It seems the authorities there just don’t want you to drive a car. If I had to pay $10K plus dollars a year for car insurance, I’d just park the car and walk, bicycle, or take public transport to where I needed to go. You’ll still be able to enjoy life, plenty to eat, tv, radio, movies and the like staying closer to home. The big losers economically are the business owners further away at which you’d be spending some of your money if you could drive. Think positive! Time is on your side, and insurance rates will eventually come down to more affordable levels.
Yep, that is likely the real issue. They really don’t want you to drive.
Still no picture of the bumper` falling off at two miles per hour.
Still call shenanigans on that story.
Update: Checked my 2013 F150, bumper is bolted directly to the frame rails.
Never noticed it before—bumper cover is metal, not plastic.
Therefore I place this statement in the same category as Jewish Space Lasers starting wild fires.
Did you listen to the video you provided? Note, test damage only applied to the four door F-150, from seven years ago.
Last sentence in video:
“Our tests show aluminum body vehicles can be just as safe a steel body vehicles”.
I may have got one or two words wrong but did not care to watch the video a third time.
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Sure isn’t true here in NJ.
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Pretty sturdy bumper on my 50 years old Ford truck. Driver parking behind me one time bumped into my truck, then complained my bumper dented his bumper. I explained that if he hadn’t run into my parked truck, his bumper wouldn’t have a dent. Truck’s bumper remained pristine … lol …
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There’ a lot written about bumper strengths and I cannot testify to the validity of what’s been said; but, I’ve been driving since the mid-60s and I remember going to U-Haul and renting a trailer and hitch for one reason or another and they rented bumper hitches that bolted onto the bumper and quickly unbolted off. That’s right the hitches were rented, not necessarily installed. Oh they had those too, but those were just installed onto the bumper by drilling holes in the bumper and bolting them on… Here are some old photos of those hitches… I know they did have real heavy duty hitches that bolted onto the frame.
Now, I have a 2001 Dodge Ram, 2500, 4x4, and it came both a Class A bumper hitch and a nicely chromed rear bumper that had three holes already for the installation of my favorite ball sizes. So Dodge thinks that bumper’s not about to fall off…
When I picked up the “new” truck, I was given a nice walk around by the Service Manager and when I noticed the drilled bumper, I asked why they would do that with a class A hitch and he said so I could have a 1-7/8", a 2", and a 2-5/16" ball on the bumper and I could still put a 3" on the class A… He thought he was being funny at the time…
I’ve never used the bumper accessory hitch holes; but that class A easily handled hauling a 7,000 pound contractor grade trailer with a 15,000 pound back-hoe on board. I stopped at a weight station and the whole kit 'n caboodle, Ram Truck (it’s a Diesel) at 7,200 lbs, the trailer at 7,000 lbs, the back-hoe at 15,000 lbs, and a bed of “junk” and we topped out over 30,000 pounds. Yeah, I know the truck is only rated at towing 18,000 pounds but a "guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do…
I think you and that Service manager need a refresher on hitch sizes and classes. The hitch classes are 1-5 not letters. If you want you can get all 3 sizes of trailer balls on a 2”insert for that 2” receiver.
Oh, I know about the Triple Ball hitch, but I image the Service Manager was thinking more of the “Three Bears”…
That’s a relief, the step bumper is only rated at 5000 lbs.
The class IV receiver hitch is rated at 10,000 lbs. For greater weights, a gooseneck or fifth wheel hitch should be used.
The holes pictured are for storage of the extra sizes.
I think TheOldDays has left the building. Still no proof/pictures of his claim that the bumper fell off after a 2 MPH bump. The bolts holding my bumper on look pretty darn substantial.
I backed into a pole that was below my line of sight at perhaps 2 MPH, minor dent in the bumper cover, no other damage.
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I was in my Ford Escort, when I was T-boned by a 16 year old in what amounted to a tank (older vehicle) at a stop sign. He failed to fully stop at the sign because he was attempting to peel out of a housing development in front of his friends who were standing in a yard. I had no stop sign, was just driving by. I have no clue how he didn’t see me. He peeled out, right into me.
He was driving on a learners permit, with his father and sister in the car. The impact collapsed my quarter panel, threw me first against the stick shift, then in the other direction against the drivers door.
I had my seat belt on but my Ford Escort didn’t have side air bags. My injuries were contusions to my leg and hip due to hitting the stick, nerve injury/damage to my arm, as well as a dislocated shoulder. My car was totaled, his had small scratches on the front bumper. They were all fine (which I’m glad of). My arm and shoulder still aren’t right and never will be.
Nobody asked me if I was alright, his sister stood laughing at him as did his friends. I never got an apology from either the kid or his father. As a matter of fact, the father was angry with me when I had to file suit because their insurance didn’t want to pay up. The kid couldn’t have cared less.
