Major Announcement
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Re: Major Announcement
Helmets and leather outerwear might be traditional motorcycle gear, but I don't know how much protection you get from it all. I know the leather is a good wind shield, but then I also know bikers who live for having the air flow against their chests at 90mph, along with the bugs smashing into their teeth. All that is fine, but when a cycle crashes, there isn't much a leather vest or boots can do to help. I suppose if you are sliding along the highway face down after a crash the leather might protect your skin from being scraped off, alt least for the first 50 feet or so. I have a cousin who didn't wear leathers or a helmet and he was thrown off his bike to the underside of a parked car. Fortunately he just suffered a few scrapes and bruises for it all because he wasn't moving very fast in city traffic. I have heard stories of others who were not so fortunate. Then again most bikers manage to avoid trouble for their entire riding career. It certainly is an exciting ride as far as I'm concerned, just as is playing Russian Roulette is exciting for some gun owners.
Re: Major Announcement
Actually, one can often outmaneuver an accident situation on a motorcycle they couldn't otherwise avoid in a car.
But that doesn't help when you get hit from the rear end by someone intent on running a red light and looking both ways down the road and not ahead of them.
I was hit from the rear at the intersection of Ballas Road on Manchester Road. They picked up my bike on the I-244 bridge the distance of 3 city blocks away. Me: I saw the guy coming at the last second, leaned back and raised my legs so my saddleboxes would not rip them off. The front of his car was like a fastback, long sloping windshield, so it shot me skyward like a wedge would naturally do. I landed back on the road in the exact spot where I was sitting on my bike. A sore back for about two weeks, but no broken bones. My entire backside was like one big bruise though. The license plate from the front of his car was wedged between the back tire and center frame of my bike, which of course was mangled beyond repair. Albeit, the guy who hit me didn't get very far afterward, but he did try to hide from the cops. They quickly found him, hi hi.
But that doesn't help when you get hit from the rear end by someone intent on running a red light and looking both ways down the road and not ahead of them.
I was hit from the rear at the intersection of Ballas Road on Manchester Road. They picked up my bike on the I-244 bridge the distance of 3 city blocks away. Me: I saw the guy coming at the last second, leaned back and raised my legs so my saddleboxes would not rip them off. The front of his car was like a fastback, long sloping windshield, so it shot me skyward like a wedge would naturally do. I landed back on the road in the exact spot where I was sitting on my bike. A sore back for about two weeks, but no broken bones. My entire backside was like one big bruise though. The license plate from the front of his car was wedged between the back tire and center frame of my bike, which of course was mangled beyond repair. Albeit, the guy who hit me didn't get very far afterward, but he did try to hide from the cops. They quickly found him, hi hi.
Re: Major Announcement
I would drive Chicago's expressways to work everyday headed out of the city. More than just a few times I'd see some joker, or maybe two, on a neon green Suzuki weaving in and out of traffic at twice the speed limit. It was insane but fortunately automobile drivers are very predictable. That made it easy for the bikers to avoid disaster. The only time accidents occur seem to be when car drivers do something unexpected as was true in your case. I find it pretty amazing that your bike went three city blocks without you. I'd guess bikers also have the advantage when being chased by state troopers, unless they have helicopters. 
Re: Major Announcement
If you saw the number of car accidents I have, while driving 1.8 million miles OTR, and how they increased exponentially when they allowed those front-wheel-drive cars on the road. Then you might understand why I quit driving OTR with only 200k more miles to go to get my 35k check.
People no longer pay attention when driving, and they cannot maneuver out of situations in cars with no brakes and no steering!
The only reason I can account for my bike going such a long distance was the high bumper that hit the fender and metal saddle bags without caving the tire in, so it could still roll fairly well. The frame itself was kinked and broken in three places. But those at the bridge, picked it up and rolled it of onto the shoulder where the tow truck picked it up.
I'm sure the folks in that area wondered where the heck the driver was at, hi hi.
I had a friend who got rear ended at Kirkwood Road on I think it was Essex Road. It took the police three days to find his bike. Somehow, it got knocked into the side opening of a box trailer, and the driver didn't even know it at the time. He just parked the truck where he worked and it was someone who worked there that saw the side door bent inward and took a look. Found the motorcycle and called the cops. My friend was in the hospital for over 3 weeks, and in rehab for over a year. The first thing he did when he got out was go looking at new motorcycles twice as powerful as the one he nearly got killed on.
