing though? I had the very thought today that there had never been a large accident in that intersection before, and the very words that ran through my head were "It's about due for one."

Little did I know how soon it was due.

~Aaron

 

What pisses me off the most is the goddamn teenager, Im 17 and that literally makes me look like the worst driver on the road, When in fact im the safest driver i can be at all times. I hope that kid gets his license taken away for years.

 

I agree skatelove303. I'm 19 myself and I'm quite aware that I'm a better driver than both of my parents. That's not to say they're bad drivers-quite the opposite. Neither has ever been the cause of an accident. But I still get the bad reputation just because I'm 19.

 

I was quite the safe driver when I was a teenager (although I'm only 23 now). I never had an accident...that involved another driver

I had four 'accidents' that I can think of. One involved a deer and a front yard, one involved a deer and my hood, and two involved ice and the ditch.

 

Those 2 are your fault, driving to fast for the conditions.

 

I'm 30 now...
During my early years of driving I crashed a few times...and looking back on it, I can attribute the crashes to screwing around. Most younger drivers don't have a good sense of their own mortality and how dangerous driving can be...I know that I didn't.

Even as a good driver, you have to be concerned about everyone else who is driving.

 

The first one? Probably, although I was going the speed limit, and I hit black ice.

The second one? I fail to see how 5mph could possibly be "too fast". I turned left out of a driveway, and started going down this hill. Let off the gas, and the engine brake locked the drivetrain. Shifted to second, and still kept sliding. I was in 4wd, and when I hit the brakes, the front wheels stopped, locking the drivetrain again. I was in a full out 4 wheel skid, gaining speed down this hill. I tried everything to get it to stop. I even considered putting it into reverse and jamming on the gas, but that would have killed my clutch. So I just rode it out. came to the T-intersection, squeezed it between a power pole and it's support cable, and sat it right down in the ditch. Couldn't have been doing more than 5 MPH. Took me about 5 minutes worth of work, but that old bitch managed to claw her way out. 1994 F-150.

 

VERY few teenagers are experienced drivers. When coupled with distractions (eating, cell phone ringing/talking, texting, friends talking in the car, etc.) and poor/inexperienced judgement this leads to bad driving. Insurance companies base their rates on the risk of certain group and teenagers fall in the highest bracket.
There are many cases where teenagers are experienced AND cautious drivers, but that is more of an exception. Rather than be angry about teenagers being categorized as poor drivers, make yourself the exception to the rule.

By the time I was 16 and able to get my license, I had been trailering livestock for 6 years on a ranch and was better at backing a trailer than many professional drivers. I was a very skilled driver, but still had to prove my good judgement.

Don't answer the phone until you are stopped in a parking lot or safely on the side of the road.
Don't eat while driving.
Don't allow passengers to distract you.
Drive the speed limit. If you're running late, the consequences of being late are rarely DEATH!
Watch out for all the other dangerous drivers who disregard any or all of the above!

Driving while talking on a cell phone is evuivalent to driving with a 1.0 Blood Alcohol Level! EVEN IF YOU ARE USING AN EARPIECE! Your brain is engaged in something other than driving. Texting while driving is even worse.

Off my soapbox...Drive carefully. I have been guilty of all of the above at some point (except texting).

 

im 28 now,,,

never had a accident in any car i have owned.

i have been riding streetbikes since i was 18.


it is my firm belief that everyone should spend 6 months riding a motorcycle on the street. it gives you a whole new perspective on people and their stupid driving behaviors. you learn to keep your head on a swivel and to feel where others are around you.

you learn to immediately stay away from cars with dents and busted up body work. semi trucks and motorhomes. you spot peeps on phones and you get away from them,,,

you learn to stay away from what might kill ya.

granted red light runners and drunkers are another story, but you learn on a bike to approach intersections with caution and not to take a red light as a brick wall that will stop cars.

 

5mph is still to fast, if you need to drive slower than that to keep from crashing then that it what you do.
End of story.
That is the law.
I know black ice sucks, but you can see it coming if you know what to look for, in the winter time the road will not be wet, if it looks wet you MUST assume that it is black ice.
you know it is below freezing, the "wet" spot is in the shade, water freezes at 32*F so that "wet" spot must be ice.
if it is night time and below freezing you need to slow down and anticipate black ice, snow, deer, naked crazy old man, whatever.
The less your visablilty the slower you need to drive, and if that means staying to the right lane with your hazards on then so be it.
Your goal is to get yourself from point "A" to point "B" as safely as possible.
And if safely means driving at 1 mph then you drive 1 mph.
I used to drive from Grand Rapids MI to Ft. Wayne IN once a week when I drove truck, it was a 3.5 hour drive one way on dry roads, one winter it took me 7 hours because of a ice storm.
But I didnt crash.
With age comes wisdom, slow and steady wins the race.
You are still young, you will learn, you think I'm a jerk now but you wont when you are 40.