Third car crash on this morning in just over a year
mangogrooveworkshop - 26/3/08 at 01:26 PM
The wife has just had another crash with the car in a little over a year....
The thing is its on all on the same junction and always a woman running into the back of her........
The mondeo got written off the first time with the boot and drivers seat collapsing.
So we moved on to the SMART and it took the second crash with no problem just a cracked rear panel and the shock absorber bar deformed like merc said
absorbing all the energy.
Seems the same has happened again and the Smart has just done its job.
The seats in the smart are really well designed to protect your back in a crash and they have done really well in that respect.
So I know all the non smart owners like to take the wee about how unsafe and all that tosh I can tell you first hand that the smarts a lot better put
together than most tin tops.
The design is a full roll cage with these fancy alloy bumpers that hide in the plastic covers...
and those alloy boxes take all the pounding energy
in a crash
vinny1275 - 26/3/08 at 01:31 PM
Glad she's OK again - can you complain to the council about the design of the junction? It sounds like there's a problem with it if it keeps
happening. If there's a crossing there, it might not be long before there's a kid halfway across the road instead of a car.
Either that, or she stands on the brakes too much 
Mr Whippy - 26/3/08 at 01:34 PM
Ok so like why is this happening again and again?
Not that I'm trying to lay blame anywhere before you get all defensive and off course I know nothing of the facts but is your wife doing
something odd, like braking very suddenly or forgetting to indicate, maybe she could do something different to avoid this.
Not trying to be a smart arse, just sounds like it would be worth investigating. My sister went through something very similar (three big smashes, the
last one she very nearly got killed and when I first saw what remained of the car I thought she had), I can tell you after I went in the car with her,
it WAS her driving, even though she was never blamed. Now she does things differently and hasn’t had a crash since.
I do like the Smart seats, I was looking at my Volvo yesterday and noticed there was no protection in the back of the seat to prevent injury to the
driver if something struck the seat, like a heavy object on the back seat. Even my Bluebird has a hard shell there. Lets hope that design catches
on.
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Mr Whippy]
sucksqueezebangblow - 26/3/08 at 01:44 PM
Sounds to me like it is an accutely angled junction? If the car in front moves while you are looking forward and stops while you are craning your neck
to look for traffic you can be into the back of them before you know it. No excuse but that is how it happens!
smart51 - 26/3/08 at 02:00 PM
Whilst if someone runs into the back of you, its their fault for not looking, driving too close etc., you can (and should) do what you can to help
yourself, if only to avoid whiplash and your car being off the road. It might be worth your while looking at the junction and positioning your car
differently when you stop there, or even taking a different route and avoiding the accident black spot.
As for the smart, they were designed to be very tough. One of merc’s first thoughts was people’s prejudice towards small cars so they made it very
stiff. The monocoque is made from 3 layers of steel, rather than the usual 2 to double the stiffness for only 50% more weight. EuroNCAP said that if
anything, it was a bit too stiff for their 40 MPH crashes.
Perhaps you could get one of those safe T bars from the back of a van and stick that on your wife’s car
mangogrooveworkshop - 26/3/08 at 02:08 PM
quote:
Originally posted by sucksqueezebangblow
Sounds to me like it is an accutely angled junction? If the car in front moves while you are looking forward and stops while you are craning your neck
to look for traffic you can be into the back of them before you know it. No excuse but that is how it happens!
Linky
Its partly her driving and a lot to do with the road design. She was told not to use this road and she didnt listen.
The road design is a short section that widens out from a forty its angled upwards faceing south so the morning sun is a low one. Most slip through
and join the traffic stream with out stopping....and I think thats the problem.
She is over cautious so she stops or slows right down. I was told by my dad as he was a passenger in the car last summer just after the last bump.
Ive only ever let her drive me when I was having an astmha attack other than that I drive always. Its quicker and I aways know where we have to go.
25000 miles a year I see a fair amount of Scotland and
England.
So where to now
I will ask the council road boys to look into it........but it borders a Bear road.......
