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My son wrecked...need advice
GuvamintCheese
Member Posts: 38,932 ✭
My son Alex(17) just hit another vehicle (his 1st accident) in the rear at a stoplight. I went to the scene where the lady had already called police. The jeep wrangler (2001,mine) had no damage but it bent the bumper on her 99 toyota tacoma. The police arrived and we exchanged info, no ticket was issued. I asked the lady to get it fixed and I will pay for it, I dont want to turn it in to the insurance. She knows I dont want it turned over to my insurance co. because my rates will skyrocket. I rely on my son to drive so that he can get himself and my daughter, to school and practice. Heres the kicker, it was wet out and he said the jeep skided a long way. when I got home I took it out and tried to duplicate the skid, it locked up but only the front tires. the back brakes arent working. How can I make sure the lady doesnt take me to the cleaners for a new bumper? How hard should I come down on the boy when its partially my fault?
Comments
[ How hard should I come down on the boy when its my fault?
Rule number one is "Its never your fault". Hes 17 and you did not know this? Don
When stopping in an emergency you will really notice when the fronts lock up. Also most newer cars have EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), since your's doesn't have ABS, you don't have EBD, but a manual distribution block. Car's brakes are biased towards the front anyways, that is where you get the best braking performance. It's possible that your front tires locked up, leaving you almost no control over the vehicle. Tires also play a major part. A full on ABS-inducing stop usually only needs ABS on the front.
Bottom line-the boy is going to have an accident sometime or another. Believe me, he probably feels pretty low about wrecking your jeep, I would. That is enough of a lesson.
Don
Your brake system should get a checkout.
Get on the Tire Rack website, read the reports on wet traction and BUY good tires. If your shocks are bad you will get skipping in panic stops.
You have young drivers with undeveloped driving judgement that need all the help they can get.
Let them know that wet stopping distance doesn't equal dry stopping distance.
Hope for the best.
Take him out and practice, worst case senarios. When it snows, practice a spinout, emergency braking, etc.
If she starts complaing of neck pain in a few days, then what are you going to do?
Guess what I am trying to say is you have insurance use it! Rarly do minor fender benders make your rates go up. Injurys from fender benders here in CA are an automatic 2 points. I had one about 5 years ago and my yearly rate went from $600 a year to $1300 (AAA) I have only 48 hours to report it. If I would have waited I would have had to pay both medical and damage out of pocket, and God only knows how much that would have been.
quote:She knows I dont want it turned over to my insurance co. because my rates will skyrocket.
If she starts complaing of neck pain in a few days, then what are you going to do?
Guess what I am trying to say is you have insurance use it! Rarly do minor fender benders make your rates go up. Injurys from fender benders here in CA are an automatic 2 points. I had one about 5 years ago and my yearly rate went from $600 a year to $1300 (AAA) I have only 48 hours to report it. If I would have waited I would have had to pay both medical and damage out of pocket, and God only knows how much that would have been.
I agree!!!!
No ticket, no fault. Rates may go up a bit but a LOT less than the cost of future potential claims. She has two years to sue you in most states. Call your carrier and file the claim.
Careful. Two years ago my wife did the same thing on the highway on the north side of town. Stopped trafic at an exit ramp, raining, slid into a car. Not nearly hard enough to deploy the airbag. Driver (administrator at the local christian college)said at the scene he was fine, until some guy claiming to be his son-in-law jumped out of another car and started taking pictures with a cell phone camera. Suddenly he needed transport for a "heart condition". Insurance paid $4000 for a bent bumper on a $2000 Toyota pickup. Eight months later we get a letter from the insurance company saying we are being sued for more than the limit of the policy. We thought it was over. After a year our insurance gave the guy $25000 to go away. I wanted them to chase him for insurance fraud but they refused. Wife's insurance is now $3100 a year on a '06 Corolla. People get bumped from behind they get dollar signs in their eyes.
Man I feel stupid.
I went airborn on the McKinnly Bridge over the Mississpi RIver in a 91 F150. An expansion joint buckled. Banged my head on the roof. When asked, Yes I was wearing my seatbelt. Bent the front I-beam suspension. Only got the cost of repairs form the city of Venice.
I could have made some big bucks.
Of course if they investigated long enough, it would have been difficult to hit my head on the roof if I was wearing a seatbelt. Second, if I was truely doing the speedlimit, why did I go airborn?
An accident occurs and you are desperate not to let the insurance company find out about it because of possible ramifications from them?
What exactly is it you feel you are recieving for the service you pay for every month?
And with a teenage driver you did not forsee any type of scenario like this prior to its occurance?
The fact is you did forsee this sort of event which is why you are insured in the first place.
Steal a non-descript sedan and wait til she heads for the mailbox one day and run over her then ditch the car. Anything wrong with her will get blamed on the mysterious hit and run driver.
Then she sues the auto maker[:D]
then the landscaper for digging the ditch to deep.[:D]
then the Mexican that dug the ditch.[:D]
Scared the crap out of us! I know folks who have suffered for years with neck & back problems from auto accidents!
Luckily for us, the stiffness and pain went away in a day or two and no harm done.
Their insurance company gave us each a $1000 for our pain and trouble + they fixed the damage - of course.[:D]
Don't be so sure that the rears didn't lock up.