People no longer pay attention when driving, and they cannot maneuver out of situations in cars with no brakes and no steering!
The only reason I can account for my bike going such a long distance was the high bumper that hit the fender and metal saddle bags without caving the tire in, so it could still roll fairly well. The frame itself was kinked and broken in three places. But those at the bridge, picked it up and rolled it of onto the shoulder where the tow truck picked it up.
I'm sure the folks in that area wondered where the heck the driver was at, hi hi.
I had a friend who got rear ended at Kirkwood Road on I think it was Essex Road. It took the police three days to find his bike. Somehow, it got knocked into the side opening of a box trailer, and the driver didn't even know it at the time. He just parked the truck where he worked and it was someone who worked there that saw the side door bent inward and took a look. Found the motorcycle and called the cops. My friend was in the hospital for over 3 weeks, and in rehab for over a year. The first thing he did when he got out was go looking at new motorcycles twice as powerful as the one he nearly got killed on.
Re: Major Announcement
My biker cousin did the same thing after he was thrown off his machine and slid across the pavement unto the underside of a parked car. As soon as he was able to walk well enough he went shopping for a new motorcycle. I'm not positive, but I think that is when he switched and bought a Trans AM instead. LOL
I can't blame you for leaving the OTR driving scene after seeing so much carnage on the road. You've told me a few times how dangerous FWD vehicles are, but in my own experience I've not seen it. In fact I've had more problems with things like fish tailing in the rear wheel driven cars I've owned. Maybe I'm just lucky or not observant, I can't say. But, FWD was a god-sent in Chicago's 4 months of snow covered roads. Even the smallest Fiesta I owned was able to plow out of snow banks where rear wheel dives had no traction at all. Each time you mention it I try to think of how many times I lost steering control when I wasn't on ice or a greasy road covered with rain water. I can't come up with any memories of such an episode and I'd estimate during my 50 years of driving (half of which were FWD cars) I must have logged more than a couple million miles. Then, too, maybe I was not so lucky and I just have a poor memory. In any case I have no reason not to trust the FWD cars I own.
I can't blame you for leaving the OTR driving scene after seeing so much carnage on the road. You've told me a few times how dangerous FWD vehicles are, but in my own experience I've not seen it. In fact I've had more problems with things like fish tailing in the rear wheel driven cars I've owned. Maybe I'm just lucky or not observant, I can't say. But, FWD was a god-sent in Chicago's 4 months of snow covered roads. Even the smallest Fiesta I owned was able to plow out of snow banks where rear wheel dives had no traction at all. Each time you mention it I try to think of how many times I lost steering control when I wasn't on ice or a greasy road covered with rain water. I can't come up with any memories of such an episode and I'd estimate during my 50 years of driving (half of which were FWD cars) I must have logged more than a couple million miles. Then, too, maybe I was not so lucky and I just have a poor memory. In any case I have no reason not to trust the FWD cars I own.
Re: Major Announcement
The back of a car is lighter than the front, so it is true you have less traction on the rear, unless it is a rear engine vehicle.
However, fishtailing the back end of a rear wheel drive car does not impair your braking or steering capabilities.
But when you lose that friction grip on the front tires of a front wheel drive car, you have no steering and no braking, which is the primary cause of an accident in a front wheel drive car.
Also, the back end of a front wheel drive car is much lighter than the back end of a rear wheel drive car, so that back end still can whip around on you easily.
Hydroplaning happens quicker on front wheel drive cars, despite the extra weight, because instead of shedding water, the wheels are trying to climb over the water.
I told you about my escapades in the FWD Cadillac while taking my step-daughter to school and/or work. Scared the bejesus out of her, but I do think in the end, for lack of other options, she too now drives a FWD car.
The computer systems in the cars try to make up for all the faults of being FWD, but the computer cannot overcome a traction loss.
One thing I observed a lot with FWD cars in comparison to RWD cars driven by other drivers.
In a RWD car, if you slide you turn into the direction of the skid while keeping your steering and braking capabilities.
But when this happens in a FWD car, you try to use the steering to pull you back straight again, and many times this causes the back end of the car to whiplash and the car spins out of control.
