rocketraider

You can't have ANYTHING

Some idiot on a cell phone drifted into the side of the Ford truck tonight. I count myself lucky and blessed that all it did was tear the mirror and the ventshade off it, because when it hit and I saw the mirror go flying I was pretty sure the truck was screwed.
So I have spent the last 45 minutes or so fooling with cops and etc, and the guy didn't even get a ticket. Fuzz said just let the insurance companies handle it as under $1000 damage and no injuries they don't file a full police report- just insurance information.


So now I have to find a power driver's mirror for a 16 year old truck. I imagine that will be a blast. One of the local yards took in a bunch of C4C stuff; maybe they'll have one on a clunker that got brought in. I hate to think what one from Ford would cost. I got the one for the Bravada from Advance a couple years back, but they had closed by the time I was done with the cops.

Better the truck than the wagon, because that full-size Chevy 4x4 truck would have nailed the car for sure.

And people wonder why I push to outlaw cell phone use while driving.

No, the Raider is not a happy camper tonight.

Jamesbo

I can't believe he/she didn't get ticketed for improper lane change. That's the reason they pull most DUI drivers over.

Glad you''re Ok.

I'm out looking for mirrors also cause some idiot [sans insurance] parked next to my truck and his car caught fire.

Yellowstatue

I thought that C4 stuff was dangerous to handle Ontario banned cell phone use while driving last month...hands free only...how do you get a hands free steerimg wheel ? As for the mirror, check the dealer first...sometimes there is a surprize in store...I priced a turn sig lever for the kids Ciera at the wreckers-$25. at the dealer-$12 NEW...

Lady72nRob71

No ticket? Geez. Sounds like distracted / careless driving to me!
I hope you got his phone from him and stomped it...

You should be able to find a mirror in a bone yard. I still see lots of vehicles of that era in yards. Make his insurance pay for a rental car and everything. Hopefully his rates will go up.

Olds64

Glad to hear you are ok. You should call the police chief and have words with him about the lax attitude of his officer. That is 100% inexcusable.

citcapp

You'd think the guy would at least get a ticket for ilegal lane change. Lazy cops were headed for coffee and donut break didn't want the paper work. Washington outlawed cellphone use but only as a secondary offense have to be stopped for something else before you can get ticketed for the cellphone use. No teeth in that law why even have it.

Bluevista

As long as the limited police report has all the details showing the other driver was at-fault a ticket really doesn't mean much.

It's standard operating cop procedure in low damage non-injury accidents to do it that way now or they would have to do a lot of extra paperwork with measurements, photographs, the whole nine yards.
I think they call them manpower and budgetary constraints.
He will be charged with an at-fault accident by his insurance company and his rates will go up if that's of any consolation.
The cop probably figured his cousin had enough problems and learned his lesson already, so no ticket.

The two way interactivity and inherent mental distraction of a cell phone conversation while driving is a major problem.
It will never go away as long as they can be used when you're behind the wheel.
Texting is a one way system but it's like trying to read this and drive while you're composing a message and typing a response.

Hands-free won't help much of anything other than freeing up one distracted hand to go along with the other.
Nobody had any big problems with being distracted while driving with mobile transcievers/CB radios and the like where only one person could talk at a time.
You couldn't butt-in in before they said "over" or nobody heard a thing, you had to share the airwaves and channels so you kept it short too.

Indy_68_S

Sorry about your luck rocketraider...Hopefully you can find the parts you need easily...

Unless the LEO actually witnessed the infraction or the other guy admitted fault to the him, there's nothing the LEO can do but write it up. I had kinda the same thing happen. Dingbat driver suddenly drifted into the side of the K5 Blazer I was driving on the highway. Unfortunately for her she was in a Civic. She hit the front tire with her left rear, slammed on the brakes (brilliant!), and my side nerf bar peeled her car open from stern-to-bow. Cop was nice but explained it was basically he-said/she-said.

I agree with the other posters calling for outlawing cell phones while driving. I'm all for it. Even better would be to outlaw stupidity....

