Crashed into :(

Yes, I was quite lucky! Gave the lorry driver quite a shock, but I only had minor injuries, and walked away once they had cut the front doors off. Only walked as far as the nice stretcher, but I did walk away!

At least it was an Escort. Big enough to be safe, but an Escort so I was not that bothered that it was squashed. Hitting a Cougar is a much more serious offence.
 
Just read through all of this thread and agree insurance claims and liability is always a nightmare. But anyone who gets hit up the backend, whether directly or shunted by a series of cars, must always go to the hospital reporting a painful stiff neck (within 24 hours). This will mean you get one of them collars to wear for a couple of days, but it will mean you get just short of a couple of grand for the whiplash injury, this windfall will make all the pain of sorting out who did what and who loses any excesses much easier to put up with.

It may be wrong to feign or exagerate a whiplash injury, but in this day and age everyone's at it and afterall the insurance companies no matter how much they pay out are never on a loser. So whether right or wrong if you get hit up the backside, get to A&E to enable you to make your claim. The payout for the whiplash injury just may make the write off value you receive for your Cougar bearable as our cars are now pretty worthless.
 
Even still it took 13 months to get the insurance money for Gill's cracked vertibrae which put her out of work for months and meant (amongst many other things) I had to pick her up onto her feet from the kneeling part of our wedding ceremony in front of everyone in church. It's hardly how she wanted her wedding day to go....
 
Can I ask a question...?...It may sound daft, but did any of these cars have their handbrake applied? I use mine all the time when in traffic as you never know what plonker will come steaming up behind you. Surely there would have been alot less damage and alot less vehicles involved if the handbrake had been applied???

Is this a stupid question? :idea::confused:
 
Handbrakes are pretty weak actually.

The friction between two surfaces which are static against one another is considerably higher than two surfaces sliding against one another. (For example if you apply the handbrake just enough to hold the car on a slope from a standstill, then give it a bit of clutch to start rolling down the slope, you wont actually stop unless you brake harder).

Consequently, a handbrake usually provides just enough force on the back brakes to hold the car still once stopped. Try actually stopping with the handbrake and you'll find it about as much use as a chocolate teapot compared to the foot brake.

What I'm getting at is that even with the handbrake applied, a half decent punt will overcome the lightly held back brakes and then it's as though it's not really there. Had the cars been held firmly on the foot brakes that would be a different story....

Of course a car with the handbrake on will travel a shorter distance if hit than one with no brakes on at all, but not really that much further, particularly if hit hard.
 
jamie_duff said:
Handbrakes are pretty weak actually.

The friction between two surfaces which are static against one another is considerably higher than two surfaces sliding against one another. (For example if you apply the handbrake just enough to hold the car on a slope from a standstill, then give it a bit of clutch to start rolling down the slope, you wont actually stop unless you brake harder).

Consequently, a handbrake usually provides just enough force on the back brakes to hold the car still once stopped. Try actually stopping with the handbrake and you'll find it about as much use as a chocolate teapot compared to the foot brake.

What I'm getting at is that even with the handbrake applied, a half decent punt will overcome the lightly held back brakes and then it's as though it's not really there. Had the cars been held firmly on the foot brakes that would be a different story....

Of course a car with the handbrake on will travel a shorter distance if hit than one with no brakes on at all, but not really that much further, particularly if hit hard.
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Cool, thanks Jamie. Just thought it was common sense as I know the Traffic Officers I have been out on duty with always advise the use of a handbrake whilst in traffic. However, I understand what you are saying (y)
 
I had my foot break firmly on as I usually do in traffic, therefore I didn't ping forwards into the car in front!

(Oh yeah and I had a good 1.5 metres between me and the car in front)
 
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