Sorry to hear about your Fit and definitely just let the cell phone just ring next time. Everyone has done the same thing but you were just unlucky this time. The mask will work well and you will need to remove and keep it clean and waxed underneath. Also realize that your paint will age differently from the areas that are under the cover. You could always opt for a band-aid sticker and do like my friend that used the sticker and painted OUCH! beside it! LOL! Hope all works out for you.

Cat :x

 

Well I'm sorry you learned the hard way Silver Lady. I know I don't take my chances when I see people gabbing on their cell phones. For example I like to take jogs outdoors. When doing this I don't count on cell phone drivers to even recognize I'm trying to cross the street when they're at a stop sign. I've noticed how hard it is to get their attention. So I don't take any chances with them. I'm extra cautious of them too when I spot them while driving my motorcycle too. None of us are magicians, and what might feel so routine to us is just as dangerous as DUI, if not worse.

 

You drive a motorcycle, Jensen? Very cool! I am very sensitive to motorcycles. My dad used to have them and I know how often drivers overlook them. You're right about joggers. And... cyclists. My husband and I will ride every once in awhile and I'm always looking around at the side streets. You just never know.

So. My driving habits have already changed since getting my Fit. Now I'll probably really start to drive like a little old lady!!

With Matrix sunglasses. lol

 

Yes Silverlady, around this time of year, I'd rather use a motorized or non-motorized bike to get from here to there with. I only use the Fit now when it's pouring rain or I need to move lots of people or things. This country still views motorcycles as toys, while I find them to be very practical at times. Although I'm hoping my Fit can get somewhere in the same MPG area as my 700cc, 2 cylinder bike does. Anyhow when I'm on either of my bikes I view other vehicles at a higher angle. I can usually spot cell phone drivers a lot easier because of that. After that a warning signal starts its alert in my head. I've just had too many close calls with cell phone drivers now. I do 2 things with them now because of that 1) I assume they have no clue I'm even here or 2) try to get their attention and see if they acknowledge my existence after that. For example while on my bicycle if I'm trying to cross an intersection and I see somebody busy chatting on their cellphone, I might just scream "hey" at first, before I cross the street, even though I have the right of way. In fact last year I was riding my bicycle on the sidewalk. I made the mistake though of taking the sidewalk that goes against traffic. There's no problem with that until you reach intersections. I was going across one and had the green light at the time. But right when I almost got to the other side, a Toyota Highlander SUV, that was piloted but a senior citizen took a right and nailed my bike's rear tire, he missed my leg by inches. I fell down to the ground with no serious injuries besides my bike's rear wheel bent out of shape, and the senior citizen just drove away like nothing happened after that. Since this all happened behind my back and took me by surprise, I don't know what the senior citizen's problem was. I'll assume it had more to do with his vision than anything else. Witnesses did track him down after that. When I talked to him, he had no clue that he hit me. I'm more weary now of senior citizens after that. Their fave cars set off that warning signal in my head too, when ever I spot one. "Oh no Buick ahead! "

 

whiplash? tell the lady why did she backup into your car? haha

i would suggest talking to your dealer about doing a spot repair first because they usually have an airbrush crew come out to touchup their used cars. some of them can do minor repairs like that to the point it's fairly unnoticable. then if you get a clearbra installed afterwards. it will make it even less noticable.

good luck with the repair. ive gotten bumped at a walmart parking lot decades ago by some lady in the same situation.... she was looking for her purse in the passenger side floor, creeped up, and bumped into my rear bumper. she too didn't have insurance with her... nor did she have a valid driver's license. she gave me her pager number (yah, we didnt have celphones back then)...maybe it was you?

 

Ha! I agree. I know this will sound awful, but whenever I'm behind some big car (like an older Buick) and I see a man's hat on the driver's head, I'm like: "Slow driver ahead!" Of course, that might be a good thing for me at the moment...

 

Ha on the backing up comment! Well, she hasn't called me yet. I tried the number several times both on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was busy and made me wonder if it was out-of-service. I gave her my work and cell number. So, we'll see if she'll call.

I did try my Honda dealership and the service manager said they didn't do body work. (Even after checking out my bumper, he said this.) He gave me a card for a collision repair shop they send all their customers to. I may stop by to get an estimate from them, too.

Meanwhile, I've gotten over my initial shock, anger, shame, etc. and will probably not get a mask. I may save toward the body work but think if I do it, I'll wait a few more months. I figure the bumper will most likely get a few more scratches from road debris and I'll determine whether it's really worth it getting it fixed.

Meanwhile, I'm actually driving a little more relaxed because I got my first "ding." I've been parking faaaaaar away from my grocery store and anywhere I go that has a huge parking lot. I try to park parallel if I have the opportunity and generally keep babying my car in every way I can.

And... the beat goes on.

 

It's not the slow driving that worries me, it's their vision or whatever that doesn't register you on their radar. Most of my close calls while jogging in the streets have been with senior citizens and cell phone drivers so far. After that I don't assume anybody will come to a stop @ a stop sign. In fact it's disgusting how so many people, especially on side streets believe that slowing down to 5 or 10 MPH is all they need to do at a stop sign. I hate taking my chances with cell phone drivers too @ stop signs they too have no clue most of the time that I'm there while they're too busy chatting on their phones. If we're going to live with this behavior, more cars need to be equipped with more safety nannies What I'm thinking about in this case is radar that will bring the car to a full stop when it senses an object is in front of them. That technology does exist today. I hate the thought of adding all this extra cost to cars too. But what else can we do in no win situations like this? Even around here where driving and cell phones are against the law, people obey that law, about as much as they ever come to a full stop @ stop signs.

 

insurance companies are investing fraud extremely closely nowadays. tell her insurance fraud is a felony.

 

Whiplash fraud has been going on since day one though. As you can see here Press Release - Soft-Tissue Injury: Even a Fender Bender Can Potentially Wreak Havoc it appears to be
a ball of confusion right now.

 

Anyone can tell by the ding in SilverLady's plastic crap bumper with the beer cooler foam impact absorber that no one was injured.... What speed do you suppose a fit with A/T will accelerate to in such a short distance while idling?

 

It's still a bumper attached to 2500 plus pounds of rolling mass. And the Fit appears to have quick pick up in the 0 to 30 MPH range.

 

Yeah but she was stopped and her foot came off of the brake her car was at an idle and the one she tapped was stopped just in front of her..... The plastic on these cars can be torn up very badly and not transfer enough shock to be felt.... I had the whole front bumper taken off of mine and felt no sensation at all until I got out and saw it.

 

TX Coyote, I agree with you. It was truly one of those light bumps that makes you go, "Oh, no." But not like a major "OH NO!" At first I didn't see any damage but it was because I looked mainly at one side of the front bumper. Later, a co-worker saw it and said, "Hmm. Was this there before?" and pointed to the nickel-sized bump extruding.

At first my husband wondered if there was some hole that size in the other woman's bumper but I really didn't think I hit her that hard. I told him I thought it was a piece of metal behind the bumper.

Sure enough, when he felt around under the bumper, he felt the metal rod. So I have no idea if that rod was supposed to trigger the air bags when a more forceful impact occurred or if it's just a part of the undercarriage.