Yari's fling with guardrail

[yarswiss]

Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point...

I was driving on the California 210W freeway while it was raining, doing about 75mph, and as I was changing lanes while on the on ramp to the 5-South, I aquaplaned and lost control of the vehicle.

I did a 360 spin, smashed into the guardrail protecting me from a 100 foot fall and stopped in the fast lane facing traffic. Other than some grisly scarring on the side of my car, a tweaked rear axle and a blown tire, I am totally fine. No airbags, to broken bones, nada. I was actually quite surprised how little damage had occurred, as I must have been doing about 60mph when I spun out.

Anyway, here's the damage. Just shows you how sturdy this little bean is after all! Hopefully insurance will cover most of the repairs and cosmetic work, I'll find out tomorrow.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6333/img2645z.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4002/img2649.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2659/img2656.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1407/img2657i.jpg

[SilverBack]

Ouch! Could've been worse, but glad to hear it wasn't:smile:

..That should buff right out...

[SIPNGAS]

VERY happy to hear you're ok!!

[*MAD DOG*]

Glad your ok and the Yaris is not too bad. What is the speed limit where you were?

[Loren]

Does the speed limit really matter when it's raining?

That sort of thing is "bound to happen" anytime you exceed the limits of the tires. Glad you learned this little lesson in physics without getting hurt!

[mimelio]

Did the car have stock Goodyear Eagle LS tires on in? Mine slid like I was on ice on just a wet road a few times on them.

[supmet]

That sort of thing is "bound to happen" anytime you exceed the limits of the tires. Glad you learned this little lesson in physics without getting hurt!

About 3 years ago I learned the hard way that the limit on bald tires in the rain is a lot less than 55 mph(probably close to 0 :P). My corolla took a harder beating on the body, but I didn't hit the tires on the rail, so my axle was fine. I also cracked my eyebrow on the window and gave myself a black eye. I was amazed the window didn't break.

Basically the state was pretty retarded when they built a LOT of freeways in california. You'd think from looking at most freeways that it never rains in southern california(stupid song). Very few freeways in CA can handle more than a light drizzle before they start pooling water. If my tires aren't at more than 50-60% I drive 45 on the freeway with anything more than a drizzle. Even with good tires I don't go over 60 when its pouring.

Glad to hear you're OK and you didn't crack the egg too hard. Never underestimate the danger of hydroplaning.

[*MAD DOG*]

Glad your ok and the Yaris is not too bad. What is the speed limit where you were?

Does the speed limit really matter when it's raining?

That sort of thing is "bound to happen" anytime you exceed the limits of the tires. Glad you learned this little lesson in physics without getting hurt!

The speed limit on your freeways is 55 MPH, right? Even I know that, I just wanted him to admit he was speeding. To top it off if he says he was doing 75, we all know that was more like 80-85 anyway.

He is lucky to be alive, I totally agree with Loren. Speed limits are a maximum guideline, if you cant drive safely at the speed limit due to conditions such as wet roads, snow, ice, wind etc then slow down.

It is better to arrive alive than be burned alive. Slow down, use your brain or suffer the pain.

[PETERPOOP]

WOW. Glad you are safe. Slow it down a little next time.

[Shroomster]

The speed limit on your freeways is 55 MPH, right? Even I know that, I just wanted him to admit he was speeding. To top it off if he says he was doing 75, we all know that was more like 80-85 anyway.

He is lucky to be alive, I totally agree with Loren. Speed limits are a maximum guideline, if you cant drive safely at the speed limit due to conditions such as wet roads, snow, ice, wind etc then slow down.

It is better to arrive alive than be burned alive. Slow down, use your brain or suffer the pain.

come on tony, calm down and be glad he is alright and no one got hurt, lesson learned. move on.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Lesson learned. Let's not give him a harder time.

[yaris-me]

Ouch!:frown: Glad you're OK.:smile:

[Gideon]

The speed limit on your freeways is 55 MPH, right?

65 MPH in most areas, and a few places where it's 70 MPH.

Anyways, I imagine that could have ended a lot worse! I was on my way to work the other day and hydroplaned for what only had to be a split second, but it scared the bejesus out of me.

[unclenefeesa]

Glad that you are safe yarswiss.
be careful next time.

do you have any pics?

[dvlnblkdrs]

similar thing happened to my friend in his evo.. it happens.. glad ur ok...

