Smashed up S
12-21-2012, 02:01 AM
#21
Originally Posted by Jonesybubs' timestamp='1356083182' post='22223387
[quote name='richmc' timestamp='1356082148' post='22223369']
"just shocked as i enter roundabout put foot down when exiting, car goes side ways at 4k revs in 6th gear with one hand on wheel and started to fish tail, soon got me awake thinking i could take it easy and relax.
weather was cold and heavy rain."
Reading through that thread, he comes off a roundabout in 6th & 4K revs cold and wet! WTF speed does thast translate to? I think this idiot got what he deserves, and the rest of us will be paying higher insurence prmiums as a result of him driving like a dick.
EDIT - Oh yes he's a student so that makes him how old?
"just shocked as i enter roundabout put foot down when exiting, car goes side ways at 4k revs in 6th gear with one hand on wheel and started to fish tail, soon got me awake thinking i could take it easy and relax.
weather was cold and heavy rain."
Reading through that thread, he comes off a roundabout in 6th & 4K revs cold and wet! WTF speed does thast translate to? I think this idiot got what he deserves, and the rest of us will be paying higher insurence prmiums as a result of him driving like a dick.
EDIT - Oh yes he's a student so that makes him how old?
Am home now, the car has now been recovered to my home, gotta get the insurers to collect it tomorrow.
Mechanically everything appears sound but the cosmetic damage is likely to write it off I feel, it's gonna need at least new bonnet, front bumper, and left front and rear wings, undertray also appears damaged and the alloys are a bit second hand looking now :-(. There are no oil or fluid leaks at all but cosmetic damage is substantial. Will get pics uploaded tomorrow.
I'm not gonna make excuses, I wasn't exactly hooning but I simply gave it too much loud pedal in too low a gear for the conditions whilst travelling around a slight curve with a dip in the road, it fishtailed and I over corrected, it was hitting a sign that did much of the damage, set the airbags off and then from the shock I was pretty much a passenger! I had a friend in the car at the time, obviously pretty shaken up now. Awkward ride home in the recovery truck for sure. Completely my fault, inexperience and over enthusiasm, but it didn't half snap quickly one way then the other. It could have been a lot worse had it gone the other way though given oncoming traffic....glad to be uninjured, that's the main thing after all.
Accident took place on the A41 wergs road, yes it was horribly wet and greasy, for anyone who misses the welcome to Staffordshire sign when leaving Wolverhampton, you have me to blame :-(
He took it on the chin and fair play to him in my book. Accidents will happen i know many people a lot more experienced than him who have written off cars on wet days so i dont think the fact that he is a student should have anything to do with it.
As for him being a student, well how old does that make him? anything from 17 to 21, way too young to be (not) in control of a powerful RWD sports car, with three years max driving experience.
"simply gave it too much loud pedal in too low a gear for the conditions"
That will do it every time adding the word "simply" is not relivent, he should have put "not knowing how to drive the car without crashing it"
I know my comments are harsh, (as usual) but all the usual elements are there wet cold road, young driver, no RWD experence, just got the car. This wont be the last time we get this kind of thread, this time of year.
[/quote]
You can be a student at any age. There are people on my course that are 40 odd, therefore that makes them a student. Being a student doesn't mean they are young.
12-21-2012, 02:11 AM
#23
I know Martin, it just winds me up because I can see this going to another 'have a go at young people' thread. As you know I've had mine since I was 19 and 'touch wood' I've been fine. That could be down to the fact that I drive like a granny though. 
12-21-2012, 02:22 AM
#24
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There's a camera (northbound) just by the Dial Post/Ashurst turnoff, people are concentrating on their speed and the camera lines when they should be concentrating on the junction, cars turning on/off the A24. Seen a few near misses for that reason.
If nearer the A272 junction, there are a couple of roads that turn on/off the A24 but no slip road so cars have to slow a lot on the main road.
