[ethos]

http://www.ocregister.com/news/honda-239669-driver-chp.html

Make sure to click on the picture within the story to see more pictures, including one of the driver sitting on the road with nothing more than "minor injuries"

 

[joedoyle3]

Looks like he had the stock tires. Explains everything...

 

[jdiane]

Wow, that makes me really NOT want to buy a Nissan Sentra. :shock:

That E couldn't have the stock tires because it looks like an 04 and there is no way the stockers would have that much tread after six years. :roll:;-)

 

[joedoyle3]

Just being a little sarcastic about the tires... :-D

 

[elementbryon]

Bad driver with bald tires+ 90 mph+ cell phone glued to ear=pretty funny.
I love the caption for the picture of the Nissan Sentra, "...the Honda drove right over it..." Who wouldn't want to run over a Sentra? :razz:

 

[hapyface]

how did u know he was on the cell when being cut off and doing 90 mph????

 

[ElementaryEd]

Wow, that makes me really NOT want to buy a Nissan Sentra. :shock:
QUOTE]

That was the first thing I thought of going through the pics!

 

[slimerdogs]

The roof of the E is pretty bad also. Another E that gave its life to save its driver. It looks like he just wanted to buy a M.B. at the house of imports.:-D

 

[scorsone]

Yeah the roof of that E is in pretty bad shape but consider the extra head room the E has to play with and the bigger fact that it looks like it tried to do a front flip off the top of the Sentra!

The caption for the Camry said it suffered that damage from the chain link fence! That is a lot of damage...

 

[ORANGEE]

Driver of the Element didn't look worse for wear - another testament to the BOX
That and I bet he was wearing his seat belt

 

[Culinary Wolf]

I think we are way past "tried" for that back flip.

Considering the damage of all the vehicles, makes me glad to be an element owner.

 

[BLK BOX]

I'm glad he took out a Nissan and a Toyota in the process:razz: But it goes to show how tough the E really is, I love seeing the driver on his standing on his feet while the wrecked E he emerged from looks the way it does, hopefully this will turn more people to the E which is probably the safest car on the road :grin:

 

[Tim Vance]

how did u know he was on the cell when being cut off and doing 90 mph????

First, I'm SOOO glad the driver is ok, and walked away from this one! I agree that the more accidents we hear of (and they are bound to happen) the better I feel whenever the E's driver can walk away.

As to his assertion that he was 'cut off' by a big rig...I'll take that one with a grain of salt...(as I'm sure the police are thinking too)
It's my experience that most drivers don't bother to pay attention to trucks. When you see a truck with it's signal on wanting to change lanes, don't try to 'beat him', just so you won't be stuck behind the truck! The truck driver is watching the space, and when he see's he's clear, he will change lanes. He may not see you accelerating to take the space.
Were you cut off? Technically, no, you shouldn't have been speeding up to take the space (obviously on the inside lane too). You should have let the truck change lanes, then passed him when the way is clear.
But it's so much easier to say 'The big bad truck cut me off!' More correctly, you were not watching the road and traffic ahead of you, and failed to see what was going on.

Either way, the result is the same...car argues with truck, car loses. Always.
/rant

 

[hapyface]

that was what i was taught too when i learned to drive a bus!

First, I'm SOOO glad the driver is ok, and walked away from this one! I agree that the more accidents we hear of (and they are bound to happen) the better I feel whenever the E's driver can walk away.

As to his assertion that he was 'cut off' by a big rig...I'll take that one with a grain of salt...(as I'm sure the police are thinking too)
It's my experience that most drivers don't bother to pay attention to trucks. When you see a truck with it's signal on wanting to change lanes, don't try to 'beat him', just so you won't be stuck behind the truck! The truck driver is watching the space, and when he see's he's clear, he will change lanes. He may not see you accelerating to take the space.
Were you cut off? Technically, no, you shouldn't have been speeding up to take the space (obviously on the inside lane too). You should have let the truck change lanes, then passed him when the way is clear.
But it's so much easier to say 'The big bad truck cut me off!' More correctly, you were not watching the road and traffic ahead of you, and failed to see what was going on.

