[gtohunter]

I got rear ended while at a traffic light on 9/11 by a woman, and she was hit by some 16yr old who took off ! Good news (I thought) was that the woman got his plate, they tracked him down, and it all wound up in a hearing today before a judge.
At the accident scene, she was cuffed and hauled away as she had no license, no insurance, and outstanding warrants for ??. The young kid ran "cause he was scared", and it was his 2nd run in with the law that week!
Anyway, back at the hearing today, the judge told everyone "it's a good thing everyone came" as without us, the "charges" would have been dropped.
Woman gets slap on wrist, all charges dropped once she gets her license and shows it to the arresting officer!
The little weenie kid got a slap on the wrist, and fines totalling $375!
I had my car fixed at around $1K through my company, who in turn will go after the kids insurance.
The worst part is, I have a 12,000 mile car that immediately dropped in value $3K once the accident was filed!! So, I'm totally sitting there minding my own business, and get the short end!!
I need to carry "underinsured" to cover the duds who buy the cut rate cheepo insurance, and their policies wouldn't cover damages! I need to carry "uninsured" insurance to cover the duds who don't have insurance! (ref: woman above)

The judge asked if anyone had anything to add, and I told him about my devalued vehicle issue knowing he couldn't do anything about, and he said "yeah, that happens"!
What a schmuck!

Why do we follow the law, anyway??

Rant over !

[73LeMans]

I hear ya. Got a 2014 Mustang GT that was rear ended. Guy on his phone. Immaculate otherwise, and youd never know it was touched if I didn't tell ya. Of course, the scum sucking INS companies wont pay for the "diminished capacity" of my car. The only way I was told they might pay, (good luck) is if I could somehow prove I had to take less than what the car was worth at time of sale. Be thankful you didnt get into an accident with someone with the same insurance company as you. When they have no one else to go after, all parties lose.

Once I realized the "law" and our whole insurance system wasn't really about safety or making us whole, I started to understand it more. It didn't make me any less angry, but at least it made sense when you realize the almighty dollar makes their decision almost every time.

[carbking]

A few years ago, my pickup was totaled sitting in my driveway!

Schoolteacher taking prescription medicine that causes one to be sleepy had an exemption to have a driver's license because she was a schoolteacher, and HAD to be able to get to school.

Went to sleep at the stop sign across from my house, floored the accelerator, drove through the front road ditch (SUV), through my front yard, and about half way through the pickup before the SUV died.

Luckily, she had her seat belt fastened, and school (directly across from my house) was not in session. No one was injured.

Her insurance company was decent about it; giving me full wholesale for my pickup, and then selling it back to me for $25. (had a new set of tires, among other values).

NO CHARGES WERE FILED AND SHE WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE DRIVING!

Jon.

[Jim Moshier]

I bought the wife a brand new car and first trip out went up the coast and got rear ended and it was only 6 days. We have since heard about 7 other people that still had paper plates get hit. Moral of the story, new cars are targets!

[dataway]

Being a motorcycle rider I'm a constant rear view mirror watcher, cause on a bike being rear ended could easily mean death. So even driving my vehicle I tend to leave plenty of room in front and watch the mirror for some numbskull behind me. But in a car ... in traffic, or at an intersection not much you can do except brace for impact.

Phones of course are probably responsible for 50% of the rear enders, amazing the number of people that just can't take their eyes off them.

[george kujanski]

My wife got rear ended 3 times in a year at stop lights. In each case they drove away, but being in that situation years ago, the first thing we do is get their plate. They were found in each case.

George

[66sprint6]

We've had "no fault" insurance here for some time now. I kinda wondered why the insurance companies were lobbying so hard to get it approved. Bottom line: both party's insurance providers pay the damages and split the cost. So now you have both companies agreeing to minimize the payout cost. Your own insurance company is working against you. If that's not collusion, I don't know what is.

[Heybuck]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

My wife got rear ended 3 times in a year at stop lights. In each case they drove away, but being in that situation years ago, the first thing we do is get their plate. They were found in each case.

George

My daughter was driving me in her car years ago. We got rear ended and the other driver (girl) scooted off. But we had her plate. Went to the cops and reported it, cop looked it up and called the owner while we were standing at the counter. Soon as the cop started talking to him, I recognised the owners voice.

Turned out he was a customer of mine, his daughter was driving the family car. I had no trouble getting full payment in cash out of him, he was so embarrassed by his daughters actions. Car was repaired better than pre crash too.

[wovenweb]

There is the potential to pursue a dimished value claim to try and recoup some of the loss:

https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/c...or%20to%20loss.

[mgarblik]

Sounds like my personal policy of driving reliable junk as daily drivers is one of my few good decisions. My two vehicles have a total "Insurance value" of about $1200.00. Someone opens a car door into them, they are totaled. Makes life much less stressful with the horrible, dangerous, distracted drivers on the road each day.

[Mr Anonymous]

Coming home from work years ago, a toyota pulled out of a side street right into the path of my GMC Jimmy. My choices were 1) swerve into the oncoming lane and get killed head on by a concrete truck, 2) swerve right and hit a tree and/or pole (likely die there too), or 3) aim for the back of the toyota. I chose option 3. It rang my bell pretty good. The three people got out of the toyota, and were actively and excitedly speaking a language I was completely unfamiliar with. Turns out they were Rwandans, and my Jimmy sending their car to Toyota heaven was their two week anniversary of them being in the US. Cops showed up, luckily I knew them. Cop asked me who was driving the Toyota. "Whoever has insurance". After a while, cop friend walks by, holding up an insurance card, and says "Found 'em!".