There were many accidents I've seen on dry ground when someone in a FWD car started to change lanes and realized there was a car or truck there, and when they tried to swing back into their lane, the back end of their car slid around, usually hitting the side of what they were trying to avoid in the first place. I never once saw this happen with a RWD car.
One of the benefits of being in a Semi is you are high up, and can see a long ways down the road, over the tops of many cars. From this vantage point, you can see what is going on down the road, and one of the reasons we see many more accidents than folks down low in their cars. It is also the reason I left a long distance between me and another semi in front of me. Can't see diddly if you are behind another semi, hi hi.
However, fishtailing the back end of a rear wheel drive car does not impair your braking or steering capabilities.
But when you lose that friction grip on the front tires of a front wheel drive car, you have no steering and no braking, which is the primary cause of an accident in a front wheel drive car.
Also, the back end of a front wheel drive car is much lighter than the back end of a rear wheel drive car, so that back end still can whip around on you easily.
Hydroplaning happens quicker on front wheel drive cars, despite the extra weight, because instead of shedding water, the wheels are trying to climb over the water.
I told you about my escapades in the FWD Cadillac while taking my step-daughter to school and/or work. Scared the bejesus out of her, but I do think in the end, for lack of other options, she too now drives a FWD car.
The computer systems in the cars try to make up for all the faults of being FWD, but the computer cannot overcome a traction loss.
One thing I observed a lot with FWD cars in comparison to RWD cars driven by other drivers.
In a RWD car, if you slide you turn into the direction of the skid while keeping your steering and braking capabilities.
But when this happens in a FWD car, you try to use the steering to pull you back straight again, and many times this causes the back end of the car to whiplash and the car spins out of control.
There were many accidents I've seen on dry ground when someone in a FWD car started to change lanes and realized there was a car or truck there, and when they tried to swing back into their lane, the back end of their car slid around, usually hitting the side of what they were trying to avoid in the first place. I never once saw this happen with a RWD car.
One of the benefits of being in a Semi is you are high up, and can see a long ways down the road, over the tops of many cars. From this vantage point, you can see what is going on down the road, and one of the reasons we see many more accidents than folks down low in their cars. It is also the reason I left a long distance between me and another semi in front of me. Can't see diddly if you are behind another semi, hi hi.
Re: Major Announcement
We certainly lead two different lives and sometimes I wonder if we are both in the same universe. Philosophically I can show we are not, but in the real world of automobile driving, for example, we are on the same plane. We just sense different things or interpret what we sense differently. Regardless, It's always amazing when I read about you, and other people too, coming to opposite conclusions about events we both witness. To be fair I can see how traction could be an issue due to weight distribution issues, but only in theory. I've not had the kind of experiences you cite when I was driving FWD cars. I might have fishtailed a time or two with FWD, but I know for certain and have vivid memories of being scared by it happening often with the RWD cars I owned. The Acura, a manual transmission nonetheless, was notorious for spinning out making a right hand turn. It had a lot of zip and was flashy, but if you were not careful with it you could do some serious damage. I'm pretty sure that Acura was the car I owned for the shortest period of time because I was afraid of it. I bought an Audi, manual transmission, after the Acura and never once fishtailed that car. That Audi was the best car I ever owned and kept it until the clutch wore out. I sold it that way and the guy who bought it was happy to pay book value for it. Crazy, I know.
Re: Major Announcement
All of my cars were stick shift, normally 4 on the floor, up through 1997 when my wife bought the Blazer.
But it did have a slap-stick automatic and 4WD with high and low ranges.
Although I wrecked that one a few years ago when the ABS system locked my brakes out.
I bought another 97 Blazer used, the only difference was the inside is black instead of gray.
That's the vehicle I will keep and drive until I die, I hope anyhow, surely can't afford another car.
Also, all but my first two cars were Muscle Cars. Plus I had a few sports cars for rally's.
Back when cars were affordable, that is.
My 66 Impala had enough horsepower in it, I managed to snap the frame on the way to sell it. Dumb Luck!
It was also the first time a Mustang ever beat me, hi hi.
But it did have a slap-stick automatic and 4WD with high and low ranges.
Although I wrecked that one a few years ago when the ABS system locked my brakes out.
I bought another 97 Blazer used, the only difference was the inside is black instead of gray.
That's the vehicle I will keep and drive until I die, I hope anyhow, surely can't afford another car.
