I hate giant pick-up trucks with trailer hitches

[shocksyde]

Situation:

I live on the end of a row of townhomes, which are paralleled by parking all the way down.

I pull out of my spot, and see a truck doing the same 100 yards or so ahead of me. He pulls out, starts towards the entrance, I do the same, everyone's happy.

He gets to the stop sign to exit the parking lot, I come up behind him and wait. Suddenly, I see the reverse lights kick on. I only had time to let out one honk before it was too late.

His trailer hitch and super-high bumper took out my hood, bumper, grill and headlight. All in a 3mph accident because he couldn't see behind his massive "kickass" truck.

I will say that it was almost all worth it when he jumped out of his truck and threw his keys with all of his might into the distance. I wonder if he even found them, haha. He kept saying "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT!!"

Good news is I talked to my Insurance company and he admitted fault, so it looks like I don't have to pay anything. At least he's only a semi-douche.

I KNOW someone is going to claim I was too close to him, so he couldn't see me. Well, If you look at the damage to my car, it's about 2 feet left of center. So, he could have easily seen me out his driver-side mirror had he taken the time to look. I was at least 5 feet behind him when we were both stopped.

Cliffs:
Fuck trailer hitches.

Update: Estimate came in at $1,800.

 

[Chapbass]

/agree that sucks man

 

[LordMorpheus]

I love the key throw while exclaiming "I don't have time for this!"

I guess he had some time for some searching.

Still, glad to hear he's doing the right thing.

 

[PCMarine]

throwing my keys seems like that last thing I'd do if I was in a hurry, even if I had just gotten into an accident

 

[Xcobra]

LOL...good thing youre getting your stuff taken care off...I was in an accident about a month ago and all we did was exchange info, took about 10 mins and done...even for a "not having time for this shit" type of person it shouldnt be that bad....as long as they can cover all expenses

 

[Raduque]

WTF did he back up for? That's crazy.

This is also why I never have my hitch and ball installed in the receiver unless I'm towing something. Also, what kind of car do you drive? There are some very small cars that make me nervous when they're behind me as I can't see them in my mirrors. Or rather, I wouldn't be able to if I didn't have my wide-angle "fish-eyes" on my mirrors.

 

[bruceb]

That truck driver should have known you where there no matter what.
He did see you follow him to the driveway, didn't he ? ?
As to insurance, let's see what he tells his company. He probably says you
rolled into him. Hopefully his company makes good.
Any photos of your damage ? ?

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: Raduque
WTF did he back up for? That's crazy.

This is also why I never have my hitch and ball installed in the receiver unless I'm towing something. Also, what kind of car do you drive? There are some very small cars that make me nervous when they're behind me as I can't see them in my mirrors. Or rather, I wouldn't be able to if I didn't have my wide-angle "fish-eyes" on my mirrors.

It's a 99 Nissan Altima. It's not a compact or anything.

The hitch is what saved his truck from receiving any damage. If I were you, I'd keep it in, haha.

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: bruceb
That truck driver should have known you where there no matter what.
He did see you follow him to the driveway, didn't he ? ?
As to insurance, let's see what he tells his company. He probably says you
rolled into him. Hopefully his company makes good.
Any photos of your damage ? ?

He probably should have seen me when he backed out of his original parking spot. You can see all the way down the parking lot from any spot, so if he looked both ways before pulling out, he definitely would have seen me.

His company hasn't even called me yet. I'd like to think that if there were a dispute, they'd contact me pretty quickly. I guess we'll see what happens on Monday when the estimate comes in.

Also, when my company's "Authorized Repair Center" calls me and gives an estimate, can I just request a check from the other guy's insurance? At this point, I'd rather get a new car than have this one fixed. Any insight as to how this whole process works would be appreciated.

 

[Raduque]

Do you own the car? If there's still a lein holder on the title (bank, "buy-here, pay-here" car lot, etc) then most cases the insurance company is gonna make the check out to you AND the body shop, or in some cases, simply the body shop. You can sometimes get the shop to sign the check over to you.

If the insurance totals it, they'll pay you the amount it's worth, maybe with some wiggle room. If not, you could get it fixed and sell/trade it.

Oh, and my truck's already been hit once. I got backed into by some dumb blind* chick in a parking garage. She hit my right rear corner of the bed. My trailer hitch didn't save me then! =X



*she's not really blind

 

[shocksyde]

I am the outright owner of the car. So, after I get the estimate, I just call my rep and tell her to cut me a check for the estimate amount?

 

[bruceb]

First, get at least 2 or 3 estimates. Insurance companies
always like to low ball on the repair cost. Haggle until
you think it's fair.

 

[marvdmartian]

And don't let them lowball you on the price of labor. I had Liberty Mutual try that on me once. Lowest estimate I handed them was for $30/hr labor (back in mid-80's). Their guy came out, looked at my car, did his estimate. Agreed with the body shop on what needed to be replaced, but quoted labor at $17/hr. I asked them, when they tried to scam me with that one, where the F**K they expected me to find a reputable body shop for that price???

