bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

If you were driving down the road, and someone from the other direction comes wildly into your lane toward you. You have two choices:

1) veer right over a curb and hit a wall/poll/fence/hedge/etc. but most likely miss the oncoming car.

2) hit the oncoming car but try to get a near miss.

Sounds like a crazy alternative, but let's say you choose 1, and the other car doesn't hit anything and drives off. So your car ends up stopped and very damaged. EVEN IF you get hold of the other driver, and EVEN IF a police report states it was the oncoming driver's fault, will you be able to claim on their insurance? And if they get away, don't you just get screwed? Doesn't that mean 2 may be the better option?!

Just something I was thinking about the other day... thankfully I haven't had to confront this situation!

iKenn

iTrader: (1)

Iv had this happen to me, sometimes you try to just hit their car and not turn off the road but its like a reaction thats hard to control. You just turn away without even thinking about it.

ASER

The answer would depend on what kind of vehicle I am driving, what kind of vehicle they are driving, the speed we are traveling at and the kind of obstacle I would hit if I took the option #1. For example, if I am in a Hummer H1 and they are in a VW Beetle Cabrio I would most likely take the decision to hit a pole/fence/hedge etc. because I know that if I hit them the other driver will most likely be taken out of their car by the "jaws of life" and most likely will be pronounced dead at the scene. I don't think I'd be able to live with the fact that I chose to kill someone because I was afraid my insurance payments would go up if they fled the scene.

On the other hand, if I am in a LS460 with a dozen airbags around me and the oncoming car is comparable in size I'd rather stay on the road and try to get a near miss rather than hit a concrete wall at 70mph.

trukn1

Pretty much the same scenerio as a deer in the road. ANY insurance company will tell you that if YOU swerve, in the attempt to avoid something in the road, and end up with damage as a result, then YOU caused the accident b/c YOU swerved. However if you hit the item, it is considered to be a road hazard and you will be covered 100% by the insurance. I know,, seems pretty stupid, but had a friend of mine that had this happen to him. By nature, people's first reaction is to try to avoid anything which will reslt in pain.

Bottom line, if it hits you----not your fault.
If you swerve to avoid being hit and you damage your own vehicle, even if you didn't instigate the initial situation----still your fault b/c it was YOUR action which resulted in damage.

Of course,,, if this is gonna be a head-on collision, or the potential for one,, then try not to punch a hole in the floorboard while pounding on the accelerator.

tuan92129

Reminds me of the Supra driver who was killed last year in a head-on collision in Tempe, Arizona.
What about swerving left into the opposite lane, if there are no cars there (and there is no center median)

is350

either way you're screwed. if there no contact between you and the oncoming car, then no claim can be filed against that party.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

That's what I thought, so as crazy as it seems, if you think you're not gonna get killed the best thing financially is to hit the car coming at ya!

Hil

iTrader: (61)

Hope that doesn't happen to anyone..

f=ma

Insurance companies are trying to kill us.