When is a car accident really an "accident"?

On 05/30/2013 01:19 AM, Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:
> "N8N" > wrote in message
> ...
> On May 4, 11:56 am, wrote:
>> For me, an "accident" is something that no amount of prevention or
>> prudence could avoid.
>>
>> If the events in my examples did happen - that is, the preventative
>> measures I listed were not taken - none of them would qualify as
>> "accidents", because in every case there were options to create a
>> positive outcome.
>
> I agree with this post. "accident" seems to be a word used by those
> who don't wish to take responsibility for their actions.
>
> *** As I said in my previous post, an "accident" is unintentional. I
> mean, if someone deliberately wants to force out someone in the lane
> they are changing to (i.e., get them out of that lane or they will get
> hit), that is intentional unsafe driving, and any collision is not an
> accident. However, if they do not intend to force someone out of the
> lane, and they use the mirrors and over-the-shoulder glance but misjudge
> the lane change--a collision occurs is an "accident". And that is only
> one example.
>

But that's still not an "accident." Misjudging a lane change is
negligent behavior and there's at least one definable cause of the
incident, well, actually at least two (one, the person who initiated the
unsafe maneuver and two, the person who failed to react to it to avoid
the collision.)

Far more likely however is someone who doesn't signal, doesn't shoulder
check, and has his/her mirrors adjusted such that there are blind spots
and therefore a shoulder check is required but expects others to make
way for him/her anyway.

> "I wrecked my car" is much more pejorative, and yet in most instances
> more accurate than "I was involved in an accident." However the
> former is a much rarer utterance than the latter.
>
> *** I usually associate "wrecking" the car with the vehicle being a
> total loss.

OK, fair enough, how about "crash?" I still maintain that "accident" is
a word used by those who wish to avoid accepting responsibility.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On 5/30/2013 12:19 AM, Daniel W. Rouse Jr. wrote:
> *** As I said in my previous post, an "accident" is unintentional. I
> mean, if someone deliberately wants to force out someone in the lane
> they are changing to (i.e., get them out of that lane or they will get
> hit), that is intentional unsafe driving, and any collision is not an
> accident.

In Chicagoland it is common for people to try to prevent you from being
able to change lanes on purpose - as soon as you signal a turn, they
close up the gap. Moving over on these people as if you did not see
them gives them a dose of their own medicine. Of course, it is best to
not actually hit them, but just give them the impression that you might.

"Defensive driving" means letting the MiFfY's win.

--
T0m $herm@n

Tom $: "In Chicagoland it is common for people to try to prevent you from being able to change lanes on purpose - as soon as you signal a turn, they
close up the gap. Moving over on these people as if you did not see "

Sounds like driving with a BGE mirror setup is a must in that mental ward! lol

I've been driving BGE now for over 10 years and would feel completely vulnerable without it. Now if only we could get the manufacturers to stop thinking they're eliminating "blind spots" by moving the side mirrors further and further out from the damn A-pillars! smh...

> wrote in message
...
Tom $: "In Chicagoland it is common for people to try to prevent you from
being able to change lanes on purpose - as soon as you signal a turn, they
close up the gap. Moving over on these people as if you did not see "

Sounds like driving with a BGE mirror setup is a must in that mental ward!
lol

*** I also use BGE mirror setup, there isn't any blind spot even for
motorcycles. I don't think everyone knows about BGE because it's probably
not enforced during driver's education. Still others find it too confusing
and will simply not use BGE.

I've been driving BGE now for over 10 years and would feel completely
vulnerable without it. Now if only we could get the manufacturers to stop
thinking they're eliminating "blind spots" by moving the side mirrors
further and further out from the damn A-pillars! smh...

*** What this does is it makes it so that two headlights in the side mirror
does not always mean cutting off the other driver's vehicle at lower
bumper-to-bumper speeds, where a lane change or merge would occur, unless
those two headlights are closer in proximity in the side mirror. When that
driver closes the gap to block the merge or lane change, they make it
difficult to get into a gap large enough to have one headlight in the side
mirror and one headlight in the rearview mirror.

Daniel R Jr.: "*** What this does is it makes it so that two headlights in the side mirror
does not always mean cutting off the other driver's vehicle at lower
bumper-to-bumper speeds, where a lane change or merge would occur, unless "

By "what this does" do you mean, what BGE accomplishes, or, moving sideview mirrors out further from the vehicle?

On 06/03/2013 08:06 AM, wrote:
> Tom $: "In Chicagoland it is common for people to try to prevent you
> from being able to change lanes on purpose - as soon as you signal a
> turn, they close up the gap. Moving over on these people as if you
> did not see "
>
> Sounds like driving with a BGE mirror setup is a must in that mental
> ward! lol
>
> I've been driving BGE now for over 10 years and would feel completely
> vulnerable without it. Now if only we could get the manufacturers
> to stop thinking they're eliminating "blind spots" by moving the side
> mirrors further and further out from the damn A-pillars! smh...
>

What has totally eliminated blind spots for me is the European
wide-angle mirror glasses that actually get more convex as you go away
from the A-pillar. There's a dotted line on the glass marking the
transition from less to more convexity.

When I got my latest car I was actually a little annoyed with the
mirrors because they were a very stylish shape but seemed a little on
the small side, I could never get them adjusted so that I felt 100%
comfortable with them. Now with the convex mirror glasses in I see why
the stylists felt comfortable making them so small - they're more than
adequate.

