165 replies to this topic

[MiniMikey]

BigGav im guessing the talks you do are similar to one our school sorted out.
When i was in my first year of 6th form (year 12) so just as the older lot in our year are beginning to drive we had a sort of presentation if you can call it that with other local schools at a cinema i think it was.

Police and Firemen there... and also the parents of teenagers who had died in car crashes. Half way through about 6 girls were taken out because they had burst into tears during the middle of one of the parents talking.

Certainly made it hit home to alot of people there.


Now for my input into this thread.
Firstly im 17 (18 in 8 days time) and whatever this story sounds like or gives the impression of me. I am not a boy racer and do not drive like a d***head. I still feel it was just one of those things that couldnt be helped and was "unfortunate"

December 2007, a month after passing my test. Had a 106a at the time (never going to trust a french car again). Driving towards the local large town, car in front slammed on the brakes i went to brake and the brakes.. didnt completely fail but they defo wernt right. Funnily enough i had the car in ATS the week before for new rear cylinders, however couldnt prove this in court so the evidence was dismissed.

Being an in-experienced driver and knowing i wasnt going to avoid the car in front doing probably around 37mph in a 40. Just a millisecond reaction, didnt think about it , just went left. Car in front pulled right, i got through the 'gap' but at the same time an old guy stepped off the kerb.

You can guess the rest.

7 months on, ive been to court, got 5 points on my license as it was deemed my fault and a £558 fine.
There is also the possibility of the couple sueing me but nothing has come through yet.

Wasnt a crash as such and wasn't in a mini but thought id just share it.
Haven't even come close to an accident other than that time.
As i said i still dont think it was my fault, but whats happened happened and ive accepted the punishments. Just unfortunate that brakes failing + car in front slamming on brakes happened at the same time as the gentlemen stepping out.

And no it wasnt at a crossing or anything he had just stepped out.
Suffered a fractured skull, brain hemerage and other minor injuries.

[jordie 08]

u were in mini mag this month

[MiniMikey]

who? :S

[Ouster]

imho 1 pint has exactly 0 effect on your driving unless you're drinking battery acid or straight vodka!

personally i dont think 2 pints is too bad if they're over a decent length of time but mr bobby law has other ideas so its best we all stick to the 1!

You are an idiot, and have made me angry.

[PJ266]

imho 1 pint has exactly 0 effect on your driving unless you're drinking battery acid or straight vodka!

personally i dont think 2 pints is too bad if they're over a decent length of time but mr bobby law has other ideas so its best we all stick to the 1!

You are an idiot, and have made me angry.

seconded.

[RetroRay]

I had a head on collision not long ago, a week before brighton if im right i came away with a bad head injury ... in some cases i was lucky to walk out of the car alive as the engine had pushed the bulkhead through and you could feel the carb also everything was twisted inside, the mini steering colum had bent to the right the pedals werent far off the seat, the windscreen had lifted up and you could see the marks from where it sat in the rubber ... i had one last look around it before she went and found the rear subframe was bent really bad

http://www.theminifo...x...st&id=57863

[ycming]

Right right,

This is defo worth reading, all 8 pages of it !!!!

I recently had a crash, here is some picture:

http://www.theminifo...x...st&id=60624

Ming

[alpoynter]

No longer have any photos of our first Mini as my wife dosn't want to remember how it died.

Serfice to say, that she only suffered a fractuerd sternum and was claiming that she was fine to the Ambulance people. The Mini became a convertable with the assistance of the Fire Brigade

Was the result of an idiot not looking before pulling out of a junction. Considering it was a rust bucket it done remarkably well in the resulting front-off-side colission, spin, and roll into wall.

[itdontgo]

No action had been taken to the mini at this stage as it was obvious that the driver was dead. all the damage you see was due to an estimated 80mph impact speed (40mph each vehicle)

That is very misleading. The total energy in this crash was 1/4 of the energy in an 80 mph crash:

Emini = 1/2 x mass x V^2
Ecar = 1/2 x mass x V^2

40 x 40 + 40 x 40 < 80 x 80

40 x 40 + 40 x 40 = 1/4 x 80 x 80

That is an important point because an 80mph crash is significantly worse than this crash. Also this was effectively just a 40 mph and people should understand this is the effect of just a 40mph crash (and consider the danger that this speed poses as opposed to thinking thats what happens at 80 so 40 is OK)...

