Wow, that totally sucks. My head is spinning trying to keep track of the insurance conversation, but I would definitely go into vendetta mode if I had to pay any sort of deductible for this crap. The other driver should be 100% responsible. I don't see how this is any different than someone throwing a brick at your car. Good luck getting it sorted out!

 

Ewww, man-age-mant Can I get a job boss

 

If you are serious about a job with our company, pm me and I'll give you some insight into the career fields and answer any other questions you might have.

If you're still interested after that, send in your application and resume and I'll see if I can swing you an interview.

 

I dodged two giant slabs coming off of trucks this morning. Unlike a 'typical' sheet of packed snow with an ice crust on top, the wintry mix most of MD and other areas got was snow mixed with sleet and rain. This built up what is essentially a three inch thick sheet of concrete that is hard all the way through. If you are hit with a chunk of this nastiness at speed, it's gonna hurt.

 

I saw a car just 30 minutes ago with a hole clear through the windshield.

 

Greatbear is right. This is the hardest "snow" I've ever seen in my life and I've lived in Germany and northern Japan. This stuff is literally like concrete. I just tried to dig my heal into it and couldn't make a dent in it.

If you see a chunk flying toward you, try to avoid it if AT ALL possible, without risking losing control of your vehicle. If it hits your car, it is, without the slightest bit of doubt, going to do some damage...possibly serious.

I realize it's not always possible, but for the next few days, until temps warm up again, try to maintain at least twice the distance behind the car in front of you as you normally do (especially if you see ice/snow on the roof).

 

Everything seems to have fallen into place. I'm going to a insurance estimate shop thing on Tuesday morning to have them do their thing. I called up the body shop to see if they had any sort of backlog I had to worry about and they didn't. I'm going to see about the insurance people faxing the estimate to the body shop so they can deal with each other. So far it has been minimal hassle once the collision versus comprehensive thing was settled.

On another note if you're so inclined one of the projects I worked on, THEMIS, is launching today at ~6:05pm EST. If you want to watch it should be on NASA TV, right now they're showing some exterior shots of the rocket (Delta II w/9 boosters) and going through some basics. We've been watching some other information and data flows here at work. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to stick around and watch the launch as I have to meet some family friends tonight at 6.

 

Almost happened to me this morning on the way in... Ford station wagon truckin W on 214 right by RFK, huge 2x2 solid sheet of ice goes airborne off the top flipping and flipping. Saw it happen in slow-mo, and it was just the right trajectory to land on my car the next lane over. I hopped over another lane by the time it apex'd, and fortunately it stayed in it's own lane... So even if I hadn't moved I would have been alright by barely inches instead of barely a few feet.

DC laws I wish were actually enforced:
Drivers on non-hands free phones
Snow on roofs

All it takes is word of mouth from an @@@ton of morons whining about how they got a ticket for snow on their car, before others realize it's against the law.

You'd think because it's such a large safety issue, that the police would care.

 

So my guess was pretty accurate. Add some labor.

NOT in MD and lets not go there. Getting used car inspected is a hassle because they ALWAYS find something wrong, even if its misaligned headlights.

Glad to hear that

 

In my almost 20 years of driving in VA and annual inspections, I can tell you this is not a concern

 

Today trip to Fairfax on 495 was one of the scariest trip I have experienced. Ice sheet flew all over the place. Some of them was as big as the windshield, or even bigger.

 

I moved from MA where they did inspections twice a year. It was just a way to make money. Came to MD, they only inspect used cars or moving into the state. They ALWAYS find something. I swear its a racket. Leave well enuff alone:impatient

 

Nice driving, Maxicooper. Glad you didn't get hit with any of those flying chunks of petrified snow !!

 

I know I will be reprimanded for going off topic, but. . .Hands free is not a solution. You are still being a distracted.

I've had two used cars inspected. One something wrong that wasn't even wrong. And another found nothing wrong.
Why shouldn't a misaligned headlight fail?
It's a one time inspection anyway. They might as well make the car as safe as possible since it will probably never get looked at again.