Also, all but my first two cars were Muscle Cars. Plus I had a few sports cars for rally's.
Back when cars were affordable, that is.
My 66 Impala had enough horsepower in it, I managed to snap the frame on the way to sell it. Dumb Luck!
It was also the first time a Mustang ever beat me, hi hi.
Re: Major Announcement
You have some amazing insights and I think it's due to your experiences in racing. Muscle cars that you built, or rebuilt, also provided a perspective the average Sunday Driver never experiences. It's easy to understand your concern about traction and braking in that context. I always admired my friends who worked on their own cars and some did a bit of racing too. About the only race I'd like to try would be drag racing where it's all over and determined in about ten seconds. Those NASCAR sagas are boring as hell and even the people who like them only watch for the accidents that frequently occur. Anyway, lacking all that background perhaps my views are too limited. All I can say for certain is that I haven't killed myself while driving yet.
I never did like the ABS systems that are mandatory these days. I grew up learning how to negotiate my way out of a genuine skid and never felt comfortable with anti-locking. It's like the difference between running on ice and skating on it. LOL
I never did like the ABS systems that are mandatory these days. I grew up learning how to negotiate my way out of a genuine skid and never felt comfortable with anti-locking. It's like the difference between running on ice and skating on it. LOL
Re: Major Announcement
The Muscle Car era surely was an enjoyable time for me, that much I'll say!
You'll notice, none of the race cars are FWD, they are all RWD. Must be a good reason, ya think?
Missouri is quite hilly, just wait until you end up on an icy road trying to go up a hill.
You'll find out, just like the folks in my subdivision. Those FWD cars love to make a U-turn on their own.
The idea behind ABS is great. It does the pumping for you so you do stop faster.
That is as long as the ABS system doesn't fail and hold your brakes open.
In conjunction with that. Most cars have TWO separate cylinders in their master brake cylinder.
The reason for this is so you can still stop your car if one of those cylinders goes out, or you break a brake hose.
They also have a mechanical push-rod so if your power brake system fails, you can still apply enough brake pressure to push the mechanical pin into the cylinder making it work like manual brakes always worked.
Unfortunately, the ABS system overrides this feature and locks your brakes in the open position and you crash.
You'll notice, none of the race cars are FWD, they are all RWD. Must be a good reason, ya think?
Missouri is quite hilly, just wait until you end up on an icy road trying to go up a hill.
You'll find out, just like the folks in my subdivision. Those FWD cars love to make a U-turn on their own.
The idea behind ABS is great. It does the pumping for you so you do stop faster.
That is as long as the ABS system doesn't fail and hold your brakes open.
In conjunction with that. Most cars have TWO separate cylinders in their master brake cylinder.
The reason for this is so you can still stop your car if one of those cylinders goes out, or you break a brake hose.
They also have a mechanical push-rod so if your power brake system fails, you can still apply enough brake pressure to push the mechanical pin into the cylinder making it work like manual brakes always worked.
Unfortunately, the ABS system overrides this feature and locks your brakes in the open position and you crash.
Re: Major Announcement
I'm beginning to understand your concerns about FWD. I never experienced what you have for two reasons. I don't race my cars on an oval track at 200mph and when there are ice storms my car stays parked in the garage. That was not always possible in Illinois because it was not uncommon for the hard pack snow and glazed ice to stick around for several weeks. Up there I was just careful, and I guess very lucky. I will agree there were fewer hills up by Chicago compared to O'Fallon, but that really doesn't matter when the snow is deep as your tires are round. LOL
And, just to let you know I have had power steering and power brakes go out on me - not both at the same time fortunately. It required two strong hands to steer that sucker to safety, but it was indeed doable. Same with the brakes. It took the full force of both feed to stop without power, but that too was doable. I'd say the first ten years of my driving life was with cars that had no power assist so that losing power could be a shock, but there was no lack of control. Until, as you say, ABS was introduced.
And, just to let you know I have had power steering and power brakes go out on me - not both at the same time fortunately. It required two strong hands to steer that sucker to safety, but it was indeed doable. Same with the brakes. It took the full force of both feed to stop without power, but that too was doable. I'd say the first ten years of my driving life was with cars that had no power assist so that losing power could be a shock, but there was no lack of control. Until, as you say, ABS was introduced.