Either way, the result is the same...car argues with truck, car loses. Always.
/rant

 

[ethos]

Maybe truckers drive a little better in the areas that you guys are from. Here is MO they drive like arse holes. I've seen this posted on a few sites and am amazed at how people automatically defend the phantom trucker.

Why would anyone automatically discredit that account of the incident? Especially from the person that was actually there - the Element driver. Would people be defending the "other" driver if the Element driver said he was cut off by a foreigner in a taxi cab?

Also, why do people automatically assume that he was on his cell when the accident happened? I'm not trying to defend or upset anyone, but it seems that people want to imagine what (they think) could have happened and then they're telling the story like they were there on the scene.
No offense, but no one knows anymore about the story than anyone else that read the same article, which says nothing about him cutting off the truck or being on his cell when it happened.
FYI: If you are in a truck's blind spots and see his blinkers click on, you're going to speed up and try to get out of the way, right? Seems no one wants to accept that as a possibility. Everyone is content making up reason's the Element driver is at fault? Seems strange on this site

 

[breese524]

FYI: If you are in a truck's blind spots and see his blinkers click on, you're going to speed up and try to get out of the way, right? Seems no one wants to accept that as a possibility. Everyone is content making up reason's the Element driver is at fault? Seems strange on this site

If your in the blind spot, and are behind the truck it is much safer to stay behind the truck. If your beside the truck, why the H are you sitting in a blind spot. This is my biggest pet peeve when I go on a road trip. If you're going to pass someone then pass them and get it over with, don't sit next to them and take your sweet time.

BTW the same applies to cars. If the blinker comes on and there's space in the direction indicated, the car is coming. Don't speed up to block the space.

 

[slimerdogs]

Bottom line. No matter what happened the driver was not able to maintain control of his vehicle and crashed. The outcome is there is bent metal but no one killed or hurt thankfully. I have been on both sides of trucking as I drove trucks back in the 80 and saw it all.

 

[scorsone]

Well, not to take this thread too off topic, Most truck drivers are good careful drivers, some are absolute terrible drivers and think they own the road.

Why is it okay for a truck to pull into my lane with less than a second of clearance between him and I but signs all over the interstate tell me I should leave more room in front of the truck when I pass him?

I have driven many miles in Italy and the lane usage is top notch there. The left lane is passing only and the trucks never use that lane.

 

[07lmnt]

I'm amazed at all the damage caused by a "toaster" and the driver walks away.
No comment on his driving skills, or lack of.......

 

[Tim Vance]

Well, not to take this thread too off topic, Most truck drivers are good careful drivers, some are absolute terrible drivers and think they own the road.

Why is it okay for a truck to pull into my lane with less than a second of clearance between him and I but signs all over the interstate tell me I should leave more room in front of the truck when I pass him?

I have driven many miles in Italy and the lane usage is top notch there. The left lane is passing only and the trucks never use that lane.

I can attest to there being many bad truck drivers out there, believe me, I fail almost as many as I pass, and I agree that I can't say for sure who was actually at fault...but, judging from what I can see in the pics, it's not hard to figure out, if you've investigated as many accidents as I have...
There is also a big difference being in the drivers blind side than in his blind spot, but I'm not about to get into it now...lol
breese524 has it absolutely right - far too many drivers out there have no idea how to pass, never mind lane discipline!
scorsone - have you ever tried to guage exactly where a vehicle is, on your right side, 75 feet behind your mirror? Most drivers literally just guess...scary, isn't it? The fact that YOU know the 'seconds rule' puts you ahead of about 75% of the general population!
There is also a huge difference between the highways in Europe and North America, not to mention driver training and attitude. Why do you think so many Europeans and Canadians really don't like driving in the US? (here's a hint...the left lane is for passing ONLY)
(ya, I know I've opened the flood gates....lol)