12-21-2012, 02:57 AM
#25
Banned
Originally Posted by gaddafi' timestamp='1356085610' post='22223408
The stretch near Knepp Castle is well known to some of us as a place where there are lots of unexplained accidents
I spoke to a traffic officer and accident investigation bod once and both were at a loss to understand it
I spoke to a traffic officer and accident investigation bod once and both were at a loss to understand it
There's a camera (northbound) just by the Dial Post/Ashurst turnoff, people are concentrating on their speed and the camera lines when they should be concentrating on the junction, cars turning on/off the A24. Seen a few near misses for that reason.
If nearer the A272 junction, there are a couple of roads that turn on/off the A24 but no slip road so cars have to slow a lot on the main road.
so, essentially between the garden centre on the southbound A24 and the northbound camera just after Knepp
bit 'Bermuda Triangle' apparently
see this press release from a couple of years ago:
West Sussex County Council has welcomed plans for an earlier than expected start on a badly needed safety scheme for the A24 between Ashington and Southwater.
The County Council has been pressing for several years for a scheme that will involve closing 28 central reservation gaps and replacing them with three new junctions.
The £35.3 million scheme was listed in the Regional Transport Board’s programme for a start in 2015/16.
But, now it is being brought forward with a start during 2012/13.
The announcement has been welcomed by Derek Whittington, West Sussex Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport.
He said: “This scheme is all about improving safety on a stretch of the A24 that has an unacceptable accident record.
“The scheme has been delayed many times in the past, and at one stage it was due to be completed by 2007.
“In 2006 at a meeting between one of my predecessors and the then Minister for Transport, the County Council again made the case for this scheme telling him that in the previous ten years, there were a total of 1,346 casualties on this road of which 41 were fatalities.”
The A24 scheme will involve - an upgrade of the existing accesses on to the A24 at Dial Post (Grinders Lane), Knepp Castle (B2135) and Buck Barn (A272) with two-level grade separated junctions, and closure of 28 central reservation gaps and frontage accesses between Ashington and Southwater.
Derek said the County Council was confident that it would be ready to start the scheme in 2012 because planning permission exists, and there has been an enormous amount of preparatory work.
He said: “We will be consulting again with the local community in the coming months.”
Another benefit of bringing the scheme forward is that it is expected to save about £3 million.
The Government will foot much of the bill for the scheme with about 10 per cent being funded by the County Council.
Derek added: “A great deal of safety work has already been carried out on the A24 which has reduced the number and severity of accidents. These include reducing speed limits in some areas, speed cameras, interactive speed warning signs, and signs pointing out the casualty rate.
“However, these address only three of the 28 gaps in the central reservation that we propose to shut.
“The recent accident rate is still up to 70 per cent higher than other modern dual carriageway roads in West Sussex, and that is mainly due to accidents involving use of the gaps.”
12-21-2012, 06:29 AM
#27
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Originally Posted by blue monster' timestamp='1356088054' post='22223434
Well said young man
Don't get me wrong, PaulF has proven that even experienced old hands can get stung, but the guy in the OCUK thread has binned it down to stupidity and lack of experience.
That's not that uncommon either.
12-21-2012, 07:05 AM
#28
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In all honesty which of us can't say 'there but for the grace of god go I'?
I've had a couple of moments that though I'd like to believe it skill, in fact probably only missed by the narrowest of margins being the author of one of these threads.
Those occasions have learnt me well to respect the car far more but in all honesty if you haven't come close you're probably not fully enjoying the car.
I've had a couple of moments that though I'd like to believe it skill, in fact probably only missed by the narrowest of margins being the author of one of these threads.
Those occasions have learnt me well to respect the car far more but in all honesty if you haven't come close you're probably not fully enjoying the car.
12-21-2012, 07:11 AM
#29
12-21-2012, 07:23 AM
#30
I was lucky in that no one got hurt and I hope that the A24 crash had the same outcome.
Nick Graves described the S as "the sort of car that if it catches you looking out of the window in class it will throw a board rubber at your head". It is particularly mean to first formers, but it can also hit us sixth formers too. I'm sure we all had moments in the first winter, even the first year of ownership that could have gone a different way and left us posting that we'd binned our pride and joy.
We learned from those early mistakes and it made us wise to the S's more psychotic tendencies. I read the thread on OCUK and thought, like y'all did, that that was a school boy error, the only difference between his and my (read all of our) similar school boy errors is that mine didn't end up biting me, his did.
