Never a dull moment

[lswote]

Well my wife got hit at an intersection today and it totaled her 91 Mercedes and the Ford F250 pickup that hit her.  Though she was in the right I wish I had been able to explain the principle of defensive driving to her better when she was learning to drive as you can't always assume that just because you are driving correctly the other drivers will be.

Her car did the one job I bought it for; it saved her life and prevented serious injury.  Though she has some abrasions and bruises to her face and torso from the seat belt and air bag, she suffered no broken bones or internal injuries and a pelvic examination and ultra-sound showed that the baby appears to be fine as well.

It seems that certain lessons you would like to share with your wife about life in the United States are difficult to teach and sometimes they learn on their own.  I am grateful I was insistent on getting her a big Mercedes instead of the smaller car she wanted as I am sure it was only the size of the car and Mercedes' sturdy construction that let my wife come home from the hospital tonight in one piece.  Course now I got to get a new friggin car as I am sure insurance is going to total out her Mercedes.  But it sure beats getting a new wife.

[zack]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Wow, your wife and baby are lucky. To be in a collision that totaled both cars but left her with only bruises and abrasions, no broken bones, and an unharmed baby.

I'm glad to hear they are O.K. At least you have the comfort of knowing that you probably saved their lives since you chose a car with sturdy construction and air bags.

Zack

[surfscum]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

I'm so thankful to hear that she came through it fine. What a scare!  It has me thinking about what to get for my novia when she comes.

[cancunhound]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

That driving thing is tough!!!  I believe I shared this before but what I did was have a friend accompany my wife driving with a notepad and bulleted list of common mistakes (There's no way in Hell I could have gotten away with that!).  We set a fixed course then he then drove with her a dozen or so times and graded her on every little detail (this was a long list) - Key points were (developed from my personal experiences of worst accidents seen):
1) Reducing speed upon approaching intersection and looking both ways
2) Maintaining ample leeway to the front (and rear)
3) Signals for any lane change
4) Don't utilize rear view mirror (use the side mirrors, the minute stuff is packed in the rear window they're blind)
She failed the test miserably the first several trips out but eventually got the hang of it.  I also installed those little stick-on bubble mirrors ($2) so there are no blind spots on the side mirrors.  Knock on wood, but 6 years now and no accidents.  I'm not sure if it was my method or it was just that she was used to driving a high-powered Vespa in Cali(where red means go).  If they have no driving experience whatsoever it's probably a real uphill battle.  Only thing I can't seem to conquer is the speeding thing.  I don't think paying for driving lessons at a real school is worth it, and besides you'd probably have to find a Spanish speaking instructor.

Probably the best prevention is to avoid senseless driving - eventually something odd is going to happen with enough hours on the road.  Recently I was on a 4 lane expressway in moderate traffic running about 70 mph - some idiot had not secured an inflated tire/rim assembly to his flatbed - it fell and began to bounce in all directions - talk about chaos, I managed to swerve and dodge it as it skipped overhead, but about a dozen cars didn't (not a pretty site) - I can't imagine my wife handling that scenario.

Anyways, glad to hear your wife is OK - and I agree about a safe car, that was my #1 priority for the one I just purchased for her and 'papi'.

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Bruce

When I first read you were leasing a Mercedes the tacano, ex-accountant in me grimaced.  Luxury autos always seem like a waste of money to me.  But in this case your decision may have saved her life.  Good for you.

Still, I have a friend driving a late 70s Cadillac that looks like a small aircraft carrier.  It might have accomplished the same thing.  Instead I bought the small sports car my ex wanted.  I never could look her in the eye and say "No".

Steve

[lswote]

... in response to Re: Never a dull moment, posted by DallasSteve2 on Oct 2, 2003

Actually I still have the leased Mercedes.  The one she wrecked I bought her in May and I owned.

[Pete E]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Bruce,
It very fortunate your wife was not injured,particularly being pregnant.Big cars are a defense,but if you are in the little one watch out.I bought my wife a Jeep Grand Cherokee when she came here.I was even joking with her,what was that whump?Oh,a volkswagen.
When I was in the car business I sold a guy a BMW,along with Volvo also good cars to be in if you get hit.He came back a week later.He got hit in an intersection by a guy going about 60 MPH.He said if I was driving the car I was driving before I would have been killed.I think he is a BMW fan for life,like me.There are BMW guys and Mercedes guys,which sounds like what you are.We have our loyaltees.Kind of like ford and chevy guys,which is best.My nock on Mercedes ,which I used to sell also,was they were so damned expensive to fix.
I stole my new used BMW 740i 3 weeks ago,found it on autotrader.com out of Los Angeles.I couldn't get down there quick enough to buy it after it passed its mechanical inspection at the BMW dealer I had the owner take it to.Caught a plane at 12.30 out of San Jose,got home 11 hours later with the car.I absolutely love it.My other BMW got wrecked about 7 weeks ago,hit in an intersection.I had a green light,but the rule is if the guy was in the intersection and you can't prove he entered on a red,he has the right of way.Real stupid but even my insurance company says I'm wrong and they are going to have to pay.Would be a clever way to cause an accident without getting blamed.I'm going to talk to the DMV about it and see if these people have a history.The collision was only at about 15MPH and they are both claiming injury,I guess if a doctor says they are injured even if the insurance does not pay I get 2 points on mY DMV record,like 2 tickets,my insurance is going to go up.The only other wreck I ever had was in 1962,and it was not my fault.So after I paid of the car I dropped the collision coverage to save $400 a year.8 months later whammo.I sold what was left of my car to the body shop 2 days ago for $1700.But I made up for some of it on my new one.If I wanted to sell it in the market here I could probably make $5000.
Just like our Colombian experience what a differece a plane ride can but search it first on the internet.Its competitive.There are so many cars nobody seem too high on the prices.
Good luck,even though it might not look like it you had some.Cars you can junk if you can't fix.People are more precious.

Pete

[Keith Smith]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Bruce, I'm glad to hear that your wife (and the baby) are okay.

[Bueller]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Glad your wife is OK. That's exactly why I bought an S-class--in case of such an accident. There's nothing like 4000 pounds of Teutonic-engineered steel around you and your loved ones. One could write a book filled with stories like yours.

Of course, I sold mine to move overseas and have been riding around in Escorts, Clios, Gols, and Peugot 206's ever since (fingering rosary beads and touching wood here).

[Jeff S]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Sorry to hear that but so happy mom and the baby are OK. Some lessons just can't be taught, they must be learned in-person. I'll bet she gets the concept now, though.

- Jeff

[NW Jim]

... in response to Never a dull moment, posted by lswote on Oct 1, 2003

Izzy, you're going to have to name this child Milagros!