Mr Whippy - 26/3/08 at 02:25 PM
How’s the local paper?
My one would have it as the front page story and a 10 page pull out special on our failing local council, followed by a campaign of name and shame
those in charge of the roads publishing mug shots, all their home addresses and e-mails.
No really 
their a crazy bunch
Fozzie - 26/3/08 at 03:52 PM
Glad to hear Mrs Mango is ok..... 
Glad to hear the SMART did its job....
It may be worth-while having a chat to the 'Boys in Blue' or should I say, phoning local HQ Traffic Dept and asking if they can give any
'incident' statistics for that particular junction, over. say, the last 12-18 months.
Explaining to them that if statistics confirm it is a 'blackspot' you will contact the Local Highways dept at the county council, with their
(police) statistics to back you up..........to try and get a road improvement to cut down Traffic Accidents.........
If it doesn't appear to be a 'blackspot', then it may be worth taking Mrs Mango out, and giving her some 'awkward' junction
tuition....letting her drive of course...
It could be that after the first accident, she has developed a subconscious block at that particular awkward junction..........
Just my 2 penny's worth........feel free to ignore.....
Fozzie 
02GF74 - 26/3/08 at 03:53 PM
hmmmm, seems Mr W had a point ... but nevertheless, if someone drives into yer back it is there fault ... although that is never a good thing.
you can try the council but I doubt they will do much.
Mr Whippy - 26/3/08 at 04:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
hmmmm, seems Mr W had a point ... but nevertheless, if someone drives into yer back it is there fault ... although that is never a good thing.
You are quite right that anyone running into the back of a stationary car is at fault but I had a terrible crash years ago when someone ran into the
back of me but infact it was my actions that really caused the most danger.
I had been told when I was learning to drive that while waiting to turn right, I should also turn the wheel right, so that I could quickly get across
the road, rather than start to turn once the gap appeared. All very well till someone slams into the back off you and since the wheels are pointing
right that’s where the car goes, straight into the path of an oncoming car…whose doing like 60mph 
I can’t tell you how many times I spun round but I did end up about 40ft off the road with half the car smashed in. So I does pay to look carefully at
just what you can do to make waiting for traffic safer even if your not the one who causes the crash.
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Mr Whippy]
Jasper - 26/3/08 at 04:17 PM
Firstly, glad your missus is ok, my wife had 4 accidents in 3 years .... all her fault!!
As for SMARTS being very safe, you obviously haven't seen the pictures of the guy being taken out of a smart car cut cleanly in two halves .... I
would still rather have 4 feet of bonnet in front of me .....
mangogrooveworkshop - 26/3/08 at 04:18 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Fozzie
Glad to hear Mrs Mango is ok.....
Glad to hear the SMART did its job....
It may be worth-while having a chat to the 'Boys in Blue' or should I say, phoning local HQ Traffic Dept and asking if they can give any
'incident' statistics for that particular junction, over. say, the last 12-18 months.
Explaining to them that if statistics confirm it is a 'blackspot' you will contact the Local Highways dept at the county council, with their
(police) statistics to back you up..........to try and get a road improvement to cut down Traffic Accidents.........
If it doesn't appear to be a 'blackspot', then it may be worth taking Mrs Mango out, and giving her some 'awkward' junction
tuition....letting her drive of course...
It could be that after the first accident, she has developed a subconscious block at that particular awkward junction..........
Just my 2 penny's worth........feel free to ignore.....
Fozzie
Fair point
mangogrooveworkshop - 26/3/08 at 04:26 PM
Yes I have seen these pictures and I will tell you it wasnt a SMART it was a toyota YARIS......
I will say it again the body of a smart is a rollcage with light weight plastic panels.
Just be cause it doesnt look like your normal crumple zone tin top doesnt make it less safe. I very much doubt that Merc engineers got this design
wrong.
I can post pics of a MNR that has had a big moment with bits torn off to illustrate that kit cars are all un safe. just my five pence.
Its like driving a mini bec and great in town
quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
Firstly, glad your missus is ok, my wife had 4 accidents in 3 years .... all her fault!!