Oh yeah, and just be glad it didn't take out your radiator too. Years ago, I saw a lady rear-end a truck like that once, in her Caddy. He hopped out, made certain she wasn't hurt, then suggested they pull into the parking lot of the fire house (it happened in front of there), and she said okay. When he pulled his barely scratched (and otherwise undamaged) truck in to the parking lot, she took off.....and you could hear the engine-driven radiator fan rattling as she drove off. The guy jumped out, shook his head, and called the police to come do an accident report. When they got there, it was pretty easy for them to find her.......as all they had to do was follow the water trail, all the way to her garage!

Seems it wasn't the first accident she'd had like that, she was embarrassed and scared to tell her husband about it, and freaked out......then took off. Too bad, since she pretty much fried the engine in that car by driving it without water!

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: shocksyde
Situation:

I live on the end of a row of townhomes, which are paralleled by parking all the way down.

I pull out of my spot, and see a truck doing the same 100 yards or so ahead of me. He pulls out, starts towards the entrance, I do the same, everyone's happy.

He gets to the stop sign to exit the parking lot, I come up behind him and wait. Suddenly, I see the reverse lights kick on. I only had time to let out one honk before it was too late.

His trailer hitch and super-high bumper took out my hood, bumper, grill and headlight. All in a 3mph accident because he couldn't see behind his massive "kickass" truck.

I will say that it was almost all worth it when he jumped out of his truck and threw his keys with all of his might into the distance. I wonder if he even found them, haha. He kept saying "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT!!"

Good news is I talked to my Insurance company and he admitted fault, so it looks like I don't have to pay anything. At least he's only a semi-douche.

I KNOW someone is going to claim I was too close to him, so he couldn't see me. Well, If you look at the damage to my car, it's about 2 feet left of center. So, he could have easily seen me out his driver-side mirror had he taken the time to look. I was at least 5 feet behind him when we were both stopped.

Cliffs:
Fuck trailer hitches.

That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

 

[shocksyde]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

Ah, you're referring to the mini-monster trucks on the road. This truck wasn't nearly that bad, it was just a dually with a giant hitch on it.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

I'm an off road enthusiast and I agree. Those trucks with a 12" lift are good for NOTHING except killing you in an accident.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

I'm an off road enthusiast and I agree. Those trucks with a 12" lift are good for NOTHING except killing you in an accident.

A truck specifically designed to kill Jules?

Hmmm......

No member call-outs. Even as a joke. You don't have to have fluffy bunny feelings for everyone on the forums, but let's not suggest that it's a good thing for anyone to die.

Zenmervolt - Anandtech Garage Moderator

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

I'm an off road enthusiast and I agree. Those trucks with a 12" lift are good for NOTHING except killing you in an accident.

A truck specifically designed to kill Jules?

Hmmm......

That's not very nice...

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

I'm an off road enthusiast and I agree. Those trucks with a 12" lift are good for NOTHING except killing you in an accident.

Yea those lifts are stupid but if you read the laws of each state most are illegal. Each state has a min bumper, headlight, frame distance law. If the cops really wanted to they could give out fix it tickets.

And yes most of teh dumbasses out there with new trucks and lifting them sky high are idiots and will probably get stuck on a dirt road but it's their choice to waste their money where they want.

I love my hitch on my truck, granted the body is modified to fit larger tires with less lift as I don't want more altitude.

Lifts don't cause worse braking, the larger and heavier tires do. And most people don't even think about upgrading the braking system. I just leave more following room when I drive my truck. I have no ill side effects in handling as I don't try to whip in and out of lanes or take corners fast than I should as I am driving a truck not a car. It's just common sense.

I just laugh when I see a truck lifted high and big chrome rims and tires. I know the person is trying to make up for something.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: mooseracing

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: shocksyde

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
That blows. I feel your pain too. Some dickhead in a lifted truck backed into my Maxima a couple years ago (wife was driving in a parking lot). Said he couldn't see her. No shit sherlock...your truck is 15' off the fucking ground. :roll:

He did about $2500 worth of damage to my car. His insurance paid for everything.

Those things are a god damned menace. They should be outlawed for use on public roads.

Haha, I don't know about outlawing them, but FFS, take an extra peak behind you when you're backing up!

Actually, I really do think they should be outlawed. They're definitely unsafe.

Think about it, some asshat does something stupid behind the wheel of one of these behemoths and hits pretty much any other car and they do a lot of damage. Extreme lifts cause the vehicle to handle worse, increases braking distances and it raises the bumper height so that it no longer impacts the point where 99% of vehicles manufactured for use on our roads are designed to absorb impacts in. That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

BTW-I think vehicles like this ARE illegal for use on our roadways in most states...it's just that nobody enforces those laws. Trucks just keep getting bigger and heavier...and people keep jacking them up higher. Morons...

I'm an off road enthusiast and I agree. Those trucks with a 12" lift are good for NOTHING except killing you in an accident.

Yea those lifts are stupid but if you read the laws of each state most are illegal. Each state has a min bumper, headlight, frame distance law. If the cops really wanted to they could give out fix it tickets.

