75ZT Community

...as I entered the bend. (introductory style stolen from Bernard)

I've used this B road for ten years and know you have to drive with caution, so I checked my mirror to see where the guy I'd seen behind me was... lots of car lenths behind. Check speedo, 40mph, stay a fixed distance close to the kerb to allow optimum room and afford the furthest view ahead. The road bends right and vanishes downhill with a dense hedge on the inside obscuring the view. CRIPES! there's a giant tractor in the middle of the road...braking as much as possible whilst not trying to hurl Buddy off the back seat... there's just enough room to squeeze the Mazda between the tractor and the kerb... it's micrometer close but we're okay..and he's pulling a trailer. I've noted the Smart car that's broken down that the tractor is overtaking but due to the trailer and curvature of the road I haven't yet seen the second identical giant tractor whose driver has limited vision and thinks it's okay to follow his mate and give an even wider berth to the obstruction that he probably hasn't seen yet. He spots me and swerves back...but he's also pulling a trailer which almost reaches the kerb on my side... all the while I'm still braking as little as possible but I'm aware that Buddy just bumped into the back of my seat...I realise we will miss contact by inches...still doing between 5 and 10 mph...judged that well under the circumstances. We could have been KERAPP, man, that headrests hard..sh*t the guy behind has hit us hard, Buddy's between the seats somehow. I'm looking at Janet who looks okay and looking at Buddy and feeling crap about putting him at risk.
He's on Janets knee, she's saying oh my car, it's alright boy and Buddy is shaking like a leaf. No serious injuries.

We pull the two cars forward about 100 yards to clear the bend. As I'm taking photographs of the location some pratt opens his passenger window to say "stupid place to leave your car" to me. I suggest that he looks like an expert on stupid and give him a couple of tips.

I am pleased to say that our insurers were not only reasonably priced but excellent. The Mazda should be repairable, particularly as the other party is paying. The loan car is an Astra.

..just have to wait for the steady flow of circling insurers to have their little swoop to inspect the carcass...
.." we're sorry to hear about your accident, has anyone been injured?"
You can sense the deflation as you tell them you're okay..
" oh okay then, if you do develop any kneck pains or suffer any trouble with your vision or realise you have an outstanding debt feel free to give us a ring. . akakakakak" (that's the noise they make as they try to shoo the others away)

The world is full of stupid.
Glad you are all OK and your car can be repaired.

As I read through my post Mick, I can see I'm admitting putting my dog in danger by not having him safe in a harness. Also, I did lose a bit of speed after noting I was doing 40 but there is no doubt I could have only missed the tractor by a severe emergency stop and a lot of luck if there hadn't been a gap.
While we were surveying the scene there were drivers coming round the bend as close to the national speed limit as they could manage. If they had met up with what I did there would have been a road closure and emergency vehicles in attendance.
When you are travelling in the opposite direction there are times when you will meet oncoming cars that are over the white line to get round the bend as they are travelling so fast.
The Smart car was barely on the road at all. We observed many cars squeezing by with two wheels barely over the line.

Another driver would have continued in the Smart car to a safer place at abated speed as the punctured tyre was probably terminal anyway. As it was she was right up to the bend.

The tractor driver must have put his faith in Allah or someone. I'm sure he must use the lane often and will be aware of how some drivers take the bend.
Needless to say, neither tractor driver stopped.

Living in the Fens, there are particular bends in my area that are often closed to traffic due to accidents. Usually between Artics and cars (there are several packing plants in the area.) The road being just wide enough, providing both vehicles room to pass each other. Alas "stupid" prevails all too often.

I've experienced 'stupid' first hand on the A47. The Friday exodus with ditch's either side and, as you say, lots of artics.


edited to change A18 to A47... ('stupid')

But there is no problem with being a silly driver - the sensible drivers will normally try to avoid them and it is the sensible drivers, in their avoidance measures who end up in the ditch. The silly driver will just carry on as though nothing had happened and it is true, nothing has happened to them.

One particular experience on the A47, possibly 1988, was noting that vehicles up ahead kept overtaking something and several seemed to be making hard work of it. Eventually we came behind a car based van, probably a Vauxhall, that was going quite slowly. When a clear bit of road came up he put his hazards on and slowed more so my mate began to overtake. The plonker in the Vauxhall stayed in my mates blindspot and was now matching our speed. As there was now an artic approaching we indicated left and he pulled up alongside us. My mate started squeezing him and as we were pulling back in I could see the two lads in the Vauxhall were in absolute hysterics. The traffic had slowed anyway so we stopped at my request.. I was raving livid. I strode round and told them both to stop being silly. You can't imagine how their expressions had changed......


... it was something like this...but both mirrors, not the windscreen. A lump hammer will remove a mirror with one hit. I managed to vent without inflicting physical harm on the occupants.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=32677

Update:


Why oh why oh why did I think they would repair it?

Phone call this morning to tell us it's been written off. A Perfectly nice 2005 Mazda 2 Capella 1.4 automatic with neat alloys and only 20k on the clock. Written off due to dented tailgate and floor pan. Drove perfectly well after the bump.

I still need to find if I can get it repaired elsewhere. My neighbour does body repairs but the insurance have their own choice of repairer.

My wife was devastated. She likes that car a lot.

I don't know why insure our cars - they don't seem to want to pay out and write them off for the stupidest things.. there goes 'stupid' again

Er.... I'm sure you know your own Insurers best, but.... if they are determined to 'write off' rather than repair then you may not have to suffer their choice of repairer (as it is not being repaired). Most know that the 'Approved Repairer' schemes are one of the biggest scams in the industry, allegedly. You don't have to anyway, it's just a 'recommendation'. Further research I reckon.

I have in the past insisted that an accident repair be carried out by my preferred repairer. This was not a problem as long as the repairer is VAT registered.

Thanks for the suggestions. Obviously, if you've seen my previous comments about insurers you already know I'm not unaware of their scammy tactics. While I am not at fault I know that the insurers are more likely to bend over more for each other than they would for me. They're fighting each others case in a you scratch my back fashion.
I've already spoken to my neighbour. We're going to look into it but "they" are trying to set a deadline of midday tomorrow for me to accept their findings.
The small print on most compulsory motor insurance documents outlines how they will deal with a claim,...including their right to "write off" (or buy the vehicle from you rather than pay for repairs). The cost of the repair doesn't even have to equal the value of the vehicle, as agreed by the ombudsman.
I've already gathered some current ads for like for like vehicle with same spec and mileage in preparation for declining their no doubt ridiculous first offer. If I'm wrong about the last I will hold my hand up.

So you're driving along carefully minding your own business.... then, once the car has been replaced I need to look into compensation for the worry, grief, displacement and any costs even down to the cost of finding and collecting a replacement vehicle. I'm going to record fairly any visits to car lots to source a suitable vehicle etc.