Re: Major Announcement
I've seen FWD drive cars do a lot of weird things I've never seen RWD cars do.
When my ABS failed, I shoved my brake pedal clear to the floor and it just stuck there.
I hit the parking brake, but as you know, rear wheels just slid without much braking power.
The ABS is not supposed to fail in that way, which is probably why, even though I only had collision on that car, the insurance company still took out a few parts and sent them somewhere for analysis. That was how I learned it was the ABS system that failed. And even though I didn't get any money, I'll bet you the insurance company did by proving it was a component failure.
When my ABS failed, I shoved my brake pedal clear to the floor and it just stuck there.
I hit the parking brake, but as you know, rear wheels just slid without much braking power.
The ABS is not supposed to fail in that way, which is probably why, even though I only had collision on that car, the insurance company still took out a few parts and sent them somewhere for analysis. That was how I learned it was the ABS system that failed. And even though I didn't get any money, I'll bet you the insurance company did by proving it was a component failure.
Re: Major Announcement
Well yes, that is what insurance companies do. They have entire teams of people dedicated to investigating and proving they are not liable for the things that they insure. I guess in a way they must do that to stay in business. Nobody wants to take responsibility for losses because it is costly to do so. Insurance people have a legally required pool of money readily available with which they pay claims. They go to great extremes not to draw down that pool to zero. These guys should work for the government. We would never have a budget problem nor a debt limit. LOL However, we would have outrageous premiums (taxes).
I'm very happy you are here to talk about the brake failure you survived. My worst nightmare is to be driving and have the brake pedal go to the floor with no effect. I even have nightmares about it. Yes, I'm paranoid.
I'm very happy you are here to talk about the brake failure you survived. My worst nightmare is to be driving and have the brake pedal go to the floor with no effect. I even have nightmares about it. Yes, I'm paranoid.
Re: Major Announcement
Taxes are high because we keep borrowing money and paying only the interest on that money, and the poly-tick-ians keep giving themselves raises and benefits on top of benefits, plus lifetime pensions for each term served. That is NOT how our founding fathers intended for it to be, not by a long shot.
I tried my best to avoid that accident, but cars were coming in my direction in their lane, and the truck that backed into the road I did not have enough clearance to get around them, besides, they were pulling back off the road, just not quick enough.
What irked me the most is my insurance company cancelled me, even though I told them everything that took place.
The truck I hit did not have insurance and they tried to flee the scene because of that.
The girl took off way to fast with her wheels turned and ended up running through a farmers fence and down in an irrigation ditch. The person who was the passenger, claimed they were the driver. I can't say whether or not which one was driving, as I was busy trying to let my car roll off the road without tipping over in the roadside ditch.
They said the reason they cancelled me was because I told the adjuster I did not have time to talk to him when he called.
Now since I only had liability on my vehicle, and the owner of the truck was not filing a claim since their really was no damage to their vehicle from the accident. But because they did not have insurance, the farmer sued my insurance company for their fence repair. When that was a totally separate incident and had nothing to do with the accident itself.
We hit, she rolled forward and stopped on the side road, and they got out of the truck, saw we were OK, then hopped back in the truck and took off. That is when she ran through the fence! So I don't see why MY insurance had to pay for a totally separate incident. Needless to say, when you get cancelled, your next insurer gets premium rates for a while.
I tried my best to avoid that accident, but cars were coming in my direction in their lane, and the truck that backed into the road I did not have enough clearance to get around them, besides, they were pulling back off the road, just not quick enough.
What irked me the most is my insurance company cancelled me, even though I told them everything that took place.
The truck I hit did not have insurance and they tried to flee the scene because of that.
The girl took off way to fast with her wheels turned and ended up running through a farmers fence and down in an irrigation ditch. The person who was the passenger, claimed they were the driver. I can't say whether or not which one was driving, as I was busy trying to let my car roll off the road without tipping over in the roadside ditch.
They said the reason they cancelled me was because I told the adjuster I did not have time to talk to him when he called.
Now since I only had liability on my vehicle, and the owner of the truck was not filing a claim since their really was no damage to their vehicle from the accident. But because they did not have insurance, the farmer sued my insurance company for their fence repair. When that was a totally separate incident and had nothing to do with the accident itself.
