Rear-ended today by some (You know what) on her cellphone

[Kalispel]

Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later, due to all the idiots I see on the road every day. A day doesn't go by when I don't see at least one or two rear-end collision accidents during my work commute. Unfortunately, no amount of good/defensive driving can save you from every moron coming up from behind.

The hit felt pretty hard, but the damage to my rear-bumper and lower reverse-light housing was minimal, surprisingly enough. After all the complaints I have heard about the Yaris bumpers not being designed/attached well, I'm surprised that my bumper still looks perfectly attached and solid. I'm going to have the dealership check her out for hidden damage when I take her in for her next scheduled oil/rotate service on Dec 12th (next week). Probably just a scuffed bumper that will need repainting or replacement, along with the crappy-design reverse-light housing attached to the rear bumper. The idiot (insert C word here) has crooked Progressive Insurance unfortunately, so I get to deal with them again. When my Accord was rear-ended even harder in 2012 by another careless (insert C word here) while I was sitting at a red light, their adjuster/inspector 'overlooked' some obvious damage and tried to screw me on what they were liable to repair.

Yes, I'm still pretty pissed by it all. I have zero tolerance for selfish, entitled stupid people that put others at risk with their behaviors/habits. Perhaps I should just buy a reliable car that I'm not fond of at all, so I won't have to worry about hand-washing/detailing it regularly, or care when stupid people mess it up.

[justanotherdrunk]

[Dodge Aries K]

Dammit... sorry to hear about this.

[bentjazz]

That SUCKS. Really sorry to hear this happened to you....again, Kalispel. Nobody wants this sort of Christmas gift. Hang in there and good luck. Let us know how this plays out....

[mrpj]

In spite of it being illegal to use a mobile phone, while driving, here in the U.K., the paltry penalty in the unlikely event of being caught doing so by the police, is insufficient.
There are still selfish, ignorant morons to be seen doing it every day.
A lot of cars have built in Bluetooth now, including my Yaris. Portable and cheap hands free devices are readily available too.
It's not unusual, when stopped at traffic lights etc. to see someone (sorry but they are usually young females!) staring down at the mobile phone in their lap and preoccupied with texting or Twitbookfacing. Theyare so engrossed that they miss the lights change and those in front moving off.
Sorry to hear about this particular neanderthal.

[tmontague]

Shit, rough luck. Hope it all works out, never a good thing to have to experience

[deng]

Lame, besides being pissed off, it sounds like you're okay lol. Best of luck, I hope theres no hidden damage. Hopefully the bumper cover/reinforcement bar took the impact and not the body.

[ern-diz]

As deng said, glad it doesn't sound like anyone was hurt. After that box is ticked, I'm all for c-word dropping. We try to maintain our rides and keep them looking clean, only for idiots without enough mental horsepower to pay attention enough to not door-ding, rear end, etc. Yes, they're just material items, but the behavior and lack of consideration is beyond annoying.

[tmontague]

Originally Posted by ern-diz

As deng said, glad it doesn't sound like anyone was hurt. After that box is ticked, I'm all for c-word dropping. We try to maintain our rides and keep them looking clean, only for idiots without enough mental horsepower to pay attention enough to not door-ding, rear end, etc. Yes, they're just material items, but the behavior and lack of consideration is beyond annoying.

A material item to one is an experience to another. To many of us car ethusiasts a car is an experience and not a material item. The amount of people who have a complete lack of consideration for others' property of astonishing. Hope the car can be returned back to normal

[IllusionX]

I just read on the news here in Quebec is going to suspend permits on the spot for the first offense.

Also, I'm so glad we don't have to deal with other people's insurance here.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by tmontague

A material item to one is an experience to another. To many of us car ethusiasts a car is an experience and not a material item. The amount of people who have a complete lack of consideration for others' property of astonishing. Hope the car can be returned back to normal

I agree.

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

I just read on the news here in Quebec is going to suspend permits on the spot for the first offense.

Also, I'm so glad we don't have to deal with other people's insurance here.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Here in the states, we can choose not to deal with the person's insurance, too. We can opt to have our own insurance deal with them, but it typically requires paying your insurance deductible and then having them get it back for you from the other party's insurance when the case is settled. Most people just end up making a claim with the person's insurance and dealing with them directly, rather than involving their own insurance.

[bronsin]

Sorry to hear about your accident. I just had my own close Call the other day when I came to a stop when the car was half in my lane going other direction. The elderly driver behind me very nearly rear-ended me. That would’ve sucked.

