Well, it was raining today in Los Angeles. I was driving with my 6 year old son in the car on the way to school. We were on Mulholland when a Toyota 4Runner plowed into the side of my beautiful Mini. The girl driving the 4Runner was simply driving too fast for the wet mountain road. She tried to take a right hand turn too fast and understeered right into me. Nobody was injured!!

Many of you have read me praise the benefits of driving schools. I must say that all of the time I spent in driver's schools and doing track events/auto-x definitely paid-off. Had I not swerved aggressively away from the 4Runner, my son and I would have been in a head-on collision. While the ensuing accident was bad enough, that probably would have been worse, don't you think?

No airbags deployed, and I drove the car to the body shop. Forutnately, this shop is worth its weight in gold, and my Mini will be good as new.

I really believe the Mini did well considering it was smacked by the sharp end of a very heavy truck. While my son was unhappy with events, we all walked away unharmed. Thanks Mini!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've always felt that this is one of the main reasons why a MINI is so safe: because it's amazing handling capabilities can turn a deadly head-on into nothing more than a body denting sideswipe!


So glad you and your kid are safe and that your MINI will be fixed good as new!

 

My first reaction is a bunch of swear words directed at the idiot who hit you! @#$@#$%#$^$%#^ !!!!!

I'm not sure why this made me so angry... A stupid jerk who was driving like an idiot could have cost you dearly! I'm glad to hear your son was ok... Hearing s**t like this makes me feel worried for my 2 small boys (5 and 2).

Looks from the pictures that the damage to your car is some badly dented body work. I hope its not structural. I also hope the cop (i assume one responded) charges the other driver with reckless driving or something. The inconveniance of traffic school might do that person good.

 

It was Yucca (not me) who posted above-accidentally logged in as me. I just want to say thank god that you and your child are safe.

 

Thanks guys! I appreciate the support!

A month without my Mini seems like an awfully long time...

 

Your accident fits Gladwell's definition of active safety.
http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html

 

We spend hours keeping our babies "showroom new" and it's gone in the blink of an eye

Glad no one was hurt and pray your MINI returns good as new

Were you able to use the drivers door ? Amazing the airbags did not deploy, impact must have too high to activiate the sensors.

Jim

 

Sorry to hear about that. Thank goodness you and your son are safe. It is going to be one long month away from the MINI.

 

I'd say it's a good thing the airbags didn't deploy. First, you were not hurt so there clearly was not a need (looking at the damage, it was a glancing blow. that' probably why they didn't deploy... Low G's). Second, had they deployed, you would have been stunned and blinded momentarily. Having taken evasive actions, losing your senses could have caused a secondary collision.

Honestly, I see no reason to be disappointed with Mini's safety. Its best feature - driving well - saved you. The safety devices installed in it are there in case the primary device strapped between the seat and steering wheel fails. It did not in this case.

 

Glad to hear that you are both okay

As someone else mentioned, I hope you had a police report and that the reckless driver that hit you was appropriately ticketed, etc

 

Since everyone was okay, can we start a pool to guess what the repair estimate is going to be?

 

That stinks! I second everyone here, So Glad You Both Are OK!

In following with the bet on repair costs, I'm not sure myself, but I hope the money comes straight out of the other driver's premium! Jerk...

Cheers!

 

Glad to hear you did so well given a very dangerous situation.

Accidents avoided are the whole point of defensive driving.

Bad weather makes accidents much more likely, therefore turn up your defensive driving skills.

Big and heavy SUVs going fast on slick wet roads = disaster not if but when!

Cars can be fixed but people can sustain significant injury

 

Sorry about the accident, Red05MCS. I was on Mulholland this afternoon, too. People drive REALLY fast on that road, like it's a road rally course!

Glad you were able to execute the evasive maneuver and that you and your child are fine. Your MINI will be repaired and as good as new again, I'm sure.

 

Accidents are scarey and happen extremely fast..glad to hear you're ok

as the airbag thing...shouldn't he have them look more into this?? I have heard of stories that after fixing the car the sensors could be very close to deploying...I'm not sure how they work or anything but I would hate to get the car back drive off and when your car gets out their driveway the bags deploy cuz the jolt...