We hit, she rolled forward and stopped on the side road, and they got out of the truck, saw we were OK, then hopped back in the truck and took off. That is when she ran through the fence! So I don't see why MY insurance had to pay for a totally separate incident. Needless to say, when you get cancelled, your next insurer gets premium rates for a while.
Re: Major Announcement
I've had State Farm auto Insurance ever since I got my driver's license. It's been at least twenty years since I made any kind of claim or had an accident. About three years ago, right here in O'Fallon, a car crashed into me while I was pulling out of the CVS parking lot. At the end of the day I was at fault and my insurance company paid for all damages to both cars. It was all handled over the phone within 24 hours of the incident. No appraisers or adjusters came by and I was well pleased with how the whole matter was handled. But think about it. Twenty years without a claim. That has to be the reason they gave me no grief. I paid for those repairs with about three years of premiums here in Missouri. The other seventeen years of premiums were all profit. So, I guess I was not considered a high risk.
My car insurance is also guaranteed renewable. Yes, that means a higher premium, but they can't refuse to insure me as long as I pay the premiums. However, they can adjust the premium to a level I don't want to pay and get rid of me that way. Which brings to mind yet another point about that accident. My next round of premiums did not increase due to the accident. They go up a bit every year, but there was no penalty for the crash.
As far as borrowing money for the government goes, you probably don't want to know that no money is borrowed for clerical operations. Our taxes pay for that. All the military budget is funded through borrowed money, however. And guess which political party keeps wanting to raise the military budget to strengthen our posture.
My car insurance is also guaranteed renewable. Yes, that means a higher premium, but they can't refuse to insure me as long as I pay the premiums. However, they can adjust the premium to a level I don't want to pay and get rid of me that way. Which brings to mind yet another point about that accident. My next round of premiums did not increase due to the accident. They go up a bit every year, but there was no penalty for the crash.
As far as borrowing money for the government goes, you probably don't want to know that no money is borrowed for clerical operations. Our taxes pay for that. All the military budget is funded through borrowed money, however. And guess which political party keeps wanting to raise the military budget to strengthen our posture.
Last edited by yogi on 24 Jan 2023, 18:14, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Major Announcement
I had Farm Bureau most of my life, but at around age 30 I had a friend who was a State Farm Agent and moved over to him, mainly because he got me a great deal at the time. I've only had two super minor accidents in my life before I moved to TN, and both of those I was found not at fault. The first one was back in like 1981, when I was making a right turn onto a 4-lane main road from a side road, and no one, and I mean no one was coming down the road. So I made my right turn into the right lane which is proper, and wham, my front left fender was hit by another cars front right fender. I never ever saw that car at all until we hit, had no idea where they came from either. It was not until I got the police report that showed she came out of a private drive from between two commercial buildings, making an improper left turn, and with no lights on. At least she was 100% at fault and the company that owned the car had excellent insurance.
I came out way ahead on this deal, because the fender on a Nova was just bolted on, and I got a new fender for like 35 bucks, and installed it myself, then had the whole car repainted, and still had over 600 dollars left over.
I've actually been in other even smaller accidents where there was no damage done. But those don't count, hi hi.
Like I ended up on my side in a ditch in dad's car while making a delivery for him. I got out of the way of someone who changed lanes with me in my lane and that was the only place to go. Art Meder came and flipped the car back down on its wheels and pulled it out of the ditch, and I was on my way again. That was a 55 Ford Custom made of thick metal, hi hi.
The day I bought my '68 Camaro, on the way home from the dealer, a guy pulled out of a driveway and hit the passenger side door. His insurance fixed it, but it was never right. Until I decided to replace the entire door myself the year after.
My first wife got hit in the rear end in the Dodge Charger LEMON I bought for her, by a Dodge RAM truck. He hit hard enough that his bumper was pushed back into his radiator. But there was no physical damage that appeared on the Charger, UNTIL we took it to the shop. This car had rear push pads on it which were connected to the frame. So they took the brunt of the hit, but ripped the bolts to the frame loose underneath the car and it showed it cut the frame bolt holes about 1 inch further in, but still not enough to hit our bumper, which was amazing. We just had those taken off completely.
The government NEVER should have started borrowing money in the first place. They really never had a reason to.
And look how it has ballooned ever since!
I came out way ahead on this deal, because the fender on a Nova was just bolted on, and I got a new fender for like 35 bucks, and installed it myself, then had the whole car repainted, and still had over 600 dollars left over.
