33 replies to this topic

[jameswildcooper]

its deffo down to size. people used to try cutting me up and allsorts trying to pull in quickly when coming off roundabouts where it goes from two lanes into 1. good thing with mine was i was running about 150bhp lol so a touch of the throttle and they were at the back mega *drunk* off then they would just sit on your arse till you give it some throttle and they go backwards haha

[Stevee]

Just Read In Kettering Evening Telegraphy

That a Father Of 2 was Killed And Left On The Side Of THe Road after being hit by a Black Ford Mondeo

Near kettering

dose the human race have a consious anymore?

[Robbie]

The thing with us Mini drivers compared to other drivers on the road is that we understand and know the tolerances and limits of our cars a lot more. Instead of relying on modern safety equipment to get us out of trouble, we drive within the parameters of our car's performance, because otherwise, we aint gonna be around much longer. I think modern cars are so safe and strong, it's giving people the excuse to drive like complete tools.

[Stevee]

to be honest id rather be in a crash in my mini than a modern car

them crumble zones dont help at all :/

[myredmini]

you got a picture of the damage ? some people are utterly stupid

mrm

[roga]

Lotta sense being spoken here guys

The thing with us Mini drivers compared to other drivers on the road is that we understand and know the tolerances and limits of our cars a lot more. Instead of relying on modern safety equipment to get us out of trouble, we drive within the parameters of our car's performance, because otherwise, we aint gonna be around much longer. I think modern cars are so safe and strong, it's giving people the excuse to drive like complete tools.

Absolutely spot on I'd say and I think you've hit the nub of it - tools in cars are still tools but when you factor in all the modern safety gear you immediately take away the need for the tool to be as aware as they'd have to be in a 'less' safe vehicle.

Brings to mind the recent argument over helmets in snowsports (I'm an instructor so have some knowledge of this) - there was a panic reaction to the death of Natasha Richardson early this season gone and a lot of countries and ski resorts started to legislate for compulsory helmet wearing. Problem was/is, as many people pointed out, that sticking a helmet on a tool actually potentially makes them more unsafe than before because they think they can start going faster and take more risks, thinking everone else is also safe because they have helmets too. In reality a helmet won't save you from injury or even death in most types of high speed accident, especially when two people collide. Having said that I always now wear a helmet because I'm effectively forced to in case some tool does collide with me, insurance for loss of earnings means they'd ask questions and might not pay up if I didn't!

Car wise what do I do, well I drive a car most of the time that is up to modern safety standards and save the Mini for quieter days but, as I've seen, even that doesn't help in some circumstances - wrong place at wrong time yeah but that's the case with all crashes. Thankfully speed didn't play much of a part in the accident in that the other car was coming out of a side road and had been stopped there, it was the awareness thing, in fact she said (after I'd shouted at her!!) "I was looking the other way to see if there was any traffic coming" - yeah great forgot you're supposed to look both ways did you!! If speed had been a factor the damage woul have been much worse but 'luckily' it's just a dirty great dent in the back side panel and that's it - god knows what the repair estimate will be though, these things can get silly sometimes!

[roga]

myredmini, not at the moment - couldn't bring myself to look at it once I got the car into the garage but will take a shot when I have a chance (see my description of the damage above though).

[Ipod]

Just goes to prove how necessary agreed value policies are!

Gramps, can you please tell me does an agreed value policy, raise your premium??
Bearing in mind I aint in the over 50's club yet

[minichick]

I am insured with HIC and have an agreed value which costs £10 on top of my insurance which is just a standard fee I believe. Well worth it in my opinion.

[bunch1980]

The thing with us Mini drivers compared to other drivers on the road is that we understand and know the tolerances and limits of our cars a lot more. Instead of relying on modern safety equipment to get us out of trouble, we drive within the parameters of our car's performance, because otherwise, we aint gonna be around much longer. I think modern cars are so safe and strong, it's giving people the excuse to drive like complete tools.

Well said thats so very true, i have felt same when in motorbike they will drive up my rear in rain not realising a bike cant stop as quick in the rain when also they cant really so much and think there abs, ebd etc will mean they still stop same in torrential rain!
now im in mini sure i am less worried as im not on a bike cant fall of it for start lol but realise still need to plan ahead and be aware all the time. So many dont is what really worries me how many near missed i see, I dont care to much if they cant park or be technically a good driver just be nice if they were aware of whats happening and not just think road is theres!

[bunch1980]

I am insured with HIC and have an agreed value which costs £10 on top of my insurance which is just a standard fee I believe. Well worth it in my opinion.

Is HIC heritage insurnace company? I hope to go with them next year but as on my first year of driving need to wait unitl had licecne for year doh!

How did they value your car?

[roga]

The guys at the garage reckon it might be sorted with a bit of panel beating and a paint job - fingers crossed!

[roga]

^ well that bit of panel work and paint became an estimate of well over a thousand quid, the work seemed to include a lot of stuff that was, shall we say, tenuously linked to the accident but stuff I'd love to have done (although if my insurance ever read this I'm sure the experts at the garage know best and I'm mistaken).

So, I thought to myself do I ask them to do a more realistic estimate sticking strictly to the crash damage or give this one a go and see if insurance swallow it, I went for the latter option, sent insurance a couple of photos (one below) because they seemed more bothered about avoiding sending an accessor out than actually seeing the damage and, got a call today saying we have the go ahead - Yeehah!

Attached Files

•  1275840969.jpg   48.37K   9 downloads

[Robbie]

Excellent! Glad it's getting sorted!

[dominicmelton]

I think driving an old car certainly changes peoples habits around you.
I used to drive a beetle, I would sit at 55-60 comfortably, but as it was an old car, people used to rush to get in front of you, you would have dicks cutting in the middle lane of the roundabout and cutting you up to get in front. People would push in at the last minute in lane merges from dual carriageways etc.
People think they have to be in front of you! Some of the overtaking was absolutely stupid, the amount of times I had to slam on my break to prevent an accident.


I then bought a clio after the beetle unfortunately had to go, I would sit at 55-60.
Hardly any stupid people overtaking, apart from the obvious audi/vauxhall t**ts you get anyway.
Very few people cutting in front of me, and generally people being more patient, because it was a normal car.

Now I've got a mini, only 87 so not old, before the clio I had a 86 golf, no one was silly with that (That was fast though)
The mini looks older though, so what happens. Again stupid people overtaking pointlessly.
The amount of times I have had people rush past me coming off a roundabout onto a duel carriageway to then have to overtake them!
And when people sit at a consistent speed on duel carriageways, you go out to overtake them, they look, see it's an old car and speed up, makes me bloody angry!!!!!!!


so yea, the moral of that silly long story is, people dont bother looking at the speed the cars going, or even the actual age, just if it looks old or slow, get in front!

Luckily, I don't mind getting stuck in with some road rage, and as long as it's not my fault, I don't mind even risking a dent or two.
I must say, minis somehow make you feel as though your allowed to just let rip on everyone else on the road, road rage in a mini really is fun!

Edited by dominicmelton, 09 June 2010 - 05:36 PM.