(This is not to say I think all young drivers are irresponsible)
Was it an SUV/crossover vehicle they hit you with? How old was your Escort?
I can’t really remember clearly what type of vehicle they were in, being that it was some years ago, but I’m thinking it was a much older Oldsmobile (or something very similar). The thing was a tank.
My Ford Escort was a 2002. The accident occurred in 2003. I forgot to mention the impact was on the passenger side of my car.
I was just reminded of the crash test Fifth Gear did several years ago when you mentioned your accident. They had an older Civic getting T-boned by a smaller suv.
They were describing how the Civic didn’t have doubled up cross beams in the door panels to help insure a bit of extra resistance and how even the same 2 car models can be made worse with a bit of extra weight in one car causing it to be lower.
Anyone see this video/report?
I am assuming the K9 vehicle is an Explorer. Kind of negates comments about Fords being plastic junk.
All involved only received minor injuries.
I am sorry that you were involved in this “accident;” it can change the way you live your life forever. I put the word accident in quotes because it was no accident. It was Reckless Negligence!
The young driver did not merely not see you due to his inexperience to check, and double check before proceeding. He was “hot-dogging” showing off for his friends and his father was a party to this.
I do not know if you sued them for this accident but it’s the type of suit that ambulance chasers look for; abet you did not say you were injured, verses being hurt.
I know it’s too late to sue now (probably, the Statute of limitations has probably expired), but this is as much for any future reference and the benefit of others.
Even if you had sued and prevailed, you might have collected nothing, but you might have been able to attach future earnings.
Then they would have been “laughing out of the other side of their mouths” and they would have cared a lot more…
Being a live crash test dummy does give you a unique vantage point. I’m not sure if the extra weight in his car made much of a difference, being that his car outweighed mine by quite a bit already. The point of impact was right rear quarter panel.
I think I actually came out lucky in that I wasn’t traveling in the opposite direction and the impact wasn’t on the driver’s side. I do recall my front airbags didn’t deploy, if that’s any useful information for anyone here.
It was even luckier the crash didn’t occur fifteen minutes later than it did. It happened at a school bus stop. The bus would’ve been dispatching kids from elementary school.
[quote=“LoudThunder, post:118, topic:185758”]
Thanks for your kind words and you are correct, it was negligence on the part of the father. Most damaging of all with his example, the father taught his young son to be angry as well as indignant at being held responsible for his actions. It’s not surprising the kid didn’t care.
I was forced to file suit, being that his insurance didn’t want to pay and my insurance company was too noodley to stand up for me. I did collect a fair settlement, though I’ll live with pain from the injuries to my shoulder (requiring surgery) and arm for the rest of my life, as well as moderate loss of function.
I’ll never understand why, but the opposing attorneys called the father, son and I into an office at the same time to give our depositions. This resulted in us sitting in the same lobby area opposite one another.
The son couldn’t be bothered to stay awake and sat sleeping in his chair, the father sat angrily glaring at me until I locked eyes with him at which point he looked away. He didn’t look at me again.
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Simple. Your group is the highest rate of accidents. Plus the fact that you’re buying what many insurance companies consider a sports car adds to that. As a group you THINK you can drive like what you see in movies and cartoons. But you lack the experience or knowledge to do so.
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I know I am about a year late (I am new here).
As a 19-year-old driver (driven for about 4 years) and a person who drives a Mazda, good rates from an insurance company for young people may be possible.
However, there are some ways to get a good rate (a lot of it depends on your insurance company):
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Drive a car for a less expensive brand (i.e. Toyota, Subaru, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Ford, etc.): I drove an Audi in high school. (Yup, I was a spoiled bastard) My rates were very high considering I was under 25 and was driving a German car with high prestige. (like BMW and Mercedes-Benz) I drove it for 3 years and switched to a Mazda before I graduated high school. My rates went down.
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Have a good academic record in school/college: Some insurance companies ask you what GPA you have (if you are enrolled in high school, a community college or a university). If you have a 3.00 GPA or above, your rates will be discounted. I met this requirement in high school and college.
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Have an elder be on your insurance plan or your family’s insurance plan: My grandpa is 78 years old. Although he is old, he is still on my family’s insurance. Some insurance companies reduce your rates based on the average age on your insurance plan. Higher average age means lower rates. That was what happened to me.
Yes, statistics like everybody else here mentioned that drivers show that drivers between 16-24 years of age are high risk (to the point where 18-20 year olds are excluded from renting a car, 21-24 year olds having to pay a young driver surcharge at rental car companies, age restrictions at car dealerships regarding service loaners/courtesy cars, etc.).
But it is possible to have lower rates as a 19-year-old. Sure, you not going to be paying the same as a happily-married man at 36 in terms of rates (Sometimes married people get lower rates at insurance companies), but there are some ways to get affordable car insurance as a young driver.
Do take my advice to a grain of salt though.
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