I've actually been in other even smaller accidents where there was no damage done. But those don't count, hi hi.
Like I ended up on my side in a ditch in dad's car while making a delivery for him. I got out of the way of someone who changed lanes with me in my lane and that was the only place to go. Art Meder came and flipped the car back down on its wheels and pulled it out of the ditch, and I was on my way again. That was a 55 Ford Custom made of thick metal, hi hi.
The day I bought my '68 Camaro, on the way home from the dealer, a guy pulled out of a driveway and hit the passenger side door. His insurance fixed it, but it was never right. Until I decided to replace the entire door myself the year after.
My first wife got hit in the rear end in the Dodge Charger LEMON I bought for her, by a Dodge RAM truck. He hit hard enough that his bumper was pushed back into his radiator. But there was no physical damage that appeared on the Charger, UNTIL we took it to the shop. This car had rear push pads on it which were connected to the frame. So they took the brunt of the hit, but ripped the bolts to the frame loose underneath the car and it showed it cut the frame bolt holes about 1 inch further in, but still not enough to hit our bumper, which was amazing. We just had those taken off completely.
The government NEVER should have started borrowing money in the first place. They really never had a reason to.
And look how it has ballooned ever since!
Re: Major Announcement
My mom and my youngest daughter were involved with a head on crash with mom driving her Buick Skylark. By the time I got to the scene they were both in the hospital ER being checked out. Mom had a cut lip and my daughter had bruises all over her chest from the seat belts. That's it. They were both sore for a couple weeks but apparently no other bodily damage. I went to the wreckage company to clean out the car of personal items and almost had a heart attack when I saw the front end. The bumper was pushed back to the tires and the passenger compartment was full of debris. They both walked out of there unassisted. That was a miracle if I ever saw one. Of course the car was totaled and the insurance company sent mom a settlement check which she used to buy another Skylark.
I complain all the time about the cost of insurance, but at the end of the day they are worth every cent I've sent them. In the sate of Illinois I could not drive on their roads unless I had insurance, and I might have considered risking not getting it if there were no laws. Over a lifetime I think I would end up paying more premiums than collecting claim money by a wide margin. The insurance company isn't exactly getting rich off my excess premiums because they are paying claims for people who are not as accident free as I am. I guess health insurance works the same way.
There are states which by law must operate on a balanced budget. You would think that means no money is borrowed to run the place, but that's not true. States and municipalities sell bonds all the time to raise money for special projects, like tollroads. The difference between the states and the federal government is that the feds not only collect taxes and sell bonds, but they also can print money if they need to. We have grown to be the great economic power that we are precisely due to our ability to borrow money and fund expansion. Those poor countries of the world who don't, or can't, do that are, well, poor.
I complain all the time about the cost of insurance, but at the end of the day they are worth every cent I've sent them. In the sate of Illinois I could not drive on their roads unless I had insurance, and I might have considered risking not getting it if there were no laws. Over a lifetime I think I would end up paying more premiums than collecting claim money by a wide margin. The insurance company isn't exactly getting rich off my excess premiums because they are paying claims for people who are not as accident free as I am. I guess health insurance works the same way.
There are states which by law must operate on a balanced budget. You would think that means no money is borrowed to run the place, but that's not true. States and municipalities sell bonds all the time to raise money for special projects, like tollroads. The difference between the states and the federal government is that the feds not only collect taxes and sell bonds, but they also can print money if they need to. We have grown to be the great economic power that we are precisely due to our ability to borrow money and fund expansion. Those poor countries of the world who don't, or can't, do that are, well, poor.
Re: Major Announcement
Nobody ever believes me when I say when cars collide, especially a head on, they actually hit each other more than once.
How else could items from inside the glove box, or held by a back seat passenger, end up smashed into the front grill.
I'm glad to hear they came out of the ordeal with only a few cuts n bruises and nothing serious.
Insurance companies do make the big bucks. The premiums do try to cover all of their claims with a little left over.
Then they invest their pool of money to earn more, and set aside some of that for those rare occasions when they have to pay out way more than the normal amount of claims due to some weather event.
Printing money with nothing to back it up, decreases the purchase value of existing money, which is another reason for inflation.
Sure, one dollar is still one dollar, however, that 15 cent hamburger will now cost you a dollar fifty or more.