 

It should fail but that wasn't my point. Many, many people move into the state all the time ... and leave. There are many bedroom communities. It was well known when I moved in from ppl who came before me that virtually nobody passes inspection bringing in car from out of state.

I'm not saying it IS a scam but it appeared that you can't have the place that inspected it, fix it. So you go somewhere else to have them fix whatever, and then reinspect. Since they are only so many places that inspect ... it appeared a scam in that the business just kept getting shifted from gas station to gas station.

The inspection system IS a joke compared to other states. Then again, those other states dont get the influx of cars coming in constantly.

 

It is bad in that regard. I had a relatively new Mazda MX6 that failed for wiper blades. They wouldn't let me replace them myself without scheduling a new appointment and charging me again. I accepted their blackmail and had them replace the blades.

 

I see hands free as being no different than having people in the car with you. And unless that's made illegal, then there's nothing wrong with it.

People who hold the phone while driving intoduce a pretty much 180 degree blind spot, 50% upper musclar disability, total lack of common sense, and something about the amount of brainpower required to make the hand hold the phone detracts from every other function in their body... Including driving a motor vehicle.

Hands free is indeed a solution. Will it be everyone solution? Of course not. But nor will water put out every fire. And water is quite obviously a solution to fire.

 

Well said Wags - I'm looking forward to my new hands free kit in my 07 R56. I hate wearing the Bluetoof headset.

 

If you can divide your concentration on a phone call and drive, you are better than me. I know I can't. In bad weather I don't even like the radio on. I see plenty of people weaving within their lane or not driving a constant speed while on a handsfree device. Or holding their phone to use the speakerphone.

But back to the original topic.
If idiots where not allowed to drive, cars would be 10 times the price.
Fees would also be higher. So be a better driver and avoid bad situations.

 

methinks you should move to VA. I see a daily influx of MD drivers coming past my house every day heading to work in VA

 

I was a bit nervous when you said green CR-V, both my wife and my mom have green CR-V's and frequent I-95 but I assume they're off the hook because they would not have been driving where your incident occured on that day , plus they usually stay away from the left lane.

As for phones in cars, yes there are quite a few idiots out there, my favorite was the guy with the left hand holding the phone to his head and the right arm stretched out across the top of the passenger seat going down I95 at 70 mph in rush hour. I can only imagine what part was holding the wheel :impatient

Female mini drivers please do not take offense but the scariest moments for me always seems to be female drivers yacking on the phone in an SUV or Mini Van running traffic lights or stop signs at intersections, the term "Deer in headlights" is a perfect description of their appearence. They literally had no clue that they ran the light/stop sign, that I was there or how close they came to having a collision. They just continue on down the road with that glassey eyed stare and smile as their conversation continues.

Pilots of aircraft communicate everytime they fly, it would be mayhem if they did not. So I think using a phone in the car is a viable option, though hands free would be the preferred way to go. The saying "Aviate, navigate, communicate" seems to apply, in otherwords Drive first, communicate last.
Maybe you should have to pass a drivers test with communications involved.

Mike

 

That's a stretch. Sure. Commercial pilots and IFR private pilots are in communication with controllers. But the conversations are short. Most replies can be summed in one word. Roger. Plus there is a co-pilot as well as auto pilot on commercial flights. There are 4 eyeballs scanning traffic as well as a controller pointing out traffic. It is also part of their training from day one.

 

And pilots arn't talking to ther SOs about what the dog did on the rug.

 

I'd like to make a large print sign to hold up for cell phone yakker/drivers

something like:

"Hang up your cell-phone before your air-bag hangs it up for you!"

 

yes well said.

The problem with phones is that people, for some reason, are "trained" to immediately answer a phone.

Just think about it. Your sitting in the office talking to someone and the phone rings. Does the other person just keep talking or answer the phone ... interrupting your conversation? Its as if the phone call is MORE important than your conversation.

How many people answer their cell phone in a resteraunt while your talking to them rather than just letting it go to the answering machine?

The same is true in the car. I've had BT for years. If a call comes in, you WILL tend to immediately pay attention to answering the call and that might distract you.

But handsfree is NOT going to go away.