Could this accident have happened to you?

If your car is safe, you generally feel safe behind the wheel.

Until you read about a horrific accident like this:

One truck driver loses control of his rig.... one man is burned alive inside his car.

"'The heat was so intense, it burned the car's vehicle identification number and the license plates,' said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 'We still don't know who he is. We have to wait until someone files a missing-persons report.'"

Does this kind of story change the way you drive?

Read Article

pinto4ever - 9/16/2006 1:15:48 PM

0 Boost

This post has scared people away!

OK, I'll respond to my own post.

Yeah, I have this weird thing where I feel safer behind the wheel of my car than I do in row 15b in a 737. I guess because I feel like I'm in control or something. Anyway, there are hundreds of trucks in the SoCal area and it really would just take one of those guys to spill his coffee and bam!

Should I be looking for a bigger car, like an SUV? Is it smart to drive a compact car even though the gas mileage is so much better and they're more fun to drive? Or is an Accord-size car the best of both?

pinto4ever - 9/16/2006 2:35:38 PM

+2 Boost

I was down in Long Beach on a weekday last week. It was like they were filming the sequel to Convoy. I'm manuevering my lil' putputter around these mammoth rigs. It was freaky. Then switch me with an overprotective mommy with junior strapped in back and poof... a billion Toyota Highlanders are sold. (Which are just as lethal to my little car as a Freightliner.) Tommy, stop hitting your sister! Screeeeeechh. Blam. Whoops..? Did I just hit ... Tommy! What did I tell you!

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/16/2006 5:29:08 PM

+1 Boost

Thats the wierd thing. While i would continue to use Sedans & Sports Cars, If i had a family to think of I would be the first to put them in an SUV for safety Reasons.
(X5s/Cayennes/Q7s/Ranges/LR Discoverys) NOT (Escalades/Navigators/H3s)

First list have Good Handling, Low Risk Of Rollover,Good Crash Worthiness;

Second List are basically Truck Chasis with an SUV Body Bolted On so just as useless as a truck in terms of Rollovers & Crash Worthiness not to mention Handling.

Rupert - 9/16/2006 6:48:52 PM

+1 Boost

195 you're uk based right? what about the renault espace? safest csr in britain....
not as cool as a rangie though.
btw are you 195 or i95?

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/16/2006 8:15:36 PM

+1 Boost

I-95
You are correct, I am UK based
Renault is probably the safest but i doubt my partner would agree to drive that :)

If anything she'd say yes at time of purchase and then take my X5 from then on forcing me to use the renault :(

Ive learnt from previous Events

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/16/2006 8:18:56 PM

+1 Boost

I only have the X5 because I love the Damn Thing, Most of the time I use her 535d M-Sport. Much better daily driver and she always takes my Bloody X5 :(

pinto4ever - 9/16/2006 8:42:11 PM

+1 Boost

So you get an SUV to fight the other SUV's (and worse) on the road. And if you get an X5s/Cayenne/Q7/Range/LR Discovery then you put 91 octane into this SUV while getting 12 miles per gallon. If I have to pay $80 a tank to stay safe, I'd better get hit just to make it worth it.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/16/2006 9:33:50 PM

+1 Boost

I have to be honest, £40 a day to get around London is silly to say the least, thats why the missus uses it, she only does about 10 miles a day while i do about 70 on a normal day and 500+ on wekends

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/16/2006 9:47:11 PM

+1 Boost

London to Manchester for Football Matches or Liverpool Or Whatever destination my friends and I decide to check out.
(Have to go to the Football Matches as some of my Friends/Clients are players and so I go for Support & Network Opportunities)