And yes most of teh dumbasses out there with new trucks and lifting them sky high are idiots and will probably get stuck on a dirt road but it's their choice to waste their money where they want.

I love my hitch on my truck, granted the body is modified to fit larger tires with less lift as I don't want more altitude.

Lifts don't cause worse braking, the larger and heavier tires do. And most people don't even think about upgrading the braking system. I just leave more following room when I drive my truck. I have no ill side effects in handling as I don't try to whip in and out of lanes or take corners fast than I should as I am driving a truck not a car. It's just common sense.

I just laugh when I see a truck lifted high and big chrome rims and tires. I know the person is trying to make up for something.

Yes, but 99.9% of people who install a lift, even a mild one, the first thing they do is get bigger wheels/tires.

 

[exdeath]

I think it's dumb as hell. Saw a truck the other day with huge 30" wheels and what looked like the stock 10" brake rotors (at least they looked tiny compared to the wheel) and thought to myself "how long does it take that guy to stop"? They weren't even big off road tires or anything practical, they are these skinny ass rubber band "bling" tires.

But I don't think it should be outlawed. It's a free country. There is no harm done until it actually occurs. Innocent until proven guilty. The accident doesn't happen until it happens, and that person is dealt with individually; we don't go around pre-emptively punishing all of society for what a few people might cause. There are already laws in place to deal with delegating responsibility for auto collisions, mandatory insurance, etc.

What next, muscle cars? Sport bikes? V8s? Comprehensive bans on things for perceived "safety" is what is largely responsible for all of our most invasive bullshit laws today. Protecting people from their own fears via intrusive legislation that infringes the rights of others to exercise their free will because a minute percentage will cause harm is what is killing this country.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: mooseracing
Lifts don't cause worse braking, the larger and heavier tires do. And most people don't even think about upgrading the braking system. I just leave more following room when I drive my truck. I have no ill side effects in handling as I don't try to whip in and out of lanes or take corners fast than I should as I am driving a truck not a car. It's just common sense.

I just laugh when I see a truck lifted high and big chrome rims and tires. I know the person is trying to make up for something.

Well, you still have ill side effects in handling, you just aren't driving the truck anywhere near 10/10 so you don't notice that the handling ceiling has been lowered.

Large/lifted trucks are more likely to get into accidents than a car in the same situation due to crappy brakes and handling (it's hard to avoid an accident if you can't stop in time and can't steer around it), but as long as the drivers compensate for this by giving themselves a bigger cushion of safety and reacting quickly to new developments, it ends up being a moot point. Notice that it's almost never the professionals or serious truck people who are the problem--people who are towing something, hauling a load, or just heading home or to a work site with an empty bed usually aren't the ones driving like idiots. It's the people with the shiny clean scratch-free trucks that have never had anything in the back who think they are driving a Porsche in god-mode.

I don't think they should be banned. However, the already existing laws about bumper height/stopping power/etc. should be enforced. In another one of these threads I proposed a "street legal" idea for a lift kit, which has a removable (or movable) bumper which extends down to the proper height for street use, and can be taken off or lifted higher for off-road clearance. If they enforced the law, this would already exist.
And if the state required evidence that braking had been addressed if you installed wheels a certain percentage bigger than OEM, that too would be pretty much a non-issue. Even just showing receipts when you register the freshly lifted vehicle would deal with a lot of that problem. Obviously there would still be plenty of people who would fake receipts or just buy the stuff and then resell it once they were registered, but I don't think the problem is big enough to warrant expensive and painful individual inspections.

Maybe in states that already have inspections.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: exdeath
I think it's dumb as hell. Saw a truck the other day with huge 30" wheels and what looked like the stock 10" brake rotors (at least they looked tiny compared to the wheel) and thought to myself "how long does it take that guy to stop"? They weren't even big off road tires or anything practical, they are these skinny ass rubber band "bling" tires.

But I don't think it should be outlawed. It's a free country. There is no harm done until it actually occurs. Innocent until proven guilty. The accident doesn't happen until it happens, and that person is dealt with individually; we don't go around pre-emptively punishing all of society for what a few people might cause. There are already laws in place to deal with delegating responsibility for auto collisions, mandatory insurance, etc.

What next, muscle cars? Sport bikes? V8s? Comprehensive bans on things for perceived "safety" is what is largely responsible for all of our most invasive bullshit laws today. Protecting people from their own fears via intrusive legislation that infringes the rights of others to exercise their free will because a minute percentage will cause harm is what is killing this country.

I disagree. It's not as though there are small numbers of these things on the road. I can't drive 10 miles to work without seeing at least 5-10 or more trucks with huge tires and a big lift.

These people are taking a vehicle that was designed by the manufacturer to impact every other car/truck/suv at a certain height (which is also a law I believe). Personally, I think it's negligent to install these kits on vehicles driven on our roads. Don't most of these kits say for off road use only anyway?

What's wrong with laws for safety? We have helmet laws for motorcyclists and seatbelt laws for motorists. As a motorcyclist I think that's a good thing and there is no way I'd ride my motorcycle without a helmet or drive my car without my seatbelt on. I have no problem with these types of safety laws.