I've killed my scooby :(
#91
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Glad to see that you will recover from that one, pretty scary.
I to had the misfortune of colliding with a wall and a tree at 60 mph. Driving down the A68 last monday, wet dark and slippy, swerved to aviod a badger, lost control, hit the wall head on, no air bag deployed. Then hit a tree with the passenger side of the car, from where the door line should have been to where it is now, this distance of 21 inches. That to me and the recoveres, spelled side impact protection FAILIURE. The back on the driver seat SNAPPED and went into fully reclined position and the sterio finished up on the rear shelf
Emergency services said i was lucky to walk away with just a small cut on my fingerand some minor bruising off the seat belt.
The car did its job to protect me but passengers would not have been so lucky. Thes cars are fast and do handle well (when in the right hands) but they are by no means as safe as they should be (IN MY OPINION).
Will post some when i can.
I to had the misfortune of colliding with a wall and a tree at 60 mph. Driving down the A68 last monday, wet dark and slippy, swerved to aviod a badger, lost control, hit the wall head on, no air bag deployed. Then hit a tree with the passenger side of the car, from where the door line should have been to where it is now, this distance of 21 inches. That to me and the recoveres, spelled side impact protection FAILIURE. The back on the driver seat SNAPPED and went into fully reclined position and the sterio finished up on the rear shelf
Emergency services said i was lucky to walk away with just a small cut on my fingerand some minor bruising off the seat belt.
The car did its job to protect me but passengers would not have been so lucky. Thes cars are fast and do handle well (when in the right hands) but they are by no means as safe as they should be (IN MY OPINION).
Will post some when i can.
#93
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EVOLUTION
NO car has side impact protection that will stand the impact of a tree at 60mph - the kinetic energy dissipated instantly is colossal, and the Impreza is probably no worse than any of its peers!
For some reason people seem to think they are invincible in Imprezas. No doubt this winter again many will be written off as their drivers exceed theirs and the car/tyres' capabilities. For some reason people think a 4wd car suddenly gains lateral tyre grip over a 2wd one with the same tyres - all it will give you is better traction in a straight line.
There is a saying that when you have an accident in a 4wd car like an Impreza it will be a VERY big one....because a lot of the time people are travelling a lot faster when it lets go.
Reading your post again, you seem to be saying that you were driving on a slippery road in the dark, lost it (don't blame the badger, it was just going about its business), hit a tree and wrote the car off, you could have been killed if the tree had hit your side, and it's the car's fault for being too weak.....methinks you also have to have a rethink about risk and responsibility!
[Edited by Dave T-S - 10/23/2002 2:44:51 PM]
NO car has side impact protection that will stand the impact of a tree at 60mph - the kinetic energy dissipated instantly is colossal, and the Impreza is probably no worse than any of its peers!
For some reason people seem to think they are invincible in Imprezas. No doubt this winter again many will be written off as their drivers exceed theirs and the car/tyres' capabilities. For some reason people think a 4wd car suddenly gains lateral tyre grip over a 2wd one with the same tyres - all it will give you is better traction in a straight line.
There is a saying that when you have an accident in a 4wd car like an Impreza it will be a VERY big one....because a lot of the time people are travelling a lot faster when it lets go.
Reading your post again, you seem to be saying that you were driving on a slippery road in the dark, lost it (don't blame the badger, it was just going about its business), hit a tree and wrote the car off, you could have been killed if the tree had hit your side, and it's the car's fault for being too weak.....methinks you also have to have a rethink about risk and responsibility!
[Edited by Dave T-S - 10/23/2002 2:44:51 PM]
#94
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AWD = good grip
Ice = no grip
AWD v Ice = crashed car (in most cases)
People do think that with AWD you are invincable, and as you rightly stated Dave, tyres etc wont have much affect on some of the conditions we get in winter (snow for instance) and you have to adapt your driving to the conditions (colder, darker, wetter = slower )
Tony
Ice = no grip
AWD v Ice = crashed car (in most cases)
People do think that with AWD you are invincable, and as you rightly stated Dave, tyres etc wont have much affect on some of the conditions we get in winter (snow for instance) and you have to adapt your driving to the conditions (colder, darker, wetter = slower )
Tony
#96
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FAO DAVE T S
i am not saying it was the badgers fault, quite the oppisite, it was complete inexperience on my part. but when i hit the tree, i had hit a wall first and spun at leats once before i hit the tree. I was doing 60 when this started, so when i hit the tree i would say i was under 60 at the time. Looking at the damage on the front, i would say well under sixty.
Im probably (was) one of the youngest scooby owners on here. I do admit that i have not had the experience that i should have had to drive the car. My mistake, i will fix it, but i do belive there is an issue with the side impact protection and the air bags.
Looking at his photos, one of his doors is wide open (not sure if that happened in the accident or if someone opened it after) and there were no air bag deployed either.
i am not saying it was the badgers fault, quite the oppisite, it was complete inexperience on my part. but when i hit the tree, i had hit a wall first and spun at leats once before i hit the tree. I was doing 60 when this started, so when i hit the tree i would say i was under 60 at the time. Looking at the damage on the front, i would say well under sixty.