As for SMARTS being very safe, you obviously haven't seen the pictures of the guy being taken out of a smart car cut cleanly in two halves .... I
would still rather have 4 feet of bonnet in front of me .....
MikeRJ - 26/3/08 at 04:41 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I had been told when I was learning to drive that while waiting to turn right, I should also turn the wheel right, so that I could quickly get across
the road,
I was taught the exact opposite, never turn the wheel until you actually start moving for this exact reason. Sounds like your driving instructor
wasn't overly well informed...
pewe - 26/3/08 at 04:45 PM
SWMBO has done the same thing.
Exiting our local hospital car park she made to go but changed her mind at the last minute.
Chap behind - impatient consultant in brand new Jag - kept his foot in.
No contest between SAAB with tow-bar and drop plate - SAAB undamaged bar some minor paintwork - Jag front end stoved in. Left him to cry after he
admitted liability. Subsequently he paid us out £250 for paintwork repairs - you can guess the rest.
Lesson to be learnt - always watch the guy in front until you're certain he's gone - the start looking for the exit gap.
Maybe your and my missuses needs a bit of advanced motoring tuition?
Glad she's OK though.
Cheers, Pewe
Mr Whippy - 26/3/08 at 04:54 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I had been told when I was learning to drive that while waiting to turn right, I should also turn the wheel right, so that I could quickly get across
the road,
I was taught the exact opposite, never turn the wheel until you actually start moving for this exact reason. Sounds like your driving instructor
wasn't overly well informed...
hmm well if you think thats stupid, one of my sisters classic was when the traffic stopped suddenly infront of her and she saw a truck rushing up
behind, does she -
a) drive onto the lovely clear grass on her left to get out of the way?
b) drive on to the right hand lane into fast moving oncomming traffic?
no we never worked out her logic either...
[Edited on 26/3/08 by Mr Whippy]
mangogrooveworkshop - 26/3/08 at 06:50 PM
Heres the youtube link
Whats wrong with this junction
smart51 - 26/3/08 at 07:41 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Heres the youtube link
Whats wrong with this junction
Which one? The crossroads before the big island at the end of the film clip? or the big island itself?
Macbeast - 26/3/08 at 07:52 PM
Since it's always a woman who runs into the back of her, is there a shoe shop on that corner ?
mangogrooveworkshop - 27/3/08 at 09:52 AM
quote:
Originally posted by smart51
quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Heres the youtube link
Whats wrong with this junction
Which one? The crossroads before the big island at the end of the film clip? or the big island itself?
Its the last junction I go up to. The roundabout at the bottom is the start of the road up to the big junction that all the accidents happen at
iank - 27/3/08 at 10:35 AM
Doesn't look too terrible, but seems a little short on road markings if it really is two lanes going onto the roundabout, doesn't seem to be
an excess of room in the right 'lane' either.
If she's on the left side, as you were, cars going up the right are going to block her visibility of cars on the roundabout, and if they nip out
like the blue car in your vid she might be dabbing the brake when she spots traffic on the roundabout late?
joneh - 27/3/08 at 06:13 PM
If SMART cars rely on the shock being taken out in the other cars crumple zone, what happens if two SMART cars crash?
Whiplash I guess.
pewe - 28/3/08 at 03:18 PM
Looking at it I'd say the problem's twofold.
First, and most important, there is no dotted road marking to define the limit of the joining road and the roundabout.
That means hesitant or less confident drivers will vacillate as to where they should pull up and/or join the roundabout. Following drivers will also
be confused if a car goes beyond the point where it would normally be expected to slow or stop and subsequently slows or stops.
Secondly the cars driving up the outside and ignoring the road-markings where the road is restricted to one lane will block the view to the right from
cars using the correctly marked lane. Again this will cause them to slow or stop.
Given your wife's experience I'd be talking to the local council as to why the road-markings are defective at that point because I'll
bet there are numerous accidents at that point.
Cheers, Pewe
[Edited on 28/3/08 by pewe]