 

Wow, that really sucks that the SUV hit you. But thank goodness you're a smart driver. One thing i don't understand about those suv drivers is why they think their cars can handle like a race car. What Idiot thinks that. Carlos Mencia has a name for people like this "Dee Dee Dee" just absolutely oblivious to what is going on. This is one of those things i hope you take the person to the cleaners for.. No room for idiocy on bendy roads especially with a SUV. I hate suing people but that's just ridiculousness and not to mention endangers the public. Hope your son is ok from the accident.. Its always a bit mentally traumatizing for kids when these things happen.

 

Wow glad you and your son are ok! I stayed in today, well except this morning to take my son to day care, but that's always a concern of mine--most CA drivers just don't know how to drive in the rain!

 

--Sorry to hear your MINI took a beating RED05MCS. Glad to hear you and your son are okay though. That's whats most important. Good job swerving out of that idiots way though. Geesh I wish you could sue them for emotional damage or something. Hope your MINI gets fixed soon. I'm glad it protected you and your son though. Take care and keep Motoring defensively.

--pyratio

 

NorCal drivers drive pretty well in the rain...they're used to it. It's the SoCal drivers that freak at the first drop of rain. The local tv news shows immediately go into "STORM WATCH!"

 

lol its so true...its been raining here all week:impatient

my sis lives in san diego...they get rain like what...one day a year? and it happens to be the day of the year that gets recorded as most accidents

 

Randy, I'm really glad your son is ok. And you, of course. You did such an amazing job avoiding it the way you did. It could have gone really bad today, so good job man!!!! I hope your car is written off so that you get a new one. If not, no worries. You will still have a bad *** car.

 

Im so glad you and your son are allright! I would have let the SUv driver have it after endangering myself and my son, but thats just me...

This just highlights why im taking a "Highway Survival" course from the Jim Russel Racing School. A $600 course can save your life. Its well worth it in my mind.

 

I am so sorry to hear about your accident, and that you will have to be without your MINI for a while. Thank goodness you and your son are OK.

If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me/us about the driving safety schools you attended? I have been wanting to do this but wasn't sure where to start.

Thanks for any information, and best of luck with your body shop.

p.s. I think I felt the DSC in my new S for the first time the other day. I was merging onto the 134, and after I glanced left to merge, I looked forward and there was this Volvo tank that had appeared from nowhere. I think the person changed lanes right in front of me while I was merging. I hit the brakes pretty hard and then had the sensation that the MINI had taken over the driving for me. It started to swerve to the right but righted itself really fast and "regained its composure." Very strange sensation, but I think it saved my a$$.

 

Thanks again everybody! I really appreciate the support!

I am actually extremely happy with the Mini's safety! I think that little car is one tough SOB to take a hit from a SUV that way.

I am also glad the airbags did not deploy. Had they, I would have been injured instead of just mad and unhappy. Also, since the street is narrow and runs along the top of a mountain, there would have been a chance of hitting the guard rail had the airbags deployed.

I really do not think the car will be written off. I suspect the damage will approach $10,000 but will not be more than that. The hardest part for the body shop is the rear fender, which has to be cut off. The new fender needs to be welded on. All of the other damage is to panels that are bolted on. The shop is going to push for a whole new door instead of a new skin.

As for the Driving Schools, I have attended 3 BMW CCA Driver's Schools (an outstanding value), 2 Skip Barber schools and 2 Driving Concepts schools. I highly recommend any advanced driving school. They are worth every penny and then some.

As for the other driver, I did not call the police because where we were stopped was extremely dangerous. While we were exchanging information, two other cars skidded on the same curve, and I really wanted to get out of there to avoid getting hit again. However, I will make sure that her insurance company pays not only for the damages, but also for the diminution in value the car will suffer as the result of the accident. As an attorney, I am quite confident that I will be able to make those people see the light...

 

It looked at safety per mile driven as a function of vehicle size for the driven car....
Turns out that all those that think larger vehicles are safer are just wrong. While they can take a bigger hit, the fact that they can't manuver means that they are involved in a lot more accidents. Your story is a case in point.
Going a bit more OT, turns out that small sports cars aren't the safest, even though they handle well, because as you get to the sportiest cars, the drivers tend to get a bit more aggressive.
Safest car, when injuries to both the hitter and hittee are considered? Camry. Suburbans (the beast of mythical safety via mass) had about twice the fatalites per mile driven.....
Sorry your car was de-flowered. Mine got hit in the rear quarter. IT's fixed, but not perfectly, to an ****-retentive Mini owner. My wife can't notice a thing.....
Glad everyone is OK. That's really the most important thing. Cars are just cars....

Matt