Im probably (was) one of the youngest scooby owners on here. I do admit that i have not had the experience that i should have had to drive the car. My mistake, i will fix it, but i do belive there is an issue with the side impact protection and the air bags.
Looking at his photos, one of his doors is wide open (not sure if that happened in the accident or if someone opened it after) and there were no air bag deployed either.
#97
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EVOLUTION
Ok, fair comment on your part. I should warn you, however, that if you think a small bag of wind is going to protect you from a VERY solid tree slamming into your head at up to 60mph - it won't!!
One of the worst possible accidents a car can have is to sideswipe a tree or lamp post. Rarely do people walk away alive if they are on the impact side. It's all about dissipation of energy - in a front or rear impact you have engines, transmission and large crumple zones to disperse the energy. In a side impact you have none of this and the energy will easily go two feet or more into the car. If you look at pictures of sideswipes, frequently the cars are bent almost in half.
Look at it another way - simulate a test where you are sitting in your seat in a stationary car, and a large tree is fired into the door of your car at 60mph - what SIPS can protect you from that?
Makes you think, doesn't it?
[Edited by Dave T-S - 10/23/2002 3:13:29 PM]
Ok, fair comment on your part. I should warn you, however, that if you think a small bag of wind is going to protect you from a VERY solid tree slamming into your head at up to 60mph - it won't!!
One of the worst possible accidents a car can have is to sideswipe a tree or lamp post. Rarely do people walk away alive if they are on the impact side. It's all about dissipation of energy - in a front or rear impact you have engines, transmission and large crumple zones to disperse the energy. In a side impact you have none of this and the energy will easily go two feet or more into the car. If you look at pictures of sideswipes, frequently the cars are bent almost in half.
Look at it another way - simulate a test where you are sitting in your seat in a stationary car, and a large tree is fired into the door of your car at 60mph - what SIPS can protect you from that?
Makes you think, doesn't it?
[Edited by Dave T-S - 10/23/2002 3:13:29 PM]
#99
Agree with Dave about the tree - know 1st hand what it's like to hit one - even at low speeds, ie 20-30mph the car will be written off.......
Am in 2 frames of mind over this post.
First I think the guys a **** for driving that fast, in those conditions - ie, road looks slippery and he was obviously gonna be pushing it to brake and make it into his work - as he said it happened right outside....so maybe somethnig was inevitable.....
Then I think, "most" of us have had some brown trouser moments and been lucky - some of us learn, the others tend to have more accidents. As long as he learns by his mistake - I'm sure he realises he was probably driving like a ****.....and it doesn't need old f4rts like Dave to tell him.
If he doesn't learn though, that's another story......
Am in 2 frames of mind over this post.
First I think the guys a **** for driving that fast, in those conditions - ie, road looks slippery and he was obviously gonna be pushing it to brake and make it into his work - as he said it happened right outside....so maybe somethnig was inevitable.....
Then I think, "most" of us have had some brown trouser moments and been lucky - some of us learn, the others tend to have more accidents. As long as he learns by his mistake - I'm sure he realises he was probably driving like a ****.....and it doesn't need old f4rts like Dave to tell him.
If he doesn't learn though, that's another story......
#101
Airbags only go off if you crash straight into something, think with a 30° angle maximum ?
Otherwise if you crash sideways, you're airbag could just break your neck (head traveling to the side and then pushed backwards...)
Otherwise if you crash sideways, you're airbag could just break your neck (head traveling to the side and then pushed backwards...)
#102
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Well dave, also a fair comment, mine and the case concerned are not the only instances i have heard of the air bag not being deployed. i know they wont always save your life, but they do help, and when there i would also expect them to work.
The only way of solving this issue is to not crash, but as we all know thats not realistic!
As for side impact protection, I do believe that all vehicles are tested for these kind of impacts, may be not as fast but it isnt that far away. I cant prove it but i believe i wasnt going much quicker than 40 when i hit the tree. Looking at other saftey testing on the car, the majority say that the car is ACCEPTABLE, not good. This is an average of varrious, tests and it is side impact for the passenger occupancy of the vehicle that lets it down.
The only way of solving this issue is to not crash, but as we all know thats not realistic!
As for side impact protection, I do believe that all vehicles are tested for these kind of impacts, may be not as fast but it isnt that far away. I cant prove it but i believe i wasnt going much quicker than 40 when i hit the tree. Looking at other saftey testing on the car, the majority say that the car is ACCEPTABLE, not good. This is an average of varrious, tests and it is side impact for the passenger occupancy of the vehicle that lets it down.
#106
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The frontal air bag never deployed in my case, and i was more ar less head on with the wall. Just to highlight this, take a look round the dammaged car importers web sites, there are by no means loads of them but its not uncommon to see som ewith Air Bags OK.
#107
I had a nasty accident when I was in my late teens, which calmed down my driving no end. I lost control on a bend on black ice and when into a ditch (too fast for the conditions). I then hit a tree growing at an angle in the ditch such that the car stopped when the tree hit the windscreen pillars. The bonnet was scythed off and came into the passenger compartment, at an angle, and hit me on the head. I also bent the steering wheel in half. After returning to the car I couldn't believe I'd survived.