If the mathematics dont make sense to you consider it this way. Where the two cars meet imagine a solid wall. Therefore both cars just come to a halt at this wall like they do if they hit each other. It is now clear it doesn't matter that there was another car involved as it is now just a 40mph crash into something totally solid. I would much prefer you gave that message to people than this was an 80mph crash. That was a 40mph crash only. However it gets worse for the poor mini driver...

Due to the principle of conservation of momentum you can prove the mini suffers more than the other car as it is lighter - it will take more of the impact than the heavier car (and conversely the heavier car has to absorb less energy). Again for this to make sense without the maths look at it this way. The lighter mini will end up accelerating in the direction of the heavier car hence its impact speed is say 40mph plus the speed it ends up doing after the impact in the opposite direction whereas the heavy car's impact speed is 40 minus the speed it still continues with after the impact.

This is one reason why I particularly dislike the 'SUVs are safe message' people like to give out. They are safe for the selfish driver inside one but considerably more unsafe for everyone else. In fact all that weight just adds more energy into a crash which doesn't need to be there.

[In-a-mini]

Not the best pic to represent but i got hit in the side by a bike i was pulling out of a country road on a corner very blind i edged out and this bike came round the corner quick locked up back swung out his front wheel hit about a third back fron the front of my door. it pushed the door into the van luckily i had bucket seats and it pushed me sideways but did its job. The road was a 60 limit and the bike was an africa v twin quite tough bike



oh yeah the door stands up on its own which i found quite funny

Edited by In-a-mini, 20 July 2008 - 04:43 PM.

[OJM]

I'm thanking mine and my girlfriend's lucky stars at the moment...

My girlfriend passed her test about 2 weeks ago, but has only been out a couple of times, as Monty's lights haven't been working. Anyway, went out on Friday and on the way back she decided she wanted to go for a little country drive. As we were coming round a long sweeping bend (at about 50mph), a lorry appeared from a junction, and was driving on our side of the road! Thankfully, Kate reacted and put on the anchors whilst swerving up the kerb and onto the grass verge...narrowly missing both the lorry, which had broke but not swerved, and a large sign on the verge. We came to a stop just short of another junction.

After jumping out of the car and swearing at the driver as he got out, he turned out to be Romanian - working for an Irish company, but had only been driving in England for one week. He had "forgotten" which side of the road to drive on!

If Kate hadn't reacted, either we would have plowed straight into the lorry, head on, or I would have been taken out by the sign.

We think the car is ok (just plowed some grass and mud), but might take it to a garage for a second opinion. Either way, I'll be filling in the accident form that the lorry driver gave me (!), and sending off to his employer.

[Ethel]

Edited for general dumbness

I take your point that the deceleration will be worse in the Mini and that it is in fact worse than hitting the same car if it's not moving but you're doing 80.

Edited by Ethel, 21 July 2008 - 01:04 PM.

[Ethel]

It would be really interesting if someone tried to sue a Chelsea tractor driver because their reckless choice of vehicle contributed to their injuries.

Edited by Ethel, 21 July 2008 - 12:49 PM.

[SwannyUK]

It would be really interesting if someone tried to sue a Chelsea tractor driver because their reckless choice of vehicle contributed to their injuries.

ROFL. Good point

[biggav]

No action had been taken to the mini at this stage as it was obvious that the driver was dead. all the damage you see was due to an estimated 80mph impact speed (40mph each vehicle)

That is very misleading. The total energy in this crash was 1/4 of the energy in an 80 mph crash:

Emini = 1/2 x mass x V^2
Ecar = 1/2 x mass x V^2

40 x 40 + 40 x 40 < 80 x 80

40 x 40 + 40 x 40 = 1/4 x 80 x 80

That is an important point because an 80mph crash is significantly worse than this crash. Also this was effectively just a 40 mph and people should understand this is the effect of just a 40mph crash (and consider the danger that this speed poses as opposed to thinking thats what happens at 80 so 40 is OK)...

If the mathematics dont make sense to you consider it this way. Where the two cars meet imagine a solid wall. Therefore both cars just come to a halt at this wall like they do if they hit each other. It is now clear it doesn't matter that there was another car involved as it is now just a 40mph crash into something totally solid. I would much prefer you gave that message to people than this was an 80mph crash. That was a 40mph crash only. However it gets worse for the poor mini driver...

to be honest, i think we prefer to keep it simple rather than loosing our 15/16 year olds attention with the E=Mc2 malarkie... however, i note your point.. i think.