IML: rear-enders

[triggermortis <triggermortis@xxxxxxxxx>]

I got rear ended by a guy in a modern looking car (sorry, I can't tell them apart if they are mfg after 1979).  I had to hammer on the brakes, in Toronto, on a major street, in the rain, when another car cut across from the left to enter a driveway in front of me.  The car had new shocks and new springs all around, so the rear bumper was up kind of high.

The guy who hit me was following too close and also not paying attention.  That's in addition to having no insurance.  Anyway, his front bumper went under my rear.  His hood folded up like and accordion.  His pop-up headlights were pushed back a good 18 inches.  They were still working after being relocated.

He was sure crying the blues.  I found out later that his insurance had been cancelled.

Another time, I got rear ended in rush hour on the Queen Elizabeth Way, which runs west from Toronto along the lake.  That is a pretty busy highway, even in off hours.  We were all blasting along pretty fast in the left-most passing lane, about 120 kmh (75 mph).  Sometimes, you get those sudden slow-downs, which is what happened.  Everybody gets on the brakes fast, except, of course, the guy behind me.  He was a little slow on the brake pedal.  I think he was driving a Camaro or a Firebird.  I always watch the rear view mirror anyway, and this time I could even hear his tires squealing as he tried to stop, but he was still coming too fast.  I had no room to maneuver, hardly any in front, although I could slow down in time to avoid hitting the guy in front of me.  I backed off a bit from the guy in front and just before the guy behind me hit me, I got off the brake and hit the gas, so he didn't hit me too hard.  But, he did push me forward kind of fast again and I had to climb on the brake to avoid hitting the guy in front again.  It was really close and timing was important.  

So, the guy did hit me, so we stopped and had a look, otherwise, we would not even have stopped.  I looked up close and didn't see any damage to my car.  His front bumper had hit me underneath my rear bumper.  Looking close, I did not see the wide dent in it, so we just got back in the cars and left.  Later, I noticed that I did have kind of a wide dent, but you had to stand back a bit for it to stand out.  When I noticed the damage later, I realized why the guy had sort of a funny look on his face.  He could see it because he was standing further away and I missed it.

Alan Harper
1964 Mercury 3/4 ton flatbed
1969 Dodge D100 pickup
1976 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham
1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham St. Regis (fawn gold)
1978 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham St. Regis (triple white)
1992 Ford T-Bird
2001 Harley Davidson FXDX Dyna Super Glide Convertible
triggermortis@xxxxxxxxx
preservationist of our chrome heritage
SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM

===============

>  The best practice, assuming you have the wits and
stomach for it, is to let off the brake just before
you hit, assuming you know you are going to hit
anyway.  You will hit at a slightly higher speed, but
the damage will be less, because you will have met
bumper to bumper.  I once saw a wreck where a car,
obviously nose down in braking, went under a pickup
truck to the point where the truck's rear bumper was
inches from the car's windshield.

--Mike Pittinaro




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