Difficulty: they're not legal for sale on new motor vehicles in the US,
so you have to drive a car that is sold in Europe and offered with
convex glass (I know that at least VW and BMW offer them; I would assume
that M-B and Audi do as well but have not checked) and also at least in
my case I had to part with a couple Benjamins as the mirrors are also
electrochromic and heated (although the heat feature I also appreciate
in the wintertime, or on dewy mornings.) They're extortionately
expensive through US based online "tuners" but if you can find the
factory part numbers at least mine I was able to find at about 1/3 the
price through an overseas eBay seller, and they are indistinguishable
from new.

nate


--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Tuesday, June 4, 2013 10:17:50 AM UTC-4, Nate Nagel wrote:

> >
>
> > I've been driving BGE now for over 10 years and would feel completely
>
> > vulnerable without it. Now if only we could get the manufacturers
>
> > to stop thinking they're eliminating "blind spots" by moving the side
>
> > mirrors further and further out from the damn A-pillars! smh...
>
> >
>
>
>
> What has totally eliminated blind spots for me is the European
>
> wide-angle mirror glasses that actually get more convex as you go away
>
> from the A-pillar. There's a dotted line on the glass marking the
>
> transition from less to more convexity.
>
>
>
> When I got my latest car I was actually a little annoyed with the
>
> mirrors because they were a very stylish shape but seemed a little on
>
> the small side, I could never get them adjusted so that I felt 100%
>
> comfortable with them. Now with the convex mirror glasses in I see why
>
> the stylists felt comfortable making them so small - they're more than
>
> adequate.
>
>
>
> Difficulty: they're not legal for sale on new motor vehicles in the US,
>
> so you have to drive a car that is sold in Europe and offered with
>
> convex glass (I know that at least VW and BMW offer them; I would assume
>
> that M-B and Audi do as well but have not checked) and also at least in
>
> my case I had to part with a couple Benjamins as the mirrors are also
>
> electrochromic and heated (although the heat feature I also appreciate
>
> in the wintertime, or on dewy mornings.) They're extortionately
>
> expensive through US based online "tuners" but if you can find the
>
> factory part numbers at least mine I was able to find at about 1/3 the
>
> price through an overseas eBay seller, and they are indistinguishable
>
> from new.
>
>
>
> nate
>
>
___________________

Ain't living in America great Nate?

We gotta work our asses of and pay through the nose for what is just expected on cars in Europe and/or other regions.

Well, glad to know we are onboard with BGE. Hope it spreads more here in the States.

On Tuesday, June 4, 2013 10:17:50 AM UTC-4, Nate Nagel wrote:

>
>
> What has totally eliminated blind spots for me is the European
>
> wide-angle mirror glasses that actually get more convex as you go away
>
> from the A-pillar. There's a dotted line on the glass marking the
>
> transition from less to more convexity.
>
>
>
> When I got my latest car I was actually a little annoyed with the
>
> mirrors because they were a very stylish shape but seemed a little on
>
> the small side, I could never get them adjusted so that I felt 100%
>
> comfortable with them. Now with the convex mirror glasses in I see why
>
> the stylists felt comfortable making them so small - they're more than
>
> adequate.
>
>
>
> Difficulty: they're not legal for sale on new motor vehicles in the US,
>
> so you have to drive a car that is sold in Europe and offered with
>
> convex glass (I know that at least VW and BMW offer them; I would assume
>
> that M-B and Audi do as well but have not checked) and also at least in
>
> my case I had to part with a couple Benjamins as the mirrors are also
>
> electrochromic and heated (although the heat feature I also appreciate
>
> in the wintertime, or on dewy mornings.) They're extortionately
>
> expensive through US based online "tuners" but if you can find the
>
> factory part numbers at least mine I was able to find at about 1/3 the
>
> price through an overseas eBay seller, and they are indistinguishable
>
> from new.
>
>
>
> nate
>
___________________

Ain't living in America great Nate?

We gotta work our asses off and pay through the nose for what is just expected on cars in Europe and/or other regions.

Well, glad to know we are onboard with BGE. Hope it spreads more here in the States.

> wrote in message
...
> Daniel R Jr.: "*** What this does is it makes it so that two headlights in
> the side mirror
> does not always mean cutting off the other driver's vehicle at lower
> bumper-to-bumper speeds, where a lane change or merge would occur, unless
> "
>
> By "what this does" do you mean, what BGE accomplishes, or, moving
> sideview mirrors out further from the vehicle?

Using BGE, you see two headlights in the side mirror, not safe to merge or
change lanes, right? Even in a traffic jam. That's with the "normal" mirror
design.

However, using BGE and the mirrors further out from the A-pillars by design:
two headlights in the rearview mirror but not quite one headlight in the
rearview mirror--and also not approaching any further--DOES mean one can
merge or change lanes in a traffic jam as long as the gap doesn't close up.

Daniel Rouse Jr:

In my experience, BGE has become harder to achieve the further from the A-pillars mfgs place the side mirrors.

In my current car, I lost an entire BOX TRUCK between the rearview and my left side-view mirror when attempting to merge into the center lane of I-95 a few months ago! Boy did I get an earful of horn.

This is the design issue I've been bringing up on here and elsewhere, about side mirror placement closer to the driver's and passenger side window glass and as far forward of the driver's position(so driver does not have to turn head as much). My best BGE experience was with my 1996 Ford Contour - as I recall only 1 inch gap between the inside edge of the mirror glass and the side-window glass.

And having mirrors that fold for tight quarters is no excuse: Several 1980s model Mercedes and Volvos had folding mirrors yet very close to the side window glass on both sides.

If you can get BGE to work in current models, good for you. You are probably tall enough where you have to sit back far enough from all mirrors to see everything seamlessly in them.