70 cutlass s

Best bet would be go to LMC truck and buy a new mirror. Trying to find parts at local yard can be hard for a truck from the 90's.

http://www.lmctruck.com

Lady72nRob71

Justice was served by your truck - yay!!

That would sure cut the population in half (or more!)

Aron Nance

Waiting at an intersection yesterday (in my daily driver, "98 Escort), and the light changed to green (for me); waited a full beat, and an SUV, going about 40 MPH went through the red light, "pretty little blond thing" yaking away on her cell phone. Long horn blast and some carefully chosen words, for all the good it did. I have relearned the term "defensive driver" in my older age. Not being sexist about the "pretty little blonde thing", happens all the time w/guys, also. I have a cell phone, but refuse to use it when driving.

jslabotsky

Oh I get SO angry with those soccer moms who pay no attention to their driving, then act like you're just being stuffy if you have a problem with them being inattentive at the wheel of their 5,000 lb. land yacht.

It must have been a full moon or something. My wife went to the mall on 12/3 and found herself behind some old lady who couldn't turn the corner in the parking garage. She hit at least 3 cars (luckily just a light bump, but still..) before finally getting into a parking space. And apparently there were lots of empty spaces.

My mom is 79, so I am sympathetic to older people wanting to remain self-sufficient. But at some point, if you are physically unable to maneuver the vehicle or unable to react quickly in emergencies, you're endangering yourself and everyone else.

rocketraider

I've got the wheels in motion with his insurance company and have actually found another mirror which I had to drive nearly 50 miles to get, but it was still better than the Ford dealer price. Everywhere aftermarket I checked showed the LH power mirror was discontinued.

If I could have been sure his insurer would have paid it and not taken a month to get me a mirror, I'd have held out for the Ford mirror plus installation. As it is, I will hold off installing the new mirror till I have their inspection and settlement offer and then put it on myself. It's driving me nuts driving without that mirror. Something as simple as backing into a parking space is nearly impossible without it.

Distracted drivers on cell phones are a bane of modern life. We have a state legislator here who likes to screw with the antique car license statutes and he is well aware of my low opinion of him. I told him this year during his campaign that maybe he should lay off the old car people and introduce and PASS some useful legislation like totally outlawing cell phone use by the driver of a moving vehicle. It IS illegal for any driver under 18 to use a cell phone, and texting behind the wheel is illegal too, but until any and all cell phone use by the driver of a moving vehicle is illegal and heavily fined, none of that is worth schit. He said he had his business constituents to consider on cell phone usage, so I said yeah, the old car people are an easy target for "fees" aren't they. And once again he had no answer.

Re older drivers: I know I'll be in that situation myself someday, but I count myself fortunate that my dad died before his driving abilities were impaired, and Mama gave it up voluntarily. She had me or her neighbors to haul her around when she needed to go anywhere, so she said it made no point for her to continue driving at age 77.

Lady72nRob71

Rocketraider, your situation could be much worse...

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post128967

I hope noone has to go through crap like my ladyfriend is - it would almost make you want to give up on driving.

toro68

Honest to Christ, Glenn, you have crap luck with your good daliy drivers!
This reminds me, by in May of 1998, some fool treid to PASS me on my left, while I was making a LEFT HAND TURN!
Mind you, he passed me on a double yellow line to boot!
Bend the front bumper(missed the headlights by millmeters), dented the front quarter and drivers door.
This happened to my pruple 1995 F-150 4x4, did $1200 of damage.
The truck only had 50,000 miles at the time, too.
Sorry Glenn, I only have manul mirrors on my purple '95.

toro68

Maine laws are cracking down on cell phone use, too.
Rocketradier told me back in the 1980s, so some dude in a MB, when through a red light at 55mph, and almost got Rocketradier!
I believe, RR, to stop to talk with ********, and said to stick his car phone up his A-double-S!

convertible 63

Outlawed cellphone use while driving cost 57 $ in Germany .The police officers cower behind trees,in neutral vehikles.... with spyglasses to watch the drivers.If somebody who is invoved in an accident used a cellphone while the crash happened he will be at least 50 % guilty.No matter to the phase leading up to the accident.!!!
I still see those idiots daily