When stopping in an emergency you will really notice when the fronts lock up. Also most newer cars have EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), since your's doesn't have ABS, you don't have EBD, but a manual distribution block. Car's brakes are biased towards the front anyways, that is where you get the best braking performance. It's possible that your front tires locked up, leaving you almost no control over the vehicle. Tires also play a major part. A full on ABS-inducing stop usually only needs ABS on the front.
Are you sure the wrangler doesn't have ABS?
2001 Jeep WranglerThe classic remains, for the moment. It is now the sole user of the 2.5 liter AMC engine. A redesign looms, however, and many are apprehensive after seeing the new Cherokee.
Heavier fuel tank skid plate and quarter-turn gas cap.
New antilock brakes.
Long-life antifreeze.
Quick-removal side steps.
Thicker, quieter, more durable soft top.
New tilt wheel mechanism with increased range and finer adjustments.
Optional "add a trunk" and amplified subwoofer
Redesigned mini and full console with, respectively, dual and rear seat cup holders.
Changes to seat materials
Wider inside rearview mirror
Changes to controls and instrument panel; intermittent wipers are standard.
Child seat anchors.
either way...make sure she is ok...signs a release and buy the brand new toyota bumper (easy to install) do everything you can to make her happy...don't try to cheap out..... turn it over to insurance if there is any problem...if you trust your agent you might tell him about it without filing an official accident report
I waited about two days for him to handle things....when I called to check on what he had done to get things handled I was SO chewed out by his mother who had been told it was "my fault."
I think you should do what others have suggested and make certain the damages get handled in a way that show you are concerned that it gets taken care of....and not a thing they are having to worry over.
I think they would feel better if you had a GIVEAWAY!!!! What are you gonna give????/
About six cars were involved and they were all high school kids going home too fast and too close.
The rear ender's insurance company gave me some comfort money for a minor whiplash that went away in less than a week.
Excuse my ignorance, not sure, but isn't ABS a required safety feature since the early 90's in all states?
Nope, I had a 97 GS-t Spyder Eclipse w/o ABS, and my 01 Miata didn't have ABS.
ABS is usually an option, but there are even 06 and 07 models out without ABS.
quote:Originally posted by FrancF
Excuse my ignorance, not sure, but isn't ABS a required safety feature since the early 90's in all states?
Nope, I had a 97 GS-t Spyder Eclipse w/o ABS, and my 01 Miata didn't have ABS.
ABS is usually and option, but there are even 06 and 07 models out without ABS.
Might be a CA thing, haven't seen a car not equipped without them as STD equipment.
Edit dubble tap
No ABS, its a barebones jeep wrangler. Rear drums are no good. I believe in order to have abs it has to be disc....is this right?
A good set of rear brakes may have saved the day. I can't say for sure because I don't know the nature of the accident. That is probably why the rears never locked up when you tried to. Drum brakes are really weak in the rear, and if they are worn much at all and haven't been adjusted, they can be even more so.
I'm not certian, but I believe discs are needed for ABS.
And if she's stupid enough to sign THAT, offer to sell her a bridge!
I took photo's of the area, got a copy of the police report and took it to court. The judge decided in my favor that the accident was not my fault.
he took it to civil court for surgery he had to his knee to rmove fatty tissue from the accident (same surgery he had the year before on his other knee from a different accident)
My dad's insurance company settled out of court for the full limit of the policy and dropped my dad.
Steal a non-descript sedan and wait til she heads for the mailbox one day and run over her then ditch the car. Anything wrong with her will get blamed on the mysterious hit and run driver.
[}:)][:0] [:D]
i'll go with JK..[;)]
Oh ya I even had cops at the scene, didnt seem to make a difference. 500 dollars worth of dammage with a 1000 dollar deductable, and no way to bleed money out of a turnip.
If I was the lady I would go after your insurance as soon as I left the scene, I wont go the whole oh I will pay for it route ever again. Way to easy to get ripped off.
I never saw an insurance card he didnt have it with him, and so he just made up a company that was fine with the cops since were a no fault state, and no incident report was filed...
Oh ya ps tirerack fricking owns, save a ton and buy HIGHT quality well rated tires..
So what I started doing and even in my own cars that did not have ABS, was as soon as I felt the slide, I would put the tranny in neutral and this allowed a more controlled stop without the tranny pushing you down the highway toward a target.
With a clutch, you just push in the clutch pedal and you have the same control.
This really works well when you have to drive on packed snow/ice.
As far as your son, teach him following distances and stopping on wet roads may take a longer distance. Don't forget pumping the brakes to reduce the speed until a steady pressure will bring you to a safer stop.
Moose
Hey, I have driven too many patrol cars to know that they are not any better in the snow or on wet roads. I have found that when you try to stop, the vehicle may slide but the back wheels keep pushing due the distribution of the braking front to rear.
So what I started doing and even in my own cars that did not have ABS, was as soon as I felt the slide, I would put the tranny in neutral and this allowed a more controlled stop without the tranny pushing you down the highway toward a target.
With a clutch, you just push in the clutch pedal and you have the same control.
This really works well when you have to drive on packed snow/ice.
As far as your son, teach him following distances and stopping on wet roads may take a longer distance. Don't forget pumping the brakes to reduce the speed until a steady pressure will bring you to a safer stop.
Moose
Thats some good to know stuff right there!
You don't need disks for ABS. There have been lots of light trucks built in the last 15 years with rear drums and rear ABS only. It has been standard equipment on most Chrysler truck since at least 89.
not only that...but is the standard abs system is there it is rear wheel only...I belive it is federal law for light trucks and SUV's
it has been standard on all ford trucks since 1988