Be careful out there guyz. Airbags are a myth.

Post by **Donald** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:58 pm

Witnessed a pretty horrendous rear ender on the way home tonight. Lucky it wasn't me tbh.

Two cars drokked, both drivers in bad shape, 0/4 airbags deployed.

Somewhat luckily (I guess) the guy that got rear-ended was a paramedic and kept his wits about him and knew exactly what was what. He knew he was pretty beat up and just stayed still, even managed to call emergency services before I got to him

. Must've been a dozen cars passed before someone else decided to stop, plenty of people slowed down to get a look, gawking at me running back and forth between the cars.

Absolute knob end passenger in the car that did the rear-ending though. He managed to get out and was more interested in wanting to lump the guy they just crashed into because he'd only picked up their car the day before... never mind his wife in the drivers seat unable to move and his 9 year old in the rear of the car. Shocking behaviour given the circumstances.

2.5 hours later and they were eventually loaded up into the ambulances. Felt pretty useless the rest of the time, I couldn't go anywhere even after the police finished talking cos I was now surrounded by ambulances and fire engines, so I had a front row seat for the whole thing. That is some pretty hefty equipment those firemen have.

It's silly season, a lot of people not paying attention!

So this is how my weekend has started.

bristol_bb4 · Post by **bristol_bb4** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:01 pm

fair play mate, as you said, plenty of rubber neckers about, not many decent folk like yourself who would actually want to help people!

spect

LewisH · Post by **LewisH** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:02 pm

Nice way to start a weekend there lad.... I my self, have seen some pretty awful driving skills this week! Its begining to body lemonade me awf! People sticking in my boot, people parking in god dam stupid places etc. And the worse thing atm, people walking in the road, then swearing at me for driving down the road ?

Im in a car on the road, im sure thats where cars are supposed to be ????

bennyboy · Post by **bennyboy** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:22 pm

Fair play.

I witnessed a guy completely total a Noble M12 on the way back from Cornwall some years back.
I got out, and when I just saw a cage with an engine and a million destroyed car parts, I was honestly wondering what I would find when I walked up to it...
Thankfully, the guy was out, on the hard shoulder and OK in general, though shaken up of course.
I was AMAZED at how people were trying to weave in and out of the bits whilst gawping of course, but NOT stopping to help at all.

Post by **Donald** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:34 pm

People walking in the road

Shocking init Benny, similar thing happened just outside my old man's a few months back, an elderly woman had parked on the verge and was hit crossing the road to a flower stall, the paramedics weren't there yet and people were just driving around her laying in the road while my dad was helping her.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:51 pm

title says about airbags, did they not go off or did they go off and not do the job ?
if the occupants don't have a seatbelt on they don't work mind. in the bag of bum droppings on an autotest i wouldn't wear a seatbelt so as not to drokk up your face for the day if you had a small bump, mind you i rarely wear a seatbelt anyway. on a rally i have my full harness on and im sat in a car with a rollcage fitted so im practically invincible then. watch me die shortly from some freak accident at low speed

anyway well done for taking the time to ensure other people are all ok + rep

oh dear i seem to have negative rep'd you but you did that to me once so we are quits now

'92 Si VTEC · Post by **jjmartin349571** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:59 pm

Good on you for helping out mate, it's no fun but it's the right thing to do. I was walking to the pub a couple of years back and a car pulled out a junction by my house without looking

a car coming down the hill put him through a brick wall and in somebody's garden. Cue calling an ambulance, running between cars, pulling jammed doors open and trying to figure out who's worst hurt to let the paramedics know what's going on. Both had girlfriends in the car who were hysterical, the driver in the car that pulled out was barely conscious as he bore the brunt of the impact, was not fun at all

Tell me about stupid people - whilst going a round a blind corner near my house yesterday I was surprised to find somebody parked on the inside of the corner, sitting in their car. Hooted as I drove past and got the dirtiest look back from them, stupid prick.

I'm also surprised by people not stopping for people who are stranded - this winter alone I've pulled over 2-3 times on the A27 when women have been broken down by themselves. And no I'm not a sexual predator

but if my girlfriend was stuck by the side of the road in the dark I'd like to think somebody would stop to see if she was ok and needed help...

Speaking of which, my nan was crossing the road at a pelican crossing outside Brighton DGH last year, when she had a fall and collapsed in the street

nobody on the pavement ran to help, and the traffic started to manoeuvre around her

luckily an old bloke ran out and helped her up, but I can't believe that on such a busy road nobody would help. People are so detached these days it's unreal

Post by **Donald** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:00 pm

No none of the air bags went off, I assume they were wearing seatbelts as all had chest trauma and their faces were intact, it was a 60mph road too, without seatbelts I'm certain there would have been fatalities.

I guess a lot of people think "not my problem" or that someone else will deal with it.

'92 Si VTEC · Post by **jjmartin349571** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:06 pm

I don't trust seatbelts

Surely the force your body experiences when impacting against the seatbelt is the same it encounters on any other part of the car, except as the seatbelt surface area is smaller than that of say the dashboard then isn't the pressure going to be higher?

But as you say tramroad, they're more for saving you at low speeds - I've got a mate who's a firefighter and a mate who's a paramedic, the stuff I hear from them about what happens on main roads makes you wonder how safe cars really are

Best not to think about it really!!

bennyboy · Post by **bennyboy** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:10 pm

Having lost someone in a car accident, I think cars have to be treated with respect and you'll never have a perfectly safe car I don't think. Seatbelts probably help in the majority of everyday situations, airbags probably help in the majority of everyday situations...you get my drift, they have to play to the numbers, business is like black jack basically.