[Peacepower]

I brought my car to the bodyshop the other day after someone decided to rear end me.
When I brought the car over the odometer read 8,004. When I picked it up 3 days later the odometer showed 8,080 miles...
The bodyshop guy was talking to me on how the Insight is such a great car and the mileage so much better than the Prius. My guess is he drives every car that gets in. The good thing is I got a full tank of gas.
I am glad I got it back, nobody noticed me anymore in my Grand Prix, now people roll their windows down again to talk to me.

 

[Dgate]

There seems to be a regular trend in the USA of Insights being rear-ended, why?
Are reaction times slower? are drivers preoccupied? Do Insights stop quicker?
Probably all three but this is a constant problem that appears on this forum. In the UK if you are hit from the rear the guy is automatically at fault for not being in control ie following too close for stopping safely in an emergency.
Is it the same in America? I should know but don't.

DGate

 

[Red2004]

Interesting . . . I didn't realize this was a trend, but I found this post while searching the site for info about rear-end damage, because somebody rear-ended my Insight last weekend.

If this is more of a problem in the U.S., I could make some guesses:

Insight drivers coast to a stop, so the timing of brake lights is different than other drivers are used to, and some drivers don't pay attention to more than one car in front of them, and a lot of people simply follow too closely.

Or perhaps some drivers are just in a bigger hurry to get where ever they are going.

In the U.S., penalties probably vary state to state. I was in Ohio, which is apparently a no-fault state now, because the other driver was not ticketed. Though there may be a penatly from his insurance company, in the form of an increased premium.

 

[Fred]

... There seems to be a regular trend in the USA of Insights being rear-ended, why?

... Are reaction times slower? are drivers preoccupied? Do Insights stop quicker?

Probably all three but this is a constant problem that appears on this forum.

DGate

I've been noticing that to, i.e., "a regular trend in the USA ... being rer-ended." That reaction times are slower, that the following driver is preoccupied or that the Insight will stop quicker, these I for one don't believe are the answer(s) - it's tail-gating, being followed too closely by an individual whose license to drive should be revoked.

The Silver Bullet was rearended the other month by an elderly woman driving a red Ford. The old woman was waiting at a "T" intersection to get into the Westbound lane of a two lane road and apparently not willing to wait any longer, she forced the issue and drive across the Westbound lane, into the Eastbound lane - pulling in right behind me. At the moment I didn't see that as II was paying attention to the driver right ahead of me, whose brake lights came on (he was about five car lenghts in front of me) and while I was doing about 40 MPH at the time, as I pressed my brake peddle the old woman hit me at almost the same instant. And yes, she did damage, about $1,500 worth - that I know of so far. At the time I wanted to ram my boot up the idiot's hind end but there were too many witnesses around.

Since I've had the Silver Bullet I've come close to being rear-ended several times by individuals who could best be described per the current "buzz word" as- aggressive drivers; once by some macho wacko in a black Hummer who was so close to my rear end that I couldn't see his front bumper in either of the rear windows via the rear view mirror. Due to road conditions, pulling over to let the Hummer pass was not an option, anymore than the insanity of stepping on the brakes would have been - so we both ended up slowing down, slowly slowing down until I was doing about 5 MPH, by which time Mr. Macho realized he was about to get into a fight but seeing an opening in the on-comming traffic lane, he took it and shot off like a bullet.

There was a report in this forum the other year where a truck driver intentionally rammed an Insight owner into the intersection, backed up and rammed him again, several times! The Insight was destroyed but at least the owner walked away from the accident, shaken and I'm sure, very angry. Just what happened to the *** driving the truck, I don't know - but as experience is showing me, there appears to be growing "...trend" or the like regarding Insights and being rear-ended - or at least coming close to it by aggressive drivers of much larger road vehicles.

Fred / Proud Owner of "The Silver Bullet"

 

[james]

In both of my rear-enders, I was completely stopped, with other vehicles ahead of me - once in a left turn lane, once on a jammed-up freeway interchange. I think in both cases the other driver was just registering the much larger vehicle in front of me.

 

[Dougie]

I think it's distracted drivers. I got rear-ended recently in my Miata by a kid who was trying to light a cigarette. I was stopped at an intersection and he just crashed into me.

 

[youdecide]

5-spds more likely to be rear-ended?

I could make some guesses: Insight drivers coast to a stop, so the timing of brake lights is different than other drivers are used to...

Before I'd blame the Insight itself, I'd check to see if 5-spds are more likely to be rear-ended than CVTs.

Above is the reason: 5-spd drivers (not just Insight drivers) often rely on engine-downshift to gently slow the car, saving the brakes and clutch from extra wear-and-tear. That means they would not be exhibiting "brakelights on".

CVT drivers would use the brakes for slowing, as in any automatic car, so in theory, they would be exhibiting "brakelights on".

Thoughts on this theory?

Regina

 

[uhtrinity]

With a normal stick shift I always used the down shifting to help slow down the vehicle, but I don;t with the Insight unless I'm at a higher speed. For anything lower than 45 mph I use regenerative braking.

 

[Fred]

Re: 5-spds more likely to be rear-ended?

... I'd check to see if 5-spds are more likely to be rear-ended than CVTs. ... 5-spd drivers (not just Insight drivers) often rely on engine-downshift to gently slow the car, saving the brakes and clutch from extra wear-and-tear. That means they would not be exhibiting "brakelights on". CVT drivers would use the brakes for slowing, as in any automatic car, so in theory, they would be exhibiting "brakelights on".

Not so sure you're right about that and I say this as I have a CVT and often do (where practical to do so) drift up to red lights and stop signs. Essentially no brake lights are involved. When doing this, to the best of my knowledge I've never come close to being rear-ended.

Hope this helps

Fred / Proud Owner of "The Silver Bullet"

 

[james]

I don't think the 5 spd theory works, because most of the rear-enders seem to be with the car stopped. And of course the same logic would apply to any car with a manual transmission, and I don't know that they're more likely to be rear-ended.