My battle with AIG (their insurer) started a week later. After a month of haggling, nastiness, my faxing them two dozen parts receipts, and so forth, it was finally settled. I gave them an ultimatum: Either make a reasonable offer or we are done and im calling the state insurance commissioner. We settled, and it was four times their initial offer. We even negotiated my keeping the Jimmy. I sold it to a friend that parted them, and I made $1000 there. Those grey leather interiors were worth a fortune back then, so he made out well too.

[Ben M.]

Unless it's murder or a certain type of illegal drug, all crimes are "victimless" in the eyes of the law these days. You have insurance, they'll give you a pittance (and you'll like it) for your trouble, the insurance company will go after the other guy, and life will go on.

That's how it's supposed to work.

[gtohunter]

Wovenweb,

Penned a letter to the person handling the claim along with the $$ numbers. We'll see what, if anything, happens. Might tell me to pound salt, then it's a lawyer which likely wouldn't be worth it, as we're talking about $2750.

Thanks for the info.

[geeteeohguy]

Originally Posted by dataway

Being a motorcycle rider I'm a constant rear view mirror watcher, cause on a bike being rear ended could easily mean death. So even driving my vehicle I tend to leave plenty of room in front and watch the mirror for some numbskull behind me. But in a car ... in traffic, or at an intersection not much you can do except brace for impact.

Phones of course are probably responsible for 50% of the rear enders, amazing the number of people that just can't take their eyes off them.

I've been rear ended by cars twice while riding a motorcycle. Once in 1977 while sitting at a red light (Camaro hit me at 25 mph) and last time in 2000 while stopped at an intersection (Ranger hit me at 30 mph). A good friend of mine was hit on his bike in 2015 by an uninsured illegal and was crippled for life. He was off work for a year getting re-constructive surgeries. I haven't been on my bike in 3 years....Now with smart phones, perhaps never again.

[dataway]

My wife and both ride ... more seldom every year, harder and harder to find places to ride where you can avoid all traffic and cities. What is strange, we are in Europe for a while every year, millions of motorcycles and scooters on the road and very few of them getting hit by cars.

[92GTA]

Originally Posted by gtohunter

I need to carry "underinsured" to cover the duds who buy the cut rate cheepo insurance, and their policies wouldn't cover damages! I need to carry "uninsured" insurance to cover the duds who don't have insurance! (ref: woman above)
!

In CA anyone without proof of current insurance is fined $1,200. That broad got off WAY easy!

Also, state laws for the amount of minimum insurance required should make it so you don't need "underinsured" coverage.

Sounds like you're a victim partly of where you live.

[SRR]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Sounds like my personal policy of driving reliable junk as daily drivers is one of my few good decisions. My two vehicles have a total "Insurance value" of about $1200.00. Someone opens a car door into them, they are totaled. Makes life much less stressful with the horrible, dangerous, distracted drivers on the road each day.

My newest car is a 2001 Merc. GM. LSE. 110,000 miles. My daily is a 1995 Jeep with 253,000 miles on it, not perfect but I keep the mechanicals up. My truck is a 1994 C3500 diesel dually. 130,000 miles. Wifes car is a 2014 Honda Accord Sport, still looks and drives like new with 130,000 miles on it. No rust here, just better have a working AC system. I carry more than enough full coverage on all of them, lots of people here with no insurance. Got tagged once by a red light runner and what a hassle that was of course the guy tried to lie and say I ran the red light. Good thing I had two witnesses who spoke up for me.

[ZnbOlds455]

Originally Posted by gtohunter

I need to carry "underinsured" to cover the duds who buy the cut rate cheepo insurance, and their policies wouldn't cover damages! I need to carry "uninsured" insurance to cover the duds who don't have insurance! (ref: woman above)

The judge asked if anyone had anything to add, and I told him about my devalued vehicle issue knowing he couldn't do anything about, and he said "yeah, that happens"!
What a schmuck!

Why do we follow the law, anyway??

Rant over !

The sad thing is that ALL drivers in SC are required to carry liability insurance by law. As I can attest in a similar situation when a lady t-boned me after she ran a red light, this insurance requirement is treated as more a suggestion.

[gtohunter]

Originally Posted by SRR

My newest car is a 2001 Merc. GM. LSE. 110,000 miles. My daily is a 1995 Jeep with 253,000 miles on it, not perfect but I keep the mechanicals up. My truck is a 1994 C3500 diesel dually. 130,000 miles. Wifes car is a 2014 Honda Accord Sport, still looks and drives like new with 130,000 miles on it. No rust here, just better have a working AC system. I carry more than enough full coverage on all of them, lots of people here with no insurance. Got tagged once by a red light runner and what a hassle that was of course the guy tried to lie and say I ran the red light. Good thing I had two witnesses who spoke up for me.

Did that most of my life, until the last couple of years. Last car was a 2001 (1yr old) Caddy which I drove 16yrs, and Nov 2017 bought my first new vehicle! My truck is an 02 with 72K on the clock, which I'll never get rid of! Might put about 4K/yr on a car so I figured this new one would serve me until I can't drive any more, but if people keep running into it, I don't know!

[67drake]

Originally Posted by SRR

Got tagged once by a red light runner and what a hassle that was of course the guy tried to lie and say I ran the red light. Good thing I had two witnesses who spoke up for me.

That’s why I have a front and rear facing camera in my truck. It doesn’t catch everything, but IMO worth the investment as they’re so cheap now.