Far better than to 'solve' all problems by increasing gun ownership
The rule about that is VERY clear

 

Sadly, my '08 Sport was totaled today with someone running a red light at high speed.

I'm at an off-ramp at Drexel Ave. and I-94 here in Milwaukee, waiting to turn left on Drexel. Light turns green, I proceed into the intersection, and next thing I know, a van going ~50 mph T-bones my left front quarter panel. Three air bags deployed, car gets spun around once and goes backwards. The front of the car is smithereens.

Other than that kicked by a horse feeling in my left flank from the impact, I'm OK. Thank God for the airbags and seat belts. Without them, I wouldn't be typing this now.

Never saw it coming. No skid marks. Driver of the van didn't even try to slow down.

 

Glad to hear all the safety features kept you protected.

 

I hope you are ok with no pain. Keep a watch on yourself and if you have any pain in your neck/spine, get it checked out and documented in an ER. That's a lot of force your head and neck withstood.

I guess you'll be looking at the 2016 Fit or competitor? Hurray for air bags and safety features.

This is why Toronto is so strict on red light runners. No exceptions, no excuses, just clear photos and a $325 fine.

 

I did my share of hooning in my youth, but after losing my license doing ~100 in a 35 (6 points, which put me over), I dialed it way back, but still typically did ~5-10 mph over the limit like everyone else.

A few years ago, I decided to retrain myself to just drive the limit. It took over a year to get to where I didn't need cruise control to help, but my travels today are much more relaxed and I can enjoy the beautiful farm country scenery here in the Middle West without constantly having to scan for 'Smokey.'

The biggest problem today is that I have to *really* keep an eye on my rear view, as I'm generally the slowest thing on the road unless it's harvest time.

In light of that reality, I've been wanting to make up a decal for my rear window:



Last speeding ticket was in 1985 (the one mentioned above, which cost me many thousands in higher auto insurance premiums over the next five years). I've had one ticket since, in my '64 Beetle in 1995 for an improper lane change (in a large town I was not familiar with - wrong place, wrong time).

es

 

I wish I could replace my GD3 with a GK, but that's probably not in the cards.

I used to work in the medical field for 30 years so I know how soft tissue injuries work. I am nothing less than amazed that my little GD3 did such a fine job of protecting me in a high-speed crash.

One other thing I noticed immediately after the accident: My driver's door was locked, and I didn't lock it myself. My guess is a safety feature triggered by the air bags/impact etc. to prevent a door flying open and me being ejected from the vehicle.

After the initial shock of the accident - and I was in traumatic shock, no doubt about it - my first thought was to get out of the car immediately at all costs. Didn't want to get caught in a car that was about to catch on fire. Yes, I had an emergency hammer thing that I would have used to break a window if necessary.

 

So glad that you are OK. Any chance of an "after" photo to show how well the crumple areas crumpled

 

Car is sitting at a tow lot now. I won't be able to retrieve my personal possessions until tomorrow, and it's bitter cold here in the midwest.

I was thinking of taking a pic with my phone yesterday but decided it was safer not to, because in order to get a pic of the front of the car, I would have had to stand in traffic at a really busy thoroughfare from a major freeway.

 

After your experience, I wouldn't want to stand there either

 

What's left of my GD3

Van that hit me was a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan.

 

You were so lucky that you weren't hit a foot or so later. That would have hurt.

It just goes to show how well the front of the Jazz is designed to absorb all that energy.

A little bit of filler and a coat of paint and it'll be back on the road

 

You "chose" an excellent place to get hit, causing your car to easily rotate and quickly dissipate the force from the minivan. As Mr. Onion said, two feet more rearward would have been very bad.

Anyway you needed new tires, so that's the upside! Keep us updated on your next car buy.

 

Thank you both.

It's not apparent in the photo, but I noticed at the accident scene that both driver side wheels were pushed in at the top. My reasoning is that there was enough traction for those tires to stay put for a very brief moment with the impact, then the car got spun around, so the driver side wheels acted like a pivot point for the spin and those wheels caved in as a result.

Addendum: When I went to the tow lot today, I noticed that the vehicle that hit me - the 2009 Grand Caravan - was sitting there right in front of mine. Police report said it was towed to the same lot.

Although air bags deployed in that vehicle as well, the exterior damage to the Caravan was limited to its right front quarter panel and grill. That vehicle is likely repairable. Don't know what a Grand Caravan weighs, but it's got to be at least 2-3 times that of the Fit.

 

Dodge Caravans have a curb weight of just under 4000 pounds. Honda Fits weigh about 2600 pounds. Certainly a differential, but not like getting hit by a Peterbilt!

It looks like the Caravan launched a bit off of the top of your front wheel which increased the impact time and absorbed some of the energy, both good things.

 

Ah, that makes sense, thanks. I just assumed that a van that big had to weigh much more, but it appears it's not even twice the weight of the Fit.

The damage to the van was much less than the damage to the Fit. It still had most of the front end intact and recognizable. Even the steer brand logo at the center of the grill was intact. That steer brand logo (the Dodge ram) is what clued me in, this is the vehicle that hit me.

 

In OR and WA if you leave the intersection after the light turns red,, you get a ticket.

Its illegal to cross the "cross walk" until the light turns green.
Its illegal to pull past the crosswalk if your right of way is not clear, so pulling up on the yellow will stand you mid intersection on red. They will write you up.

We have several local communities that make bank on the red-light cameras..

 

I know this is an old thread, but I agree.
More and more people are treating red lights, the way people use to treat yellow lights.

Also, pedestrians seem so unaware of their environment.
So many people just wander out right in front of you, sometimes while staring into their phone or tablet.

 

Here, when they put in the red light camera's, they reduced the time on the yellow light to generate more revenue. The opposing light didn't switch any sooner, the tactic was to make sure the camera caught a red light instead of a yellow. The resulting effect was predictable, a dramatic increase in people being rear ended stopping on yellow lights, and no statistical increase in safety. After a few years the city pulled them all out before it could blow up in their face.
The biggest red light runners are left turns, several busy intersections take three lights before you can get through, due to poor road design where the short left turn lane is blocked by traffic going straight and short duration left turn lights.
I think the answer to most of the problems is to make public the traffic engineers names, home addresses, and maybe post a picture of them online. Really let the taxpayers know the guy who designed each intersection.

 

Red means stop, to me ....in the city I reside in, apparently a lot of locals somehow learned that when approaching a green light, hit the brakes....locals are the worst. I don't get it....it's easy - green light, go, red light stop, yellow light either speed TFU or stop depending on conditions....locals hate us yankees

 

I slow down on yellow and stop for all reds. I stopped running "pink lights" years ago. I think it comes with age.

My Dad installed a dash cam in his Element (south of Tampa). Seems like it's becoming a necessity to protect yourself against the bad driving of others.

I can't wait for automated cars. That should help eventually. And may reduce the income of the city via tickets & fines. Life will get very interesting in a few more years.

In fact, I bought the Fit as stop-gap until self-driving cars are more of the norm. I'd buy a self-driving Fit if Honda comes out with one.

So far, I'm loving the Fit.