I had totally the wrong attitude as a driver when younger, driving too fast and aggressively. I needed this accident to calm me down. I was lucky, to survive intact (apart from some nasty cuts), and also to learn from the experience. I also learnt my lesson in a Vauxhall Chevette rather than a Scoob.
Whilst aggreeing with the critics in principle (if not the delivery), I ask you this. Do you always drive at a speed such that you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear - especially without upsetting the handling of the car? If you can answer yes, I salute your skill and restraint. If not...
I had totally the wrong attitude as a driver when younger, driving too fast and aggressively. I needed this accident to calm me down. I was lucky, to survive intact (apart from some nasty cuts), and also to learn from the experience. I also learnt my lesson in a Vauxhall Chevette rather than a Scoob.
Whilst aggreeing with the critics in principle (if not the delivery), I ask you this. Do you always drive at a speed such that you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear - especially without upsetting the handling of the car? If you can answer yes, I salute your skill and restraint. If not...
#114
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It still puzzles me why the air bags did not go off,When I had my accident in 96, A drunk hit me head on at over 120mph head on with the two speeds combined the police told me that I'd had something like a 170mph head on smash, and I survived, thanks too the airbag, the damage was done from the waist down and I was trapped for 3 hours...would love to know what speed you were travelling at and what part of the car went through the fence first, but as I said earlier you are here to tell the tail, just thank your lucky stars for that.
Cheers
Colin
Cheers
Colin
#116
Accidents arent avoidable all the time, if they were they wouldnt be accidental. I used to own a 306 2.0l turbo which i wrote off on the straightest bit of motorway youve ever seen. I was driving along in the fast lane and the diff locked up causing the car to clip the barrier and bounce into the embankment and flip. Now that was the only incident ive had in 3 years of driving, infact never even come close to an accident. Bad luck plays a big part in it and no one is sensible or good enough to avoid things like that. WHy do formula 1 and rally drivers crash if its that easy to avoid, theyre better than us all put together.
Anyway ive done what all sensible 20 year olds should do now and bought a wrx lol so ill post pics of that when i mash it (just kidding btw b4 i get bollocked 4 that comment)
Anyway ive done what all sensible 20 year olds should do now and bought a wrx lol so ill post pics of that when i mash it (just kidding btw b4 i get bollocked 4 that comment)
#117
The original Impreza is NOT a good car to crash in, in my opinion. The metal is very thin indeed. It looks like the driver survived this accident because he rolled into soft earth. No one should think that a similar accident on tarmac would be remotely survivable.
#118
Jeez ! Looks like something from Burnout 2 !!
Pretty horrendous stuff Pathfinder...glad you are more or less okay..
Some pretty strong opinions on here and I can see why...
Hopefully this is one incident where we can look at Pathfinder's pics and learn from this..
Scoobs are very powerful cars and can be lethal in the hands of numpties - it can all go pear-shaped very quickly...
6 and 7 tenths, okay......8, 9 and 10 tenths...save it for a trackday !!
Eyes very much opened !!
John
Pretty horrendous stuff Pathfinder...glad you are more or less okay..
Some pretty strong opinions on here and I can see why...
Hopefully this is one incident where we can look at Pathfinder's pics and learn from this..
Scoobs are very powerful cars and can be lethal in the hands of numpties - it can all go pear-shaped very quickly...
6 and 7 tenths, okay......8, 9 and 10 tenths...save it for a trackday !!
Eyes very much opened !!
John
#119
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First glad you are reasonably well - but have you stopped shaking yet?
I once blew a front tyre whilst cornering in the rain and driving enthusiastically - yes I know but I was younger then - crossed the opposite lane and missed a concrete fence post (but not the fence )by a foot so I walked away - shakily.
Part of the reason I am so boring as a driver now. I don't take silly chances and I know my car has limits which are probably beyond my skills and certainly beyond the public highway.
But like several people have said we've all made mistakes or had bad luck and got away with it.
So like the man used to say in Hill Street Blues "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE".
I once blew a front tyre whilst cornering in the rain and driving enthusiastically - yes I know but I was younger then - crossed the opposite lane and missed a concrete fence post (but not the fence )by a foot so I walked away - shakily.
Part of the reason I am so boring as a driver now. I don't take silly chances and I know my car has limits which are probably beyond my skills and certainly beyond the public highway.
But like several people have said we've all made mistakes or had bad luck and got away with it.
So like the man used to say in Hill Street Blues "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE".
#120
Sh*t!!
Glad your ok, don't think you need anybody to tell you how lucky you are.But maybe some people should consider that it may not be his fault? other things to think about are maybe something broke? or the dreaded diesel spill!!(from a cornering truck maybe?)
Hope you get better soon.
Paul.
Glad your ok, don't think you need anybody to tell you how lucky you are.But maybe some people should consider that it may not be his fault? other things to think about are maybe something broke? or the dreaded diesel spill!!(from a cornering truck maybe?)
Hope you get better soon.
Paul.