Because that dollar no longer has the buying power it once had.
How else could items from inside the glove box, or held by a back seat passenger, end up smashed into the front grill.
I'm glad to hear they came out of the ordeal with only a few cuts n bruises and nothing serious.
Insurance companies do make the big bucks. The premiums do try to cover all of their claims with a little left over.
Then they invest their pool of money to earn more, and set aside some of that for those rare occasions when they have to pay out way more than the normal amount of claims due to some weather event.
Printing money with nothing to back it up, decreases the purchase value of existing money, which is another reason for inflation.
Sure, one dollar is still one dollar, however, that 15 cent hamburger will now cost you a dollar fifty or more.
Because that dollar no longer has the buying power it once had.
Re: Major Announcement
I'd truly be interested in knowing the physics behind that observation.Nobody ever believes me when I say when cars collide, especially a head on, they actually hit each other more than once.
Printing money increases the supply of dollars in circulation. More dollars to spend is a leading cause of inflation. The value of the dollar only has meaning and significance to a country's central bank, or to companies who deal with foreign currencies. That "value" is what determines the exchange rate. The backing of the dollar as far as international trade is concerned is no longer tied to the gold standard as it was many years ago. Today it's all about the good faith and trust in Americans ability to pay back its debts. That's why it is critical not to default on our loans. If we could borrow money at all after a default, the interest would be sky high. It's easy to borrow money today because the dollar is very stable and tied to our economy.
Insurance companies make a profit it two ways. One is by paying out less in claims than they take in as premiums. The other way is to invest the premiums and earn interest on that. Insurance companies are among the most heavily regulated industries in this country and each state has their own set of rules. Any excessive profits would get the close scrutiny of the state's Insurance commissioner.
Re: Major Announcement
I don't know if that is true in all accidents, due to the crumple factor of the cars.
But on head on collisions, there are high speed films that show they hit more than once.
Both cars have forward momentum, and they do bounce apart, but the momentum keeps them going forward.
When I was driving OTR, I saw a guy in a big old Buick smash directly into a bridge abutment doing around 70 mph.
I assume he fell asleep at the wheel and just ran off the road onto the shoulder just as he was coming to the bridge.
He was alone in the car, and his passenger side door sheared off and was standing up sideways crushed between the front of his car and the concrete abutment. He did not hit anything else other than the side of that concrete bridge. The bench part of his back seat was sticking out the windshield on the passenger side. Amazingly, the guy was alive, and taken away by ambulance. The cop kept asking me how many cars he hit before ending up against the concrete wall. I said none, he didn't hit anything, just veered off the road onto the shoulder and into the abutment, no other cars or objects were involved. All the cop kept saying was, he had to hit other things first, and I kept saying no he didn't. Then I was back on the road again, never called by the police afterward.
Supply and demand, when there is excess usually causes the prices to go down on some items. But normally, once a company gets their prices up, they never bring them down again. And since normal salaries have never really kept up with inflation, it just keeps getting worse as time goes on.
I'm sure the government keeps a BIG EYE on the Insurance companies!
But on head on collisions, there are high speed films that show they hit more than once.
Both cars have forward momentum, and they do bounce apart, but the momentum keeps them going forward.
When I was driving OTR, I saw a guy in a big old Buick smash directly into a bridge abutment doing around 70 mph.
I assume he fell asleep at the wheel and just ran off the road onto the shoulder just as he was coming to the bridge.
He was alone in the car, and his passenger side door sheared off and was standing up sideways crushed between the front of his car and the concrete abutment. He did not hit anything else other than the side of that concrete bridge. The bench part of his back seat was sticking out the windshield on the passenger side. Amazingly, the guy was alive, and taken away by ambulance. The cop kept asking me how many cars he hit before ending up against the concrete wall. I said none, he didn't hit anything, just veered off the road onto the shoulder and into the abutment, no other cars or objects were involved. All the cop kept saying was, he had to hit other things first, and I kept saying no he didn't. Then I was back on the road again, never called by the police afterward.
Supply and demand, when there is excess usually causes the prices to go down on some items. But normally, once a company gets their prices up, they never bring them down again. And since normal salaries have never really kept up with inflation, it just keeps getting worse as time goes on.
I'm sure the government keeps a BIG EYE on the Insurance companies!