[dogsridewith]

Kalispel:
What were the circumstances of your two rear enders?
Stop light? Stop sign? slow or stopped traffic in a "traffic jam?" or ?

[IllusionX]

Originally Posted by ern-diz

Here in the states, we can choose not to deal with the person's insurance, too. We can opt to have our own insurance deal with them, but it typically requires paying your insurance deductible and then having them get it back for you from the other party's insurance when the case is settled. Most people just end up making a claim with the person's insurance and dealing with them directly, rather than involving their own insurance.

Ya. No. We claim our own insurance at fault or not.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[kevinj93]

Glad you weren't hurt. Yes, we love our Yarii, but have to face the fact that there are other people on the road who are not really aware of what is happening around them. Hopefully not too big a hit to the wallet.

My previous 2 cars were rear ended several times, and suffered much less damage than the vehicles that hit them. Front crumple zones tend to take up most of the damage, while a recent news reoprt here says this is the most common type of collision now in Australia.

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by dogsridewith

Kalispel:
What were the circumstances of your two rear enders?
Stop light? Stop sign? slow or stopped traffic in a "traffic jam?" or ?

Back in 2011-2012, I was sitting at red light waiting in my previous car (Honda Accord), when the lady sitting behind me in her big SUV suddenly slammed on the gas and smashed into me, pushing me out into the intersection even with my brakes pressed. She was wearing flip-flops while driving (stupid stupid) and one of them somehow came off her foot and jammed in the pedal or something like that. Luckily no one was coming the other ways, or I could have been t-boned as well by cross traffic. It crushed my rear bumper, cracked my taillights, crushed the trunk lid and surrounding metal, etc. It's like in those movies where someone comes up behind you in their vehicle and forces your car off a cliff through sheer force while you desperately try to brake, lol.

The accident yesterday was far more mediocre. Traffic slowed ahead on the highway, so I slowed down also. It finally came to a dead stop, so I slowly came to a dead stop. The lady behind me wasn't paying attention because she was too busy chatting on the phone, and didn't realize that everyone ahead stopped. She obviously realized a some point because her tires screeched & her rear end came up when she slammed on her brakes. The hit felt hard and pushed me forward a bit, but I was already braking while stopped, so I didn't hit the car in front of me (but came really close to them). Cosmetic damage looked minimal (mostly just the reverse light housing valance) and my bumper is still attached tight as a drum, but I still wonder if she caused some sort of damage that isn't obvious to the eye. I'm stopping by a good body shop after my regular oil/rotate service appointment at the dealership Tuesday next week, and see what they can tell me. Sucks having to waste paid vacation days from work to get all this sorted out and fixed.

Oh and as a side note, the chick had let her insurance lapse/expire 2 weeks ago, so Progressive's insurance claim agent said that is going to cause some delays/issues as they sort it out. Now I know why she just wanted to exchange info & not involve the police or insurance companies. Hell NO. I hope they ticketed her ass for both causing the accident & having expired insurance. I wonder if I will have to file a claim under my uninsured motorist coverage with GEICO?

Also, thanks for all the positive comments everyone. I was still really pissed off when I posted my initial message about the accident. I'm hoping that everything gets fixed okay (I'm pretty OCD about certain stuff), as the repair job on my Accord sucked, and I HATED my car after that (but on the bright side, it eventually led me to my Yaris & away from Cult-Honda). The trunk never opened/closed smoothly again, the aftermarket bumper they stuck me with wasn't a precise seam fit with the body, they left the cracked tail lights on the car & tried to say that wasn't part of the accident (wtf? - they fixed that after I blew a gasket with them), etc. I learned some valuable lessons with that experience (it was my first accident experience & dealing with auto insurance politics + body shops in general), and that sort of thing will never ever happen again with insurance repairs and such. I now know when to drop my normal nice guy demeanor and be a hard ass. Some people will try to take advantage of you if try to be a nice guy all the time.

[dogsridewith]

Stopped for creeping traffic where there is no intersection, or a car ahead waiting to turn into a driveway across oncoming traffic ,bring the problems of a stopped vehicle where the distracted driver isn't used to seeing one, and sometimes a stopped/creeping vehicle showing no brake lights (if roadway is level there).
It might be useful if the hazards went on automatically if any vehicle is in gear and stopped, or moving below some low speed. (And absolutely better if the turn signals, when flashing, turned off the other-side lamps when the hazards are on.)

A couple days ago a semi took out a toll station...California somewhere?

Now GM is rolling out the GPS shopping app--read menus and order meals from restaurants on the route ahead, shop and receive sale notices from stores ahead, etc. etc.