[roxy1]

Lesson learned. Let's not give him a harder time.


no. lets wait until he kills a board members family driving recklessly (yes, 75 mph in the rain, on an on ramp changing lanes is reckless), then he can be given a hard time. as is often the case, its usually pure luck no one got injured or killed.

smashed into the guardrail protecting me from a 100 foot fall and stopped in the fast lane facing traffic. so, if someone in that fast lane hit him head on and died, could we give hime a harder time??

no amount of flogging can be enough as sometimes peer pressure is a good thing. if someone was street racing and crashed they would get ripped as well. he posted his stupidity on a public forum and can take his beating like a man.

[*MAD DOG*]

no. lets wait until he kills a board members family driving recklessly (yes, 75 mph in the rain, on an on ramp changing lanes is reckless), then he can be given a hard time. as is often the case, its usually pure luck no one got injured or killed.

smashed into the guardrail protecting me from a 100 foot fall and stopped in the fast lane facing traffic. so, if someone in that fast lane hit him head on and died, could we give hime a harder time??

no amount of flogging can be enough as sometimes peer pressure is a good thing. if someone was street racing and crashed they would get ripped as well. he posted his stupidity on a public forum and can take his beating like a man.

Finally, someone who agrees with me. :thumbsup: Don't get me wrong, i'm glad your ok and not hurt and that your Yaris only has minor damage, but take this as a lesson, learn from it. Not only is your life in your own hands behind a steering wheel, but everyone elses is too.

I've said enough, so before I get ridiculed for posting again I will unsubscribe from this thread.

[MUSKOKA800]

I'm not sure I'd be on here telling folks I spun out at 75 mph before I had the insurance cheque in hand. It's a small world.

[Loren]

I didn't want to be overly harsh, but I definitely agree that while stuff like this does "happen", it shouldn't be taken lightly. As has been said, he was LUCKY that he didn't get hurt or killed and that nobody else did, either. A close friend of mine (and not a kid, he's in his early 50's) got into an accident that wasn't even his fault. Someone else screwed up and he did what he had to do to avoid them. But, he had been driving "agressively" in the minutes before that, and many witnesses were ready to testify to that. What happened? He got the side of his Miata mangled sideswiping an armored truck (which was at fault, illegally merging before the beginning of a merge lane). The problem was that the driver of that truck overcorrected and ended up overturned in a guardrail... would have been funny, but the driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. My friend was charged with manslaughter, spent 3 years fighting it, almost ended up in jail, is a couple hundred thousand dollars poorer from legal fees, and STILL doesn't have his license back.

It can happen that fast.

Yes, these things happen. An unexpected situation ending in a crash is bound to happen to everyone at least once in their life as a driver. If you're SMART, it will happen only once. If you're REALLY SMART, you'll make sure it happens in a controlled environment where you can learn from it and not endanger other people.

I only wish someone had told me about testing the limits of a car in a closed environment 25 years ago... maybe I'd have avoided 7 car wrecks and totalling 2 cars in my first 2 years of driving!

Don't drive on the street like you're invincible people! You're not.

[tomato]

Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point...

I was driving on the California 210W freeway while it was raining, doing about 75mph, and as I was changing lanes while on the on ramp to the 5-South, I aquaplaned and lost control of the vehicle.

I did a 360 spin, smashed into the guardrail protecting me from a 100 foot fall and stopped in the fast lane facing traffic.


:eyebulge:

I've always wondered why people in California think it's necessary to drive that fast in the rain.

Basic driving tip: when it's raining, SLOW DOWN!!!

Glad you're OK, but I'd slow down if I were you.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

no. lets wait until he kills a board members family driving recklessly (yes, 75 mph in the rain, on an on ramp changing lanes is reckless), then he can be given a hard time. as is often the case, its usually pure luck no one got injured or killed.

smashed into the guardrail protecting me from a 100 foot fall and stopped in the fast lane facing traffic. so, if someone in that fast lane hit him head on and died, could we give hime a harder time??

no amount of flogging can be enough as sometimes peer pressure is a good thing. if someone was street racing and crashed they would get ripped as well. he posted his stupidity on a public forum and can take his beating like a man.

Don't get me wrong. I want there to be less reckless drivers out there since I've had many close calls due to them, but I'm just saying that he most likely learned his lesson and probably will not speed anymore.

Also, I should have read his entire post. I didn't know he stopped in the fast lane; I thought he was just doing 75 in the rain and spun and hit a railing :redface:, and I do agree that he should be able to take the consequences of his actions.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

:eyebulge:

I've always wondered why people in California think it's necessary to drive that fast in the rain.

Basic driving tip: when it's raining, SLOW DOWN!!!

Glad you're OK, but I'd slow down if I were you.

I totally agree. It'll save you gas, and you'll only take up a few more minutes. I drive 60 and my friends drive 65-70 mph, and I get to our destinations at pretty much the same time. I just used a lot less gas getting there.

[yarswiss]

Thanks for the kind word, and the reprimands. It's true, I was driving too fast and haphazardly to handle the situation, but I definitely have learned my lesson. Next time it's raining, I promise that when I drive 75mph, I wont change lanes so often :tongue: Kidding!

My ESC was actually kicking in like crazy, so I should have taken that as a warning. Anyway, I am glad no-one else was hurt and everyone was paying due attention to the road at that moment, so I will leave the drive-it-like-you-stole-it skits to less wet days.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Just remember that the roads don't have to be wet in order for something to happen.

[frownonfun]

people drive recklessly sometimes. i think if you can't accept that and move on maybe you shouldn't be driving. you have to accept that there is a considerable amount of risk involved every time you drive. if the risk it too much to handle for you then don't get in a car. otherwise stop scolding others and just take care of the things YOU can control... which doesn't include other peoples driving habits.

anyway glad you are ok. hope it's not too long before you get your car back to good.

[roxy1]

people drive recklessly sometimes. i think if you can't accept that and move on maybe you shouldn't be driving. you have to accept that there is a considerable amount of risk involved every time you drive. if the risk it too much to handle for you then don't get in a car. otherwise stop scolding others and just take care of the things YOU can control... which doesn't include other peoples driving habits.

anyway glad you are ok. hope it's not too long before you get your car back to good.

so, basically dont criticize any bad/wreckless drivers in the hopes they will change? we all accept that there are bad drivers. you seeem to think openly criticizing a bad driver and "accepting that there are reckless drivers and moving on" are mutually exclusive. they are not.

Yarswiss took the criticism like a man. he seem resigned to altering his driving habits. maybe the crash was enough to sway him. maybe getting beat up a little in this forum helped. who knows, but i expect it didnt hurt to try.

to quote from the great (cough, cough) movie Billy Madison:

Mr. Frownonfun, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this forum is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[ImportRacer88]

good to hear you were ok i had a mishap like that but not as bad i will post pics is your insurance pickin up the tab on the bodyshop bill

[frownonfun]

so, basically dont criticize any bad/wreckless drivers in the hopes they will change? we all accept that there are bad drivers. you seeem to think openly criticizing a bad driver and "accepting that there are reckless drivers and moving on" are mutually exclusive. they are not.

Yarswiss took the criticism like a man. he seem resigned to altering his driving habits. maybe the crash was enough to sway him. maybe getting beat up a little in this forum helped. who knows, but i expect it didnt hurt to try.

to quote from the great (cough, cough) movie Billy Madison:

Mr. Frownonfun, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this forum is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.


i just think when someone is driving along and runs their car into a guard rail with no help from anyone else at 60+ mph, said person probably doesn't need captain obvious to come along and say "HEY MAN, YOU ARE DRIVING RECKLESS!" i think he may have figured that out when he wrecked his car.

but yeah he took it like a man so i should let it go, i just can't stand some of you johnny law types that's all.

[jkuchta]

I think the anger here over this situation is quite well placed, and pretty light considering what happened.

I think most of us get pissed at kids like this because a kid driving like this gets everyone that drives a modded car labled as an idiot reckless driver and a punk. Just think...the kid that drives his/her car on the ECS at 75+ in the rain isn't that far removed from the fool that does a burnout or goes speeding through the local hangout to show off, which kills the fun for everyone.

For me...the bummer is that this kid knew he was driving stupid, and just kind of has a ho-hum kind of attitude, even though he probably came a lot closer than he thinks to killing a few people (himself included). My feeling is that the first time he actually has to pay for something (bumper, or court settlement for that matter), he'll change his tune.



.....gets off of soap box.